It took Harry a few seconds to find the source of the voice, but he eventually noticed it. It was a short and ugly creature, perched precariously on one of the tall jewel trees on the Heaven Grade Fire Crab. Since it was so high up, Harry initially mistook it as part of the jewel.
The creature had a bald head and large pointed ears, along with a long, pointed nose and two slanted eyes. Strangely, its skin was an ugly green-brown color. It possessed ten long, clawed fingers, and each hand gripped a short but sharp sword.
Without a doubt, it wasn't human. It could speak, and was vaguely humanoid, but that was as far as the similarities went. Everything about it was totally alien to Harry.
Yet, that wasn't the strangest thing about this creature.
Above its head, there was a halo of sorts, a glowing ring of white light that floated right above its pointy ears. Harry was reminded of the stories of angels – but this was no angel. This was some kind of green, ugly, reptilian creature. If anything, it was the opposite of an angel.
"James, that's a goblin," Susan whispered. Somehow she seemed more scared of the goblin than of the army of crabs.
"And that ring – it's been Blessed," Daphne whispered. Her eyes never left that halo on its head.
A goblin?
Harry had heard of those creatures before, but never seen one. They were said to dwell in caves, deep underground. Allegedly, they hated humans and loved treasures such as gold and Qi Crystals – and also jewels. That much was just common knowledge across the empire.
From the historical record of the Snowy Owl Clan, he also knew the goblins had once invaded the empire, many centuries ago, and the clans of Magic Beasts worked together to fight them off. That alone was a sign of their strength – it required so many clans working together to defeat them – and the goblins weren't even completely defeated. They had just gone into hiding.
"I've heard of goblins... but what does Blessed mean?" Harry whispered.
"According to stories, they're cultivators who have been blessed by the heavens – and it's indicated by the ring on its head. They're blessed in order to fight against an incoming calamity," Daphne gave him the quick summary.
"I thought it was just a legend – I never thought I'd actually see one," Susan muttered.
"Ok, what's its cultivation?"
"Core Formation Realm. Not sure what level."
"And what does being Blessed do for it?"
"It gives –"
"What are you three chattering about?" the goblin's high-pitched voice rang across the gorge.
"Come on, let's go," Daphne said while holding a Portkey. She was holding Susan, who was holding Harry, and Luna and her father were both holding onto him.
"Here Ford City," she said.
Harry braced himself for the feeling of Portkey travel – only for nothing to happen.
"Here Ford City," Daphne repeated, a bit more urgently.
Still, nothing happened.
"Did the Portkey break?" Susan asked in alarm.
"No, that's impossible! Liver Pool City!" Daphne shouted, holding another Portkey this time.
Nothing happened.
"YEEEEHAHAHAHA, trying to flee?" the goblin gave them an ugly grin. Its mouth, unnaturally large, stretched from ear to ear, and its razor-sharp teeth glinted from high above.
"I'm afraid you five have wandered too deep into our territory, hehe!"
"We goblins have fortified this entire area of the Smoking Gorge. Humans can come in, but they can't go out! Your teleportation devices won't work here. After you're in, there's only one option – become Fire Crab food!"
"Oh no," Daphne whispered as those words sunk in. Susan's hand trembled in Harry's. Not just her hand – her entire body was shaking from terror.
"Well, you ladies are quite pretty. Maybe I'll keep you three as my playthings. But as for you two... hehe," the goblin let out another nasty grin as it looked at Harry and Xenophilius Lovegood.
"It's over," Susan whimpered.
"It's not over," Harry said firmly.
"We just need to beat those Fire Crabs, and that ugly goblin. We can do it."
"James, it's Blessed, and in the Core Formation Realm! How can we defeat it?" Daphne exclaimed.
"And how are we going to fight so many Magic Beasts?" Susan added.
"We'll do it. We have no choice. Luna, Xenophilius, you two just run. Get as far away as you can," Harry ordered.
He didn't need to say it twice. Luna and Xenophilius didn't even hesitate before turning around and bolting away. The goblin watched them run off with an amused expression.
