Chương 42: Victory

Seeing the four Ogres being deployed, Li Qinwu shouted to Hana, "Miss Hana, ask Dang-Dang if those four are his 'family'!" Hana chattered away in the Ogre tongue. Dang-Dang immediately became agitated.

"He says those are his Gugu-Gaga and Guga-Gagu, but Chiu-Chiu and Mi-Mi aren't there." Based on the context, Li Qinwu figured it meant his grandparents and parents were there, but his son and daughter were missing. Li Qinwu stroked his chin, plotting his next move. Gobu-Bow called out from a ballista, "Boss, they're in range. Should we switch to iron-tipped bolts?"

"No! Do not fire!" Li Qinwu hadn't forgotten his quest to rescue Dang-Dang's family. If he failed and triggered the Curse of the Earth Goddess, he'd have to go become the Pirate King or something just to survive. As the four Ogres drew closer, Li Qinwu said to Hana, "Miss Hana, tell Dang-Dang to tell his family that the 'Little Greens' are the good guys. We're here to help them beat up the 'Bad Fuzzies.' Once the Bad Fuzzies are gone, the Little Greens will help them find Chiu-Chiu and Mi-Mi."

Hana translated faithfully. Dang-Dang let out a series of bellows toward the four giants, and they skidded to a halt. What followed was a dialogue between Ogres: Dang-Dang:"Ma! Pa! Grandma! Grandpa! These little green guys are good people! They're helping us fight the bad dogs! Once we're done, they'll take us to the kids!" The Adult Ogre:"Son, these tiny things are usually real nasty. Are you sure the greenies aren't tricking you?" Dang-Dang:"No way! Ho-Ho (the Earth Goddess) spoke!

She said we can trust them, or she'll make the green boss's 'little brother' stop working forever!" The adult Ogre conferred with the others. Finally, they reached a consensus.

"Son, Chiu-Chiu and Mi-Mi are with the Golden Bad Dog. We can't help the Little Greens yet, or he'll hurt the kids. But Ho-Ho is watching, and we can't fight someone she likes. We'll just stand here and do nothing. When the Little Greens beat the Golden Fuzzy and save the kids, then we'll help." Hana relayed the result to Li Qinwu, who was overjoyed. With the Ogres neutralized, the rest would be easy. It was time for the final push.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Li Qinwu roared to the Goblins around him, "Move out of the trenches! Form ranks as we practiced! BATTLE ARRAY!!" The Goblins scrambled out and organized themselves in front of the position. One square of heavy infantry, one of spearmen, two hundred polearm Goblins divided into two squares, and a line of crossbowmen in the rear. This was completed within thirty seconds—an extraordinary feat for the primitive era.

"Raise weapons!! MARCH!! KILL! KILL! KILL!" The Goblin squares advanced with rhythmic steps, their voices joined in a thunderous chant. The advancing Kobolds were stunned; seeing their own chaotic mess compared to the enemy's rigid lines, gleaming armor, and sharp steel, they felt a primal surge of terror.

"Everyone, stay tight! Advance! Stab! Cleave! KILL!!" Li Qinwu's voice acted as the glue, binding the Goblins into a single, unstoppable entity. They felt more powerful than ever before. The Kobolds' fear deepened, especially seeing their four Ogre champions standing still while the enemy's Ogre continued to roar and advance. In the rear, Dragon-Fang saw his troops wavering again. Enraged, he pointed his curved blade at the tribal chiefs beside him.

"You lot! Get to the front and steady the line, or die here!!" Cowed by his aura, the chiefs whimpered and ran into the crowd, barely managing to stabilize the fleeing masses. Dragon-Fang looked at the idle Ogres, his eyes full of murderous intent. I was careless. I didn't bring the Ogre cubs with me. In truth, he had little choice. Even an Ogre cub was over two meters tall—a mini-giant that was nearly impossible to restrain without a proper prison.

Moreover, if he had brought the cubs to the front line, the adults wouldn't have been threatened; they would have gone berserk, crushed him instantly, and snatched the children back.

"Curse them! How do Goblins have a way to communicate with Ogres?!" Dragon-Fang's confidence finally evaporated. On the field, the two armies closed the gap. The air grew heavy with tension. When the soldiers could finally see the fur and wrinkles on each other's faces, Li Qinwu roared a final "KILL!" and leaped into the Kobold swarm, his greatsword cleaving through two enemies instantly. The heavy infantry followed suit, crashing into the line with shield bashes and axe strikes.

The spearmen thrust their weapons into enemy bellies from behind the shields. The Goblins' dense formation and superior equipment acted like a meat grinder. Whenever a Kobold managed to get close enough to use claws or teeth, the crocodile leather armor absorbed the blow. Meanwhile, the Goblins' iron weapons bit deep. The spearmen, in particular, were the kings of the battlefield—every thrust silent and lethal. As the slaughter continued, Kobold numbers plummeted.

The Goblin line advanced step by step over a carpet of fur and blood. Li Qinwu, drenched in gore, had already leveled up twice, though he had no time to assign his stat points.

"KILL! KILL! KILL!" His constant shouting kept the Goblins' morale pinned at its peak. After ten minutes of grueling contact, the Kobold army lost twenty percent of its total force. They reached their breaking point and shattered.

"No! Don't run! STAND FAST!!" a Kobold chief screamed. Li Qinwu spotted him, delivered a brutal kick that sent the chief sprawling, and drove his greatsword through the dog's chest. Li Qinwu flicked the blood off his blade. The Kobold army was in a full, irreversible rout, vanishing into the forest without looking back. Near the tree line, Dragon-Fang shot one last hateful glare at Li Qinwu before disappearing into the shadows with the remnants of his force.