Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

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"There's a second phase?" Charles stared wide-eyed at the Holy Army commander flapping his wings in the distance.

This girl was probably the most formidable opponent he had encountered besides Quetzalcoatl. Even with Kusazu, Akame, and Pazzani combined, they couldn't defeat her. Ciel even thought that the girl with the high ponytail was more likely to win in the end.

"How did someone so young manage to cultivate to such a formidable level?" He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Judging from the other person's age, he was about the same age as Mary. "The Holy Order is truly terrifying."

He had heard before that to become a member of the Holy Order, one needed to swear a blood oath before the statue of the God of War, and the more devout one was, the more power one would receive. "I guess this girl is a combat genius, and with the blessing of the God of War, she has made great progress in her personal martial arts training."

However, Charles was not envious, because the noble circles did not value these Crusaders much. There was a saying that "Crusaders are just ordinary people who sell their souls to the God of War." Those who became Crusaders were usually ordinary civilians, or even beggars on the street. They had to do a lot for the Church of the God of War. Even in a crisis that meant certain death, they had to rush forward without hesitation. For them, death was just the key to enter the "Garden of the God of War."

Charles scoffed at this claim, thinking that the "Garden of the God of War" was just a deceptive concept, like the paradise in his previous life, a guise to fool these battle maniacs.

Just like now, even though they know there is a huge gap between them and Elephant Lord, they still charge forward, as if death is not a painful thing, but a medal engraved in their soul.

With a "boom," Diana was once again flung away by Zunesha, crashing into a wall. She struggled to her feet, gripping the greatsword tightly in her hand. Golden and white feathers fluttered around her, feathers that had fallen from her wings.

"It's really tough to fight." She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her white-glowing eyes narrowing slightly. "We need to find a way to exploit this evil god's weakness; maybe that will be the key to victory."

Thinking this, Diana flapped her wings and floated up again. "Every time I charged at it, this elephant only used the shockwaves to slow me down. Could it be that its defenses are actually quite weak?"

"If I risk injury to rush to its side and strike with all my might, wouldn't it be easy to break through its thick hide?"

With that thought in mind, Diana gritted her teeth and prepared to try and take some damage.

Meanwhile, Charles frowned in the distance. "It seems like this president is determined to fight to the death."

"This is really troublesome. These Crusaders are battle maniacs; they fight like madmen." If it weren't for trapping those paladins at the bottom of Lake Dallen, the entire tribe would be in turmoil. In the end, we had no choice but to kill them all. "But killing them all will inevitably provoke their resistance. It's like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of your own. And we don't even know if these guys possess some kind of disgusting magic. If a group of Crusaders dies here, it might attract even more paladins."

The current situation is giving Charles a headache. He can't be sure if these guys have tracking spells. If all the people involved in the operation are killed, or even the deputy commander and the president, then the Crusader, which is known as the "battle asylum," will probably mobilize all its troops to flatten his goblin kingdom.

"This plan was a vicious scheme from the very beginning," Charles frowned. "That merchant had long ago plotted against the Feathered Serpent God and the Crusaders. Both sides are volatile battle maniacs. Either the Feathered Serpent God would kill all the Crusaders, or the Crusaders would raze the Feathered Serpent Kingdom to the ground. I'm really unlucky. I just stumbled right into this conspiracy."

He now deeply hates that merchant, and if the man were standing in front of him, he wouldn't mind reviving the goblin cannibalism custom for the sake of that bastard.

With a "bang," a shockwave rippled outwards. Diana made no defensive move this time, directly flapping her wings to face the impact. Although the attack slightly slowed her forward momentum, she still rushed directly in front of Zunesha. Then, she stomped one foot on the ground, using the power of her waist and legs to spin her body sharply. The giant sword she gripped tightly in both hands instantly drew a dazzling circle and slashed towards Zunesha's foreleg.

With a muffled "clang," like a hammer striking a stone, the greatsword was abruptly deflected. Diana's pupils contracted, realizing her judgment had been flawed. "This elephant's hide is so tough."

The next second she was thrown into the air again.