"It's rare to find such a noble human, willing to protect the weak. Usually the strong sacrifice the weak to get away – not that it makes a difference! YEEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Maybe we can try diplomacy," Daphne suggested. She stepped forward, then addressed the goblin.
"The five of us were just exploring the gorge. We didn't mean to intrude upon the territory of the goblins. Please, let us go. We'll take our leave right away and never come back."
"It's no use," Harry muttered and shook his head. Why would the goblin let them go? It was in the position of power, whether in strength or numerical advantage. There was no reason for it to listen to anything they had to say.
Besides, though Harry didn't know much about goblins, he knew they were a warlike race, who saw humans and Magic Beasts as food. Their situation must have been like a chicken trying to convince the butcher to not kill it.
"It's no use!" the goblin cackled. "You three sure have guts to come this far into the Smoking Gorge. All humans who wander into goblin territory never leave – that's the rule!"
"Don't bother reasoning with it," Harry said as he unsheathed his sword, getting ready to battle.
"In this world, the only thing that matters is your strength. When you meet an enemy, you have to fight it. If we could solve all our problems with words, would anyone still bother to cultivate?"
"Don't think about getting away, or convincing it to let us go. The only thing you should think about – is how to fight our way out of here!"
His words must have struck a chord with Susan and Daphne, because they stopped trembling. A determined expression settled on their faces. Susan's long bone club weapon appeared in her hands, then in addition, she summoned that creepy red skeleton again, except this time, the red bones wrapped around her body like a suit of armor. It looked like she was wearing rings and plates of solid red blood. Daphne summoned a icy wind strong enough to make Harry shiver, and a fine blade appeared in her hand. It was a long sword, and perfectly transparent, almost as if it were made of ice.
The two of them immediately entered their strongest battle states. But even with all their preparations, the situation didn't look good.
"James, I don't know how long we can hold these off," Susan admitted as she tightened her grip on the bone.
"Ice isn't effective against fire. I can take out the weaker Fire Crabs, but the stronger ones would overpower me," Daphne added.
"Don't worry about the fire. I'll handle that part. And I'll take that Heaven Grade one, and the goblin. Blessed or not, I'll beat him. You two just take the... other 100 Fire Crabs," Harry finished weakly. He had to admit, the situation looked really bad.
"Hey James," Susan grasped his arm.
"What is it?"
"I just wanted to say, I'm really glad I met you. Even if we don't make it, -"
"Don't talk like that," Harry interrupted her. "You have to believe in yourself. When your life's on the line, all you can do is fight to your last breath."
"If we don't fight, we're all dead. Just remember that."
Harry's life being in danger was nothing new to him. Though this situation was bad, he was able to stay calm and think rationally. But for Susan and Daphne, however, it was their first time leaving the safety of their homes. Perhaps this was even the first time their lives had truly been in danger.
"Hehehehehe! Your preparations are useless!" the goblin cackled.
"Fire Crabs – go! Your meal is there!"
The goblin must have been the herder of these Fire Crabs, Harry belatedly realized. Maybe the goblins farmed the jewels on their backs, or had some other use for them. But it wasn't the time to think about those things.
Once the goblin gave the order, the army of crabs began scuttling towards them. They raised their pincers and charged forwards, intent on killing the three humans in front of them.
"Hahahahahaha, I'm looking forward to seeing you three torn apart! Then roasted! Then devoured into the bellies of my pets! Hahahahah, this is the fate all humans deserve!"
Harry heard enough.
"Ring of Elements, come out! Revolve!" Harry roared.
The resplendent five-colored ring came out, finally bringing some light into the gloomy Smoking Gorge. The bright blue, green, and red shades threw color across the gorge, and then behind Harry's back, it began to spin.
Though part of Harry was dreading fighting the sheer number of Fire Crabs along with the goblin, the other part of Harry was rife with excitement. With so many Fire Crabs, he was confident he could fill up a huge amount of his Sea of Fire!
Indeed, out of each of the bodies of the crabs, a stream of Fire Qi was being pulled out. Whether it was the smallest ones in the front, just in the low-level of the Qi Absorption Realm, or even that biggest one at the Core Formation Realm, Fire Qi was drawn out all the same. All of it entered into that multi-colored ring, then into his Sea of Fire.
