Chapter 35: They Were Defeated Again 

“Streamer, streamer, your late-game elf build is really strong, but the development time is too long. Is there a more fun playstyle?”

“There is, bro, there is. For example, you can ride a human knight and go rule the sewers…”

Astraea remained silent now, quietly playing the role of a decoration, even though many human soldiers were staring at her with strange looks.

To be honest, if Luo En wasn’t embarrassed, she was. It was a good thing there were only ordinary soldiers here and no accompanying priests of the All-Father, or else the little elf figured a Holy Light spell would come flying at her any second.

But Astraea didn’t pay too much attention to the human soldiers. Her focus was more on the restless goblins across from them.

Through her magical sensing, the little elf could feel an extraordinary concentration of mana emanating from the goblin leaning on the bone staff.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

How could a goblin have such a strong magical reaction? It was even stronger than an average human’s mana density.

This level of mana could only be achieved through long-term cultivation, but how could a goblin practice magic?

And those four hobgoblins carrying it were way too muscular, right? They were only about thirty centimeters shorter than that huge goblin chief back then.

Astraea studied the goblin that kept gurgling and cackling, as if trying to see something in it.

But the Royal Capital Guard’s magic lamps weren’t bright enough, and she couldn’t make out anything special. However, the goblins were growing more and more restless, seemingly on the verge of attacking.

A few seconds later, Astraea suddenly sensed a surge of mana from the goblin standing on the crude wooden platform. She immediately slapped Luo En’s head and shouted, “Watch out! It’s casting a spell!”

Although ordinary humans didn’t have Luo En’s quick reflexes, the Royal Capital Guard lived up to being human elites. As soon as they heard the little elf’s warning, they scattered immediately.

Almost at the same moment they scattered, jets of water shot up from the spots where they had been standing.

Luo En, who had narrowly avoided the water jets with his lightning-fast reflexes, roared, “Who cast that spell?!”

“A goblin. That goblin cast the spell.”

Astraea’s expression turned grim. Neither the elven city-states nor human records had ever documented goblins using magic.

These recent goblins were really opening her eyes—unbelievably strong and now casting spells.

Luo En had no time to respond to the little elf. He raised his longsword and shouted, “Reform the line!”

There was no time. After that goblin finished casting, the rest of the goblins could no longer restrain themselves. They charged forward with strange cries.

These goblins knew tactics!

Astraea’s face showed her hesitation. She was torn, but seeing the soldiers’ speed, they probably couldn’t form a defensive line before the goblins broke into the camp.

But looking at Luo En…

He was urging the soldiers back to their positions. The blue-armored soldiers held their spears, while several shield-bearing swordsmen stood at the front of the spear line.

Under the glow of the magic lamps, the little elf memorized each tense, nervous face.

“Forget it. Luo En, get ready!”

“For what?”

“Repulsion!”

No explanation was needed. Luo En soon understood what the little elf meant.

The once-fresh air was instantly mixed with a foul stench. Luo En recalled—this was the true smell of the sewers.

As the stench hit him, the magic circuit on the little elf’s hand was simultaneously completed. A powerful gust of wind erupted in front of the blue-armored soldiers who hadn’t yet taken their positions.

If the charging force had been humans, they might have been frozen in place by the strong wind. But these goblins didn’t have human physiques.

Dozens of goblins leading the charge were blown to the ground by the sudden wind, and their fall hindered the advance of the goblins behind them.

What had been a formidable goblin charge turned into a massive trampling scene. Though the goblins didn’t care about the few unlucky ones crushed to death.

Taking advantage of the halted goblin assault, the Royal Capital Guard quickly reformed their defensive formation.

“Gah!”

The goblin leaning on the bone staff let out an angry roar. Its bulging eyes glared at Astraea, as if it wanted to devour the little elf alive.

Hissing? The little elf wasn’t intimidated, but unfortunately, the environment limited her performance. Tormented by the sewer stench, Astraea could only cover her mouth and nose with one hand and chose to ignore the goblin mage’s provocation.

But ignoring the provocation didn’t mean ignoring the new spell the goblin mage was preparing. Astraea spoke up: “I’ll handle the goblin mage. Luo En, focus on the fight.”

The little elf clamped her legs tighter to steady herself. She cut off all magic circuits, including the Lighting Spell, and concentrated on constructing combat magic circuits.

“Brace for impact!”

