Blood and guts littered the battlefield, pieces of man and beast sprouting from the ground like morbid flowers. God, I will make your people strong and prosperous, make them worthy of you to watch over.

The ground shook as the two phoenixes crashed upon it. The orange and black flames scattered and mixed in a cacophony of colors that brought about death.

Shattering sounds echoed through the multi-colored hellfire, the barriers Kai created destroyed by his own spell in moments. He coughed heavily and looked toward the outside with an anxiety-riddled heart.

The sphere they were in protected them from the heat and allowed them to see little more than the beauty of the raging inferno scorching the land beneath their feet. The flames moved about as if they were alive, creating a kaleidoscopic pattern that changed every other second. The orange and yellow mixed perfectly with the shadowy black, creating a strong contrasting image, and a beautiful veil that blocked the outside world.

Screams of pain and terror echoed past their barrier, oink-like shrills that scratched their brain. Bone cracks and snaps made them wince, feeling the phantom pain their attackers went through.

Unable to see the consequences of Kai's spell, they were only left with their creativity and imagination as to what the gobelin's fate would be.

The nearest ones were getting pulverized into nothing more than charred dust, followed by their subsequent explosion in green particles, guts, and gore, if there were any left, to begin with. The ones that were farther away ran away as the scorching flames embraced them. The cries of their agony resounded through the burning forest, carried by the wind and sending shivers toward anyone or anything unlucky enough to be close.

Their bones snapped and cracked like twigs under a bonfire, and with each subsequent crackle, another squeal or hiss of pain escaped the dying goblins' bodies. The morbid smell of charred flesh lingered in the air, though it didn't penetrate Lutha's barrier just yet. It held on strong, though, having endured through the initial explosion. That was the hardest part; all that was left was for the people inside to wait and sit through how many minutes or hours it took for the magical flames to go out, or for the gobelins to die out completely.

Kai was sure that such a big explosion must have caught any approaching or lurking gobelin, and deterred any other from approaching. He felt proud of his plan, though he couldn't show any of that at the moment as he struggled to breathe.

That spell used most of his mana reserves, pairing that with the previous physical exertion, Kai's body all but gave up on him. Onyx sat close to him, his previously large size now shrunk to one that could fit better inside the barrier. The Obborik's ears were pointed backward, twitching with every snap, crack, and shriek. His yellow eyes shone with fear at the surrounding inferno, and his heart raced as he hid behind Kai.

Black smoke rose to the sky, meeting the puffy white clouds and signaling to everyone who could watch that the forest had caught fire. If the two phoenixes floating over the forest didn't raise any attention before, then the constant smog and ash, and multi-colored flames did.

The only one close enough to see the spectacle and feel its repercussions was the middle-aged carriage driver, though, and his partner, neither of whom wanted anything to do with it.

Seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes felt like hours as the flames intensified and the intense shrieking began to die down. A crack appeared in Lutha's barrier, sending a jolt of panic to everyone within its protection. The man broke off in cold sweat as he poured more mana into the crystal catalysts, hoping it would hold out until fire disappeared.

Kai did his best to hold on to the little control he had over the ocean of destruction he created, all to pull it back when he was sure that the area was free of danger. Unfortunately, he couldn't spread out his mana to observe, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

He could only imagine the horrific sight that would reveal itself before him after the flames died down. Besides the charred ground and scorched trees. Deep inside, he hoped that the flames would burn away any sight of any corpse, as he didn't know if he was ready to face such horrors.

Eventually, the screeches and squeals died completely. A hollow silence lingered in the air. A morbid tale of the terrifying massacre that took place that day.

The small period of downtime gave the group enough time to collect themselves, and all of them looked at Kai with as much shock as they did fear. Though a hint of admiration and envy shone within their pupils. However, looking at Kai's disheveled appearance, they weren't so sure if they wanted to wield such power.

His long silver hair touched the ground, some falling over his mask, some over his gore-covered clothes. Sweat drenched his body and face, and it dripped down like a river as he removed the mask. With constricted pupils, he clenched the wand with his fist and made use of the shattered shards of the fire crystals to call back the mana feeding the flames.

A low grunt escaped his trembling lips, and the infernal image around them began to disappear, one trickle at a time. He closed his eyes with a racing, broken heart. Broken by the fact that he had used such a destructive spell, killing so many living creatures and plants, and most likely crippling the environment forever.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Am I… a monster? He questioned himself as the fire subsided. Kai knew that he did what he had to do to survive, but taking life with your sword was one thing, while causing such untold pain and suffering to living creatures was another. He was no saint by any means, and he had learned the hard way that killing was the one way to survive in this world. It didn't matter if it was to eat or to defend yourself; however, the idea of using such large-scale spells left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Kai compared it to nuclear weapons and bombs used during wars. A single button, a single spell, can cause such high amounts of destruction. He didn't feel particularly sorry about the gobelins, but the idea of other people using such spells against humans, basements, or other races that were solely victims of circumstances… he couldn't stomach it.

I have to face it. He thought, rising to his feet with shaking legs. I have to see what I did and accept it. He steeled his resolve and slowly opened his eyes as he pulled back the last bit of mana.

He blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the natural light of the sun, and took in a deep breath. Goosebumps crawled all over his skin as the tapestry of the destruction he caused fully revealed itself. Lutha didn't dare undo the barrier, at least for a time.

Thick smoke still lingered, rising to the sky, blending with the black, scorched grass. The devastation spread far enough for Kai to squint to see clearly into the distance. The smoke also played a role in that.

It obscured part of the shimmering trees, far into the distance. Those were the trees that were touched by the outer flames, glowing as their still-ablaze trunks began to cool down. The process would be lengthy, but the destruction they suffered couldn't compare to the destruction at the center.

The only part of such trees that remained were the roots buried deep underground, safe from destruction. Piles upon piles of ashes littered the ground, whether from wood, grass, or flesh. It was just as Kai had hoped - the fire burned hot enough to destroy any sort of mangled corpse that would be left behind. However, that was only true for the immediate vicinity.

Not that far away, signs of struggle and dead life became obvious. Whilst not completely whole, a mound of seared flesh, ash, and black bones stuck out, a strong stench of burning meat travelling through the air. Luckily, Kai could only whiff parts of it through the cracks in the barrier.

He could be sure of one thing, though: there couldn't be anything that survived the hell he had descended upon them. Whether or not they were close or far, anything within the scorched area was dead and buried under their ash. Kai gagged at the thought and held back vomit as he leaned on Onyx for support. Yasa jumped to help him, but hesitated, and in the end decided to leave him alone.

She saw the pain within Kai, but not his inner turmoil. Onyx could feel it, though, and yelped as he grew in size to offer his companion better support.

Thank you. Kai communicated and gathered himself. Both his mana veins and physical body were pushed to his limits, and the mental strength he had began to slowly break apart as he came to terms with what he had done. Even if they were enemies, for them to die like that… Even if they wanted to kill us, this just feels… wrong.

He didn't know if the others shared his feelings, but the horrified look on their faces gave him some clues. Kai couldn't be sure if it was because of his spell, because of him, or because they had never seen such destruction before.

As former mercenaries and adventurers, they had seen and created their fair share of gore, but not such destruction on that scale. It was a first, even for Yasa and her group, to see such ruination.

Kai wasn't sure if he could keep standing. The exertion on his body and mana made his head spin, and he couldn't even bring out a satchet of water to quench his thirst. Can this smoke clear faster? He thought, raising his head with difficulty to look at the blue, smog-covered sky. For a moment, he couldn't believe he did it, but for the next, he accepted it.

A light, raspy cough escaped his body, breaking the silence. He struggled to pull out his water sac and brought it to his mouth with trembling hands. Drinking as much of it as possible, he put it away and simply watched his ouvre d'art with a sense of catharsis.

His sense began to relax after a few minutes, and the pain his body suffered amplified twofold as the adrenaline left his bloodstream. Kai finally began to relax after what felt like hours of battle.

The others did too, but their guard never lessened. They watched the battlefield for any sort of movement, anything that could put their lives at risk. However, no such thing came to be, at least not for the next half hour they waited. The smoke showed no signs of stopping, but the barrier gave them a temporary protection that allowed them to recoup some of their strength.

Kai finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief and sat down on the green grass, perhaps the only patch that would ever grow again in a significant area. He found it regretful, but he'd rather not become food for the plants of the forest due to getting stabbed twenty-eight times in the back.

However, the small moment of respite he allowed himself didn't last long. Something moved thirty meters away from the group - a large mound of ash and bits of charred flesh. All of them immediately went on high alert, and Kai jumped to his feet. The mount kept moving, wiggling about, and then it… rose!

The ash and body parts fell as a giant monster rose from the ground, its black skin shining with a dangerous luster. Kai's heart immediately sank upon seeing it, instantly recognizing it as the evolved form of a purple gobelin. However, unlike the one he had fought, this one was twice as tall and twice as muscular. Seven horns protruded out of its thick skull, shaped in a strange fashion around it, acting like a helmet.

Scale-like barbs covered its forearms, thin as a razor blade and just as sharp. Its ebony black skin, covered in ash, gore, and scorch marks, shone under the dimly lit sun. Two sets of fangs decorated its face, and its nostrils flared violently as it scanned the surroundings.

A pair of red, berserk-like eyes locked onto the group, and it let out a primeval roar that shook the barrier to its core.

Shivers ran down their spines, and Kai's pupils constricted with fear. That one absorbed the energy of all the green gobelins that died in it… it… it… we… Panic took over his mind and body, and he shook uncontrollably as he faced death as certain as he did back on earth. He didn't believe for a single second that they could kill a creature that survived his attack and grew even stronger from it.

"RUN!" He yelled with a hoarse voice that scratched his throat. Lutha scrambled to collect the light crystals and put down the barrier, however, it shattered before he could even kneel to collect them.

The dark figure of the giant gobelin loomed over them. It pulled back its punch and looked at them with unparalleled bloodthirst. The thick smoke invaded their nostrils, eyes, and lungs, but they had no time to cough as it let out another roar that shook them to the core, and stomped down on the ground.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.