Start up!

[Thorn Hero: Found it! A large encampment, and I see a Goblin Shaman coming and going—it seems they're passing along information.]

Miruku tracked down the last Goblin Centurion's location swiftly, following the accidental trail left behind by the two others.

[Sword Hero: Perfect. Let's pick up the pace.]

"Go." With one smooth motion, Anyi scooped Ariana up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Alright!" Layton reached out, prepared to lift Rose as well.

"Wait, leave her," Anyi said, his tone cool.

Rose blinked, startled. "Huh?"

[Sword Hero: Her only job was to lead us through undetected paths. Now that we have the camp's exact location, she's no longer needed. Leave her here.]

"Understood." Layton gave Rose a light tap on the back. "You're free to go."

Rose, feeling the weight of her binds and a gust of wind at her back, was left with a string of question marks in her mind.

"Wait—what? Just… leaving me?"

It was unexpected. Rather than killing her as she'd half-feared, they left her standing there, her mission abruptly completed. Some vague instinct warned her of a potential scheme. Yet, for now… freedom was freedom.

'So… what should I do now?' Rose thought, her brow arching as she considered her next move. Yes! First, she'd return and free her kin.

...

Meanwhile, Govan the Goblin Shaman chuckled with grim satisfaction as news poured in.

"Good, good!" he croaked in Goblin-speak.

Just as he'd hoped, the battlefield had shifted as soon as Gottu and Gothry entered. Gothry drove one human out and clashed with another they called the "Iron Man." Gottu, attacking at breakneck speed, had taken down two humans already and was now "toying" with the remaining six, testing their capabilities.

Then, a shaman came stumbling back into the barracks, breathless and wide-eyed.

"Humans! Right outside!"

"Humans?" Govan blinked in disbelief. Right outside? Could it be?

He pondered, then slowly nodded, reaching for his weapon. "Fine! I'll see for myself."

With his rusted iron knife in hand, Govan pushed aside the barracks curtain and stepped outside. Several Goblin Shamans followed, watching the open area tensely.

And there, a man smeared with grime and wearing a Hobgoblin's skull as a helm stood proudly with his shield raised high.

A perplexed silence fell over the goblins.

What in all the realms...?

"Ah-ha! Goblin Centurion!" Layton bellowed. "Today, I serve justice and take your head!"

Layton activated his taunt, his words a trigger.

"ROAR!" Govan's fury ignited, a red-hot rage swelling with each heartbeat. He surged forward, the ground quaking beneath his powerful strides.

A few dozen meters melted away in an instant, and with a near-two-meter blade raised high, Govan's strike fell toward Layton—

Bang!

The clash filled the air with shockwaves, a thunderous impact that echoed across the battlefield.

Layton was shoved back several meters, his shield splintering from the impact. The crack spread, threatening to snap it in two.

"What?!" For the first time, Layton realized that even Kami-sama's gifts weren't indestructible. Unsure of what would happen if the shield shattered completely, he quickly dismissed the [Hero's Shield] and summoned a [Goblin Random Shield] instead. In a flash of white light, he found himself gripping… a wooden barrel lid.

"Ha ha! Quite interesting!" Govan sneered, his voice grating in Goblin tongue. With a booming step forward, his enormous blade came crashing down again.

Bang! Layton barely managed to block it. His arms quivered from the force, and the barrel lid disintegrated. Yet, another flash of white light replaced it with a tiny, palm-sized round shield.

Layton blinked in confusion. "What…?"

Bang!! Govan's blade slammed into his side, sending him hurtling into a nearby tree with bone-rattling force. Govan wasted no time and charged after him, determined to end it.

But just then—

"Dahhhhhh!" The sudden wails of his Goblin Shamans broke through the chaos. Govan whirled around to see two humans where his Shamans had once stood, their corpses scattered on the ground.

Surrounded?

Anyi and Dus had eliminated the Goblin Shamans, gaining a surge of experience—and additional equipment for taking down so many bosses.

Dus's hand flashed, transforming his jade rod into a dark-stained weapon.

[Item: Goblin War Rod 

Item description: Grants [Skill: Encourage], consuming Prana to boost [Strength], [Agility], [Endurance], and [Durability] by +1.]

The weapon he'd been hoping for. Dus shot forward, his agility carrying him swiftly toward Govan, with Anyi close behind.

"Die!" Dus called out in Goblin, grinning as he rushed forward. Govan raised his massive blade to slice him in two, but Dus vaulted lightly off the ground with a tap of his rod. Mid-air, he leveled his new Goblin War Rod and launched downward.

"Hmph!" Govan snarled, raising an arm to deflect Dus's strike. But Dus vanished his weapon in mid-swing, letting it reappear as a spear directly above Govan's head.

Bang! The strike connected, sending a jarring chill through Govan's core. On instinct, he leapt back just as Anyi's sword stabbed into the ground where he'd stood.

Govan's eyes widened, alarmed.

Out of all three, the sword-wielder was the real threat! Half a second slower, and that strike would've been devastating—fatal, perhaps.

'This… can't be!' he thought, shaken. Never, even before his old captain, had he felt such deadly pressure. This one was like a nightmare—an instinctive predator.

'Roar!!' Rage contorted his face as Govan unleashed a guttural bellow. "Do you think killing the Shamans means I can't end you all?!"

While the humans braced themselves, a fiery red aura engulfed Govan. 

[Goblin Centurion:

Strength: 30+5 Agility: 10+5 Endurance: 10+5

Durability: 10+5 Prana: 2+5 Intelligence: 3+5

Technique: 8+5]

Everyone except Anyi looked on in shock.

The Goblin Centurion could cast [Encourage] on itself?!