The Evolution of a Goblin to the Peak

984  Witch Hunt: Golem

"A golem..."

Souta hovered in the air, scrutinizing Lagius's movements. The appearance of a golem in this place piqued his curiosity. Lagius had claimed he was designed to eliminate all the participants, indicating that someone orchestrating the Witch Hunt had created this golem as an obstacle for the game.

Though Lagius possessed impressive strength and speed, it seemed insufficient for his stated purpose.

"It's not enough!"

Souta chuckled, flicking his finger to unleash thin, sharp webs into the air. The webs sliced through Lagius's rays of light, triggering several explosions.

Boom! Boom!

Lagius crouched, then lunged forward. However, just as he was about to strike, he abruptly halted. Tough webs restrained his movements, ensnaring him completely.

Souta leaped away, laughing, as Lagius broke through the webs with sheer force, resuming his pursuit. The two engaged in a high-speed chase, with Souta leaping from building to building while Lagius left destruction in his wake.

Bang! Bang!

As Lagius closed in, Souta halted, allowing him to draw near before swiftly evading and delivering a powerful blow that sent Lagius hurtling into a building. The impact caused the ground to quake, enveloping the area in dust and smoke.

"This golem is stronger than I expected," Souta muttered to himself, assessing the situation. "I'm not well-versed in golems, but he's skilled in combat. His attacks show precision."

Aware that his reaction time and overall strength were crucial in this battle, Souta braced himself for the fight ahead.

The intensity of the battle between Souta and Lagius reached new heights as they exchanged blows with incredible speed and power.

Lagius burst forth from the smoke with even greater velocity, his fist poised for a devastating strike. Souta swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, then retaliated by launching sharp webs from his palm.

However, Lagius effortlessly seized the webs and tore them away, wasting no time in delivering a punishing knee strike aimed at Souta's face. Souta managed to shield himself with crossed arms, but the impact sent him hurtling hundreds of meters into the air.

As Lagius leaped after him, Souta anticipated his move, seizing Lagius's wrist and using his momentum to hurl him downward. Lagius crashed into a bridge with tremendous force, prompting Souta to unleash a barrage of sharp webs that sliced through the structure.

The ground trembled beneath the impact, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air as the battle raged on.

Thud!

Souta landed on the ground and stared at the smoke. Then, he glanced at his palm, feeling his webs snap before hitting something.

Lagius was probably one of the more advanced golems he had encountered. Most golems had basic and predictable movements, even though they were extremely strong.

Many experts could deal with a golem stronger than them, as long as the gap in strength wasn't too high. But this guy, Lagius, was different. His movements and actions were remarkably precise.

Swoosh!!

A silhouette stood up within the smoke, and in the next moment, several boulders of rocks flew out.

Souta laughed as he simply waved his hand and sliced the boulders apart using his webs. Then, he swiftly shifted his body to the side as a beam of light flashed in front of him.

The beam landed several dozen meters behind, causing an explosion. The ground shook slightly, and the deafening sound reverberated.

Swoosh!!

Souta suddenly felt something below him. He saw Lagius appear and prepare to throw a fist. He twisted his body and used his elbow to block the punch.

Although he blocked the punch, the force behind it still managed to throw him several dozen meters away.

This was what he was talking about. Ordinary golems wouldn't be able to fight like this unless an expert was directly controlling it. But from this situation, Souta could see that no one was probably controlling this Lagius guy.

"Good! Let me see more of it!"

Souta's grin grew wider as he jumped in the air. He swung his hand, and the webs followed his movements.

Swoosh!!

Lagius didn't stop at all. He opened both of his palms and tore the webs apart with his bare hands.

Tearing the webs that Souta created was hard to do. A web that a monster at his level could create was one of the toughest. Gragas even used his webs to create an orange-grade weapon.

Souta laughed as he opened both of his arms. Thousands of webs burst out from his hands, enclosing the whole area.

Suddenly, blood seeped out of his pores and flowed through the webs, turning them red.

Boom!!

Explosions ensued.

Ordinary people fled in panic as chaos erupted around them. Two formidable figures clashed with relentless intensity, their conflict posing a deadly threat to anyone caught in its wake.

