Executioner

Lu Heng stood in Portal.

The soil at my feet was mixed with a layer of dried brown blood crust. Sweeping my gaze, I saw many human bone fragments scattered in the gaps between the reeds, some of which had deep tooth marks on their surface. Similar scenes kept popping into my eyes as I walked along. The depths of the Withered Reed Plain had long been riddled with holes by the invading tribes.

His gaze fell upon the black Portal.

There's no need for futile attempts. When it's statically sealed, its outer shell is too hard to break open by brute force. The only chance to attack is the instant it opens a crack and releases the monster. The space loosens briefly, creating a gap in the defenses.

Lu Heng adjusted his posture.

He didn't deliberately tense his muscles; he simply channeled the Greedy Wolf Power into his body, ready to be mobilized at any time. His mental perception spread out, enveloping the door frame in front of him, not missing even the slightest fluctuation.

The wait wasn't as long as I'd imagined.

Not long after, the dark patterns on the surface of the Portal, which had faded, suddenly flashed.

An invisible spatial membrane contracted inward, tearing open a narrow opening. A Green Demon squeezed out through the opening, one leg barely touching the ground, its center of gravity not yet stable.

Right now.

Lu Heng slammed his foot off the ground, propelling himself forward. The stored power traveled up his arm and down to the axe blade, where the Goblin Battleaxe cleaved straight down.

The resistance of the blade cutting into flesh vanished in an instant; before the Green Demon could react, it had already lost its life.

The force of the slash didn't stop; following its original trajectory, it slammed heavily into the spatial rift that hadn't yet closed up.

A dull thud echoed across the empty space.

A series of cracking sounds followed. The once smooth, black door frame surface instantly cracked with numerous crisscrossing fine lines, which spread in all directions and penetrated deeply into the hard material.

The cracks are real.

Lu Heng felt a little relieved. This method was feasible. As long as he could maintain continuous damage output the moment the door opened, he could eventually destroy the Portal completely.

He took a few steps back, returned to his previous position, and began to gather his strength again, quietly waiting for the next activation.

The cracks on the Portal did not heal automatically; instead, the faint light faded quickly, and it returned to its silent state.

A few minutes passed slowly.

The patterns on the door frame lit up again, this time with a significantly brighter flash. The vibrations in the air became clearer, and the gap that had been torn open was more than three times wider than before.

Three figures followed closely as they stepped out of the space. After landing, they took only two steps and naturally formed a stable triangular formation, raising their three short spears simultaneously, the tips of which were aimed at Lu Heng.

Bronze Tier Goblin Squad.

Without pausing, they immediately rushed towards Lu Heng. Their movements were staggered, with those in front drawing attention while those on either side prepared to flank him; their coordinated actions clearly demonstrated extensive training.

These are not stragglers randomly thrown out without any purpose.

The shockwaves from the two consecutive attacks have traveled through the spatial passage to another Plane. The controller there has already detected that an entity is deliberately sabotaging this spatial node. This squad was specifically dispatched as reinforcements to block and eliminate the threat.

Lu Heng charged towards them.

The battle axe swung horizontally, its heavy metal blade slamming directly into the short spear thrusting towards it from the center. A piercing metallic clang rang out, the short spear jerked to one side, and the Goblin gripping the weapon lost his balance, his body lurching to the side.

The moment the formation began to tremble slightly, two weak mental shocks shot out, precisely piercing the sensory nerves of the two Goblin on the left and right.

It was just a brief pause.

However, for a small team that relies on coordinated operations, even a half-second pause can be fatal.

Lu Heng accelerated, squeezing through the gaps between them. His battle axe rose and fell, avoiding pointless slashes and pulls, each strike aimed at the neck and chest.

There were no fancy moves, only pure, overwhelming power.

A few seconds later, the three Goblin fell one after another onto the ground, never to move again.

Three deformed short spears lay scattered on the ground.

Lu Heng glanced down at the corpse without lingering. He stepped over the weapons on the ground, returned to the spot facing the Portal, and slowly regulated his breathing.

Things have changed.

The first act of sabotage might only have alerted the other party to something slightly amiss.

The fact that the squad was wiped out after being sent out sends a strong signal that will surely attract the attention of higher-level officials on the other side.

The danger is escalating.

Lu Heng suppressed the slight wariness that rose in his heart and gradually mobilized the Greedy Wolf Power, letting it slowly circulate in the blood vessels of his limbs. He stared at the silent gate in front of him, preparing to meet the third attack.

Time ticked by, second by second.

After an unknown amount of time, the Portal suddenly began to shake violently.

All the hidden patterns lit up, and a dazzling light filled the entire door frame. The space twisted and shook violently, creating a rift even larger than before.

This is the moment.

Lu Heng held back no longer. He poured all the power he could muster into the blade of the Goblin Battleaxe, charged forward with all his might, raised his arm high behind him, and then slashed fiercely at the center of the doorway.

The axe blade was about to sweep into the open gap.

A layer of dark, viscous energy barrier rose without warning from inside the gap, blocking the path of the attack.

Bang!

The loud crash made my ears ring.

The immense reaction force surged wildly through the axe handle to Lu Heng's arms, sending a sharp pain through his thumb and forefinger, causing his entire arm to tremble violently. His forward-rushing body was abruptly halted by this force, and his feet uncontrollably slid back two steps.

The all-out attack was completely blocked.

Lu Heng's gaze immediately became fixed on the spatial rift that had not yet closed.

A tall figure slowly emerged from the crack.

It was much larger than an ordinary Goblin Warrior, and its body was covered in heavy, matte black armor. Each plate of armor conformed to the contours of its muscles, without any superfluous or fancy decorations. It stood there without roaring like ordinary alien races, nor did it make any restless movements.