"Chief, the people are here." Bucktooth ran quickly to Charles's side and said in a low voice.

"Brought them?" Charles looked back and saw the paladins with their limbs bound.

With a crash, the sound of rubble and broken stones filled the air. Diana stood up again, covered in dust. She shook off the ashes and stared intently at the elephant spirit before her. Many white feathers around her slowly drifted to the ground as she shook them.

"Alright, can I speak first?" Charles called out at the opportune moment.

His voice successfully attracted the attention of the Holy Crusade's commander-in-chief, but Diana didn't say anything and instead focused her gaze on Charles.

The next second she bit her lip.

Dozens of paladins were standing behind Sharl by the goblins. They were all bound hand and foot, tied up like dumplings. It was clear that the goblins were still afraid that these guys would have even the slightest chance to resist.

"They were the Crusaders who attacked me before. These are the survivors. You can take them with you," Charles said.

"You want to use them to blackmail me?" Diana said coldly.

"It's not about coercion, I just think this battle happened very strangely, and we've all been used," Charles said, shrugging.

"Use them?" Diana scoffed. "It is the Crusaders' duty to eliminate evil and destroy evil gods."

"That depends on whether you can do it." Charles shook his head, then said to Zunesha, "Zunesha, show her the real Zunesha."

As soon as he finished speaking, the goblins and John Pazzani around him immediately ran away, while Zunesha rolled up his trunk and tore a white thing off his back.

"The real Zunesha?" Diana watched the enemy's movements, wondering what the sentence meant. The next second, with a "boom," Zunesha's body expanded rapidly like lightning, directly blowing up dust in the square. In the dust, Zunesha revealed its original size, its entire body like a small mountain, and its eyes alone were larger than a goblin.

Diana took a step back in shock, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. The massive elephant trunk opposite her was now as thick as a millstone; if she were struck head-on, it would be like a stone wall crashing down on her body.

"This is Zunesha's true size." Charles's voice came from behind Zunesha. He was now completely hidden by the giant elephant, and only his voice could be heard. "I don't think you have any chance of winning if we continue fighting."

"The paladins have long sworn a blood oath, and with the God of War above, I am willing to give my life." Diana gripped the hilt of her sword and flapped her wings a few times, but she was startled to find something wrong with her back. When she turned around, she found that one of her wings was limp and weak, probably because it had been damaged by the previous attacks.

"I know you're all a bunch of battle maniacs," Charles said, taking a few steps around to Zunesha's side. "But don't you ever think about your subordinates?"

Seeing Diana remain silent, Charles pressed on, "They've been in the forest for almost three days. You know, after three days, a person's mind is affected. They might be begging me to kill them, or even end their own lives."

"They all swore blood oaths." Diana narrowed her eyes, the white light in them gradually dimming.

"I know," Charles nodded with a smile, "but I think that death is not the act of a hero. Taking responsibility is what makes a true hero. Since you are the commander-in-chief of the Holy Army, you are born to guide and protect your subordinates. Their lives are your responsibility, not a tool."

Diana fell silent, the tip of her sword slowly lowering, her eyes still fixed on Charles.

"Let's call a truce. Many paladins have already died. We goblins just want to live peacefully and don't want to fight with anyone," Charles said slowly, spreading his hands.

"Those dead Crusaders, you've probably cooked them by now," Diana said with a sneer.

"Them?" Charles shook his head and pointed into the distance. "They're all buried over there. We don't eat people, and we don't eat corpses either."

"You won't eat?" Diana was taken aback, then chuckled a few times. "Are you sure you're still goblins? What kind of goblins are you if you don't eat people?"

"I can have my men dig up the dead paladins right now. I've wrapped their bodies in coarse cloth, and they're still intact," Charles beckoned to his men and gave them instructions. "They only died from lack of oxygen and burns; they didn't have many external injuries."

This explanation made Diana hesitate for a moment. She saw the goblins carrying over the living Crusaders. Each of them had a tense face, looking as if they were ready to die, but the look in their eyes betrayed their thoughts. That look of survival was like a branding iron, burning Diana's reason.

