Chapter 1 · On the Eve of the Blood‑Rain:
Chapter 1 · On the Eve of the Blood‑Rain
It was the eighteenth day of late autumn. Before dawn, the southeastern sky of the Divine Realm's boundary was suddenly shrouded by ominous dark clouds.
Gray‑blue morning mist rolled over the edge of the Gulo Forest like a tide—dead silence lay there, as if time itself slowed; even birdcalls and wind were suppressed by some unseen will.
From the distance came a sharp avian cry—then nothing.
"We're close. We should reach the border post soon," said Velox quietly.
He stood at the cliff's edge, his eyes like a night‑time eagle's, fixed on the forest line ahead.
He was a Merkhedian sharpshooter, currently commanding the Merkhedian vanguard. With his innate vision‑piercing ability, he could vaguely discern the ruins of a watchtower a hundred paces away, even through the dense fog.
Behind him were elite Merkhedian warriors: Hebrion the Warrior, clad head‑to‑toe in bio‑hardened armor, his arms morphing into massive blade‑arms and shield‑arms; and the enigmatic Shadowless—Shiloya—silent in motion, master of shadow‑strike and cold‑blooded murder.
Together they led a team of ten Merkhedian soldiers, marching furtively through the mist‑shrouded forest.
From another forest path approached a royal investigative party led by human mage Ilyis. With him were Melin, the kingdom's illusionist—long‑haired, serene of countenance, expert in spatial distortions and illusory layering—and Karanda, a hulking royal champion wielding a heavy blade like a moving fortress.
They approached to link up with the Merkhedians.
"This is our third joint operation," Ilyis said, stepping forward to flank Velox.
"But this one is far too quiet," Velox replied softly. "Unnaturally quiet."
They gazed into the forest's depths, where the fog cloaked the light in foreboding gloom.
Nearby, Karanda ordered his squad to spread out.
"Tight formation—confirm ground signs!" he bellowed, his heavy blade slung over his shoulder, eyes sharp as wolves.
Hebrion and his Merkhedians circled to secure the perimeter.
Shadowless Shiloya slipped into the shadows, becoming the team's scout.
At the first ruined outpost, the investigators fell silent before the eerie stillness.
Among the shattered walls lay a dozen corpses, clad in frontier armor—and strangely, none were decapitated.
Each had been cleanly pierced through the chest—precise, symmetrical, surgical.
The earth around them, stained black by their blood, resembled a sacrificial altar.
Ilyis carefully examined a corpse, his brow furrowing. "This wasn't done by weapons … more like forced perforation."
Velox knelt in the center and placed his hand on the ground. Hebrion's six‑pulse geo‑sense activated, sending ripples of perception across the earth.
In an instant—
Velox raised his head and roared, "Spread out!"
But it was too late.
A blood‑red shadow burst from the soil—a humanoid shape with arms transformed into whip‑like, spear‑like blades.
It lashed out, ensnaring two human soldiers and dragging them underground, gushing blood like a fountain.
Merkhedian warrior Nors reacted instantly, drawing twin blades and severing a segment of the blood‑whip.
"Leave it to me!" he roared, charging into the fog.
Hebrion's "blood‑cannon" locked on—"Blood‑Flare Armor‑Piercing Mode" activated.
Boom!
A crimson shell burst forth, cleaving through forest shadows.
The creature leaped, as if trained in martial arts, trying to evade the blast.
But it was half‑struck, torn in two—
…and yet it began to writhe, begin to heal.
The battle reached white‑hot intensity.
Velox led warriors, using "blood‑step dashes" to blur through the battlefield, leaving afterimages.
Hebrion's blade‑arms blocked ambushes, each charge snapping tree trunks.
Shadowless Shiloya stalked from the shadows, delivering lethal strikes from behind.
The humans stood strong too.
Ilyis invoked "Quad-Spectrum Reconstruction," weaving fire‑lightning‑wind‑water into his palms.
Melin conjured a dozen illusions to confuse enemy sightlines.
Karanda leapt forward, blade unleashing shockwaves that smashed earth—each blow ripping into charging monsters.
"We are humanity's shield!" Karanda roared. "Hold firm!"
Suddenly, a blood‑shadow struck, sending Karanda flying into a tree, cracking it deeply. He rose uninjured.
His new armor shimmered with deep‑red veins, as though self‑healing.
He growled, energy steam rising around him.
"Let's test this armor's mettle," he said.
Gripping his blade into a stance, he erupted into attack.
"Mountain‑Breaker Style—Earth‑Rend!"
His strike cleaved both creature and earth, blood splashing—absorbed and vaporized by his armor.
The monster collapsed, twisted, struggling—and finally silent.
Velox watched Karanda in admiration, wordless.
Soon, Velox, Hebrion, and Karanda surrounded the creature, finishing it off.
Velox drew his own blood to ignite a "blood‑crystal javelin," striking the core.
This time, the foe didn't reform—it convulsed violently, then dissolved into a puddle of dark‑red liquid that evaporated completely.
Silence fell again over the forest.
Only twenty‑seven remained from the group.
Ilyis gazed at the scorched mark where the monster had died. "Where did they come from?"
Karanda said nothing—only stared up at the lingering mist.
The forest remained silent, the next bloodstorm quietly brewing.
After the fight, the campsite was reorganized. The dead were gathered, and both Merkhedian and human medics began treating the wounded.
