The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1141: The Demon: Movements

Souta sat down and ordered some alcohol. Then he asked, ”Boss, do you know what’s happening out there?”

The boss looked at him and replied, ”You mean the war? Well, it’s quite far from us, so there’s no need to worry about it for now.”

”I see...” Souta nodded.

It seemed this place hadn’t been affected by the Gluttony Army’s rampage.

”Any big news?” Souta asked.

The boss glanced at his face, as if trying to recognize him. After a moment, he shook his head and said, ”If you’re looking for information, you probably won’t find it here. All the news that reaches this place is incomplete. Try heading to a big city if you want to know more.”

Souta sighed. He had expected this, but it was still a bit disappointing.

Well, Alice should’ve contacted Vashno by now. I’m sure Vashno knows something, Souta thought.

He stood up, quickly finished a mug of beer, and placed a few gold coins on the counter for the boss.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye—a portrait pinned to the board in the corner of the tavern.

”Hmm...?”

Souta walked over and stopped in front of the board, staring intently at the portrait.

The person in the portrait looked strikingly similar to him. Souta glanced down at the words written below and confirmed it—

it really was him.

”The Blood Lightning Monster...”

He took the portrait and walked over to the boss, holding it up.

”Boss, do you know what happened to this monster?”

The boss examined the portrait before shaking his head. ”I don’t know. Maybe he’s hiding with Athen’s Champion. Word is, the demons are looking for him.”

”What?!” Souta’s eyes widened.

”Do you know him?”

”No, I’m just curious about what he did to the demons,” Souta replied, shaking his head.

He continued asking the boss various questions, but the man didn’t have any more useful information. In the end, Souta left the tavern knowing only one thing:

The demons were after him.

Sooner or later, they would set their sights on the land of Olympus.

Souta walked through the streets, his steps steady and thoughtful. He paused for a moment and looked up at the clear sky.

He was certain that Goddess Athena would never forsake him.

But the same couldn’t be said for Olympus.

...

News spread like wildfire.

The demons had made their move. They were actively hunting the infamous Blood Lightning Monster. Word quickly circulated that this fearsome individual was connected to Athen’s Champion, one of Olympus’s elite factions. As a result, countless eyes turned toward Olympus.

However, Olympus remained under lockdown. Its borders were sealed, and only a handful of people could get information from within.

Speculation ran rampant. What had the Blood Lightning Monster done to provoke the wrath of the demons?

It didn’t take long for the answer to emerge.

A Demon Pillar, Commander of the 53rd Demon Army under the Heavenly Demon Palace, made a public declaration:

Anyone who finds the Blood Lightning Monster will be rewarded with an entire mana stone mine, ten red-grade artifacts, and one dark-grade artifact.

Everyone was shocked by the announcement. It appeared the Blood Lightning Monster had provoked the demons to an extreme degree. Still, few were willing to get involved. The demons had a notorious reputation across the entire God’s Continent due to their brutal invasion. Moreover, everyone knew that the Blood Lightning Monster was a member of Athen’s Champion.

Only wanted criminals and desperate bounty hunters began preparing to chase down the famed warrior.

But this wasn’t enough for the demons.

They escalated their offer, releasing information that shook the continent to its core.

If someone delivered the Blood Lightning Monster to them, the demon army would withdraw its forces and halt the invasion.

The reason?

He possessed something the demons desperately wanted. Something that, according to them, was the true cause of their invasion.

This revelation sparked outrage across the continent.

Rumors began to spread. Some believed it had to do with a demon subordinate who had served the Blood Lightning Monster. But it was only speculation, no one could confirm anything unless the Blood Lightning Monster was captured.

And so, the world was left with a grim ultimatum.

This... was the only way to stop the demon advance.

...

Meanwhile...

In the lands conquered by the demons...

The Demon Pillar, Commander of the 53rd Demon Army, sat on his throne, listening as his subordinates delivered their reports.

His name was Arzona.

”It spread that quickly...? I didn’t even authorize that information,” Arzona muttered, narrowing his eyes. ”Someone is fanning the flames. This isn’t good. A schemer moving in the shadows could ruin everything.”

The only information he had ordered his people to circulate was the bounty on the Blood Lightning Monster. He hadn’t given any command to leak details about the reason behind their hunt, especially not about the mysterious thing the Blood Lightning Monster supposedly possessed.