Only a quiet, cold sense of oppression emanated from it.

Lu Heng raised his left hand and looked at the Wristband on his wrist. A faint light appeared on the surface of the Wristband, and lines of text appeared.

[Goblin Executioner - Silver Tier]

The introductory text unfolded line by line.

They are the Goblin King's direct and exclusive subordinates, the elite combat force at the top of the tribe. They are not sent to ordinary area patrols, nor are they involved in large-scale frontline battles. They only receive direct orders from the Goblin King, specializing in handling anomalies in spatial nodes, resolving difficult and dangerous problems, and eliminating various major hidden dangers.

Lu Heng stared at the heavily armored Goblin in front of him and slowly read through all the descriptions.

He immediately understood the cause and effect.

When I first created the rift, the other side was only puzzled. But after the Bronze squad I sent out was quickly wiped out, the level of crisis was directly raised in the other side's Plane.

Ordinary troops were no longer enough to stop them.

So the Goblin King dispatched his private army, specifically tasked with handling dirty work and dealing with formidable enemies.

The Goblin we encountered before, whether they were warriors or Bronze squads, were essentially cannon fodder that could be used to wear down our forces.

The one in front of us is our trump card, meant to be our last resort.

Lu Heng had no experience fighting such an executioner. He didn't know how fast it was, what level of explosive power it could maintain, or whether it was hiding any special techniques. All the experience he had gained from dealing with ordinary Goblin might not be useful here.

He gripped the battle axe tighter, his knuckles turning slightly white.

I had no idea whether I could win or not.

There was no other way but to go up and try.

The Goblin Executioner opposite him had his eyes locked onto Lu Heng through his helmet.

It bent its knees slightly, the heavy soles of its boots grinding against the mud beneath its feet, producing a low, grinding sound.

A deafening explosion erupted as metal clashed.

The axe blade slammed into the back of the executioner's broadsword, the shockwave traveling through the weapon to Lu Heng's palm.

A powerful impact came crashing down.

Lu Heng's feet scraped two shallow marks in the mud, allowing him to regain his balance.

Using the force feedback from this head-on collision, he quickly made a comparison in his mind.

Its strength was indeed significantly greater than that of the Silver Goblin Warrior they had encountered before, and also surpassed that of the Goblin Mage who served as Priest.

But it's only slightly better.

The gap is not as huge as imagined.

The moment this initial judgment settled in his mind, Lu Heng immediately became alert.

We cannot jump to conclusions.

A new question arose in his mind.

That Goblin Mage, as a highly respected Priest in the tribe, should have been ranked very high in terms of social class.

However, his combat strength is not as high as that of the executioner in front of him.

Does this mean that within Goblin tribe, status is not entirely tied to combat strength?

Could they have also developed their own unique cultural system?

While maintaining a tense nerve to deal with the enemy in front of him, a jumble of thoughts surged rapidly in Lu Heng's mind.

Thinking didn't slow down his movements in the slightest.

The executioner was jolted back a small half-step by the impact. Through the gaps in its helmet, its locked gaze remained unwavering. Unlike ordinary Goblin, it didn't roar wildly; all its emotions were hidden beneath its cold, heavy armor.

The broadsword was swung up again, sweeping horizontally towards Lu Heng's side.

The blade sliced through the air, carrying a heavy amount of potential energy.

Lu Heng held his battle axe upright in front of him to block.

Another violent impact.

The tremor was felt, but this time the increase in force was not significant.

Sure enough, the upper limit was nearby.

Lu Heng no longer hesitated, channeling the Greedy Wolf Power into his limbs once more. Instead of taking the horizontal slash head-on, he slid to the side to avoid the sweeping blade, while simultaneously lowering his body and closing in on his opponent as they withdrew their sword.

The distance instantly closed.

The executioner reacted quickly, his free left hand, covered in a heavily armored gauntlet, aimed straight at Lu Heng's face.

The punch came with tremendous force.

Lu Heng turned his head to the side, dodging the heavy punch, and used his shoulder to brace against the opponent's forearm, using the momentum from the impact to stop its movement. Then, with a flick of his wrist, the blade of his battle axe cleaved towards the seam of the heavy armor.

The seams between the armor plates are the weakest points of protection.

With a loud bang.

The axe blade cleaved into the gap between two heavily armored pieces and got stuck inside.

The executioner felt the force applied and suddenly pulled back, trying to tear Lu Heng and his battle axe apart.

Just as it was pulling with its strength, a tiny, invisible Mind Spike straight at its sensory nerves.

It couldn't cause serious injury, but it was enough to cause a momentary lapse in concentration.

It was that fleeting pause.

Lu Heng pressed his entire weight onto the axe handle and twisted it downwards with all his might.

A piercing tearing sound rang out.

The axe blade, wedged into the gap, tore apart the connecting armor plates and sliced into the flesh beneath.

The executioner's body suddenly stiffened.

It didn't scream; only a low, muffled vibration rolled out of its throat.

Its enormous body swayed twice.

The broadsword slipped from his fingertips and landed on the ground.

With a thud.

The heavy body fell straight to the ground and made no further sound.

A few seconds later, a soft light rose from where the body had been.

As the light faded, a uniquely designed treasure chest lay quietly on the earth.

It is a treasure chest of spoils belonging to the executioner.

Lu Heng didn't immediately lower his guard; his eyes remained fixed on the black Portal not far away. He bent down and reached out to collect the treasure chest.

After making this move, he immediately raised the Goblin Battleaxe back to his front.

He gripped the axe handle tightly with all five fingers.

His spiritual perception spread out, covering the door frame that still had many cracks.

On one hand, he was waiting for the next opportunity to open the door so he could continue to disrupt this spatial node.

On the other hand, he must be prepared at any time.

Beware of new Goblin rushing out from inside the door.