Hebrion stood at the forest edge, silently polishing his reforming blades.
"What do you make of it?" Velox asked.
"This wasn't ordinary monster," Hebrion replied quietly. "Their tactics were disciplined, coordinated—like an army, not beasts."
Velox frowned. "Or someone's controlling them."
At that moment, Shiloya emerged from the shadows, silent.
"I found a fissure in the western ravine—the earth is blown open. It's very deep. We can't see the bottom."
Velox and Ilyis exchanged glances. "We need to go down."
They split into two teams. Karanda led the heavy armor guard to secure the entrance, while Velox and Ilyis led a scouting group downward.
The tunnel was lined with dark-red viscous matter growing along the walls—like blood‑veins.
"These look like tainted magical residue," Melin warned as she peered into the gloom.
"It's more than that," Ilyis said, reaching forward—but recoiled as a violent backlash struck his fingertips. "It reacts. It's sentient."
"What?" they all shuddered.
"These membranes hold emotions—rage, despair, hunger," Ilyis said grimly. "Something poured its feelings into the ground."
Hebrion's shoulder shattered a rockfall blocking the way—the path opened.
At the end lay a blackened skeleton—humanoid in shape but twisted, with a deep‑blue crystal clutched in its mouth.
"What is that?" Karanda stepped closer, but Velox stopped him.
"Not right," said Velox lowly. "This is a trap."
In an instant, the skeleton exploded—a black shadow skyrocketing up!
A shockwave threw them all back—Karanda rolled, his armor flaring cracks that healed in moments.
"This armor… extraordinary," he whispered, fierce light in his eyes.
The shadow didn't attack further; it dissolved into countless insect‑like fragments that vanished without trace.
Melin launched a pursuit spell—but the fragments simply disappeared.
Velox became thoughtful. "This isn't just a monster … it's probing us."
"Maybe an ancient being is waking," Ilyis whispered.
Back on the surface, Karanda's perimeter guards included a human trooper slipping into the woods, holding a royal‑sealed comm‑stone to his ear.
"…target confirmed."
"…Merkhedian power not involved."
"…Velox suspects. Initiate next phase."
Night fell. Once more, the Gulo Forest sank into deathly quiet.
Goblins
The team regrouped near the fissure, above the exploded skeleton.
Ilyis quietly rose, retrieving the cracked blue crystal. Through its core he glimpsed an arcane rune‑woven diagram—nearly lost to time.
"It's being controlled," he frowned. "Driven."
"Driven?" Velox asked.
"…Goblins."
Silence gripped them.
"What did you say?" Karanda's voice rose. "You mean those monsters we fought—were goblins?"
Ilyis nodded. "Not ordinary goblins. Their numbers, discipline, physical prowess—all abnormal."
Melin added softly, "This form … known only in ancient records of the Black Claw Tribe, just before the Calamity, centuries ago."
"But the Black Claw were exterminated," Karanda frowned. "Wiped out by the Purifiers and Flame Legion."
Hebrion said quietly, "Perhaps they never truly disappeared."
They exchanged anxious glances.
"Goblin troops don't use ambush and formation," Velox said quietly. "But these did—from appearance to withdrawal it was precise—like trained soldiers."
"Or under unified command," Ilyis replied.
Karanda signaled his men. "Block off this canyon. Any unauthorized entry will be cut off."
He looked down at his newly‑healing armor, silent with thought.
Next Morning
The forest remained thick with mist, but the atmosphere was different.
Ilyis, Velox, Hebrion, Melin, and several Merkhedian trackers ventured deeper into the ravines to trace the goblin source.
They discovered an abandoned cave—even traces of an altar—moss‑covered, blood‑soaked splinters and shattered totems lay about.
Shiloya appeared silently at their side. "There was life here only three days ago."
Melin pressed a ground section; "Bloodstains are fresh. Large‑scale humanoids passed north."
"Chase."
They pressed northward three miles toward a barren forest ringed by cliffs.
There, they found the goblin encampment—far larger than expected.
Wooden spikes and traps circled the site. Twenty goblin sentries stood guard.
At the center stood a giant goblin commander cloaked in wolf pelts and wielding a bizarre rune‑inscribed weapon—part‑axe, part‑polearm.
"This isn't goblin‑made," Velox whispered. "Goblins don't forge weapons."
"They've been armed."
Hebrion's voice dropped. "We need to root them out."
"Wait." Ilyis raised a hand. "Strike too soon and the snake will flee."
They fell silent, waiting as drumbeats began.
"Meeting underway," Hebrion's eyes glowed. "Or… sacrifice."
As the goblin leader raised his weapon and chanted, Velox loosed the first arrow—skull split open!
Battle erupted once more.
Hebrion surged forward, armor expanding—his blade‑arm sweeping foes aside. Velox's shots pierced ritual goblin casters.
Shadowless Shiloya slipped in and out, ending enemies with silent blades to the throat.
But these goblins—far from panicking—they fought in order!
Karanda arrived with reinforcements, roaring, leaping into the fray—blade shattering enemy ranks!
His armor radiated. He withstood a three‑man assault, his own counter‑shock sending them flying.
"Great armor!" he roared, slicing down three more.
The fight raged until dawn. The goblins fled, leaving dozens of corpses and a half‑destroyed black altar.
Exhausted, the group was even more solemn.
For they had confirmed: these goblins were not goblins.