Even better, as long as Harry kept refining the Fire Qi, these crabs couldn't use their fire-based attacks. They were still dangerous, but much less so. It gave Daphne and Susan a better chance of fighting.
A huge amount of Fire Qi was surging through his body, entering the Sea of Fire, and Harry felt drop after drop of liquid fire merging into the sea.
30%!
Very quickly, his Sea of Fire became 30% full!
"What?" the goblin exclaimed. It quickly realized Harry was sucking the Fire Qi straight out the bodies of the Fire Crabs – an act that should have been impossible. Even the Heaven Grade beast it was sitting on was no exception. A thick stream of Fire Qi was leaving the jewels, and entering the boy's ring!
At first it appeared outraged, but then a look of greed appeared in its eyes.
"What a powerful cultivation technique! Once you're captured, I'll take it out your body!"
In the goblin's eyes, the three humans were dead. No matter what tricks they may have, in the end, there was no changing the outcome, whether one of them could refine Fire Qi or not. It was actually thankful it found out Harry had this cultivation technique before he died.
"Capture me? You're dreaming," Harry sneered at the ugly creature.
"Five Element Battle Body!"
In this fight, Harry wasn't going to hold anything back.
The strength of all five elements poured through his body, though it was dominated by the power of water, wood and fire. His bones and muscles gained a boost in power, but Harry felt his flesh strengthen to an incredible degree. In addition, his body burst into a huge plume of fire.
With a single mighty leap, Harry flew straight towards the Heaven Grade beast. The goblin's eyes were wide with surprise, not expecting this human to have such speed, much less be able to set himself on fire. But by the time it reacted, Harry was already in front of the Fire Crab.
Harry brought his sword down on the Fire Crab in a two-handed stroke, as hard as he could. At the last moment, the turtle head retreated into its shell, which snapped shut. Harry's sword smashed against the jewel-encrusted shell a second later.
CLANG!
The impact sent Harry's arms ringing, and he looked at the shell in astonishment. Where his sword landed... there was only a slight scratch!
In fact, the blow injured his own arms more than it injured the Fire Crab.
Harry knew his offensive own strength was somewhere in the Core Formation Realm – probably around the 3rd level, based on how much of the Sea of Fire he had filled. Then logically, this Fire Crab must have been at least at the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm too, or likely even higher.
Harry took a step back, reassessing his options. He hadn't counted on the Fire Crab's defense to be this strong...
The crab lifted one of its large pincers and grabbed Harry. He tried to roll away, but wasn't fast enough. The crab caught him in a vice grip, and Harry felt a huge pressure trying to cut him into two.
"That's right, crush it! Then we'll figure out the secrets of this boy's body!" the goblin commanded. It was no longer smiling.
But no matter how hard the crab tried, it couldn't harm Harry's body. The claw wasn't able to close fully. Though it exerted all its strength, Harry's body was just too tough.
With a roar of power, Harry grabbed the two claws of the pincer with each hand, and pushed outwards as hard as he could. Slowly but surely, the pincer was spread apart, allowing Harry to free himself and leap out the vice grip.
Fire Crabs were defensive Magic Beasts, with comparatively weaker offensive strength. It was very difficult for Harry to injure a Fire Crab – but that was true for the Fire Crab too. It was a battle where both sides had an insurmountable defense.
"What?" the goblin exclaimed, looking at Harry with renewed eyes. "Damned human, are you really just 3rd level of the Qi Absorption Realm?"
"You'll find out for yourself soon," Harry responded, then brought his sword down on the crab's shell again.
Clang!
Another scratch appeared on the crab's shell, next to the first one Harry made. To this Fire Crab, they must have been like small scratches, like the bites of the flea. Harry wondered if the heavily armored creature even noticed his attacks.
HIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
A strange hissing noise came out of the Fire Crab, then the next moment, the beast's head popped out. It opened its huge mouth, large enough to swallow Harry whole, and spat out a mouthful of fire.
Harry was caught off-guard. He thought Fire Crabs could only expel fire from their rear ends, so he didn't expect this attack coming. Harry made a movement to dodge it by reflex, but then laughed and stood still. The wave of fire washed over him.
