The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1153: The Demon: Vashno

The Guardian Fortress appeared in an unfamiliar land.

Eztein looked down and saw snow-covered mountains stretching beneath him. He turned to Torkez and asked, ”How long do you think it’ll take before they find us?”

”Not long. Probably an hour or two,” Torkez replied.

”That’s good.” Eztein nodded and walked back inside the fortress. ”Let us know the moment they arrive.”

”I know,” Torkez said.

Meanwhile, the experts of Astros descended to recover the energy they had just expended. It was crucial—they would need their full strength for the battle ahead.

Time passed quickly...

Torkez spotted them again in the distance. They had caught up once more.

And this time, their numbers had grown even larger.

”They’re here...” Torkez sighed.

It would have been better if those pursuers never caught up. The Fortress already had bigger problems—the demons still hiding in the dark, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Torkez sounded the alarm.

Everyone in the Guardian Fortress looked up. The enemies had returned. Recovery was no longer an option. The time for battle had come.

A figure appeared in the sky.

It was Vashno.

He cast a sharp glance at Torkez and asked, ”What’s the current plan?”

”This is the most crucial point. We can’t back down anymore—we have to fight them,” Torkez said, his face grave and unyielding.

Vashno gave a firm nod, then turned back toward the horizon.

In the distance...

A vast crowd stretched across the land, thousands of figures converging, their gazes fixed on the majestic Guardian Fortress.

At the front stood Jehlin.

Her eyes burned with cold fury as she glared at the fortress. Her voice carried across the battlefield like a blade of ice:

”I’ve finally found you... This time, there will be no escape.”

The air trembled as her killing intent erupted. Her aura flared violently, a suffocating pressure sweeping over the battlefield. Without waiting for anyone else, she surged forward, her subordinates unleashing their power as they followed close behind.

Swoooosh!!

Her speed split the air with a deafening crack. She would not allow them to vanish into light again.

From afar, Ray Borg, the Spatial Whisperer, and the others watched in silence. They did not move to stop her. For now, they would simply watch the storm unfold.

Boom!!

A thunderous explosion shook the skies.

A golden figure descended in front of the Guardian Fortress, halting Jehlin and her hundreds of experts in their tracks.

Vashno stood suspended in the air, his powerful aura surging like a storm. A pair of massive golden wings tinged with a faint purple hue unfurled behind him, filling the heavens with their brilliance.

”A subordinate of the Blood Lightning Monster...” Jehlin muttered, her cold gaze fixed on the radiant figure.

”That’s right,” Vashno replied, his voice sharp and cold.

Jehlin’s lips curled into a mocking laugh. ”Then perhaps... you know what the Blood Lightning Monster is hiding?”

”I don’t know,” Vashno said flatly.

Without another word, his wings snapped open.

Fwoooosh!!

Hundreds of golden feathers shot forth like arrows of divine judgment, streaking toward Jehlin’s group with deadly precision.

The air shrieked as the storm of feathers descended.

Jehlin’s expression hardened instantly.

”Scatter!!” she roared, her body flashing aside as she slashed and deflected the incoming barrage. Her instincts screamed at her—those feathers were lethal. Taking them head-on was suicide.

Around her, her experts scrambled, their formations breaking apart under the relentless downpour of golden light.

Her eyes narrowed. The man before her was no ordinary opponent—his power was unmistakable.

A strongman of the Sixth Shackle Realm.

Boom!! Boom!!

Eztein, Torkez, and Doranjan watched as Vashno clashed with Jehlin and her group, golden light and murderous auras colliding like storms in the sky.

”Let’s go,” Eztein said, his blade flashing as he leapt forward into the fray.

They all knew—Vashno could not hold back the enemies alone. If they wanted to survive, every warrior and monster in the Guardian Fortress had to fight. And still, this was only the beginning. The one they truly feared had yet to arrive.

ROAR!!

Doranjan let out a thunderous roar that shook the battlefield, his voice echoing like the cry of a sovereign beast. At once, the monsters within the fortress answered. Their roars overlapped in a primal symphony, their bloodlust ignited.

