The Evolution of a Goblin to the Peak

Back in the headquarters of Athen's Champion in Champion's Den.

Franklin, Eztein, Eilish, and Alice had returned after finishing the mission that they took.

"We're back!"

Eztein said as he opened the door of the Astros Squad Room. He quickly sat on the sofa and sigh in relief.

"Oh, that was hard."

"Don't you think that there are fewer people here in this area? I barely saw any people while walking to our base and yet the security is tight." Eilish said.

"Now that you mention it. All the people that we met are warriors guarding the gate and patrols." Eztein placed his hand on his chin.

"We are away for several days so we don't know what's happening. It's natural." Franklin said with a smile.

Alice sat on a chair without saying anything. She just listened to their words. Although she looked like she didn't care, she was thinking about their topic.

She too found it too weird that they've met fewer warriors while walking in this area.

Hmm?

She turned her head and looked at the person that arrived.

Isabella came out of her room and greeted everyone.

"How is the mission, everyone?" She asked.

"It's fine. It's a bit troublesome but we handle it perfectly." Eilish answered.

"Did Souta come out of his seclusion?" Alice asked.

"Y-Yes," Isabella answered.

"Oh, the boss came out." Eztein looked around. "So where is boss?"

"I-I'm going to explain it."

Isabella slowly explained the things that happened while they were away.

"Wait! You mean leader go to war without even waiting for me?!" Eztein asked with wide eyes.

"Y-Yes." Isabella nodded.

"Ugh! Why did he hog all the exciting things for himself? I thought that he wouldn't forget about me." Franklin said in a low voice.

"It was sudden. The Grain Leader suddenly summoned all the squad leaders." Isabella said.

"I see... So that's the reason why we met fewer people here." Eilish nodded in understanding.

"Warriors that came back from completing a mission are forbidden to take another mission. They are obligated to prepare themselves and head to the war as reinforcement." Isabella said.

"Oh, I still have a chance." Franklin raised his eyebrows with interest.

"I wonder what's happening there." Alice narrowed her eyes. She stood up and opened the door.

"I'm going out for a while. I want to know what's currently happening in the war."

She quickly left after leaving those words.

"War, huh? I don't know how to feel about it. I don't even know a tiny detail regarding this war." Eilish muttered.

"Yep, back in our world. People at your power level are the ones deciding the war. Yet in this world, you are just a slightly stronger warrior." Eztein looked at her.

He was right. Back in their world, Eilish was a leader of a powerful organization. She was a person that could control the life and death of countless people.

There's a big difference in her status back in her world than in Imperium.

'This is what I want. The Divine World Imperium is my goal from the beginning. I think it's time complete my goal in this world.' Eilish narrowed her eyes.

...

After the Tenth Grain War finished resting, Grain Leader Carmel assembled all the warriors that could fight. All the members of the Red Matter Association in the Fone Kingdom were gone so it was time for them to join the main force.

"Listen, Warriors!! It's for us to join the main force and help them in the battle!! Glory for Goddess Athena! We pray that you guide us in our battle!!" Carmel's voice resounded.

"Glory for Goddess Athena!!"

"Glory for Goddess Athena!!"

"Glory for Goddess Athena!!"

The warriors said in a loud voice. Their voice contained their determination to fight until their death. They were prepared to sacrifice their lives to complete this mission.

Carmel observed the warriors in front of him before he turned his head in the other direction. He didn't have any idea what happened to the other Grain that went to the surrounding kingdoms like Tenth Grain War.

Did they succeed or not?

He will know it once they joined the main force.

'They even prepared a [Titanous Victor Golem]... It's unexpected.' He muttered inwardly. If not for the strange incident that killed every member of the Red Matter Association, the casualties they suffered would increase several times.

He didn't know what really happened but he didn't have a time to think about it. He would report it to Chief Captain Vandal and let the higher-ups handle it.

Also, the War Golem was still hidden underground. They would try to excavate it soon after they finished this mission.

