Tower of Paradise

Chapter 31: Fear (2)

Giving up was not an option.

Upon seeing the hobgoblin approaching, I quickly escaped from that place. If I had my back against the wall, facing its enormous body, my escape route would be immediately blocked.

The hobgoblin, who advanced at full speed, followed my movements and made a sharp turn. While stomping the ground, it followed me from behind.

Looking at it from the side, it was approaching quickly. Within my trembling eyes, its fierce face gradually became larger.

The hobgoblin violently stamped the ground. Before the attack of the great crimson axe that swung downward, I also violently stepped on the ground and launched myself into the air.

To respond to the attack from the side, I jumped headfirst forward and avoided it. After that, a roar was heard from behind my head.

At the same time my heart trembled, I turned around once and stood up while quickly crouching and jumping backward.

Faced with the cracks in the ground, I couldn't help but sweat. I did my best to create some distance from the hobgoblin wrapped in a crimson tone.

In the instant its strong and tenacious short legs stepped on the ground, the distance was reduced to zero.

I saw the left hook coming, shining with a blood-red glow. With a calculated movement, I moved the bone spear to intercept it from the side. The impact momentarily paralyzed my hand, but I managed to dodge the axe while strategically retreating.

It was painfully obvious that I was being contained. My eyes, distorted by effort until losing their original shape, met the fierce gaze of the hobgoblin. At that moment, it was just the two of us: the monster with its giant axe and me, a simple child with a bone spear.

Neither was willing to back down. Sweat ran down my cheeks as we engaged in a fierce battle, our weapons clashing with an intensity that made the grass-covered ground creak. The brute force of the hobgoblin left its mark on the terrain with each impact.

The sound of our violent dance of weapons resonated in all directions, the contained roar of destructive power mixed with the sharp cracking of movements at dizzying speed. The flashes of blood-red light intertwined with sapphire blue glows in a deadly choreography.

I was aware that the hobgoblin had the advantage. Its superior physical capacity allowed it to maintain a continuous assault that tested my limits. This was a true fight to the death, where our lives hung by the same thread.

Strangely, my body felt light. My mind was unusually clear. My thoughts roared with an intensity that almost rivaled the heat of battle. I ventured through the gaps between the incessant flashes of its great axe, advancing firmly.

—"UVVVVVVUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The bestial cry of the hobgoblin was accompanied by my own scream.

—"HAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

We faced each other head-on, continuing our battle of power against speed. The wind whistled sharply around us, while a faint glow seemed to cut through the very space that surrounded us.