Facing It
Lu Heng didn't move.
The thing in the shadows didn't move.
The wind whistled intermittently through the gaps in the metal frame, like someone whistling in the distance, only to stop halfway through. Lu Heng gripped his dagger tightly, his mental energy sweeping along the ground, trying to make out the outline of the thing—but the shadow was too thick, he could only sense a cold and heavy aura lying there, its breathing so light it was almost imperceptible.
He waited for three minutes.
The thing neither approached nor left.
Lu Heng slowly stood up, preparing to walk around the wreckage. He didn't want to waste time here; the Goblin King could catch up at any moment, and he had no idea what was in the shadows. There was no need to take the risk.
He moved sideways along the broken wall, his steps light, each one landing precisely on the boundary between rubble and dirt to avoid making a sound. The gaps between the ruins were narrow, and he squeezed through them sideways, his coat brushing against the rusted metal frames, making a slight scraping sound.
The thing in the shadows moved.
Lu Heng stopped immediately.
The thing peeked halfway out of the shadows. Lu Heng finally saw it clearly—it looked like a lizard, but much larger, nearly a meter long, with grayish-black skin that blended almost seamlessly with the surrounding debris. Its eyes had no pupils; the whites of its eyes glowed with a faint blue light, the same color as the crystals in the cave.
It didn't attack; it just stared at Lu Heng, its head slightly tilted, as if trying to determine something.
Lu Heng slowly retreated.
The thing didn't follow. It retreated back into the shadows, the blue light faded, and its presence became barely perceptible once more.
Lu Heng didn't stop, quickening his pace towards the perimeter of the wreckage. He dared not run; running would be too noisy, and he didn't know if the thing would chase him. He maintained his fast pace, passing through a collapsed metal frame, and a relatively open area appeared ahead.
Just then, he heard a voice.
It's very light, but very familiar.
Heavy footsteps.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
The footsteps came from the other side of the wreckage, each one firm and resonant, causing the ground to tremble slightly. Lu Heng's heart skipped a beat—he knew those footsteps all too well; he'd been chased for so long on the outer edge of the volcano, he'd recognize them even if they were reduced to ashes.
Goblin King.
How did it get here?
Lu Heng didn't have time to think and immediately rushed in the opposite direction of the footsteps. He went around a broken pillar and saw a collapsed wall in front of him. He flipped over it, and when he landed, his knee hit the rubble, making him gasp in pain, but he didn't stop.
The footsteps did not change direction.
It continued walking in the same direction, without chasing him.
Lu Heng breathed a sigh of relief, slowed his pace, and moved close to the broken wall. He needed to confirm the Goblin King's location and direction of travel before deciding which way to run. He circled around to behind a higher section of the broken wall and peeked out.
On the other side of the wreckage, the Goblin King's deep green figure stood out starkly in the pale sunlight. It carried a hammer, its head bowed, as if searching for something. The hammer dragged on the ground, sending sparks flying. It didn't look in Lu Heng's direction, seemingly unaware of his presence.
Lu Heng pulled his head back, his heart still racing.
The Goblin King shouldn't be here. It was guarding the volcano, not chasing him into the wasteland, yet now it's here amidst human remains—how did it find this place? Had it been following him all along?
No. If he had been followed the whole time, the Goblin King would have caught up long ago, not waited until now.
Why is it here?
Lu Heng had no answer. He only knew one thing: the Goblin King was here, and he had to leave immediately.
He turned and ran towards the edge of the wreckage, his footsteps crunching on the rubble, but he didn't care anymore. Ahead lay the wasteland; once he broke through the wreckage, he could use the open terrain to create distance.
After running about fifty meters, a crack appeared ahead.
The crack wasn't wide, about half a meter, but it was very deep, and you couldn't see the bottom at a glance. Lu Heng stopped in his tracks, looked around, and tried to find a narrow spot to jump across. The ground on both sides of the crack was very loose, so he didn't dare to jump rashly.
The footsteps behind me changed.
The slow search was replaced by the sound of hurried running. Thump, thump, thump, faster and faster, closer and closer.
Lu Heng turned around.
The Goblin King has found him.
A dark green figure was rapidly approaching, a hammer slung over its shoulder, a wide grin revealing yellow teeth that gleamed coldly in the grayish-white light. It moved even faster than it had at the volcano's outer edge, each stride covering four or five meters, causing the ground to sink slightly beneath its feet.
Lu Heng turned and ran.
He ran along the edge of the crack, trying to find a place to jump over. The crack widened, from half a meter to a meter, then to two meters, until it was too wide to jump over. He could only continue running along the edge, hoping to find a narrower spot ahead.
The Goblin King did not pursue along the crack.
It charged straight at Lu Heng, shattering the ground beneath its feet and sending debris flying. It was too fast; Lu Heng couldn't shake it off at all. The distance was rapidly closing—thirty meters, twenty meters, fifteen meters...
A precipice appeared ahead.
The crack suddenly broke here, and the ground collapsed, forming a gap about three meters wide. On the other side was another pile of rubble, but it was too far away to jump across. Lu Heng stopped and turned around.
The Goblin King had already charged within ten meters.
It raised the hammer, its smile widening. The hammer traced an arc in the air before crashing down with a whistling sound.
Lu Heng dodged to the side.
The hammer slammed into the ground at his feet, sending shards of stone and dust flying. The impact sent shivers down his spine. He tried to back away, but there was a precipice behind him, leaving him nowhere to retreat.
The Goblin King drew his hammer and raised it again.
With a thought, Lu Heng unleashed his Blood Taisui, instantly covering his upper body and arms. Dark red lines flowed beneath his skin, clinging tightly to his body like a thin, elastic film. He knew the price of taking the hammer head-on would be high, but he had no other choice.
The hammer came crashing down.
The Blood Taisui caved in upon contact, and was pulled to the side by the impact. The hammer grazed Lu Heng's shoulder and slammed into the ground, sending shards of stone flying. The impact traveled through the Blood Taisui into his body, making his entire right arm numb and his bones feel like they were about to crack.
Lu Heng grunted and staggered backward.
The Blood Taisui quickly retracted, the dark red patterns faded, and disappeared beneath his skin. He could feel a significant amount of his strength being drained away, his breathing became rapid, and he could barely lift his right arm.
The Goblin King gave him no chance to catch his breath.
It raised its hammer again, but this time it didn't smash; instead, it swept horizontally. The hammer swept across with a whistling sound, and Lu Heng had no time to dodge, so he could only raise his left arm to block.
The Blood Taisui is spreading again.
The hammer slammed into his left arm with even greater force than before. Lu Heng was swept away and crashed into the broken wall behind him, cracking the wall and sending rubble flying. He landed on the ground, a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat.
The Blood Taisui retracted automatically, and the dark red patterns faded. He lay there, panting heavily, his left and right arms trembling as if his bones were about to fall apart.
The Goblin King walked over, its hammer dragging on the ground, sending sparks flying. It stopped in front of Lu Heng, looked down at him, and the smile on its lips vanished, replaced by a cold, emotionless gaze.
It raised the hammer.
Lu Heng watched the iron hammer fall, his mind blank.
He hadn't expected to be cornered here. He shook off the Goblin King, crossed the wasteland, and hid in the wreckage, thinking he was safe—but it still found him.
Unbelievable.
The hammer came crashing down.