Heart Stealer

by FapTime

After defeating Goblin Lord at the farm, things will start to get hectic for Goblin Slayer. With so many new friends, Goblin Slayer must learn how to properly communicate with them. Especially when it comes to his female friends, who will constantly try to make Goblin Slayer think about other things than goblins, mainly about them as women. Lemons begin at chapter 23.

22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Goblin Slayer.

I thank you No-Named Dude for going through the chapter!

Author's note: Well… it seems I just can't push myself to write more. It's hard… I won't promise anything anymore, other than that I want to finish this.

On the happier note, it's here! The conclusion to the Battle of Water Town. This chapter is a little graphic, so for those who can't stomach that, I suggest skipping this chapter. (Though, if you are reading Goblin Slayer fanfic, I expect you to be used to these types of things. It's Goblin Slayer fanfic FFS.)

Replies to reviews:

Onii-chan 69:Well, she and High Elf Ranger had a first date with him. I do count the dinner they shared as a date. After all, Goblin Slayer took her to a romantic restaurant, even when he didn't realize it. I am happy to answer these kinds of questions to make things more clear, and thanks for the review.

TheGreatBubbaJ:He'll get used to it. ( ͡ ͜ ʖ ͡ )

holyscythe:You'll see. This chapter should answer everything.

Kerlongsj Evert Orlejov:Well, and the fighting is just the beginning. There will be much, much more of it in this chapter. Though, it will focus on Goblin Slayer and the girls only. Thanks for the lengthy review.

DavJaiJai: Well, first off, sorry for the long-ass wait. Took a while to finish the chapter, and even to push myself to finish hit. But here you go, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

DainBramagedMoFo:I see someone new joined the review squad. Just for clarification, the party did search the sewers. But Temple of Law is on its own island, and has its own sewer system, so they weren't there.

I am glad you are enjoying the story!

bwooodlord: I do know exactly when. Scroll to the notes at the bottom to see when will Goblin Slayer turns to Goblin Layer.

daniel2610994:Someone had to smack some sense into her.

nomad9175:I do want to give him some kind of power, but I don't want to overdo it. The appeal of GS is that he is just a regular dude, so if I give him something, it has to be something 'tame', if you know what I mean.

Shigiya: Sure, I can still consider some harem choices. But… Spear Woman? You mean the one who got gobbed like Sword Maiden, but was saved by GS? I don't recall any other Spear Woman from GS story.

Gabriel1901: Another new reviewer. Thanks for the reviews!

I am also thankful to all the shorter reviews, which all praise the story. Thanks for your support guys, and I am sorry it takes me so long to post anything. But, enough about me.

I thank you No-Named Dude for going through the chapter!

Now onto the chapter! Enjoy!

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Chapter 22: Knight in not so shining armor

It had all happened so fast, like lightning from the cloudless skies, they came crashing down on the holy building in Water Town. They were nowhere, and then they were everywhere. The good people, who tried to live their lives in accordance with the scriptures which encouraged people to be kind to one another and to help others, were now at the mercy of the green midgets who favored the Gods of Chaos. Supreme Goddess along with Earth Mother could only weep when they threw the dice and rolled the doom of the place where their most devoted followers live, and now, will also die or worse.

However, all hope was not yet lost. The dice may have spelled doom for the innocent followers of the Supreme Goddess in the Temple of Law, but fortunately for a handful of nuns and children at the temple, beside the Mother's Guards, there was another protector. And unlike the Mother's Guard, his fate was not decided by the dice. For he is the one who broke the shackles of destiny and forged his own path. A path that didn't lead him to save the world, but here, where he may save only a handful of people, if anyone at all. That is the unknown path of the one they call Goblin Slayer.

Until he makes it to the holy grounds and hopefully win, the suffering and death will continue indefinitely.

Sword Maiden stood in front of a small, white altar, with a crystal ball in the middle. The crystal ball was shining a bright white glow and was shooting out a beam of white light directly into the skies, through the hole in the small roof of the altar on one of the balconies at the Temple of Law.

Where have all the good men gone?

She was shivering like a leaf. "Please, let him see this…" Sword Maiden thought, tightly gripping her staff, looking at the beam of light in front of her. At least she managed to do one of her duties in case of an assault and alert the town of the impending attack. She still couldn't fathom how quickly it had happened. One minute she was looking for the Holy Candelabrum in her bedroom, and then the next Mother's Guard soldier burst into her room yelling that goblins had attacked and that she needed to warn the town. The soldier needed to shake her up, as she stiffened up and froze completely at that moment. Even when he had dragged her all the way here, she still couldn't comprehend the fact that her temple was under attack by goblins.

"Sword Maiden! We need to go, or we won't make it into the Maiden vault!" one of the Mother's Guards who oversaw the ritual Sword Maiden performed near the altar urged the terrified woman to move.

And where are all the gods?

The soldier knew… all the residents of the Temple of Law knew the weakness of Sword Maiden. All thought that it was unfortunate when goblins were terrorizing their town once. Not one of them thought that they'd terrorize Water Town for the second time in such a quick succession.

Without needing further encouragement, Sword Maiden took her staff and ran back into the goblin-infested temple from the balcony. The armored guard, trailing right behind her. The spacious halls of the Temple of Law echoed with screams of nuns being dragged away, children being mercilessly slaughtered, and occasionally, screams of men from Mother's Guard's, dying in hopes to save as many children and nuns as they could.

Where's the streetwise warrior

The ritual to alert the town caused another thing. The lanterns spread across the temple were sealed, in a way, and when the altar was to be activated, all of the lanterns in the temple, regardless of wickless candles, would light up, illuminating the white halls, helping Mother's Guards to see in the impeding attack. Not that it helped Sword Maiden.

Ever since Sword Maiden had lost her sight, her hearing capabilities had increased drastically. And though she was grateful for that, right now, she would rather be deaf. Those agonizing screams… the more she heard them, the more she shivered. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she and the Mother's Guard soldier tried to reach the Maiden vault.

To fight the rising odds?

"I am supposed to be saving them… I should be able to… I AM able to… and yet." Sword Maiden hung her head in shame.

The images of the time she was captured… she saw them every day. Her mind engraved the last moments of seeing into her mind, and she not only saw those images now, but every day. Every day, when her room was quiet, and no sounds were distracting her, the images of goblins laughing maniacally in front of her face as the others were defiling her from behind flooded her mind yet again, now accompanied with the ever so real maniacal laughter.

Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?

She wanted to forget and save the temple. But in such a mental state, how could she? If she couldn't push away the haunting images of goblins from her mind, how could she even cast a miracle?

"Hang in there, Sword Maiden-sama! Just in a few minutes, and we'll reach the Maiden vault!" the soldier spoke, as the two reached the stairs, leading to the lower floors of the Temple of Law.

"I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry." Sword Maiden wept, apologizing not only to the soldier before her, but also to the people that were suffering around her.

Late at night, I toss, and I turn

The soldier stopped Sword Maiden in the middle of the stairs leading down. "Sword Maiden… I know it's a living nightmare at what's happening… especially for you. My wife was also raped. Not by goblins, but I reckon it's terrible either way. And I know being face to face with the one who did it must be terrifying. I do not expect you to fight with us, because I know you can't. No encouraging words will help here, that isn't how it works." the soldier put his hands on Sword Maiden's shoulders. She shivered in fear, but the soldier ignored it. He looked into her eyes, trying to find them under the blindfold. "However, once you are safe in the Maiden vault, you need to pull yourself together. There'll be nuns and children in need of your healing abilities. I am not asking you. As an archbishop of the Temple of Law, you need to do at least something during this crisis. And this is one thing you are able to do. I know that."

The young woman hugged herself, shivering even more when an ear-piercing scream of a man was heard all the way to the staircase. "I'll… I'll do my best." she quietly answered.

The soldier looked disappointed for a moment until he realized he couldn't ask for more. "Let's go." He said, and with that, the two continued their run downstairs.

And I dream of what I need

From what it looks like, the goblins hadn't reached the upper floors of the Temple of Law yet. Normally that would be a good thing, but the problem was, the Maiden vault, the shelter-vault built for nuns and children in case of an unexpected attack was on the very first floor. A floor, where dead bodies piled the highest, and where chaos ruled the most. On the bright side, the Maiden vault was right under them, they wouldn't have to fight throughout the whole temple to get to it. Just descend the stairs, and she would be safe.

"Listen, Sword Maiden." the soldier spoke when their steps touched the third floor of the Temple of Law. "As soon as we reach the first fl-"

The soldier never finished his sentence, as an arrow flew past Sword Maiden, and hit the soldier directly into an unprotected part of his helmet, killing him instantly. Sword Maiden hadn't managed to warn the man in time when she heard goblins running up the stairs opposite of them.