These bystanders were ill-prepared for such violence, their minds unequipped to comprehend the sudden danger. Panic and despair spread among them as the specter of death loomed large, casting a shadow of fear over their frantic flight.

As the battle raged on, crimson webs cut through the air like blades, effortlessly slicing through buildings. Several kilometers away, a group of onlookers watched from the safety of a building, their eyes fixed on the tumultuous clash unfolding before them.

"The higher-ups confirmed that there's no way out of this game but to follow it. All of us will be forced to kill," stated a man with tousled brown hair.

"A battle has already started. Witches like us are also a target, so we have to be cautious," added a woman with a prominent scar across her left eye.

"There's something wrong with the guy that is fighting the monster..." remarked a man with long blue hair, drawing his comrades' attention to Lagius. They all sensed something peculiar about him.

"The aura and energy waves feel like he's a golem..." the man with tousled brown hair observed, voicing their collective suspicion.

"You're right. It's really a golem," the woman with a scar nodded. She then turned to her companion and instructed, "Go and report this to the elders. We'll earn some points for now."

The implication of "earning points" in this context was clear: they were going to kill someone. Killing was the only way to accumulate points and ensure their survival in the game.

They, the Silver Faction, would earn some points by killing people to guarantee themselves that they could finish this game.

Amidst the ongoing battle between Souta and Lagius, Souta manipulated the blood webs, slicing through a building with ease.

Lagius took the attack head-on, sustaining several cuts on his body before they swiftly vanished. He then leaped to the side, hurling a building towards Souta.

Swoosh!

Souta's grin widened as he effortlessly sliced the building into tiny pieces. Advancing towards Lagius, he unleashed thousands of webs in the area.

Lagius skillfully dodged most of the sharp webs by leaping from side to side. However, a few managed to graze him, leaving shallow cuts across his body.

"You can regenerate, yet you still choose to avoid my attacks. It seems your abilities have limits, after all. You're just a golem, bound by the capacity of your core," Souta remarked while studying Lagius intently.

Lagius altered his trajectory, kicking off the ground to propel himself into the air. As he ascended, he encountered dozens of blood-red webs stretched out before him.

With a powerful exertion, he forcefully tore through the webs with both palms, then surged forward toward his target.

Swoosh!

"Very well, then let me see it!" Souta laughed, and strings of flesh emerged from his body, transforming his appearance into something monstrous.

In an instant, their fists collided, creating a powerful shockwave that rippled through the air.

...

Somewhere within the Walpurgis Night, Elder Amulgu sat tapping the table with her finger, deep in thought. Several people stood opposite her, reporting their findings.

"In short, we can't do anything about this Witch Hunt game. We have no choice but to follow it," she muttered, frustration evident in her voice.

It seemed as though this game had become the law of the land, orchestrated by some higher power unbeknownst to them. The thought of being manipulated like pawns was unsettling.

"A battle has already started in several areas. Even the Silver Faction is trying to earn points. What should we do now, Elder?" one of the subordinates inquired.

Elder Amulgu glanced at each of them before replying, "For now, let's focus our attention on finding the six holy stakes. As for the points, we can address that once we locate the stakes."

The subordinates nodded in agreement, understanding the urgency of their task.

Elder Amulgu sighed deeply and said, "According to your reports, humanoid golems have appeared in different areas, targeting all people. We must protect the innocent."

The Walpurgis Night, spanning approximately three hundred thousand square kilometers, was divided into hundreds of areas. These divisions were marked by Dream Power barriers, which blocked perception and senses from adjacent regions but did not prevent physical passage between them.

Finding the six holy stakes in this vast land would be challenging, but it was imperative.

Earning points was relatively straightforward. They could simply kill one hundred civilians, which equated to one hundred points. However, for unknown reasons, ordinary people were being transported throughout the land, and humanoid golems had appeared, targeting participants. Since ordinary people were inadvertently included as participants, they too became targets of the golems.

This likely served to reduce the number of participants, ensuring that gaining points would not be an easy task.

Thanks for reading and I hope you like it.

DonnEll

Creator's Thought