Luo En shouted loudly. To be honest, his behavior was very conspicuous. It was a good thing the goblins had no ranged units besides the mage, or else he would have been shot full of holes.

The small green tide of goblins crashed against the shields of the sword-wielding soldiers. The soldiers used their bodies and the weight of their armor to brace firmly. Fortunately, the charging goblins weren’t strong, and under the continuous impact, the shield-bearers could barely hold.

The spearmen behind thrust and withdrew through the gaps in the shields, over and over. They had no time to confirm kills, because as soon as one goblin was stabbed, the next would fill the gap.

Luo En, carrying the little elf, constantly moved along the short battle line. Whenever a goblin tried to climb over the shield wall, his longsword would appear there.

Then a single decapitating strike.

Astraea’s advice had sunk in. He no longer rigidly followed his sword style but relied entirely on his experience to strike.

After retracting his blade, his enhanced mind would divert some attention to think about whether that last swing could have been more elegant.

Luo En was gradually adapting to the rhythm of battle. His sword swings grew smoother, even giving him a sense of becoming one with the blade, as if the sword in his hand was an extension of his body.

‘If only the venue weren’t this stinking sewer.’

Luo En thought viciously, then cut down a goblin covered in foul-smelling liquid.

Under such circumstances, the goblins couldn’t break through the human line. The goblin mage, whose spellcasting had been repeatedly disrupted by the little elf, stomped its foot in frustration.

If it had been a beautiful elf girl stomping like that, it might have been cute. Unfortunately, it was just an ugly goblin.

The four goblins that had been carrying the wooden platform received a signal from the goblin mage. They set down the platform and began to roar loudly.

The charging ordinary goblins retreated in chaos until they reached the four hobgoblins.

The Royal Capital Guard soldiers could finally catch their breath. Though the goblins were weak, the constant assault was draining their stamina.

Luo En stood among the blue-armored soldiers, holding his longsword. His correct commands and courageous fighting had earned the soldiers’ recognition. Now they could carry out his orders without hesitation.

But Luo En wasn’t optimistic. He frowned, staring at the four hobgoblins, each taller than him.

“Where’s the knight who was stationed here?” Luo En asked.

The blue-armored soldiers exchanged glances. After a moment’s hesitation, one spearman replied, “Sir, Lord Tang Deli took a few brothers to explore deeper into the sewers. Now I’m afraid…”

The spearman didn’t finish. Luo En understood his meaning.

These goblins were indeed beyond their current strength to handle!

“Don’t be afraid, Luo En.” Astraea could feel his anxiety. “The Royal Capital Sewers have more than one exit. If these goblins only attacked the camp instead of using other exits to strike the capital, it means they still don’t dare to start an all-out war with humans.”

Come on, even the Multiracial Alliance could barely hold a stalemate with humans. How could a bunch of goblins face humans head-on?

These goblins probably knew that and only wanted to eliminate this camp.

“So what do you suggest, Teacher Astraea?”

“Retreat, or hold this position and send someone for reinforcements.” Astraea said. “Don’t worry about that goblin mage. I can disrupt its casting. In a prolonged standoff, it can’t beat me. The key is those four hobgoblins. Luo En, can you hold them off?”

“Of course not.”

Luo En shook his head directly. If it were one or two, maybe, but all four at once? How could he withstand them? He only had two hands and one sword, not three heads and six arms.

“Then what are we waiting for? Retreat!”

Astraea spread her hands. After all, she wasn’t human. She had no concept of the All-Father’s glory. Abandoning the camp carried no psychological burden for her.

If anything, seeing these soldiers die in front of her would make her sad.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Astraea had expected Luo En to hesitate, but he accepted the little elf’s proposal without any fuss.

“Don’t you have any psychological burden or anything?”

“No. Holding the camp was never my mission. What burden would I have? My only concern now is keeping you safe.” Luo En said nonchalantly. “Besides, these soldiers don’t look like they can fight here for long. Better to preserve our fighting strength.

“Still, I’ll need to come up with a different excuse for the soldiers…”

Astraea’s gaze swept over the blue-armored soldiers present, and she noticed their faces were indeed pale.

In theory, elites like the Royal Capital Guard shouldn’t lose combat effectiveness so quickly. But considering the foul environment of the sewers, the little elf—who suffered more due to her sensitive sense of smell—felt deep sympathy.

Being able to fight under these conditions required inhuman endurance. And these blue-armored soldiers didn’t seem like inhuman gods.

They were just ordinary people who had undergone training.