I need a hero

Without thinking, Sword Maiden abandoned the plan of descending the stairs and turned right hoping to find some other place to descend that was not blocked by goblins. She couldn't see, but she knew they were behind her. She doesn't know how many, only a handful most likely, but their laughter made her shiver along the run. "Please, forgive me, ó brave warrior. I am sorry for being so weak that goblins can overwhelm my domain. Forgive me, Supreme Goddess. Please… forgive me" Sword Maiden clutched her staff with both hands, tears running down her cheeks as she was running away.

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

"I am so pathetic…" she mumbled, tears falling onto the temple floor, teeth-gritting against each other. Worse of all, she already heard some women screaming for help, some even shouting her name trying to call for the heroine she was supposed to be.

However, all she could think about was to get as far away from this place as possible. Every fiber of her being was telling her to disappear. Even though she can't see with her eyes opened, her eyes were tightly shut trying to escape the goblins somehow. Shutting her eyes was a futile defense mechanism in hopes of escaping this cruel reality because her other senses still functioned. Their laughter… she could still hear them. And now, she wasn't sure which ones are real, and which ones are the memories of the nightmare she went through.

He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast

In her mind, she already knew, there was no escape, the only thing she felt, was despair. Even if she'd try to face them, their mocking laughter would leave her frozen on the spot, as the memories of being caught would flood her mind, and the images of what they did to her would come pouring in. The worst of all, was that due to her blindness, she couldn't even try to replace them with real imagery.

But the irrational part of her mind, some people calling this part of the mind the heart, kept saying one thing and one thing only. "RUN!"

I need a hero

And so, she did. Thankfully, no goblin archers or shamans followed her, so she outran the small group of goblins chasing her. Quickly turning left around the corner, she began descending the stairs to the second floor. Thankfully, the goblins had not managed to block this staircase just yet. She never stopped running, but as she was getting closer and closer to the second floor, the screams started getting more and more intense, causing her to slow down, paralyzed by fear. But even then, she pushed through and tried to save herself.

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the morning light

However, fate, or in this world, the dice roll, was not kind to her that day. As soon as she stepped onto the second floor, an arrow from one of the goblin archers nearly grazed her shoulder, leaving a small tear in her white robes. The arrow came from the front, in the same direction as the staircase leading to the first floor. Immediately when she felt that little bit of pain, her mind screamed at her to turn left and find another way down.

He's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon

As she ran into her designated direction, from behind one of the pillars, a goblin jumped at her, trying to scratch Sword Maiden and hurt her as much as possible to wear her down and then do what goblins do best. She felt how it was tearing her robes as she was running further and further away, with the goblin clinging to her shoulder.

And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than life.

In her current mind set, she didn't even feel the bloody scratches the goblin was doing to her along the run, nor was she registering how her robes were getting more and more torn, exposing her body to the autumn air. She even failed to notice how the goblin had snatched away her sword/staff, throwing it on the floor.

Somewhere after midnight, in my wildest fantasy

"I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna…" that was all she could think about, over and over again, along the run as the goblin tore more and more of her clothes. She was so inside her head, that she completely failed to notice the events around her, where the Mother's Guard bravely tried to resist the goblin invasion and was killing as much of them as they could. Unfortunately, there were so many of them, that there were also cases where goblins were mounting the nuns at the temple. Not only that, but the little girls weren't spared either, even when Mother's Guards were trying their hardest to cut through the hordes of goblins and save them.

Worst of all, if Sword Maiden were to see the decapitated head of the Butler Boy she encountered earlier that day, she might have frozen on the spot, and the goblin on her would have his way with her. The poor boy gave his life for the shy girl he met today, buying her enough time to get into the Maiden vault with Mother Superior. Although he'd chosen a life of calmness as a butler, the boy had the heart of a hero. But, unfortunately, not all heroes make it to adulthood.

Somewhere just beyond my reach

All the screaming around Sword Maiden was ignored. Even when one of the Mother's Guard shot down the goblin hanging on Sword Maiden's arm with a crossbow, she still didn't register it, nor the cries of her name from Mother's Guards, or the women that needed saving. As soon as she appeared on the second-floor hall, where this nearly hopeless fight against goblins took place, she disappeared into another staircase.

There's someone reaching back to me

With tattered clothes, she descended the stairs to the very first floor of the Temple of Law. The archbishop immediately turned left and was ready to dash towards the Maiden vault. However, at the end of the hall, a Goblin Champion towered over the others. As soon as she realized who stood several meters in front of her, she turned around and ran again, hoping that somehow, someway, she could find another way towards the Maiden vault.

Racing on the thunder and rising with the heat

They were once again right behind her, and as she was passing more crossroads, the more she realized that every single one was blocked by goblins along with a few Mother's Guard's, still desperately fighting in the name of their goddess.

It's gonna take a super man to sweep me off my feet

She had been running through the white temple with all the energy she had left, which was not much. In a shredded white robe, the archbishop ran with all her might, with bare, wet feet leaving a trail behind her. But worse, her scent left a lingering smell behind her. The temple was dark, and devoid of light. Only a few rays of light from the green moon passed through the temple-colored window. Darkness didn't bother her because she has lived in darkness a large portion of her life.

I need a hero

She clung the remains of her robes to cover herself, trying to grasp the slivers of dignity which were slipping with each passing second. Her sword/staff long lost somewhere in the temple. Heading to the main hall her plan was to escape into the place called the Maiden vault, where in case of an attack, all residents of the temple can hide until relief arrived. However, she was forced to run in a different direction altogether amidst the chaos.

I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night

The Screams of the Mother's Guards were heard accompanied by the gurgles she hated. Hated and feared. They were everywhere. She couldn't see them, but her hearing had improved to make up for her lack of sight. The sounds they were making brought her back 10 years ago to the moment when she had lost everything she valued.

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above

Tears began escaping her eyes when she remembered what they did to her and what may yet happen again. With her fears and escaping tears, the tears held her sorrow and condolences for the brave Mother's Guards that escorted her away from danger.

Out where the lightning splits the sea

"Why them... Why." she mourned along the run. "If it were anyone else, I could save them. But... How even? How did this happen? Where did they come from?" she wept along the way.

I could swear there is someone somewhere watching me

She shivered as suddenly, despite her blindness, she saw those green disgusting creatures in front of her. Like many times in her dreams, they were laughing and mocking her defenseless self. She quickly shook her head trying to get the image out of her head.

Through the wind and the chill and the rain, and the storm and the flood

"Where are you? You promised. You promised you would kill them. In my dreams or reality." she wept more as the blindfold around her eyes began to soak.

I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood

As she thought about her savior, she failed to pay attention to her surroundings. She had reached her destination, the main hall where confessions and audiences with her were made. When she realized where she was, her ears heard her doom. They were here, in this room. Laughter in the dozens, no, hundreds echoed through the hall.

I need a hero

Turning around, she tried to run away, however, she soon bumped into something big. And when her nose picked up the rotten smell, she knew she bumped into one big goblin. She froze on the spot. Shivering, and clutching whatever was left of her clothes to her body.

"Please... No... Where are you? You promised..."

I'm holding out for a hero ‚ till the end of the night

She then felt how the big hand grabbed her whole torso with a powerful and painful grip. She didn't even have the time to scream as the goblin threw her into the confession box in the main hall, destroying the wooden structure.

He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast

The impact had fractured her leg. It was painful, yet the laughing of goblins in the room froze her voice of any shouts of pain. Shivering, she heard the pitter patter of the smaller goblins beginning to run after her. Her blind eyes widened, her whole body froze in despair. Everything had come back to her, as what was happening now, was happening exactly like it happened the first time all those years ago.

And he's gotta be fresh from the fight

They scratched her, groped her, held her tightly so she couldn't move, and bent her over in the destroyed confession box. She could only cry, frozen in place, as she registered a goblin walking behind her, knowing full well what was to come next.

"You promised..."

"Please…"

"Where are you..."

I NEED A HERO!

It was just like in her dream… or prediction rather. However, even when everything had destined for her to go through yet another torturous session with her tormenters, her one saving grace was that she bet on a horse that when fated to lose, won't. Just when the goblin was about to enter her, a loud crash startled him and stopped him from defiling Sword Maiden. That one split second was all they needed to save her.

The wooden doors had exploded, sending splinters everywhere and confusing the goblins in the room. As soon as the green-haired elf saw the goblin behind Sword Maiden, she drew her bow and killed the goblin in a single shot.

Sword Maiden didn't register it, as she was still bracing herself for the nightmare to come, but he was here. Upon seeing her in such a state, his red eye glowed with a fury not yet witnessed. He made a giant leap from his black mare and jumped directly above the Goblin Champion who had previously grabbed and threw the blonde archbishop. With his flaming sword firmly in hand, the Goblin Champion had no time to recover from their sudden entrance, and soon had his head sliced off by Goblin Slayer.

The goblins which headed to Sword Maiden were now forced to turn back and try to jump Goblin Slayer. However, with the fury of a thousand men and his new abilities, he began mercilessly hacking through the hoard of green demons.