Behind his back, the Ring of Elements only spun faster. The enormous gout of fire, wide enough to fill the entire width of the gorge, was sucked back towards Harry and completely disappeared into his ring.
35%!
"You idiot! The boy can refine Fire Qi!" the goblin yelled.
An Earth Grade Fire Crab came at him from behind, and Harry turned around when he sensed it approach. With a single stroke of his sword, he cut the incoming Fire Crab neatly into two. The tough shell and crab underneath split like butter in front of his Heaven Grade weapon, and the two halves skittered for a few steps before they toppled over. All the Fire Qi in its body and shell was brought into his Sea of Fire.
'The gap between Earth Grade and Heaven Grade… it's huge!' Harry thought numbly. Killing an Earth Grade Fire Crab was simple for him, but even injuring a Heaven Grade was almost impossible. The difference between cultivation realms was just too large.
Harry used the momentary distraction to check on Daphne and Susan. In the middle of the dry and arid Smoking Gorge, there was a patch of white grass, surrounded by a howling blizzard. The two girls were standing back to back, struggling desperately. Around their feet were the bodies of about dozen Fire Crabs, sliced into small pieces or with their shell caved in from blunt force. Their advantage was that only a few Fire Crabs could attack them at a time. The majority of them had to sit on the sidelines, waiting for their turn. But once Susan or Daphne killed one, another took its place. Harry could tell they'd be overwhelmed soon.
Thankfully, Harry was taking their Fire Qi away. Whenever one of them tried to spit fire out, they found their Fire Qi being summoned away. At most they could only eject little tongues of flames, which Daphne could counter. Otherwise, the two of them would have lost the battle immediately, burnt to a crisp.
"Ice Wall!" Daphne yelled, then around her and Susan, a circular wall of ice formed. Though it wouldn't last long, it provided a temporary moment of relief as the crabs tried to break it down.
"James, don't worry about us! Just beat that big one!"
Reluctantly, Harry turned away from his companions and looked back at his enemy.
With a roar of strength, Harry smashed his blade into the Fire Crab's shell. A third scratch appeared on the shell, and Harry thought the shell may have been dented by a bit, but that may have been his imagination.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Harry hacked at the Fire Crab, while ducking and weaving under its two large pincers. One advantage Harry had was that this beast was large and slow, while he was nimble and fast. He could land a dozen strikes in a few seconds, while the Fire Crab couldn't land even one.
Slowly but surely, the front part of the shell was beginning to buckle. A small crack began to form, no larger than Harry's fist, but it was a start. In the back of his mind, Harry remembered that these shells supposedly came with an astronomical price tag, but now wasn't the time to think about that.
One of the crab's pincers smashed towards his head, which Harry blocked with an upward thrust. His knees buckled under the weight, then he rolled and stabbed the blade upwards, into the bottom of the Fire Crab.
Screeeeeeeeechhh!
There was the sound of metal against stone, like nails on a chalkboard, and his blade slid off the crab's underbelly's without doing any damage. Harry let out a curse – this beast was too well-protected.
"Crush it!" the goblin yelled, and the Fire Crab retracted its legs to sit down. Harry only barely got out from under it in time.
Clang! Clang!
Harry continued his assault, trying to land all his attacks on the same part of the Fire Crab's shell. He was definitely making some progress, though it was such a small amount that he was beginning to despair. By the time he actually got through this thing, Susan and Daphne would be dead.
40%!
"Dammit, that's enough! I'll kill this human myself!" the goblin yelled. It could tell neither side was making any progress, and it wanted to end this fight as soon as possible, before Harry took more Fire Qi. The Fire Crab stopped attacking, then the goblin leapt from its perch and landed in front of Harry. A silver dagger was in each of its claws.
"Lowly human, how dare you hide your cultivation? You're at the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm!" it snarled.
"If you say so," Harry snorted, not inclined to argue with this creature.
"Unlike your despicable human race, I don't need to hide my cultivation level! Even if I'm at the 1st level, I can still defeat you!"