Doranjan spread his massive wings and shot into the sky like a cannon, leading the charge. Behind him, hundreds of monsters surged forward in a tide of claws, fangs, and wings, their killing intent blotting out the air.

The warriors of Astros followed in unison. Spears gleamed, blades shone, and their battle cries rang across the snowy peaks.

The once-silent land erupted into chaos.

Jehlin’s eyes narrowed as she saw the wave coming. ”Fools! Do you think numbers will save you?!”

She slashed her arm, and her aura split open the clouds as her experts spread out beside her. Their combined powers surged, painting the sky with storms of fire, ice, lightning, and blades of energy.

Crash!!

The two forces collided mid-air.

Doranjan smashed through the first line of enemies with raw, overwhelming strength, his claws ripping apart weapons and armor. Every beat of his wings sent shockwaves that hurled dozens of experts away. Behind him, the monsters rampaged wildly, each one a force of nature.

The Astros warriors joined the onslaught.

The frontline of melee fighters crashed into Jehlin’s subordinates, weapons clashing in a deafening chorus. Sparks rained as steel met steel, while long-range attacks rained down from behind—arrows glowing with feram, bolts of flame, and volleys of lightning tearing through the air.

The healers and support fighters at the back chanted rapidly, their spells strengthening the frontline and patching wounds before they became fatal. It was the culmination of years of training—cohesion born from surviving countless deadly battles.

Still, the enemy was no ordinary foe.

”Hold the line!!” a captain of Astros roared, clashing with three enemies at once, his spear glowing with feram.

Jehlin’s mercenaries fought with ruthless precision. Every one of them was an elite, their killing intent sharp enough to crush lesser warriors. They spread out like predators, breaking formations and striking down anyone who faltered.

High above, Jehlin herself carved through the battlefield like a blade. She batted aside monsters with contemptuous ease, her eyes fixed only on the fortress beyond. However, she was forced back by Vashno once again.

The skies trembled. The land cracked under the weight of unleashed power.

And yet, this was only the first wave.

Torkez hovered in the air, his expression grim as he surveyed the unfolding battle.

Despite launching a full-scale assault, the soldiers of Astros did not lose their discipline. Their lines held firm—melee combatants braced the front, while long-range fighters and support units secured the rear. It was the fruit of tireless training, forged through countless life-and-death battles.

They moved as one. They had to—because a single misstep could spell annihilation.

The only ones who had overextended were Vashno and Eztein. The rest of the warriors and monsters stayed close to the Guardian Fortress, maintaining their formation. Even so, they were not easily killed—many of them carried parasites within their bodies, granting them unnatural resilience.

”Use the [Strength Enhancement Potion]!!” Torkez commanded, his voice booming across the battlefield.

At once, the soldiers of Astros reached into the small pouches at their sides, each pulling out a vial of shimmering liquid. They uncorked the bottles and drank in unison.

A surge of power coursed through their veins. Their muscles tightened, their breaths grew heavier, and their auras flared violently, climbing higher in an instant.

The [Strength Enhancement Potion] boosted their power for five full minutes. Though the increase wasn’t massive, it was clean—without drawbacks—thanks to Isabella’s flawless craftsmanship.

She had, however, also created a second version: the [Demonic Strength Enhancement Potion]. Unlike the first, it granted explosive strength far beyond the normal limit, but the cost was steep—the user would be left severely weakened for nearly an hour once the effect ended.

For now, they used the safer option.

”Fire!!” Torkez roared, raising his hand high.

Swoooosh!!

Hundreds of spells shot into the air at once, streaking like meteors before raining down upon the enemy ranks.

Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!

The battlefield erupted in chaos as explosions ripped across the ground. Shockwaves tore through the snow, shaking the earth beneath their feet. Smoke and fire billowed upward, swallowing screams and shouts.

The battle had only just begun to escalate.

...

High above the battlefield.

Vashno clashed against Jehlin and two other Sixth Shackle Realm experts. Three opponents at once—it was troublesome, even for him.