Each of his swings were precise and filled with a drive to cut off their heads, giving them a clean, painless death which they didn't deserve. They should suffer for all eternity.

From the corner of his ruby eye, he noticed how some goblins began running away, deeper into the temple. "Lock them in here with me, Priestess." he said, his voice quiet, but not neutrally monotone as everyone was used to. No… his voice was cold, sounding like the winds of a harsh winter that was destined to destroy everything it touched.

The blonde Priestess wordlessly jumped off Lilie, nodded, and began casting her magic, this time, without her staff, as High Elf Ranger too jumped off her horse, standing near Priestess and giving her the time she needed for the prayer, by shooting any goblins approaching them.

"O merciful Earth Mother, please protect us, the weak with the powers of the earth. PROTECTION!" she opened her eyes, extending her hand towards the entrance.

A protective barrier shrouded the entrance from where Sword Maiden had entered the room. The passage was a rather large arch, but Priestess managed to veil it from top to bottom, making the only exit the door leading onto the broken bridge outside.

There were at least 40 goblins inside the room when Goblin Slayer entered, but by the time Priestess casted the barrier, Goblin Slayer had managed to decrease that number to 30, with the small help from High Elf Ranger. Ordinary or Champions, they all fell fast.

From goblin's point of view, it looked like a demon unlike any other entered the holy temple. Goblin Slayer was ripping and tearing through every single goblin that attacked him, and those who tried to run, he chased down and brutally killed. And it wasn't just his sword-weilding hand that did the damage. With his enhanced strength, he was sometimes crushing their skulls with a single hand, punching through their guts, ripping their hearts out and squashing them afterwards. As goblins rampaged on the streets, Goblin Slayer rampaged here, tearing Hobgobli's throat. All the while, he didn't make a sound, seemingly unexhaustable, making the experience for goblins that much terrifying as the blood of their kin was raining down on them.

It stunned not only High Elf Ranger and Priestess, but even Goblin Slayer himself. It wasn't effortless, but with newfound speed and hate, killing one Goblin Champion took only one or two perfectly timed dodges, and one quick slash through the neck. Shamans and Hobgoblins fell much faster, and more brutally.

It didn't take long for Goblin Slayer to slay them all, stopping his counting at the number 37. Goblin Slayer extinguished the fire on his sword before placing it back in its sheath.

As more and more blood-soaked his armor, with a first loud sigh since the slaughter, he made his way to the maiden in need of a hero. She was still frozen in place, and bent over the broken confession box, in a position goblins would be more than willing to breed her in.

"I'll cover the entrance!" High Elf Ranger announced, rushing to the entrance under the arch when she noticed the veil of protection disappearing, leaving Sword Maiden in Priestess's and Goblin Slayer's care. Both her and Priestess weren't surprised by Goblin Slayer's ruthlessness towards goblins, knowing full-well that with his enhanced abilities, he was about to be even more merciless.

Goblin Slayer slowly approached the poor woman, the puddle of tears under her face on the floor was getting bigger and bigger, her blindfold slowly falling off her face, revealing the terrified eyes of Sword Maiden.

Goblin Slayer inwardly released a sigh of relief. After so many saved women, he was able to tell the difference if he come just in time, or if he was too late. Soulless and lifeless eyes meant they had already defiled her. Terrified eyes meant rape had yet to happen.

"Sword Maiden-sama!" Priestess yelled out and sprinted by Goblin Slayer, kneeling in front of the broken maiden.

She wasn't responding, still being stuck in the moment goblins were about to rape her. Only when the clinging of a distinguished armor reached her ears had she raised her head slightly. In front of Sword Maiden, stood the ever so sweet Priestess giving her a small, worried smile. "A... Are you alright? Did… Did they…" Priestess worriedly asked.

"They didn't." came an answer, but it wasn't from Sword Maiden. Raising her head higher, with her blind eyes Sword Maiden saw the shadowy figure she cherished the most in this world. She couldn't believe it.

Goblin Slayer reached into one of his pouches and pulled two small glass flasks of some yellow liquid. "Feed those antidotes to Lilie and Snowball. They may have been scratched by an arrow or a spear. We'll leave them here for now. Make sure to start with Snowball, and then give it to Lilie. She should accept it from you, now that you have ridden her several times, but be careful. Also, pick any arrows you find and bring them to High Elf Ranger under the arch. I'll take it from here." Goblin Slayer said handing the two flasks to Priestess, without ever taking his eyes off Sword Maiden.

"H-hai!" Priestess replied, taking the antidotes, before getting to work.

Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer scanned over Sword Maiden. He came closer and checked if his thoughts about her not being raped were true. Her behind was exposed, but with his enhanced eyes, he could now tell if any penetration had occurred. Even if he couldn't, the goblin that was about to violate her, had his dick dry, so he had stopped the worst from happening. Although that was a success, there's no way Sword Maiden would come out of this unscathed. Gods know how much more traumatized she would be after today…

He quickly noticed the swelling leg through what remained of her white tattered robe. The leg was broken. "Walking her out of here isn't an option…" he thought.

Without a word, Goblin Slayer gently picked Sword Maiden out of the rubble of the confession box, with one arm under her knee, and the other bellow her back, he picked her in a bridal position. She was shuddering, her eyes still producing tears, and none of it was because of her broken leg. "Where's this temple's Maiden vault?" Goblin Slayer asked, remembering that every temple has these shelters in case of an attack.

Sword Maiden nudged her head towards the arch. Afterwards, she closed her eyes before burying her head further into Goblin Slayer's breastplate, pulling her ripped robes to cover what she could of her naked body. It wasn't very effective, as Goblin Slayer could still see the pink nubs on her chest, but he let her be. If she felt safer like this… why not.

With Sword Maiden safely in his arms, Goblin Slayer slowly walked under the arch to meet with High Elf Ranger who was looking into the hall with her elven eyes and was carefully listening to the events transpiring further in the Temple.

"Have you found out anything?" Goblin Slayer asked when he reached the arch, where the barrier Priestess erected once stood.

"The Maiden vault you asked her about… is it a giant steel vault? Something with big steel doors?" High Elf Ranger asked, looking at the shivering Sword Maiden in Goblin Slayer's arms with sadness.

"Yeah. Usually." Goblin Slayer answered.

"Then I think I know where it is. From the sounds I am picking up, a giant club is banging on steel doors, along with several arrows hitting them. If the temple's guards managed to safely escort some women into the vault, it'd make sense why so many goblins are at that one spot, trying to get inside." High Elf Ranger explained.

"Yeah." Goblin Slayer could only agree and admire how quickly High Elf Ranger understood exactly how goblins think.

"I fed Snowball and Lilie the antidote, and I found 13 arrows for you!" Priestess ran to their side, holding a handful of smaller arrows for High Elf Ranger, and two empty glass flasks.

"Did Lilie bite?" Goblin Slayer asked as Priestess handed the arrows to High Elf Ranger.

"Well… she tried to. But after seeing Snowball drinking her share, Lilie calmed down a little and let me give her the antidote. So, I still get to keep all my fingers. She still huffed menacingly though…" Priestess rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as she put the empty flasks into one of Goblin Slayer's pockets, seeing that he had his hands full with Sword Maiden.

"Priestess. High Elf Ranger." Goblin Slayer turned to the girls who looked directly into his eyes. "Since none of you can carry Sword Maiden, it's up to you to lead us to the Maiden vault. I entrust our lives to you now." Goblin Slayer said, his voice back to the usual monotone they are used to.

Both girls smiled warmly at him, both with slightly flushed cheeks. It always warmed their heart when Goblin Slayer trusted them to this extent, and they do not intend to disappoint him. Not now, not ever.

When the barrier completely faded, the trio with Sword Maiden in Goblin Slayer's arms, began heading deeper into the temple. The formation wasn't ideal, with High Elf Ranger and her bow in front, and Priestess protecting Goblin Slayer and Sword Maiden with the dagger Goblin Slayer gave her before. Fortunately, High Elf Ranger had a dagger of her own, stolen from one of the goblins. Not the most ideal when fighting in the front, but she had a better grasp of short-range weapons than Priestess.

"There's a goblin incoming from the back." Goblin Slayer said out of nowhere during the walk. Thankfully, Priestess understood immediatelly, and turned around, her blonde hair and blue dress swirling with her.

One small goblin in a loincloth was running towards them, not caring that three people were present. Being incredibly horny and stupid is not the best combination, and this goblin was about to find out.

"You can handle this." Goblin Slayer looked at Priestess, who was getting ready for the rare occurance where she'll be the one killing goblins. One would think she'd be a little hesitant, but after killing the Goblin Lord, she has no real problems with killing.

"Hai." she answered, as even High Elf Ranger gave her a knowing smirk, leaving this to Priestess, watching from behind in case things got dicey.