"Despicable?" Harry echoed. "Says the one hiding behind an army of Fire Crabs."
"Well, I'm here now! Remember the name of the goblin who will kill you! My name is Griphook! Remember my name!"
With that, the goblin leapt at Harry. It moved faster than Harry could have believed, and it was only his lightning-fast reflexes that saved him. One hand swung the sword and intercepted the goblin's first dagger, while his other hand accurately grabbed the goblin's other wrist in midair. Its skin was scaly and slimy, unpleasant to touch, but Harry held on all the same.
Burning Blood!
His left arm burst into fire, and Harry tightly gripped goblin's wrist. The goblin let out a low yell, but the next moment, some kind of metal armor appeared around its body, protecting it from the flames.
"Your flames won't hurt me, lowly human! Now die!"
The two of them were stuck in that position, neither able to move an inch. They wrestled for control, limb to limb, but Harry simply couldn't get any advantage. To his great surprise, Harry found this goblin was no weaker than he was!
He had the strength of the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm. But this goblin, only at the 1st level, could match that. It was a sure sign that this goblin was a cultivation genius, with the ability to fight above its cultivation level. Perhaps, this was one of the benefits of being Blessed.
The physical struggle continued for a bit longer, then both of them leapt back and put some distance behind them. The two of them took a short breath to recover – and then both charged forwards to fight again.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In just a few seconds the two of them exchanged dozens of blows, Harry managing to accurately block each of the goblin's strikes with his single sword. However, fighting the goblin was completely different from fighting the Fire Crab. Harry could tell this goblin had rich combat experience, and Harry was very nearly overwhelmed. Its blades moved like flashes of silver, almost too fast to follow with the eyes.
45%!
As their blades clashed, Harry noticed that chips of his sword were shedding off and breaking away. Small pieces of metal showered around his body, as impact after impact against the goblin's daggers broke his weapon apart little by little. Very quickly, the once sharp edge of his Heaven Grade sword was beginning to look more like a saw.
Yet, the goblin's blades seemed as sharp and powerful as they were when the battle began. Not a single dent or chip could be seen on them.
"This is Goblin Silver!" Griphook proudly proclaimed. "Never rusts, never degrades, can't be destroyed in Core Formation –"
"Enough of your sales pitch," Harry sneered, then swung his blade at Griphook with all his might. The goblin just barely dodged out the way, and his sword landed on the goblin's armor with a massive CLANG! that echoed across the gorge.
'Damnit, this thing sure is equipped well,' Harry cursed. Not only were its daggers extremely sharp, its armor was also very powerful. It was even stronger than the shell of that Fire Crab. Where his blade landed, he couldn't even see a dent in the armor. Griphook must have gotten some of the best equipment the goblins could create, considering its status as a Blessed.
However, Harry had one advantage – he was getting stronger as the battle dragged on, while Griphook was not. Streams of Fire Qi continuously flowed into his body, and it looked like hundreds streamers were extending out of his back due to how many Fire Crabs there were. The Fire Qi from the Earth Grade crabs was nearly depleted, but the Heaven Grade crab was basically a reservoir of Fire Qi Harry could siphon away from.
50%!
Over half his Sea of Fire was full now, and Harry relished in the newfound power. He fought the goblin with renewed vigor.
Clang! Clang! Bang!
Every strike pushed Griphook back another step, and Harry could feel himself beginning to overpower this goblin.
"Dammit, don't just stand there! Go kill those two!" Griphook yelled at the Heaven Grade Fire Crab. Obediently, it skittered towards Daphne and Susan.
"No!" Harry yelled, and ran to intercept. But then Griphook appeared in front of him, and Harry was forced to deal with the goblin.
"Haha, your opponent is me! Just watch as your friends die!"
Harry didn't bother to respond, and just attacked Griphook with renewed strength. If he didn't defeat Griphook quickly, and intercept that Heaven Grade beast, then Daphne and Susan were definitely dead.
As their blades clashed, Griphook was forced back inch by inch. It was dumbfounded, not understanding how the human in front of it seemed to actually be getting stronger and faster as the fight went on. Slowly, but surely, Griphook was losing.