Now, that secret had become a rumor running wild.

And that changed everything.

People would no longer seek the Blood Lightning Monster just for the bounty.

Some would now try to claim whatever it was he held... for themselves.

”This isn’t good... and His Majesty will not be pleased. It seems we’ll need to put pressure on Olympus to hand over the Blood Lightning Monster. I doubt they’ll refuse us outright,” Arzona said coldly.

...

Meanwhile, interest in the Blood Lightning Monster continued to grow.

Curiosity turned into action. Countless individuals began to rally, believing that eliminating him might pacify the demons and end the war. Rumors had spread like wildfire:

The cause of the demons’ invasion was in the hands of the Blood Lightning Monster.

Even some of the larger nations started to mobilize.

From bounty hunters to all kinds of powerful beings, many began to move. Most had lost their homes and families to the demon army, and now, they directed their rage toward the one blamed for it all.

Even those who cared little for the demon invasion saw opportunity.

They wanted to know what the Blood Lightning Monster possessed, what was so valuable that it triggered a full-scale invasion. If it proved useful, they would keep it. If not, they would turn it over to the demons in exchange for the promised rewards.

At the same time, the demon army resumed its advance. Their momentum was overwhelming, tearing through and destroying several cities in their path.

With the Gluttony Army on the move, no one wanted to provoke the demons further.

The Holy Lands took a different approach. They sent veiled messages to Olympus, hinting that if they refused to surrender the Blood Lightning Monster, they would soon face not only the demons, but also the coalition forces of the Large Countries.

The Holy Lands were simply watching, waiting to see if Olympus could withstand this calamity. They didn’t make any moves, choosing instead to observe the unfolding details, especially with the possibility that the Ruler of Gluttony would soon make another appearance.

With most of the attention focused on the Blood Lightning Monster, the Holy Lands speculated that the Ruler of Gluttony might use the distraction to strike again.

Meanwhile, a critical issue persisted across the three theaters of war.

The Ancient Monster Lord, unleashed by the Ruler of Gluttony, was still going strong. Despite being engaged by several God-rank beings at once, the creature showed no signs of faltering.

In fact, it was growing stronger.

The Lord of the Wood was even showing signs of recovering to its peak state. This development alarmed the Holy Land closest to the battle. They began preparations to deploy more God-rank combatants.

But they were cautious.

They had no idea how the Ruler of Gluttony would respond, or whether this was part of a larger trap.

Moreover, the Holy Lands were certain that the other Bringers of Calamity were also watching the situation unfold. Acting recklessly could bring a catastrophe upon them all.

So they waited, biding their time... preparing for the worst.

...

Involin Forest.

Souta, Alice, and the others sat around a table, each wearing a serious expression.

Alice had just finished recounting what she’d learned from Vashno.

And it was bad, worse than any of them expected.

The weight of the revelation pressed heavily on everyone’s shoulders.

”In short, a lot of people are coming for my head,” Souta muttered, his brows furrowed.

He never imagined things would escalate to this level.

The demons...

”A lot of them will come to Ekatoe City and burn it to the ground, just to find me,” he said grimly. ”We need to evacuate the people. As for Olympus’s stance on this, I don’t care. But I’ll go there and inform Goddess Athena personally.”

That was what they had learned from Vashno. And now, the people of Ekatoe City were in a panic, gripped by fear, as though a new disaster was about to strike.

No...

This one would be far worse than anything they had faced before.

Souta’s image in the eyes of countless people was now tainted by rage and resentment. Many blamed him for the demon invasion, claiming that he was the root cause of it all.

Even the large countries had begun to cast their gaze toward Olympus. And while Olympus was undeniably powerful, the weight of so many eyes, so much scrutiny, was beginning to create pressure even for them.

”The worst-case scenario is that Gluttony comes for us,” Souta muttered, exhaling deeply.

If Gluttony captured him, then he might use him to negotiate with the demons, perhaps even turn them loose on another Holy Land, letting them destroy it completely before handing over what he had taken.

”We’re leaving this place. Get ready,” Souta said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The atmosphere was heavy as the meeting came to an end.

Alice immediately contacted Vashno to begin preparations for evacuation.

They could only hope there was still enough time before the experts or the demon army arrived.

Ekatoe City would soon be reduced to ashes.

That much was certain.

Now alone, Souta sat in silence, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts of everything that was about to unfold.