Fortunately for Priestess, the goblin running at her was weaponless. Gurgling and laughing during his run, the goblin failed to realize just how screwed he was, instead thinking that once this is over, he'll breed with the blonde priestess, and elven archer.

"Relax your muscles and breathe. Let him come to us, and wait until he jumps. They can't dodge in the air. Once that happens, follow his arm movements, so he won't surprise you with anything. They usually jump at you with arms spread, leaving them open to many forms of attacks at the throat or stomach. Aim for the front of the throat, and slash it, for that's where they are the weakest and die the quickest." Goblin Slayer instructed Priestess, once he saw her shiver a little bit. It was to be expected, during her first "sword" fight.

Priestess got into battle-ready position with the dagger firmly in hand, and as Goblin Slayer instructed, she waited. The goblin was drooling during his chaotic, nearly four-legged run towards them, trying to intimidate the blonde with laughter. However, Priestess remained rooted on the spot. And once the goblin jumped at her with arms spread wide, she made a step forward, and once she saw she could reach the goblins neck, she made a quick slash with a dagger, cutting the goblins throat. The cut was a little lucky, just below the goblins chin, but for the first time, it wasn't bad. She actually managed to hit her target in the air.

Blood splashed on her clothes, and small droplets landed on Priestess's cheeks, but she managed to do it, and the goblin at the ground was grasping for air a few seconds, until his little lungs were depleted and he died.

"I did it!" Priestess happilly thought. She was soaked in blood, but she did it! It was a little strange, seeing the blonde, pure, priestess happily celebrating her kill, but she wasn't the naive little girl she once was, and understood the need to kill, and get her hands dirty.

"Good job." Goblin Slayer said, as Priestess looked at him, and Sword Maiden in his arms. Priestess blushed a little bit at the praise, but smiled at Goblin Slayer nothenless. "Let's continue." Goblin Slayer said, and Priestess again took her position near Goblin Slayer, ready to protect him and Sword Maiden.

High Elf Ranger lead them closer and closer to the Maiden vault. Nearly all Mother's Guards already gave their lives for the children and nuns living in the temple, so High Elf Ranger tried to cover all the possible incoming attacks. Fortunately for them, most of the goblins on this floor were focused on the Maiden vault, so there were not that many of them, nor any nuns or children in need of rescuing.

However, once they turned around the corner, several dozens of goblins stood before the steel vault, banging on the doors. At least they were dumb enough to waste their time and energy trying to break through. The doors didn't even have a scratch on them.

"Protect her." Goblin Slayer commanded the two girls, as he knelt down, and put Sword Maiden to the floor. She clung to him tightly, not wanting to ever let go of her savior. "This will only take a moment." Goblin Slayer said, grabbing Sword Maiden's hand and pulling it away from him. She visibly shivered more at the loss of his touch but didn't say anything. She only tried to cover herself more, with her head hung low, mumbling "I am sorry… so sorry." over and over again.

The two girls tried to calm the blonde archbishop, kneeling beside her. Meanwhile, Goblin Slayer turned around, facing the horde of goblins in front of him. By now, they finally registered his emergence and began slowly backing away from the Maiden vault. Now, they were heading for him and the girls.

Covered in blood from head to toe, Goblin Slayer pulled out his silver sword, standing between the horde of goblins walking towards him, and the girls he would protect or die trying. Hobgoblins, Goblin Shamans, Goblin Champions, and regular goblins hastened their steps, running towards him, laughing maniacally. In response, he remained silent and uttered only a single word.

"IGNITE!" he ran his rune hand along the blade, igniting it, and running into the horde of goblins on his own with the glowing ruby eye, as the two girls behind him could only shout his name in fear for the man they loved.

---

Just beneath the Temple of Law, in the vast, dimly lit sewer system, the Dark Elf leading the operations from the shadows exited one of the cells, stretching his limbs after having a good time with one of his captives.

"Aaaaaaah. I wonder if one of those bitches can give me a kid. So far they pop out only goblins." Dark Elf wondered out loud.

The attack on Water Town was going all according to plan so far. Though the appearance of Hero and her party quite frankly complicated his plans, thankfully, thanks to his ties in the black market, he quickly found out that one of the girls in Hero's party was not who she appeared to be. Who the imposter was, wasn't important. If he poisoned one of them during the attack, they would prioritize saving their friend over the town. One bribe later, the poisoned Doppura potion was served to Hero's party.

That's how these friendships work. They hinder you from doing whatever you want. From a perfect world, where anyone can do anything they want. The weak die, the strong survive! Just like how mother nature intended! That's the cycle of life that should not be meddled with! And that's what Gods of Chaos teach.

Anyhow, he planned everything. Even sneaking into the Temple from the sewers, taking out the holy relic from her bag, and hiding the Holy Candelabrum in her bedroom. Not the ideal place to hide it, but when you are about to be found, one needs to improvise. Nevertheless, she took the bag without the Holy Candelabrum to the festival and needed to get back for it. And that was exactly when he struck and unleashed goblins onto the temple.

Dark Elf hated the blonde bitch with passion. She had been raped by goblins already, and had even gone blind from the ordeal, but she just refused to disappear. Refused to jump of that fucking bridge to end her suffering. Not even when goblins appeared in the town for the first time, she still refused to give in. By every principle imaginable, she should have been long dead! And according to the information he gathered about her, this bitch hadn't even given birth to a single goblin during her captivity! The goblins had apparently roughened her up so badly at the start, that she was apparently incapable of bearing children. Goblin or otherwise.

She just refused to abide by the natural cycle in every way! And he hated those people with every fiber of his being! That's why he also despised Goblin Slayer. A goblin-slaying man should never wear a golden tag around his neck!

Anyway, by now, the temple should have fallen. Time to emerge and use the magical necklace around his neck to get into the Maiden vault. Those idiots gather all the women in one place. How stupid could they be? It was all too easy when you could predict what these people will do. Another weakness in this orderly world.

Dark Elf had the urge to laugh maniacally out of nowhere again. His white hair styled in a mullet and dark cloak with golden outlines glided behind him, as he made his way out from the sewers. However, on his walk outside, he noticed something strange.

It was quiet. Suspiciously so. With his elven ears, he should have been able to pick up the sounds of screaming women and goblins from the first floor. But there was nothing. Nothing except a few drops from the tubes fastened to the ceiling of the sewers.

Then, finally, he heard something. But it wasn't a scream or a burst of laughter. Someone coated in metal armor was walking in his direction. He immediately knew it wasn't any of his accomplices. No goblin in his ranks wore metal armor.

Squinting his eyes, he tried to get a clearer image of the person approaching him, only to find out, that beside the metal clinging, two more pairs of steps were on his way to him.

His eyes widened and he became furious. What the hell happened! The whole first floor should be overrun by goblins! He let them all out! He found and bred over 2 500 goblins for the attack on Water Town! It wasn't even hard to feed this small army, since goblins, apart from meat, can eat whatever they can, including the vast majority of the things found in sewage. So how? How could the horde of goblins on the first floor be defeated?!

As the three people came closer and closer, Dark Elf could finally see something in the sewer's dark tunnel. A flicker of white light shone in the distance, getting bigger and bigger with every step. Now, even the scent of the people in front of him became apparent. Unfortunately, all he smelled was goblin blood with his elven nose.

Anger was boiling in his veins. If it was who he thought it was, then he was going to go ballistic. How dare a mere mortal disrupt his plans in the name of the Demon Lord and the Gods of Chaos?! Who does he think he is?!

"I see you…" his monotone voice rang through the sewers, as his red eye began glowing again.

"GOBLIN SLAYER!" Dark Elf screamed with all his fury when the three figures became clearer and clearer. It was indeed him, covered in blood, with two girls beside him. Although the two girls were each wearing a nice dress instead of anything resembling adventurer's gear, it was smeared with blood too. What caused some worries on Dark Elf's side was the flaming silver sword in Goblin Slayer's hands. Silver was quite effective on the thing he intended to unleash on those poor fools.

Finally, the three adventurers saw Dark Elf up close, and vice versa. There was one thing that made Dark Elf happy though. Goblin Slayer hid it quite well, but his elven ears picked it up. He was catching his breath, and that should make things easier.

"A dark elf…" High Elf Ranger took in the appearance of the elven man. "It's you who caused this, aren't you?" it wasn't a question. Dark Elves usually followed the Gods of Chaos… and this one seemed no different.

"OF COURSE, IT WAS ME! ONLY I COULD COME UP WITH SUCH A SPECTACULAR STRATEGY TO ATTACK THE TOWN!" maniacal Dark Elf yelled at them.

"Your spectacular strategy failed. The town with Hero's party in the lead will kill all the goblins, and the ones that tried to take over the temple are all dead already." High Elf Ranger smirked confidently.

"LIAR! HERO'S PARTY WAS POISONED! THEY ARE NOT SAVING THE TOWN! I ENSURED ONE OF THOSE BITCHES WAS POISONED. THEY ARE SAVING HER, NOT THE TOWN!" Dark Elf yelled again.

