Battle Ends

The human soldiers, in groups of three, covered each other as they efficiently eliminated any standing green figures.

The goblin chieftain, "Skullcracker," watched the hellish scene before him, his heart and courage shattered.

His last bit of courage vanished, and now all he wanted was to escape!

He parried a spear that stabbed out from nowhere with his short axe while retreating in panic, trying to blend into the chaotic battle and slip away.

However, his inlaid armor and conspicuously oversized helmet had already been targeted by both Richter and Brendan.

"Kill him!" Brendan roared, kicking aside a goblin trying to block him with his sword as he strode after Skullcracker.

Richter flanked from the other side, his longsword like a viper, precisely piercing the throat of a goblin guard attempting to protect their leader.

Skullcracker was terrified, his soul scattering, and turned to flee into the deeper darkness.

But a cold sword light struck from the side. He barely managed to raise his axe to block.

With a loud "clang," the immense force numbed his arm, sending him staggering back, his cavalry helmet askew.

Before he could regain his footing, Brendan arrived. The veteran knight, experienced, gave him no chance to breathe. His sword stroke lowered, a swift thrust piercing directly through its abdomen.

"Ugh!" Skullcracker let out a shrill scream. The intense pain instantly engulfed his body, and the short axe clattered to the ground.

He looked down in disbelief at the blade piercing his body, his eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.

Brendan yanked his longsword out, drawing a gush of hot blood.

Skullcracker staggered and knelt on the ground, his life force rapidly draining with the blood.

The last thing he saw was the complete collapse of the surrounding goblins, scattering in retreat, and the human lord, like a god of war, pulling his longsword from the body of his last loyal subordinate.

In the chaos, only a few quick-witted or strategically positioned goblins narrowly escaped the slaughter, disappearing into the dark wilderness without looking back.

The hillside soon fell silent, leaving only the heavy scent of blood and the messy goblin corpses scattered everywhere, proclaiming the final outcome of the battle.

The battle ended, and the soldiers began silently cleaning up the battlefield. There wasn't much to clean up, really.

The goblins' crude and tattered weapons and equipment were beneath their notice. There were no adventurer guilds in this world, and goblin ears or scalps weren't valuable.

Karl stood at the top of the slope, the night wind caressing his blood-stained cheeks.

He suddenly recalled the "Black Tooth Cave" mentioned in the system intel.

Although goblins were poor, as a tribe that had occupied this area for many years, their lair might contain some savings or other useful items.

"Brendan, Richter!" Karl commanded, "Organize your men into three-person teams, light torches, and search the forest in the northeast direction. Find the goblin cave. Be careful, and kill any resistance without mercy!"

"Yes!" The two immediately accepted the order.

Soon, dozens of moving torchlights appeared in the dark forest, like fireflies searching for prey.

The search didn't last long. A soldier team discovered a dark cave entrance under a hidden mountain cliff fissure, emitting a strong, foul odor of musk and decay.

Nearby were some rough rock spikes resembling beast teeth, likely the origin of the name "Black Tooth."

Upon receiving the news, Karl immediately led a squad of elite soldiers to the cave entrance.

He took a deep breath, holding his torch, and with Brendan and Roland guarding him on either side, he was the first to bend down and enter the cave.

The interior of the cave was much more spacious and deeper than expected, clearly having been excavated and expanded over many years.

The passage was narrow at first but soon widened, enough to accommodate several people walking side by side.

A nauseating mixture of smells permeated the air.

Feces, rotten food, mold, and an indescribable body odor belonging to humanoid creatures.

The walls were covered in grime and scratches, the ground uneven, littered with gnawed bones and tattered debris.

Along the way, they encountered many goblins hiding in side caves or crevices.

Most were old and frail, unable to fight, along with mother goblins holding trembling young ones, and even a few clearly of goblin-human mixed heritage, appearing even more bizarre.

The soldiers executed them without hesitation or mercy.

In the Northern Border, the cruelty and danger of goblins were well-known.

They frequently raided remote villages, plundered food, and more terrifyingly, they had the vile habit of abducting human women.

Goblins were essentially a dwarfed, degenerated branch of humanity, caused by ancient magic and environmental changes, with no reproductive isolation from ordinary humans.

For human women, being abducted by goblins was a nightmare worse than death. They often became breeding tools, as human women's relatively larger size allowed them to give birth to more goblin offspring at once.

As Karl advanced, he silently prayed that he wouldn't see any abducted women in the depths of the cave; the mere thought sent chills down his spine.

They cleared their way, eventually reaching a relatively spacious cave hall, seemingly where the goblins congregated.

The torchlight dispelled the darkness of the depths, but the scene illuminated made Karl's heart sink.

The thing he least wished to see had happened.

In the corner of the hall, leaning against the cold stone wall, five emaciated human women, barely clothed, were chained by their limbs!

They huddled together, and at the moment the torchlight appeared, they let out terrified screams, desperately shrinking back, their eyes filled with the numbness and fear brought by long-term torment.

But when they saw that their rescuers were human soldiers, not goblins, that fear was instantly replaced by incredulous joy.

A faint light rekindled in their desperate eyes.

"Don't be afraid, we're humans," Karl said, trying to keep his voice gentle.

The soldiers immediately stepped forward, using their weapons and tools to forcefully break open the heavily rusted chains.

As the chains fell away, an older-looking woman, who seemed to retain a sliver of her sanity, trembled and asked in a voice so hoarse it was barely audible, "Lord... Lord? Has the Kingdom... has the Kingdom retaken the Northern Border? Are you the Kingdom's army?"

A pang of bitterness struck Karl's heart. He stepped forward, doing his best to sound firm and dependable, "Yes, I am the newly appointed Carnford Frontier Lord of the Goldflower Kingdom, Karl von Schmidt. The goblins who attacked you have been wiped out by us. You... are free."

"Free..."

"We... are free..."

"Wuwuwu..."

Upon hearing the word "free," the five women first froze, then an overwhelming surge of sorrow, injustice, and the elation of survival erupted!

They embraced each other, weeping uncontrollably, their cries echoing through the cave, heartbreaking.

The suffering contained within those sobs was enough to move the hardest soldier to tears.