Their figures tore through the sky as they collided, each strike sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

Vashno’s golden form blazed like a beacon in the heavens, impossible to ignore. His strength eclipsed that of ordinary Sixth Shackle Realm fighters. Every beat of his wings carried overwhelming might.

His technique, [Nine Layers Golden Purple Destruction], had already reached the fourth stage. The purple hue along his wings had deepened, a visible mark of his mastery. With every layer he advanced, the technique’s destructive power grew exponentially.

He darted through the air at blinding speed, his wings cutting arcs of golden light as he delivered a devastating strike to Jehlin and her allies.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The clash shook the heavens. Jehlin and the other two experts spat blood as the force of his blow hurled them back hundreds of meters, their figures crashing through the sky.

But Vashno did not relent.

With a sharp motion, he raised his hand. A vast surge of golden energy burst forth, so immense that the air itself trembled and distorted.

”[Golden Incineration]!!”

A colossal golden pillar roared down from the heavens, descending like divine judgment to obliterate everything in its path.

Boom!!

In the distance, Spatial Whisperer, Ray Borg, and several other groups watched as Jehlin’s mercenaries clashed with the subordinates of the Blood Lightning Monster.

Most of the leaders had their eyes fixed above, where Vashno and Jehlin’s battle shook the skies.

’Why does he feel... so similar to the Golden Purple Angel?’ Spatial Whisperer frowned, his gaze narrowing as he studied Vashno’s radiant form.

He had learned much since joining the Deadly Sins. The Golden Purple Angel was a name etched into history—a figure of legend from thousands of years ago. She had fought in the great war between Angels and Fallen Angels, her strength reaching the God-rank, her power unmatched even among deities.

’Don’t tell me... he obtained the inheritance of the Golden Purple Angel.’

Spatial Whisperer’s unease deepened. It seemed the subordinates of the Blood Lightning Monster were far more dangerous than expected.

And yet... the true threat had not even appeared.

The one that gnawed at his nerves...

The Nine-Headed Hydra.

The Blood Lightning Monster was infamous for subduing that terrifying beast. A fifth-stage monster, its power rivaled natural disasters. And still, it had not shown itself.

Spatial Whisperer clenched his fists. He dared not move recklessly. Barging in now could mean death at the hands of that creature—or worse. For now, all he could do was watch.

Boom!!

In the distance, Vashno continued his fierce clash against three Sixth Shackle Realm experts.

Boom!!

Jehlin coughed up a mouthful of blood as her body was hurled from the sky, crashing into the ground like a meteor. Dust and debris erupted around her.

She staggered up immediately, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face twisting in fury.

”This is bullshit!” she spat, glaring at the battlefield.

Her gaze swept toward the other groups—still standing by, watching. None had joined in. It was only her mercenaries locked in combat with their target.

When her eyes rose once more, they locked onto Vashno’s radiant form. His overwhelming presence filled the sky, and even against three Sixth Shackle Realm experts, his power did not falter.

”He’s strong...” Jehlin muttered bitterly.

With a violent surge of energy, she shot back into the sky.

”Don’t hold back!” her voice roared across the battlefield. ”Show everything you’ve got!!”

Her aura exploded outward, flames erupting around her. The ground quaked as the air filled with countless burning embers, swirling like stars of fire.

The two other Sixth Shackle Realm experts answered her call, their elemental drives igniting. Armor and weapons flared to life as their equipment skills activated, and combat arts enhanced their bodies with surging strength.

Boom!!

Three waves of terrifying energy burst forth at once, colliding with Vashno’s energy and shaking the entire battlefield.

Vashno only smiled, stepping forward fearlessly. His golden wings spread wide, and his fighting intent radiated with even greater clarity, as though the flames of war only fueled him further.

Inside the Guardian Fortress.

Torkez watched the four dazzling figures locked in combat, his expression grave. He raised his voice, commanding his subordinates.

”Lower the Guardian Fortress! Get out of range of Vashno’s battle!”

At once, the fortress formation began its descent. The storm of energy unleashed by the Sixth Shackle Realm combatants was far too dangerous for lower-realm experts to withstand. Staying in the same skies would be suicide.

It was not wise to fight in the shadow of gods.