To this, Priestess and High Elf Ranger raised eyebrows in confusion. "Then who created the platform above the town?" the two girls looked at each other looking for answers.

"It doesn't matter." the quiet young man of the group spoke. "None of it matters. We finally found you." Goblin Slayer said.

Dark Elf began laughing "You think you can defeat me?! ME?! I am the apostle of anarchy, recipient of a handout from the Gods of Chaos themselves! I AM YOUR DOOM!" Dark Elf made a psychotic grimace when introducing himself to Goblin Slayer.

"Why are you doing this?! What has Water Town done to you?!" Priestess asked urgently.

"Nothing! I do this to restore chaos to the world! Chaos is the natural order of things! The rule of the fittest! Not some stupid politics and bureaucracy! This stupid system caused the rule of the weak! I am here to restore the LAWS OF NATURE!" Dark Elf preached with a glint in his eyes.

"That's wrong! We should protect the weak!" Priestess yelled in response, tilting forward, only for Goblin Slayer to extend his hand, stopping her from advancing.

"Don't try it, Priestess. Someone who breeds goblins won't listen." Goblin Slayer calmly said and then got into a fighting stance. "Get ready." Goblin Slayer told the two girls, who made a few steps back, ready to support Goblin Slayer.

"Foolish boy! After I'll kill you, I'll make sex slaves out of your friends and return more powerful than ever!" Dark Elf jumped back, making some distance between him and Goblin Slayer. After all, he was a long-range fighter.

"You irk me. And although you may not be a goblin… I can pretend you are." Goblin Slayer said, the pause in his speech indicating that he already was tired from all the fighting that had occurred today. Nevertheless, Goblin Slayer again charged forward.

"COME AND GET ME!" with his arms spread like he was expecting a welcome hug, Dark Elf yelled at Goblin Slayer running towards him.

Past Goblin Slayer flew a small arrow, shot from High Elf Ranger's bow. They all knew Dark Elf didn't have time to dodge the arrow and Goblin Slayer's charge at the same time, and High Elf Ranger along with Priestess already saw victory with the very first attack.

Unfortunately, Dark Elf wasn't going to be making things easy.

"Hecatoncheir, come to me!" Dark Elf commanded.

The eye in his necklace began shining in what seemed like a black light. Nearly instantaneously, from Dark Elf's back sprouted several giant black hands, that looked like they were made of the very same light the ornament was shining. As soon as these hands sprouted from Dark Elf's back, one of them caught the arrow that was aiming for his head. Shortly after, a third eye popped out of his forehead, looking around. The eye was completely black, safe for the iris which was bright yellow. This very eye stared directly at charging Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer quickly halted his charge and inspected his foe. The dark hands were as big as Goblin Slayer and getting past 5 of them won't be easy. However, as he was coming up with a new strategy, one of the giant shadow hands extended and slapped him across the hall into the wall, where the force of the impact created a small crater.

Goblin Slayer hit the wall with his back, knocking his breath out, alongside his own blood into the helmet. It would appear that something in his body had broken again, because he heard a crack from somewhere inside his body. Luckily, it didn't look or feel like it belonged to any of his limbs, as he was able to get back on his feet rather quickly, and his hand never dropped the rune silver sword.

"Goblin Slayer-san!" Priestess turned to Goblin Slayer.

"Orcbolg!" High Elf Ranger yelled out in a worry.

"Focus… I'm alright." Goblin Slayer replied, his monotone voice showing exhaustion that was audible only to elven like ears before.

Priestess unsurely nodded. The sight of Goblin Slayer coughing blood was nothing new, but it still worried her immensely.

Fortunately for Goblin Slayer, he quickly came up with a new strategy for defeating Dark Elf. This wasn't like with the vampire lady, where he was outclassed in every way possible. This time, he knew the weakness of Dark Elf. Every dark/shadow magic was weak to light. Some of the Goblin Shamans already tried to use these kinds of dark spells against them, and what do you know, they had the perfect counter to that.

"Priestess. Let there be light." Goblin Slayer instructed. Hearing his request, Priestess immediately knew what to do. However, Dark Elf was no fool.

"Oh, merciful Earth Mother, please bless us, the wande-" Priestess began her prayer, extending her hand without staff, casting the magic. But, she never had a chance to finish.

"Oh no, you don't!" Dark Elf immediately retaliated; 5 dark hands immediately shot towards Priestess. Dark Elf's words made her flinch, and she stopped praying, causing the spell to be cancelled.

Goblin Slayer immediately got to work and began cutting those hands with his silver sword. He didn't know if it had any effect. It did, as the cut dark hand dropped to the floor. However, as soon as the hand was cut, the arm regrew, and it aimed for Priestess once more. "Again!" Goblin Slayer commanded, and Priestess began casting her miracle again, now determined to finish it no matter what came next.

High Elf Ranger quickly pulled out her stolen dagger and tried to protect Priestess too. However, her dagger wasn't made out of silver, and as such, failed to cut through the shadow hands effectivelly. When she tried to make the first cut, the dagger just went through the hand, wihtout cutting it. With her elven agility, she was able to quickly jump out of the way from the shadow hand that she failed to cut, and which wanted to grab her immediatelly afterwards. However, the assault on her didn't stop, and the hand still tried to catch her. "Guess I'll have to keep dodging and look for an opening later." she thought.

With Goblin Slayer's newfound speed, he was able to cut through everything before the five hands could regenerate, sometimes just in the nick of time before it could grab High Elf Ranger or Priestess. However, it took a toll on him and he was getting really tired. Additionally...

"Haven't you forgotten about something?" Dark Elf smiled as he extended his own hand, conjuring a small fireball in front of him, aiming it at the casting Priestess. The ball of fire getting bigger by the second, however, since there was no incantation beforehand, the fireball was pretty small.

"FIREBALL!" Dark Elf shouted, and the fireball shot towards Priestess. Although scared at the prospect of being hit by the fireball, Priestess didn't hear a command from Goblin Slayer, so she continued her own incantation with closed eyes, trusting her mentor. Fortunately for her, the rest of people had their eyes wide open, and all saw that the fireball was nowhere near as big as the one Ogre cast during one of the goblin quests. Even if it hit, Priestess, she'd survive. The purpose of the attack was to stop the incantation. However, the incantation didn't stop, because when the ball of fire was just inches away from her, the fireball was deflected by a round shield with a cross.

"WHAT?!" Dark Elf yelled out, only to notice that the straps holding this shield to Goblin Slayer's arm were torn. That fucker threw the shield just in time to save Priestess, who now finished her incantation.

"O merciful Earth Mother, please bless us, the wanderers in the darkness, with holy light! HOLY LIGHT!" her eyes shot open when she finished, this time, not getting distracted by the shouting of their enemy, trusting Goblin Slayer and High Elf Ranger with her own life.

As soon as she finished casting Holy Light, Goblin Slayer turned towards Dark Elf and sprinted towards him in the blinding light. He may not be able see a thing in this blinding light, but nor did Dark Elf. Additionally, the hands retreated into Dark Elf's back when the blinding light appeared, giving Goblin Slayer an opening he aimed for from the very beginning.

Remembering where Dark Elf stood, Goblin Slayer jumped over Dark Elf. As the light was fading, Dark Elf's eyesight returned, and he immediately noticed the attack on his person. Hearing Goblin Slayer landing behind him, Dark Elf immediately turned around and blocked Goblin Slayer's flaming sword with his own short sword sheathed under his cloak. It was close, but Dark Elf managed to unsheath his sword from his right hip just enough for a block, with half of his short sword still in the scabbard.

Getting so close to Dark Elf posed a great threat to Goblin Slayer. The shadow hands from behind Dark Elf were already re-emerging, and one immediatelly went for Goblin Slayer's head. It was a split second, but Goblin Slayer managed to see the attack with his enhanced eyes, and with enhanced body he managed to duck. But now, Goblin Slayer's flaming sword wasn't near Dark Elf's body.

However, as soon as he ducked, the short sword Dark Elf carried for self-defence made it's presence known, as Dark Elf unsheated it completely, and tried to cut of Goblin Slayer's hand with it when he ducked. Fortunately, with one little maneuver, Goblin Slayer manage to retreat his hand ever so slightly, just so he had his wrist guards blocking Dark Elf's short sword. "It would be really nice to have a shield right about now." Goblin Slayer thought, as his already tired body was slowing down.

And as Dark Elf noticed his tired state, he started to laugh at the struggling Goblin Slayer. Another pair of shadow hands went for the grey-haired warrior, and with two quick swings, thanks to the silver in his sword, Goblin Slayer managed to cut another pair of the never ending shadow hands.

However, Goblin Slayer failed to notice another shadow hand, sneaking it's way behind his back, ready to grab him. And unfortunately for Goblin Slayer, he was too tired and too slow to dodge this one. The shadow hand grabbed Goblin Slayer's whole torso, as Dark Elf began laughing more and more, right to Goblin Slayer's face. The hand began squashing Goblin Slayer down, making it even harder for him to breathe.