A War Golem was a huge asset. It has a power equal to a Four Shackles Realm expert. It would boost their strength if they get their hands on it.

"Among all the warriors that participated in this battle, seventy-one warriors have perished. We will not let their sacrifice go in vain."

The Tenth Grain War left the ruined Fone Kingdom. They headed in the direction of Mirror Lake. The Fone Kingdom had fallen and the survivors had no way of rebuilding it. The entire land was ravaged and most of the citizens had died.

It was the worse tragedy in their history.

Yesterday, they were just living peacefully, and on the next day, a big battle occurred. They couldn't even believe that this happened.

There was no sign. It was too sudden. No one was prepared for this disaster. Even if they were, what can they do in the battle between Shackled Realm experts?

Nothing.

They could only run.

"I pity the citizens of Fone Kingdom," Drami said in a low voice.

"There's nothing we can do about it. We have to fight the Red Matter. If the Red Matter escaped then more people would only die." Leilus said to her.

"Grain Leader already warned us about this scenario. We should prioritize killing the Red Matter members than protecting the civilians or else we would lose the battle." Paolo said gravely.

"I know it already. But is there a way to change the battlefield where we didn't have to worry about civilians dying from the aftershocks of our battle?" Drami said with a heavy sigh.

"We would have already done it if we could. The fact that the higher-ups didn't care about the civilians already told us how desperate they are to get rid of the Red Matter Association." Marcus said.

"If we didn't annihilate them this time. We would hear news about a kingdom or a city getting massacred by this group in the future." Leilus said.

Souta just listened to their conversation. He didn't even try to join. He just listened to them. The life of a civilian in this world was pretty much the same as grass in every field.

That's why he didn't want to be a civilian that stayed on the sideline.

Souta shook his head and he tried to calculate the battle that will happen in the Mirror Lake. He already used the [Blessing of the God of Hunt] so it was in cooldown. Also, he used the equipment skill of the [Solid Hunter State Boots].

Aside from these two, he still has something he could use when he fights a strong person. Two of his universal grade's equipment skills were still available. His release form was also good.

'I pretty much saved up all of my aces.'

Souta said inwardly.

A few hours had passed, and the group arrived near Mirror Lake.

Grain Leader Carmel quickly left as he had to report the details of their battle in the Fone Kingdom. He also had to inquire about the things that happened here in the main force of the Third Set.

"This is worse than I imagine..." Leilus muttered while looking around.

"Yeah, the atmosphere here is kinda dark. I could guess what happened in just a single look." Souta nodded with a serious expression.

A lot of warriors around them were injured. Some of them have worse injuries like their limbs were chopped.

There were also corpses lining at the back of the camp.

"The Sky Avenue is surrounding the entire land. They will deal with any of the Red Matter that will try to escape so it's up to us to fight them. At the very least, we know that they are out there. This alone lifts the morale of our warriors." Leilus said in a low voice.

"I don't know the exact details but it seems that the forces of the Red Matter Association are stronger than we expected." Souta rubbed his chin.

He looked ahead and saw a huge lake before his eyes. The lake was calm but he could see the aftermath of fierce battles that happened here near the lake. There were several dozens of huge craters and the mana signatures were still present in the air.

Then, he glanced at the two giant mountains behind the lake. It was strangely unaffected.

"The Fourth Set is with us, right?" He asked.

"Yep, they are waiting around. I think they will join us when we launch our attack soon." Leilus nodded.

"I see... The help from Fourth Set is quite good. I don't think Third Set alone is enough to defeat the Red Matter." Souta said.

"I have the same thoughts too. Actually, this is not a secret but most warriors thought that Red Matter Association is receiving support from a bigger organization. Have you heard about the recent news? More than fifty organizations like Red Matter are moving. We are not the only warriors fighting an organization like this one."

Leilus paused for a moment.

"Other gods legion are fighting those organizations. I think that's the reason why Chief Captain Vandal asked for Fourth Set and Sky Avenue's help. Maybe because he had guessed that Red Matter is receiving support."