"Enough! Blessing of Heaven – Awaken!"
The ring above Griphook's head burst into light, and Harry was forced to squint his eyes. A curtain of light surrounded Griphook's body, like the Sun peeking through a cloud. Its whole body emitted a dim glow, and when Harry looked at Griphook, he felt a sense of sanctity – almost like Griphook was emitting an aura of holiness. But the creature's shriveled body and hideous face were at total odds with that feeling.
"See this? This is the true power of a Blessed! This battle, I was only using a fraction of my strength! Now, die!" Griphook roared, totally infuriated.
Swish!
His blades slashed at Harry, who dodged a second too late. There was a stinging sensation as the goblin silver pierced through his flesh, and Harry hissed in pain. It was so rare for his defense to be broken that he was unused to the sensation. This goblin's weapons must have been high-quality Heaven Grade items!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Under the new assault, it was Harry who was forced back step after step. Griphook's movements were faster, stronger, as if it gained double the strength. There was no way for Harry to launch his own attacks, and he was put on the defensive. One of Griphook's blades cut out a chunk of his leg, followed by his arm, then his knee. Blood splashed out the wounds of his body, but Harry gritted his teeth and fought on.
'Dammit, what the hell is this power?' Harry swore as he furiously fought Griphook. Once Griphook activated the power of his halo, it was like it became a different creature. It was almost as if it gained a boost of cultivation, because Harry went from having the advantage to the disadvantage. Even worse, his defensive strength wasn't powerful enough to stand against its weapons. He was just barely hanging on.
By now, the Heaven Grade Fire Crab reached Susan and Daphne. The crowd of Earth Grade beasts parted, and Harry could clearly see the ragged forms of his companions, just barely standing upright. It looked like Susan's arm was broken in a couple places, from where a Fire Crab caught her, while there were half a dozen nasty cuts on Daphne's body. Harry had to commend them for lasting this long – but he felt his heart pounding as the Heaven Grade beast approached.
"Daphne, I'm going to do that!" Susan yelled.
"You – you can't!" Daphne yelled back. "Don't you know what's going to happen?"
"I know! But we have no choice! Make sure you and James get out of here!"
Without any further argument, Susan pulled out a formation paper and poured the rest of her Qi into it. Once the formation paper began glowing, she slapped it onto her body.
"Crimson Skeleton Spirit – come out! And – fuse!"
From behind her back, a skeleton appeared. It was made of gray and red bone, with glowing red lights in its eye sockets. Once it appeared, the formation paper began shivering and drawing out a red, vapor-like substance from Susan's body. The skeleton opened its mouth wide to suck in that stream of red vapor, and as it did, it grew in size. It was originally the same size as Susan, but it grew until it towered over Susan and Daphne, nearly level with the Fire Crab. Its bones gained a deep red tinge, like they were dyed with blood.
"AAAAAUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The bone giant stretched its body, lifting its skeletal arms high into the air, and let out an unearthly howl. Then picking up Susan's bone weapon, which perfectly fit in its hand, it crouched down and swept it across the ground in a large arc. Dozens of Earth Grade Fire Crabs were swept aside in that attack, thrown against the walls of the Smoking Gorge with sickening cracks. When they landed, their shells shattered and beast blood painted the gorge walls. With a single sweep of the weapon, nearly half the battlefield was cleared.
'Holy shit... Susan was hiding that in her?' Harry nearly wet his pants when the bone giant appeared.
The giant swung the bone again, this time at the Heaven Grade Fire Crab, who caught it in one of its pincers. The two of them struggled for control, until the bone giant let out another roar and charged forward. With all its might, it slammed into the Fire Crab, pushing it back step by step. The two titans struggled for control.
'If you could summon that, why didn't you start off with it?' Harry wanted to yell. But the next moment, he noticed something was wrong.
Susan, originally at the 7th level of the Qi Absorption Realm, looked pale and about to faint. Daphne was supporting her friend, but even then, she could barely stand. The next moment, Susan's cultivation fell to the 6th level.