Throughout the fight, the cocky attitude of Dark Elf became apparent. This man was nowhere near clever as High Vampire for example, letting his ego cloud his judgement. And that'd be his end, because in the back, the two girls weren't just going to watch as their love was about to be killed.

With a sinister, loud laugh, Dark Elf spoke. "YOU LO-"

But he never finished his sentence, because an arrow went through his neck. Dark Elf didn't even manage to cough up blood when the second arrow came, which went right through his skull, killing him instantly, his body soon falling to the ground with a thud, and his short sword falling right beside him. The shadow hand holding Goblin Slayer twitched violently, releasing it's grasp on Goblin Slayer, going back into Dark Elf's necklace shortly after.

The squeeze of the shadow hand deprived Goblin Slayer of some oxygen, so he had to take several deep breaths in and out, to at least somewhat recover from his tired state and injuries. And once he did to the point he could talk fairly normally. "That's 213." Goblin Slayer said to the dead body of Dark Elf by his feet. Raising his head, he saw High Elf Ranger, with a bow aimed in his direction, standing proudly next to Priestess.

Goblin Slayer closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on his breathing alone just to recover from the quick fight. After a few breaths, seeing Dark Elf's dead body through the visor, Goblin Slayer couldn't help but compare this quest with the one against High Vampire. This was so much… easier. He never fully appreciated how easier quests were when you had three people against one. This fight was over in almost an instant, instead of the prolonged fight with high vampire where they ended kilometers from their original meeting place. The fact Dark Elf wasn't as composed and easily let his emotions take control of him most likely also contributed to the fact this fight ended rather quickly. Plus his new enhancments definitely helped as well.

"But... still" Goblin Slayer looked at the girls walking up to him. "If it weren't for them, I would have died thanks to my tired state a while ago…" Goblin Slayer thought, realizing how fortunate he was when they insisted on coming here with him. He should really prepare better next time. More blood flasks as stamina potions, throwing knives, pepper bombs as such, in case it'll be one on one again.

"What now, Goblin Slayer-san?" Priestess ran towards Goblin Slayer, with panic soon taking over once she saw Goblin Slayer coughing up blood once again. "Don't you need healing?! You're coughing up blood again!" Priestess extended her hands towards Goblin Slayer's helmet, ready to heal him. However, Goblin Slayer grabbed both of her hands with one of his own.

"I'll survive. Save it for the people on the brink of death." Goblin Slayer said, with Priestess once again nodding in uncertainty.

Goblin Slayer didn't know exactly how he knew he wasn't in any danger, but somehow, he just knew. As weird as that sounds, he could swear he knew exactly what was wrong with him. One of his ribs must have damaged his lung, which was why he was coughing up blood. However, he felt like the blood in his body was… organized externally? He didn't really know how to explain it, other than he knew exactly how his blood flowed, and that he was able to redirect the flow if he so wished. But he was not very good at it yet, because, well, he was doing it for the first time, hence why he was coughing. Also, it didn't hurt as much as it probably should.

Or maybe he was just imagining all of it. After all, what kind of nonsense is that? Wishing to be in control of his own bloodstream? Yeah… maybe the fact he had a damaged lung was getting to him, and his brain was not working properly. Nevertheless, the point still stands. He'd survive either way, so no healing.

"We'll scout his hideout first, and kill any goblin children we may encounter, or any reinforcements he may have hidden here. Then, we'll go into the Temple, and clean the upper floors off goblins. After we kill every single goblin in the temple, we can get to Maiden vault and help Mother Superior heal the people who survived." Goblin Slayer continued, to which the girls nodded, albeit Priestess still wasn't completely 100% on board. High Elf Ranger, though worried for the man she secretly loved, went along with what he said. He was part vampire now, so he should be fine, the elven princess thought, trying to reassure herself.

"Also, we need to destroy that necklace." Goblin Slayer pointed at the eye ornament around Dark Elf's neck. Whatever that was, it had an ability to summon another being, judging by the eye on his forehead, and the fact that now that the elf was dead, the eye turned the same shade of dark that the hands had, and the black light from the necklace sucked the forehead eye back into the ornament.

High Elf Ranger knelt down and removed his necklace from around his neck. Fortunately, it would appear that the necklace wasn't cursed, and that anybody was able to pick it up. Not that they were worried that much, since Elves, and especially High Elf's were immune to the vast majority of poisons and curses, along with being immortal and very durable in case of an explosion for example. But still, no one wanted to see their friend in pain.

"Let's go then." High Elf Ranger said as she put the necklace around her neck. "We'll destroy it once we know how." she added.

The two again nodded, with Goblin Slayer noticing another thing. The communication between them was much smoother. Not only did the girls follow his commands, but even coming up with solutions had come quickly to them. What's more, they come up with good and reasonable plans, which even he agreed with. "They really do learn from the goblin quests."

"Yeah. Let's go." Goblin Slayer commanded, and again, the girls listened and without a word, followed him deeper into the sewers.

Before leaving, however, Goblin Slayer took his scortched shield, and improvisedly tied it back to his arm. The next few minutes went by as one would expect. They found a larger room in the sewers, with two doors leading further, and a chest next to the entry by which the trio just got into this room.

The trio opened one of the rooms, and goblin children clutched together when they saw Goblin Slayer approach them, unsheathing his sword. There were at least 40 of them, and Goblin Slayer made a quick work of them, without even igniting the sword in the dimly lit sewers, his blade once again glowing in goblin blood. "That's 267." Goblin Slayer said once he finished the slaughter, which both Priestess and High Elf Ranger watched. However, unlike before where they would wince at such an event, now they watched with neutral expressions with how Goblin Slayer did his job. A job, that needed to be done, both thought.

Now, onward towards the second door in the hall, all of them knew that the sight was not going to be pretty. Though, Goblin Slayer by now had become quite desensitized by such sights. He looked back at the girls. If it would happen to one of them, however…

"Bad thoughts." he gently shook his head. Instead of dwelling on it further, he opened the second door, where they found the dreaded breeding cells. High Elf Ranger wanted to throw up as soon as she saw them again, never really getting used to the sight, though she managed to hold it in this time.

There were at least 15 small cells, each with about 2 women, most of them young, bent over, and locked in pillories. The sight was familiar. They were naked, scratched, cut, bruised, bloody, and with the white goblin filth dripping down from between the legs of some of them. Not only that, four of them were heavily pregnant. "Quite an effective method to breed them." Goblin Slayer thought. He really needed to wipe them all. If one of them adopts this technique in capturing and breeding, cities would surely burn.

One by one, Priestess, High Elf Ranger, and Goblin Slayer pulled the women out of pillories. They gathered them all outside of the doors into the breeding rooms, huddling them together so they can feel human contact with their fellow victims. Not that it helped, all had the soulless eyes and blank expressions he is used to seeing.

"Any blankets?" Priestess, who was kneeling in front of one of the women in the group, sadly asked, turning to Goblin Slayer.

Goblin Slayer doubted he'd find any, or that it would help them in any way, but he looked around anyway. Something drew his attention, however. It may not have any blankets to cover them, but there will certainly be something interesting in the chest he just registered.

With tired legs, Goblin Slayer slowly walked to the chest, before he knelt down, and opened it.

"Gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls… that elf was rich." Goblin Slayer thought, looking at the contents of the chest. However, as Goblin Slayer was bent over, his blood from his helmet trickled down into the treasure chest, the riches in the chest weren't the first thing to pop out from it. At the top laid a longbow, from a type of wood he had never seen before. It was light green, almost white, with a white handle. Goblin Slayer took it from the chest, examining it further.

Inscription in an old elven tongue was engraved in the bow. Although he didn't speak Elvish, let alone old elvish, Goblin Slayer still could tell that these were no mere decorative inscriptions. This was a magic bow. With a dozen magic arrows right next to it.

Putting the bow and arrows beside him, Goblin Slayer looked under where the bow had previously been, and another item popped out from all the gold and silver. It was a flute, from another type of wood he hadn't seen before, this time being completely black. Unlike the bow however, the flute didn't have any inscription on it, so he just paid it no mind.

Putting the flute next to him, Goblin Slayer pushed his hand into the chest filled with riches and jewelry and tried to look for more things. Thankfully, due to his gloves, the silver inside didn't burn him. Goblin Slayer looked for a magic scroll or something that would be useful for goblin hunting. That, or some silk to cover the women they had rescued.

However, unintentionally, as he was looking through the chest, Goblin Slayer mixed a little bit of his blood dripping from his helmet into the chest. A certain golden necklace with an emerald pendant began glowing lightly, upon making contact with Goblin Slayer's blood.

