Not At A Time Like This…

Giiin—. The knife he threw was knocked aside by the large goblin’s axe as it used it like a shield.

‘I see.’

It was a trick the goblin could pull off precisely because an axe had such a wide surface area… but Kikori picked up the fallen bow and arrows and fired by imitation. The arrow fell short and stuck into the ground at the staff goblin’s feet, but the staff goblin took several startled steps back, and the large goblin turned toward it as if to confirm it was safe.

Aiming for that opening, Kikori threw the bow away and stood, raising his axe and round shield.

In the end, these were the only weapons he could trust. He still felt like the effects of the earlier attack were lingering… but he could not afford not to stand.

“Damn it—why now, of all times…!”

The large goblin was smaller than an orc… but it was still more than muscular enough.

Its strength was probably immense.

The axe it carried would probably split Kikori if it landed cleanly—just like Kikori had been doing to goblins up until now.

And above all, there was that staff goblin. Thinking calmly, he could understand what it had done.

‘Probably magic… offensive magic. I still had no idea what it did, but…’

Magic that could reach him from that distance. He could not ignore it.

He could not, but… the large goblin did not look like the kind of trash mob he could fight while calmly keeping an eye on the staff goblin.

Still… the longer this dragged on, the higher the chance that magic would get fired again.

Then there was only one thing to do.

“I’m going in—!”

It was not a war cry. Kikori was not foolish enough to create even the possibility of drawing in more enemies in this situation.

He shouted and charged the large goblin, axe and round shield at the ready.

Naturally, the large goblin swung its axe at Kikori.

Whoosh—. The axe came down with a speed fitting its massive frame.

But Kikori was not there where it struck at the perfect timing.

All that remained was a deep footprint where he had forcefully pushed off the ground.

‘Backstep— it worked…!’

Yes, it was the technique the orc had used on Kikori.

A split-second evasive move made possible because the axe’s trajectory became simple.

“Gah…!”

“Like I’ll let you.”

He stepped in and pinned the axe down with his foot.

Using the dropped axe and his own support as a foothold, Kikori sprang up.

He could not let this perfect chance slip.

He was not dazed enough to think the same backstep would work twice on the same opponent, like that orc’s had.

Any trick got answered the second time. Even the war cry did.

A backstep, of course, would be countered.

That was why Kikori committed. He committed in— and brought his axe down with all his strength.

Gadzunn. The sound of the large goblin’s skull splitting echoed through the forest.