The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1219: Quelling the Calamity in Nature Zone City II

Shiiing!!

A piercing metallic scream echoed across the battlefield.

Two massive blades of intertwined darkness and light crossed through the air and slammed directly into the body of the giant Dark Apparition.

BANG!!

The monstrous form was driven downward at terrifying speed, smashing into the ground far below.

A second later,

A cataclysmic explosion erupted, a pillar of destruction surging hundreds of meters into the sky.

The shockwaves tore through the battlefield, shaking the entire tree as if it were about to collapse. People and Dark Apparitions alike were hurled away, their bodies flung into the void.

The Dark Apparitions would survive.

Most of them always did.

But the people...

Only those who had reached at least the First Shackle Realm had a slim chance of enduring the impact. Anyone weaker could do nothing but accept their end as they were swallowed by the chaos.

The land below was already a ruined wasteland, ravaged beyond recognition by the Dark Apparitions.

The colossal tree was the last refuge.

And even that refuge was beginning to break.

”Souta! That one!” Angus shouted suddenly. ”That’s the core! Let’s kill it!”

Souta nodded without hesitation.

He could already tell.

That colossal Dark Apparition was fundamentally different from the rest. Its energy dwarfed all others, dense and oppressive, as if it were the source from which the swarm had been born. The surrounding Dark Apparitions moved in subtle coordination around it, their presence orbiting its will.

This was no ordinary monster.

Kreiiiiiiiiikh!!!

A thunderous screech tore through the battlefield, vibrating through flesh and bone alike.

The smoke from the explosion was violently blown away as a massive wave of dark energy surged outward, sweeping across the city and up the tree. From the giant apparition’s body, countless tentacle-like appendages erupted, writhing and twisting as they shot forward at terrifying speed.

They showed no discrimination.

Allies. Enemies. Dark Apparitions. Humans.

Everything in their path was pierced.

The tentacles bored straight through the bark of the colossal tree and impaled lesser Dark Apparitions without slowing, shredding them apart as collateral damage. They spread outward like a living net, covering an area nearly five hundred meters wide.

Souta’s expression darkened.

The next instant,

More than a hundred tentacles slammed toward them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

It happened too fast.

Several people didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies were lifted into the air, impaled through the torso. Massive, gaping holes were torn through them as blood sprayed outward, raining down onto the branches below.

”Argh!!”

”Help...!!”

”Noooo!!”

Their screams overlapped, jagged and desperate, before being cut short.

Only the most capable fighters managed to react in time. Blades flashed as tentacles were severed mid-air. Shields shattered. Defensive spells flared desperately as survivors were forced backward, crushed under the suffocating pressure radiating from the monster.

Their minds raced.

Retreat routes. Escape plans. Anything.

Because deep down, they all felt it.

This wasn’t a battle they could win.

These creatures weren’t just powerful.

They were almost unkillable.

And the battlefield was rapidly becoming a graveyard.

Souta moved with fluid precision, his hand cutting through the air. The vajra sword blazed with intertwined darkness and light, each swing cleaving the advancing tentacles into fragmented, writhing pieces.

For a few precious seconds, the relentless assault halted. The survivors dared to breathe.

”Huff... What the hell...?!” Angus panted, chest heaving. His gaze swept downward. Hundreds of the standard Dark Apparitions lay torn apart by the tentacles, their broken forms littering the battlefield like discarded corpses.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and raised his eyes to the sky. Dark clouds still loomed above, pouring the same viscous black rain that coated everything it touched.

He wondered, fleetingly, about the other cities. Could they even survive this onslaught? Could anyone?

His gaze dropped again, heavy with dread.

The ground below, once teeming with life, was now an ocean of darkness. Countless Dark Apparitions crawled, surged, and swarmed across every surface. The sheer number was incomprehensible, terrifying in its inevitability.

”We... can’t fight all of these...” Angus muttered, his voice low, almost swallowed by the oppressive air.

He turned to Souta. The monster’s expression was solemn, unyielding. Not a flicker of fear crossed his face.

And yet, even with such confidence radiating from him, the sight of the endless tide of monsters pressed upon every heart, planting a seed of dread. Every survivor felt it, the icy touch of fear that only the truly hopeless could understand.

There were too many. Too many to count. Too many to kill.

And somewhere in the back of their minds, everyone knew: this battle was far from over.