Even without the glowing, this particular necklace had caught Goblin Slayer's attention before. Something about it just felt… different. Like there was some weird connection between the two. He pulled the necklace up and stared at the glowing emerald. Like all emeralds, it shone in green color. Encased by gold, the emerald was cut into an emerald-cut shape. There was a slight tweak in the vibrant green, gemstone. It had several layers before it got to the table of the gemstone. However, Goblin Slayer didn't notice that 15 layers were somewhat different from the norm since he wasn't a jeweler.

"Orcbolg, have you found anything?" the lime-haired elf rose from the group of women they freed and walked towards him.

"Yeah…" Goblin Slayer said, still kinda mesmerized by the emerald necklace in front of him.

"Then wha- BY THE GREAT TREE! That's a bow made from our sacred Great Tree!" High Elf Ranger immediately rushed towards the bow beside Goblin Slayer. "AND A BLACKHEART TREE FLUTE?! THAT'S INSANE!" High Elf Ranger yelled upon noticing the second item next to him.

"Is it?" Goblin Slayer asked, turning toward High Elf Ranger.

"Is it? IS IT?! There hasn't been a bow made from our sacred Great Tree in millennia! Only when the winds blow a branch off are we allowed to use the wood of the Sacred Tree! Not only that, but if it were to be cut by human hands, it would lose its magic properties! And this one was enchanted too! Plus, Blackheart trees only grow in a specific location in the former Demon Lord's territory, where the Dark Elves reside! These items are incredibly rare! Some could even say they're legendary!" High Elf Ranger explained to the best of her ability, as she continued inspecting the items from up close. So close in fact, her face was just mere millimeters from the bow and flute.

"Good. Then take it and use it well." Goblin Slayer said, turning back towards the necklace.

"WHAT?! I am not worthy of these items! Do you have any idea how valuable these are?! I shouldn't even be allowed to lay my eyes on them!" High Elf Ranger raised her voice.

"If an elven princess can't use these, then who can?" Goblin Slayer said, without looking back.

That single sentence caused High Elf Ranger to let out an 'eep' and blush like a tomato. "W-what are you talking about?! T-the impact must've c-caused you some b-brain damage for you to c-come up with something so ridiculous." High Elf Ranger tried to protest, though it didn't sound so convincing.

"Elven… princess?" Priestess quietly mumbled to herself, who was still trying to reassure the rescued women that everything would be fine and that they can find shelter in the temple in Twilight Town.

"I am no elven princess!" High Elf Ranger yelled.

"Everyone in the restaurant said differently." Goblin Slayer said, turning to her once more and High Elf Ranger's eyes widened. "You still forget I now hear better… I can even hear the whispers at the neighboring tables."

"You are an elven princess?! That's amazing!" Priestess got up from her spot and ran to High Elf Ranger with a wide smile, for a moment, forgetting the unpleasant place they were in.

"I am not! I-I-I…" High Elf Ranger looked back and forth between Priestess and Goblin Slayer, who both still stared at them.

"Wow! Did you live in a castle or something like that?! Oh, my goddess, I should bow before you, ple-" Priestess went on, excited to meet royalty for the first time. After all, at the temple, one would only encounter the poor and those in need.

"Stop." Goblin Slayer said to Priestess, but looking at High Elf Ranger, who still had her eyes widened, and looked a bit scared. "Whatever the reason she hides her status is, even from us, she wants it to remain secret. Keep that in mind." he said to Priestess, still looking at High Elf Ranger, though you couldn't tell it from his face.

"Ow…" Priestess sighed in defeat. "Sorry…" she added.

"No. I am sorry. I… I wanted to tell you, but… I… I just…" High Elf Ranger began tripping over her own words, looking down in shame. They should have known already… her dear friends. But…

"If you don't want to, don't tell us anything. If you do, you can in the future. It's on you." Goblin Slayer jumped into her stuttering, surprising both girls. "But what I said still stands. Pick these items." Goblin Slayer nudged his head towards the bow and flute. "Even if you, an elf, deem yourself not worthy, we as humans are even less so. Otherwise, someone else will find them, and sell them like they are nothing." Goblin Slayer informed her. "And don't take these with you on goblin quests, unless you are certain they can't use the hidden power within them." Goblin Slayer added.

"Well… I… I guess I can keep them. And take care of them." High Elf Ranger rubbed the back of her head, uncertainly looking at the two items in front of her. As High Elf Ranger wrestled with taking the items, Priestess noticed a certain necklace catching the attention of Goblin Slayer.

"What do you have there, Goblin Slayer-san?" Priestess popped from behind Goblin Slayer's shoulder, looking over and inspecting the glowing emerald-gold necklace.

Goblin Slayer didn't answer at the beginning, still being mesmerized by the clear, glowing gem, smeared a little by his blood. "I don't know. I will have to inspect this…" Goblin Slayer said.

Eventually, the glow began to fade, and with that, Goblin Slayer put the necklace into one of his pouches. Without further ado, Goblin Slayer closed the chest and picked it up. "Quite heavy…" Goblin Slayer thought. It was most likely thanks to his injuries and exhaustion that was the cause of his weariness, but all should be alright.

"Let's go. We still have the higher floors to clear, and I need to get this into the Maiden vault." Goblin Slayer gestured to the chest in his hands. "We'll come back for them once we clear the rest of the temple." Goblin Slayer pointed towards the women in the corner of the room, clutching together. "High Elf Ranger, set up traps around here in case a stray goblin finds this place. I don't want them to suffer again."

"Hai/Yes!" both girls said in unison, and with shivering hands, High Elf Ranger took the flute, light-green bow, and magical arrows with them. Not that she would use the magnificent bow and arrows. Although she now had a much better bow and arrows, she still took her regular one with her, not feeling worthy to use the bow right away. It would take a while for her to get used to such items being hers…

"We'll wait for you at the entrance to the sewers. If anything happens, scream and we'll come." Goblin Slayer said as he made his way out of the sewers.

"Okay." High Elf Ranger smiled at Goblin Slayer as he and Priestess went on ahead, with Priestess occasionally supporting the tired warrior. "If I was stronger, I could have carried the chest and lowered the baggage he had to carry." Priestess thought.

The worst was behind them. Now they had to finish the clean-up work.

---

Mother Superior didn't know if she should thank the goddess, or be mad at her. On one hand, she was spared from the goblin rampage and managed to lead a lot of nuns into the Maiden vault before they were everywhere. On the other hand, the vast majority of the Temple of Law was brutally killed, or were being raped at this very moment. The most casualties were the men in Mother's Guards, where none had survived. However, their sacrifice will not be forgotten, Mother Superior would make sure of that.

Thanks to their sacrifice, she managed to get to the Maiden vault just in time. Mother Superior was locked in a square white room that had around a hundred run-down beds, shelves with a lot of canned food, barrels of water, small pull-carts filled with spices, and various bags filled with other food. You could survive here for quite a long time, but the blandness of the room and food would get to you if you were locked in here long enough. The vast majority of the nuns and children present avoided any unpleasant encounters with the goblins, most already being near here when it all happened. There were around two dozen nuns and children in here. Not much, but it was at least something.

But, as Goblin Slayer said, it was not yet safe out there for them to come out. Two times he come into the Maiden vault, and both times he brought good news. Thank the gods, and thank the gods the little priestess knew how Maiden vaults worked, because Sword Maiden couldn't think straight after the traumatic event that happened to her.

You see, the entrance to the Maiden vault wasn't the giant steel vault door, but rather a teleportation circle right before the doors. And only those who were marked, which was every resident of the temple, could enter the room by a correct short incantation which even children could remember. If you were not marked, only someone who was and had the magical abilities could transport you to the vault, if you were standing on the teleportation circle. It took a lot of yelling on High Elf Ranger's part, but eventually, her screams reached Mother Superior behind the steel vault and the older nun brought them inside.

The older woman wanted to cry when she saw Sword Maiden in torn clothes clutching to Goblin Slayer's armor like it was the only source of safety in the whole world. The nuns swarmed Goblin Slayer when they saw who he was carrying. He wordlessly put Sword Maiden on one of the beds, which as soon as he did, Sword Maiden curled into a fetal position.

"I did save her before the worst. But… it looks like it wasn't enough. Look after her, and leave her be for the time being. Maybe she'll put herself together later."

Goblin Slayer instructed her after he bring her in. Mother Superior only nodded. So now, she had two people to take care of. The little girl who made a friend of the butler's boy was shivering and sleeping in her arms, trying to forget the horrific sight she saw when her nun and friend both laid down their lives to protect her.

Mother Superior laid the small girl right next to Sword Maiden, so she had kept eyes on both of the girls.

The second time Goblin Slayer and his party got into Maiden vault, he brought even better news. The one behind it all was killed, and they found all the women they didn't kill. Though as he said before, they still had a lot of clean-up work to do so he left shortly after. Before that, however, one nun noticed he was injured under all that armor, and since she had a miracle to spare, she healed Goblin Slayer, as Priestess gave a cute pout in the background.

