Chapter 23: A Great Battle Approaches

Half a month later.

The Goblin Tribes on the periphery had all been purged, and the remaining Goblins had fled deep into the plains.

After half a month of bloody battles, the Night Tribe Warriors had made significant progress compared to before.

This progress wasn't reflected in their Extraordinary Power—half a month was not enough time for a major breakthrough in strength—but it did allow them to coordinate and cooperate much better on the battlefield.

Facing the surging tide of the Goblin army, every Warrior had to deal with three to four enemies at once.

Even if their individual strength was greater, under Night Battle's intentional suppression, they had no choice but to learn how to coordinate with their comrades to fend off the enemy. Otherwise, they would be completely unable to withstand the frenzied Goblin army.

If they were previously like an open palm, relying only on brute force to slap people, they were now a clenched fist, capable of hammering the enemy with concentrated Power.

"Concentrate our forces. We march deep into the plains." Seeing that the troops were sufficiently trained and the peripheral enemies had scattered, Night Battle no longer lingered. He rallied his main forces and headed deep into the plains.

Meanwhile, deep in the plains.

A massive Blood-red Vine grew here. The vine was thick and long; just its extending tendrils were the size of trees. It was simply a Super Monster.

The vine grew beside a massive boulder, its blood-red tendrils intertwining to wrap the rock tightly. A large horde of Goblins gathered around the Blood-red Vine. Unlike the Goblins on the periphery, their skin had a reddish hue, and their builds were much more robust. If not for their distinct Race characteristics, no one would associate them with Goblins.

"Those humans are too ruthless. The peripheral tribes have all been wiped out. Are we just going to keep watching?" a scrawny, somewhat decrepit Goblin elder asked, looking at the several tribe leaders before him.

"They were just a bunch of trash. If they die, they die. As long as the Fruit of Life is here, it won't be long before more are born," a tall, fully armored Blood Red goblin leader scoffed. Radiating a terrifying aura, he completely dismissed the deaths of his kin.

In truth, Goblins inherently had a low sense of identity with their Race, not to mention that the Blood Red goblins—having "evolved" into their current state—were already fundamentally different from Green-skinned goblins.

While out on the periphery, their lack of individual strength forced them to unite to fend off foreign invaders.

But here, in this land completely devoid of foreign enemies and populated entirely by Goblins, their own kind were their greatest adversaries.

The Goblins fed on the fruit of the Blood-red Vine. The more vines there were, the stronger the nearby tribes became.

However, the growth of the Blood-red Vine required nutrients—namely, the blood and corpses of other Goblins.

Every few years, a War would break out here—an internal War among the Goblins. The losers became fertilizer for the vines to grow, while the victors earned the right to approach the mother vine and become Blood Red goblins.

"Then are we just going to let them keep killing like this? More and more of our kin are fleeing here from the outside. The food we have probably won't be enough for them," an elderly Goblin Priest said anxiously.

"Although that group from the Human Race isn't large in number, they aren't weak. Even if we want to deal with them, it won't be that simple," another leader interjected.

"That's exactly why I gathered you all here to discuss how to deal with them. Are we just going to watch helplessly as they whittle down our strength, only to annihilate us one by one when the time comes?" the scrawny Goblin argued.

"That sounds noble, but isn't it just because they're about to reach your Kara Tribe? If those humans attack this place, your Kara Tribe will be the first to be wiped out..." a different leader retorted.

"Do you think you can survive once our Kara Tribe is gone? Stop dreaming. If we mass our forces now, we still have a chance to defeat them. If we keep delaying until our tribes dwindle, it will truly be a dead end for all of us." The scrawny Goblin slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "I know you're all afraid of losing your people. As long as you're willing to deploy troops, our Kara Tribe is willing to take the vanguard and fight that Human Race army to the death."

Hearing this, smiles appeared on the faces of the several tribe leaders, and they quickly voiced their stances.

"They've killed so many of our kin. We truly can't just keep watching anymore."

"I've always heard our ancestors say that the Human Race possesses formidable strength. I'd like to test just how powerful they really are."

"Our Moss Tribe is willing to deploy thirty thousand troops and dispatch three thousand of our core tribesmen to join the coalition."

"The Hass Tribe is willing to deploy ten thousand troops, two thousand of our core tribesmen, and one hundred 'Big Fools' to join the battle."

The "core tribesmen" referred to the Blood Red goblins. Due to their frequent consumption of the Blood Red Fruit, the bloodlines of some Goblins had undergone slight changes, thereby birthing a different variant—the Blood Red goblin.

Compared to ordinary Goblins, Blood Red goblins had a longer growth cycle and a vastly superior innate Constitution, making them comparable to the Human Race. It was no exaggeration to say that every one of them was an Extraordinary Warrior.

However, precisely because of this, these tribe leaders valued their core tribesmen extremely highly.

After all, if ordinary Goblins were wiped out, they could easily recruit another batch from the periphery; there was no shortage of Goblins willing to serve them. But the same could not be said for Blood Red goblins. As the backbone of the tribes, if their numbers fell too low, the tribe might as well declare itself dissolved.

The Human Race had to be dealt with, but their core tribesmen couldn't suffer too many casualties. This was the bottom line for all the tribes.

They could unite to fight off foreign enemies, but if it cost them too many core tribesmen, even a victory would be meaningless. The other tribes wouldn't pass up an opportunity to swallow them whole.

Therefore, after the Kara Tribe declared their willingness to act as the vanguard, all the other tribes voiced their support and dispatched soldiers to assist.

Soon, a Goblin army numbering nearly two hundred thousand was assembled.

Looking at the massive army before them, all the Goblin leaders brimmed with confidence. This was the first time they had ever seen an army of such scale. At this moment, they deeply understood a certain phrase: unity is Power.

Perhaps they couldn't defeat the humans in single combat, but if they united, no matter how strong the humans were, they would be drowned by their sheer numbers.

The leaders of the major tribes led the mighty Goblin army, charging straight for the Night Tribe camp on the periphery.

Two hundred thousand against thirty thousand. They simply couldn't find a single reason why they would lose.

During the march of nearly two hundred thousand troops, the Goblins had no intention of keeping a low profile. They even continuously called upon other Goblins to join their ranks along the way.

As a result, their movements were impossible to conceal. Night Battle soon received the news.

"Interesting. They want a decisive battle right away? Then let them come. We'll show them the bravery of the Night Tribe Warriors."

Night Battle smiled coldly and immediately ordered his soldiers to prepare for a bitter struggle.