Souta hovered in the air, his aura swelling like a tidal wave ready to drown everything in its path. He had scanned the battlefield, assessing the full scope of the calamity. The colossal Dark Apparition was undeniably powerful, but taking it down wouldn’t end the disaster.

His eyes pierced through the smoke and debris, landing on a dense, writhing sphere of darkness on the ground. Thick, black liquid oozed from it, spreading across the ruined city.

’This... is the true source.’

Souta’s hands moved, and shadows surged from within him, forming dozens of identical copies. It’s his doppelgangers.

But before they could act, hundreds of tentacles exploded outward, shaking the massive tree as if it were about to snap in two. Pain shot through Souta’s chest as he felt his doppelgangers being shredded almost instantly.

Whoooosh!!

The tentacles multiplied, a writhing, relentless storm that now nearly engulfed the entire tree.

”This can’t be...!!”

”Are we really going to die here?!!”

Despair spread like a disease. Some of the remaining fighters faltered, their wills cracking under the sheer hopelessness of the assault. The calamity wasn’t just a threat. It was a force designed to crush hope itself.

’I can handle it,’ Souta thought, bending his knees. With a single, fluid motion, he charged forward.

Boom!!

Among all the warriors struggling to survive, Souta was the only one to advance. Angus and the others froze in shock, their eyes wide as he raced toward the epicenter of destruction.

Souta didn’t care. Their gazes, their doubts... they were irrelevant. He had already assessed that his strength was enough to confront this calamity. There was no thought of escape. Only action. Only ending it.

The towering Dark Apparition loomed before him, its presence immense, terrifying, unreal. It felt like the source but Souta’s sharp eyes caught the subtle truth. It wasn’t the origin of the calamity in this city.

It was only powerful enough to make it look that way.

Whooosh!!

The blade in Souta’s hand ignited with a brilliant white light. He hadn’t mastered high-rank light element spells or combat arts, but the raw power he channeled rivaled his own mastery over darkness.

With a single, lightning-fast slash, dozens of Dark Apparitions were cleaved in two, their torn bodies tumbling through the air. Souta kicked off the space between the fallen corpses, launching himself forward with fluid, predatory precision.

Ahead, the writhing mass of tentacles surged toward him.

In an instant, he opened his mouth.

[Bestrou]!!

A deafening explosion tore outward, sending shockwaves through the tree. Flames of energy lit the battlefield as the force ripped apart tentacles and obliterated anything unlucky enough to be in their path.

His hands blurred. Energy blades shot forth like streaks of falling stars.

[Crimson Moon]!!

Tentacles that had once seemed unstoppable were shredded midair. Branches, bark, and debris vaporized beneath his assault.

Souta had already gauged the strength of the Dark Apparitions. None of them posed a true threat to him. All that remained was effort and even that would not push him to his limits.

Ohm!!

Tentacles, hundreds of them, were sliced apart in a heartbeat. He weaved through the gaps like a shadow, each movement precise, each strike devastating.

And then he saw it.

The colossal Dark Apparition.

Souta slowed slightly, tilting his head, his eyes narrowing.

”Here you are,” Souta muttered, his voice calm, almost casual, but carrying the weight of inevitable death.

The colossal Dark Apparition opened its maw, rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth glinting in the smoke-choked air. Its killing intent surged outward like a storm, slamming toward Souta with oppressive force.

For anyone else, that presence would have frozen them in place. But Souta was not anyone else.

A cold, predatory smile curved his lips. He released his own killing intent, a palpable wave of lethal energy that met the monster’s in midair.

Bang!!

The collision ripped through the surrounding air, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Trees groaned, debris flew, and the remaining Dark Apparitions were thrown violently aside.

Souta’s eyes gleamed as he pressed his palm downward. The ground quaked violently. Gravity itself seemed to obey him, ripping the earth upward, lifting the Dark Apparition slightly off its feet.

Perfect. Just the way he wanted it.

He drew the vajra sword with a hiss of energy. Darkness and light coiled together along its blade, twisting and writhing like a living thing.

With a fierce downward swing, the blade struck. Crimson light flared as steel met flesh and sinew. Sparks erupted, scattering across the battlefield.

The blade bit deep into the creature’s neck but the monster’s hide was nearly impenetrable. The sword sank only a few inches, glinting as it struck sparks from the immense toughness of its skin.