War Berserk

Doge chattered away to the old shaman, telling him everything that had happened since he became a Lich, from how he felt to his intelligence and aptitude.

At Rukta's warning, all the adventurers lowered their weapons—those surrounding the giant, at least.

The adventurers holding off the Goblin Tribe did not dare relax in the slightest. The Goblins still had no idea what had happened to their old shaman and were desperate to rush over to his aid.

"Teacher, this old shaman used the Giant Spirit Summoning Spell. After sacrificing the souls of a large number of Goblins and adventurers, he also drew blood from every member of the Goblin Tribe. Finally, he took over the giant's body. That's why the giant is so powerful," Dean told Sanderson.

"So that's it. I knew something was wrong. Normally, a giant only ten meters tall couldn't display such tremendous strength, even with someone possessing its body. All these adventurers, and none of them could do any meaningful damage!" With blood from his own race mixed into the giant's body, the old shaman could control it far more easily.

Had it been a pure giant's body, the old shaman should not have been able to control it so smoothly on his first attempt. It was the blood—the blood of his own kind—that had changed the giant's body and allowed him to adapt more quickly.

"Teacher, do you think the old shaman can still be saved?" Dean looked at Doge with mixed feelings. "The old shaman has already sacrificed his original body. I'm guessing this spell guarantees the caster's death, doesn't it?"

"Yes, this is a spell that guarantees death, but that isn't all. You see, the Giant Spirit Summoning Array he used sacrificed soul power to a giant an unknown distance away, and the body the giant formed here was made from that soul power." This much, Dean already knew.

Sanderson sighed. "But did you know, Dean? The giant's original soul was merely banished back to its own world by the old shaman, returning to its true body. In other words, the giant hasn't lost much. It was simply banished by an insect like this old shaman. Would you be happy if an ant took control of you?"

Dean shook his head. Controlled by an ant? Even for an instant, even if it only moved a single finger against his will, he certainly would not be happy. In fact, after controlling him, would that ant still expect to live?

Of course not. Dean would definitely crush that ant. Not only would he crush it, he would grind it into the dirt.

In truth, anyone would feel the same. The ant had needed to rely on their power, had begged for their power, yet it had actually dared to bite them and seize that power for itself.

"Then do you mean... the old shaman's soul will fall into the giant's hands?" Dean asked. "But the Giant Spirit Summoning Array has already stopped working. Even its basic formation is gone."

"The contract has already been established. As the giant's power dissipates, the giant's true body in that distant world will claim the old shaman's soul," Sanderson said, shaking his head. There was no changing that. At least, the handful of level-two and level-three adventurers in Blue Town lacked the strength to do so.

"However..." Sanderson gazed distractedly at the Goblin Scepter clutched tightly in Doge's hands. "That scepter your Lich servant is holding is no ordinary object. It seems capable of changing the old shaman's fate."

Dean froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Teacher, that scepter is a Low-Level Magic Artifact. But it's a Magic Artifact exclusively for Goblin Shamans, so I had no other choice but to reincarnate Doge as a Lich."

"Oh! So it's a Low-Level Magic Artifact. That's quite something. I only obtained my first Low-Level Magic Artifact when I reached level five," Sanderson said approvingly. His student's strength might be unremarkable, but his luck was anything but.

Yet while teacher and student were talking, the negotiations seemed to break down. The old shaman's enormous body rose into a half-standing position, and he slammed a fist down beside Doge.

He seemed unwilling to hurt Doge. Even though Doge was no longer the little Goblin he had once been, but another kind of creature—an undead Lich—the old shaman still did not harm him.

Gah gah gah!! Gah gah!!

Suddenly, the old shaman's cries grew urgent. He seemed to vehemently disagree with Doge's views, pounding the ground with both hands hard enough to make the entire floor shudder several times.

Clearly, the old shaman was truly enraged. But the warriors of the Goblin Tribe in the distance felt the impact of his blows, and their attacks grew even more frenzied.

The adventurers had never expected the Goblins to become even more crazed. They attacked madly, seemingly without any fear of death. Even when spears pierced their arms, they trembled but refused to retreat.

They were nothing like their usual cowardly selves.

Roar!! Roar!! Roar!!

Just then, the old shaman began to growl in a steady rhythm. Though they were only low growls, they came from a giant's body, and his voice carried far into the distance.

Every Goblin's eyes turned blood-red. As though unable to feel pain, they threw their lives into the attack!

Doge fell silent, staring blankly at his former teacher. What was this emotion? Even the Goblin blood he had once possessed seemed to stir.

Yet, for some unknown reason, that emotion had barely begun to surface before it settled down again in an instant.

That's right. I'm no longer a Goblin. I'm a Lich now—a whole new Goblin Lich.

"Looks like the negotiations failed. Get your weapons ready!" Rukta knocked his Twin Axes together and strode toward the giant.

"War Frenzy!" Sanderson could scarcely believe it. This was intermediate magic! Even if the old shaman had taken possession of the giant's body and reached level-four strength, War Frenzy was a genuine intermediate spell. The old shaman's magical power had to reach level four before he could cast it!

Had the old shaman been waiting for this moment all along? Had he learned War Frenzy long ago, just so it could serve its purpose now?

Perhaps because of War Frenzy, the giant's body shrank noticeably. After the spell was cast, his originally ten-meter-tall body stood only nine meters tall.

Roar!

Ignoring Doge, the old shaman went around the former little Goblin and leaped into battle with the adventurers again. This time, however, the giant seemed somewhat weaker.

Guild Leader Rukta brought his Twin Axes down hard, actually leaving two gashes more than a finger deep in the giant's body.

"He's grown much weaker..." Silianth watched the giant and shook his head.

"Mr. Sanderson, the negotiations have failed. Please hand that Lich over to us!" There was an urgency in Silianth's voice.

"All right! It's the only option we have left!" Sanderson answered on Dean's behalf.

Dean did not object. Much as he hated it, Doge had been unable to stop the giant, leaving them no other choice.

(End of chapter)