'This is... a technique that trades power for cultivation?' Harry realized with a shock. He had heard of such techniques, but they were extremely dangerous to use. Not only did it mean the user had to cultivate all over again, it was also possible to cut off one's cultivation path – permanently. If this continued for too long, Susan may never cultivate past the 7th level of the Qi Absorption Realm again.
As for Daphne, she was left to fend off the remaining Fire Crabs, while also trying to protect Susan. It was a hopeless situation.
'I have to end this!' Harry thought frantically. A desperate, stupid plan formed in his mind, and Harry knew it was his only option.
Griphook cackled and stabbed its dual blades at Harry, who acted like he was going to use his sword to parry them. At the last minute, he twisted his body, and instead allowed the blades to pierce his body. They stabbed right through, exiting out his back, and Harry let out a grunt of pain.
Burning Blood!
Griphook's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Harry to take his attack. But before he could do anything –
THWACK!
Harry brought down his jagged sword on Griphook's body as hard as he could. At the very last moment, Griphook sprang back and managed to avoid the brunt of Harry's strike – but he was just slightly too slow. There was a plopping sound as his hands, still holding onto his silver daggers, were separated from his wrists.
"YYEEEEOOOOOOWWWWW!" Griphook howled, and shrank back in pain.
Panting, Harry dropped his sword. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then another, then yanked Griphook's blades out his body. They were as cold as ice, and sharper than he could have imagined. For them to sink so deeply into his body, they must have been of extremely high craftsmanship. Griphook's discarded hands lay at his feet.
Kneeling on the floor, Griphook wailed in pain and woodenly stared at its arms in disbelief. This kind of injury – there was no recovery, no way to reattach them. He would be a cripple for the rest of his life – a very short life.
"Damned… human…" it spat, every word a struggle.
"You… you tricked me! But even if I die… you're dead too! There's no healing… wounds of… goblin silver…"
"We'll see about that," Harry gasped for breath.
Washing Marrow!
His body was dripping blood from a dozen wounds, a true testament to this goblin's strength. He mistakenly thought he was invincible below the 7th level of the Core Formation Realm, but this goblin proved him very wrong. Harry was really surprised with how much of a boost of strength that ring gave the goblin.
With a nudge to the Sea of Water, Harry felt soothing Water Qi flow through his body. He watched with relief as the wounds all across his body closed – his healing ability was still effective.
"Impossible!" Griphook yelled, then spat out an enormous mouthful of blood. Seeing Harry's wound closing at a speed visible to the eye was too much for him to take in. It let out one final howl of unwillingness.
"It's time to end this," Harry panted as he walked over to Griphook. Without its hands or weapons, it was no longer a threat. One more strike, and the battle would be over.
Though Harry was the victor of this fight, he had no illusions about how close he came to losing. He didn't win because he was stronger, or because he had more combat experience, but rather because he was willing to suffer pain, and exchange a light injury for a much more grievous one. Just as Griphook accused, he indeed won the fight through some trickery.
Just as he lifted his sword to kill Griphook, a sudden movement made him pause. When Harry turned to look, he froze in surprise.
Out of the sheer cliffs that formed the walls of the Smoking Gorge, an entire contingent of goblins appeared. They simply stepped out of the cliff wall, defying belief, as if the cliff was made of water instead of rock.
There must have been over 50 goblins, and each of them were dressed for battle. They were lined in rows of silver armor, of gleaming breastplates and fancy helmets, equipped with an array of silver weapons that glinted in the dim light of the Smoking Gorge. Above each one of their heads was a floating ring. And as for their cultivation, they were all similar to Griphook – in the Core Formation Realm.
Harry's heart fell into his stomach. This was an army of goblins. An army of Blessed goblins.
Then the crowd of goblins parted, and a larger goblin walked to the front. It was practically the size of an average human, twice as tall as its companions, bulky and packed with muscle. Though there was no ring above its head, it was unquestionably the leader of the pack.
When the lead goblin glanced at Harry, Harry was rendered completely immobile. Under the goblin's two beady eyes, Harry could barely breathe. He felt a strange sort of power wash over his body, like the goblin saw through him in a glance. At that moment, Harry was struck by a certainty – that this goblin was in the Spirit Fusion Realm.