When the nun was finished healing Goblin Slayer, he left to put down the heavy chest with riches on the white tiled floor of the Maiden vault. However, just before he left through the light blue teleportation circle, he said something that shocked not only her, but even his two female companions. Goblin Slayer opened the chest and said that everything in it is theirs. All the nuns protested, the humility that was instilled within them ever since they had joined the temple showing through, but Goblin Slayer had none of it. Goblin Slayer quickly pointed out that they had nowhere to go, the Temple of Law was in shambles, and that they'd need all the gold to repair it and to survive until the Temple of Law was put back together.

Without further words, he left to finish his work with the two girls by his side. After he left, Mother Superior also got to work. Counting the contents of the chest, and thinking of how to distribute it among the nuns and children. Well, first off, she needed to reassign the nuns to the children, because now there were children without guardians and vice versa. After that, give the nuns enough gold to support them both, since only a fool would give a child gold to spend on survival. "This is going to take a while." Mother Superior thought as she got to work, as she kept an eye on the two girls traumatized by the events which had transpired on this dark gloomy night.

---

Captain of the City Guards stood still, with a straightened posture and looking at the Temple of Law in front of him. Hours went by, and he still couldn't help but stare at the Temple. Ever since the elf in the green dress had shot an arrow with a pepper bomb at the doors to blow them, he had stood there, waiting and hoping for them to come out. The soldier with Kuma right by his side, watching with him.

The adventurers who helped defend the bridge scattered into the town, trying to help with its defense, since now they were useless here. The captain ordered the other soldiers to go into the town too, keeping only a few archers in case a stray goblin would show up on the bridge, as well as a few swordsmen to watch their back.

The town that was filled with screams was slowly and surely calming down, as more and more goblins were killed. The platform that was created above them helped tremendously, not only in saving more people and directing them towards the exit from the town, but also for regrouping. A dwarf made a speech up top, urging ordinary men to take the weapons goblins dropped in their attempt to reach the platform, and take back their city. And so, even civilian men took arms and fought back after they ensured the safety of their families.

Slowly but surely, they took the city back. Eventually, all the screams had died down, and the people who waited on the platform instead of going to the town's exit began descending back into the corpses-filled town. On the ground, soldiers, and adventurers from all around were gathering the unfortunate women who had survived and placing them on carts, wrapping them in blankets, before sending them out to the nearest temple in hopes that they could overcome this horrific incident.

As the people began to leave the platform, the structure above them was slowly dispersing into the night breeze.

However, as others were cleaning the town of corpses, both goblin and human alike, other people were gathering in front of the broken bridge into Water Town. The crowd grew and grew, and the fact that Goblin Slayer was fighting across the broken bridge spread between the people.

As the gentle wind blew, a ruckus behind him broke the captain's train of thought. Turning around with the soldier boy beside him, they watched as someone was making his way through the gathered crowd. Eventually, a dwarf with a small girl in magic robes sleeping on his back met them.

"Hey, is Beard Cutter still in there?" Dwarf Shaman asked, exhausted from carrying the girl on his back.

"W… What?" the captain rose an eyebrow, looking at the soldier boy for advice on what the Dwarf was saying. Unfortunately, he could only shrug shoulders as he didn't have any. And that's when dwarf Shaman noticed it.

"That's Cinnamon Rolls, bear! Why do you have it?!" Dwarf Shaman raised his voice seeing the bear cub.

The soldier boy raised an eyebrow, not knowing who the dwarf was talking about. After a second or two of staring at the angry dwarf, it dawned on him that he knows Priestess. "She gave it to me to look after it. And why do you care?! Who are you?" a slightly irritated soldier boy said.

"We, are Goblin Slayer's friends." a feminine voice rang through the night air from behind Dwarf Shaman. Another two people were making their way to the captain, but this time, the two were hard to miss. One was a giant lizardman, and the second one was the most recognized face in the realm.

Everyone was in awe at the sight of Hero, walking side by side with Lizard Priest, who carried a wrapped Sword Saint in his arms. Dwarf Shaman's face lit up as soon as he saw Sword Saint's face having returned to a normal, healthy tan color.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you two managed to save her, and her pretty face." Dwarf Shaman chuckled.

"Indeed, though it wasn't a pleasant procedure." Lizard Priest answered.

Hero's attention was elsewhere though, and she quickly rushed to her other friend. "What happened to her?" Hero urgently asked.

Dwarf Shaman again chuckled. "Do not worry young miss, she is just tired. I would imagine creating such a structure would drain you a bit." he sarcastically answered.

Once Hero heard that, she smiled at the sleeping form of Sage on Dwarf Shaman's back. "You did good." Hero petted Sage's head through the hood.

"Look, at the bridge!" an adventurer yelled when he saw someone exiting the Temple of Law. His exclamation having diverted the attention from Hero to the bridge.

As the two moons were shining over Water Town and with everyone's eyes on him, Goblin Slayer came into the view, his armor slightly broken and bloody, he exited the broken doors of the Temple of Law. He sat on his trusty black mare, with Sword Maiden wrapped in a white blanket. Sword Maiden sat sideways on the horse, closed eyes, snuggling into Goblin Slayer's armor, with her right side leaning against Goblin Slayer, who held her with his left arm, while holding the reigns with his right.

Beside him, riding a little further behind on a white steed was High Elf Ranger in her bloody green dress, new elven items poking out of the saddle bags and an eye ornament necklace. Priestess sat behind her, in her own blood-stained light blue dress. However, Priestess now wasn't empty-handed either. She was holding not only her own staff she found in her room, but also Sword Maiden's staff that she had found in the temple. But that wasn't all. From one of the saddle bags opposite of the ones High Elf Ranger used, the Holy Candelabrum was sticking out.

Behind the leading party, Mother Superior walked, pulling a small cart with the chest on top of it. And around Mother Superior, dozens of nuns were walking. However, they weren't encased in their black robes, only in the white underrobes. They gifted the black nun robes to the victim's Goblin Slayer brought to them once the Temple of Law was cleaned. The nuns and children tried to help the victims walk from the Temple of Law, trying to talk to them. Not that they answered, most would need a lot of time for at least a chance to heal those soulless eyes.

"He did it… That son of a bitch actually did it." Captain of the City Guards could only say when he saw Goblin Slayer approach the place where the bridge was destroyed.

"Haha! Never doubted Beard Cutter would survive!" Dwarf Shaman laughed.

"Indeed. One must to have the strength of a thousand men to bring him down, alongside lady High Elf Ranger and lady Priestess." Lizard Priest smiled.

However, the one who admired Goblin Slayer the most at this moment was Hero. The way he lead the ones he had saved from the temple, alongside the most vulnerable one wrapped in his arms…

"Look at how he carries himself… that's a posture of a savior and a hero." she thought.

Captain of the City Guards walked up to the second end of the broken marble bridge. And even he couldn't help but admire Goblin Slayer as the night breeze caused the red top on Goblin Slayer's helmet to flutter.

"281. That's now my record for goblins killed in one day." Goblin Slayer said from across the broken bridge to the Captain of City Guards.

The guard chuckled. The first thing he says and it's this? "The tales about you are true. You really are a weirdo." the captain sighed. "But you are a heroic one at that." the captain smiled at Goblin Slayer.

"Thanks to all three of you, for your contribution to saving the town. You may not get a lot of gold for this, but know that we will all remember what you did here." Captain of the City Guards said to the three-horse riders.

"It's alright. I don't do this for gold or fame. I do this because I care of one thing only. I want to kill them all." Goblin Slayer sternly said, the Captain of the City Guards huffed in amusement.

As insane as it sounds, Captain of the City Guards believed him. He would one day kill them all, no matter what the gods say. The only one who could bring Goblin Slayer down weren't the gods, but himself. And it certainly didn't look like he had any intentions on leaving this world anytime soon. Quite the opposite in fact. He'll stay with us on this planet for a loooong time.

---

Author's note: Finally done! Took a while, but I am finally done! Damn, this was draining. Hope you like the conclusion to the Battle of Water Town.

So first of, Sword Maiden and her run. I had this idea from around chapter 4, and it finally came to fruition, with the lyrics to the song I think most fit her, and the situation.

Bonnie Tyler - I need a hero, for those who want to know the artist and song.

The fight with Dark Elf wasn't very long, but I don't think I could prolong it much further. After all, it's 3 vs. 1, with boosted GS. I feel like I skipped a lot of things in this chapter, but I really didn't want to write the fight spanning 4 chapters. Believe me when I say that I could stretch it out more, but I just wanted to get this over with. So I hope it is satisfactory to those who like action.

Now, chapter 23 is in front of us, with a very first lemon. So you'll finally see Goblin Slayer have a go at sex. That should be fun to read through. Wonder how our weirdo will manage that. You can still guess the girl who will be popping his cherry.

That's all from me. Leave a review and see ya in the next chapter!