With a "whoosh," after more than ten seconds, she finally planted the giant sword in her hand into the ground. Then, her wings flapped, and after a burst of light, the magic effect of [High Angel Appearance] was dispelled, and she returned to her previous ordinary appearance.

"Presidential Leader".

"Presidential Leader".

The paladins shouted loudly, their impatience growing as they saw Diana disarm herself.

"Shut up, all of you!" Diana shouted irritably, and her shout successfully silenced everyone.

Charles observed the Holy Army's commander-in-chief and, after dispelling the magic, discovered that the man had multiple injuries, including dents and damage to his dwarven steel armor. It seemed that the battle against the elephant king was not going to be easy.

"I think we've all been used by that merchant," Charles said cautiously, taking two steps forward but remaining close to Zunesha. "There was indeed a feathered serpent god here before, but I chased it away..."

He elaborated on his reasoning, patiently explaining the miserable lives of goblins under the rule of the feathered serpent god.

"I've heard that the Crusaders' blood oath is for glory and faith, to protect the weak, and to crush evil." He stretched out his finger and drew a circle around the goblins. "Compared to you Crusaders, I think the goblins are the weak, the Feathered Serpent God is the evil, and that merchant who exploited us is the worst of the worst."

Seeing that Diana and the paladins remained silent, Charles continued, "Let's call a truce. You can go back and settle accounts with the mastermind behind this, and I can live in peace."

"If we agree to a truce, I want to take all the paladins with me, along with the corpses of the rest," Diana said softly, her eyes closed.

A truce is the best option now, but it is a painful one for the Crusaders, as it means they have lost to the enormous elephant spirit and the goblins before them.

But the goblin was right. If the fight continued, she alone could not defeat Zunesha, and the other paladins would only meet their end in death. "Bearing responsibility is more important than death."

She murmured to herself, as if trying to convince herself.

"Of course," Charles nodded, "that's what I was thinking too, but I also want you to swear an oath, a blood oath to the God of War, not to reveal the whereabouts of our tribe."

This was the only solution he could think of. The best way to prevent these battle maniacs from revealing the goblin information and from recruiting more people to settle scores was to swear a blood oath to their god.

"A blood oath?" Diana gritted her teeth, then looked at the paladins. Seeing that they were no longer as determined to die as before, and that they all lowered their heads to avoid eye contact with the president, she couldn't help but sigh. "Fine, I agree."

"But," she said, pausing for a few seconds before carefully choosing her words and pointing to the red-eyed man standing in the corner, "I want to take his longsword."

"A red-eyed longsword?" Charles was taken aback and turned to look at his subordinate.

Red Eyes was staring at his arm. The battle had just ended up severing his arm, and although [Regeneration] was now in effect, he was still not feeling well, and blood was still flowing from his arm.

"His longsword and my three swords are from the same family." Diana pursed her lips. "I searched for a long time until I met that human swordsman in Torch City and finally sensed the aura of the longsword."

Charles opened his mouth, surprised that things had turned out this way. He then glanced at Little John not far away. Sensing his boss's gaze, Little John scratched his head and smiled apologetically.

He never expected that the cause of the battle would come from him.

"So, they are 'spiritual beings'?" Charles thought for a moment, and this thought popped into his mind.

"Yes, they are Captain Shamrah's four swords," Diana nodded.

"Captain Shamrah?" Charles paused, immediately recalling the panel notes on the longsword in Red Eyes' hand.

"Yes, the captain of the Toucan, the captain of the first pirate ship to break through the 'boundary wall'." Diana reached out and picked up the greatsword beside her. A flash of white light appeared, and the greatsword transformed back into three longswords, which flew up and went back into her scabbard.

"Breaking through the 'boundary wall'?" Charles raised an eyebrow. This was interesting news; wasn't this exactly what Agatha had been wanting to know? "Is there any way to meet this captain, or see his logbook?"

"Want to see the captain?" Diana smiled and drew a few circles on the hilt of her sword with her finger. "They're all dead."

"He died when he entered the astral plane."