Impeccable Timing

"Stay back, Alex," A croaky yet resolute and powerful voice resounded in Alex's ears, echoing like there was no tomorrow. Before him stood two figures clad in dark mana, and one of them wielded a crimson blade which collided with the hobgoblin's club.

"Maxwell? Eric?" Alex barely managed to speak as he forcefully suppressed the excruciating pain that assaulted his body. Blood poured out from his body in streams as his consciousness grew faint, his eyelids begging to rest.

A few seconds after he uttered those words, Alex was rendered unconscious. However, a subtle smile rested on his face as he passed out, leaving behind his two seeds… no, subordinates, to resolve the situation.

*

"Eric, heal him," Maxwell spat as his pupils grew whiter by the second. His entire body had been engulfed by darkness, while the eyes shone brightly. "Use these."

Maxwell threw a few Stones of Soma on the cold, hard soil as he took off. Having trained under Alex, he had learned to control the transformation and could maintain it for a few minutes. As he wielded the crimson sword acquired by slaying the infant Chimera Cat, Maxwell swung the blade, causing a gash to appear on the hobgoblin's calf.

As blood emerged from the wound, Eric sliced the other calf. The hobgoblin let out a shriek, to which Maxwell did not respond. Barely suppressing his raging emotions which were caused by the transformation, Maxwell coated his blade with mana before piercing the hobgoblin's inner thigh.

"We need him back to full health! Eric, are you done?" Maxwell shouted, to which Eric shook his head.

"He'll need at least ten minutes to recover," Eric responded. "Thankfully, his bone isn't crushed, otherwise even Stones of Soma wouldn't have been able to recover it."

"We won't be able to kill this guy without his help!" Maxwell shouted in a tone louder than usual. "My transformation will wear off in a couple of minutes… four at most."

"Just hold him off!" said Eric. "I'll come help in a minute."

Maxwell nodded wordlessly as he continued his barrage of strikes on the hobgoblin, who seemed enraged.

"No! No!" It screamed in agony as veins bulged from its muscles, causing its physique to widen considerably. The air turned uncomfortable as Maxwell and Eric struggled to breathe under the pressure.

By this point, the hobgoblin's lower body was encompassed in the blood which continued to pour endlessly. The hobgoblin seemed to be on the verge of tears as it tried to endure the pain, but it was all too much.

Maxwell bolted from place to place, landing hits restlessly until his breath turned ragged. His mana turned faint, leaving behind a translucent figure of a child. Despite having caused several wounds to the hobgoblin, he had exhausted himself.

Moreover, avoiding his foe's attacks was equally as difficult, since the hobgoblin's palm was significantly larger than Maxwell's body.

"Eric!" Maxwell shouted as he tried to suppress his heaving chest. He attempted to calm his heavy breathing as he recovered from exhaustion. Despite having landed a ton of wounds on the hobgoblin, he hadn't emerged unscathed.

In fact, many wounds emerged on his body simply due to the hobgoblin's pressure, which seemed to now have dulled.

"How much longer!?" Maxwell asked, his voice turning weak each second.

"A few minutes!" Eric responded as he restlessly fed Alex Stones of Soma. The latter had now consumed fifteen but still had not recovered from his injuries. That was how serious crushing a leg was.

An insatiable desire to fall into a slumber approached Maxwell, embracing him softly as it carried him to the depths of unconsciousness. Maxwell collapsed as his transformation wore off, leaving behind a child who was yet to reach his teen years.

"Fuck!" Eric spat as he sprinted towards Maxwell's body, which lay in range of the hobgoblin's attack. He ran as fast as he could, desperate to reach the boy before the hobgoblin could react.

As he approached Maxwell, the hobgoblin swung his club at terrifying speeds as it manipulated the surrounding air, approaching both Eric and Maxwell, threatening to crush them instantly. The hobgoblin, despite being plagued by immeasurable pain, revealed a sinister smile as it swung, desperate to end the lives of those who were obstacles in achieving his godhood.

Of course, they were the delusions of someone not graced with much intellect. However, only one with power could choose if their delusions could be reality.

Eric tugged on Maxwell's body, trying to lift him. Without much struggle, Eric was able to lift Maxwell. Immediately he leapt to the side, escaping his demise by a single inch. However, he couldn't escape the shockwave, which threw him several meters away.

As Maxwell and Eric came into contact with the nearby soil, the latter instantly lifted the former once again as he ran towards Alex. The hobgoblin, realizing Alex lay without protection, decided to end his life before pests could trouble him.

As it raised its club, it swung down at the boy who lay unconscious, craziness visible in his eyes.

As the club neared Alex's body, however, a sharp pain burst from the hobgoblin's shin, who responded by letting out a shrill shriek of anger, abandoning its plan of ending the boy's life for now.

"Eugene!" Eric let out a howl of joy as he gazed at the man in the distance. "How did you recover?"

"This guy just became less scary, I guess," The burly man responded, scratching his head in confusion. "It was like… its presence became thinner because of its injuries."

Eugene used his knife, leaping upwards before piercing the hobgoblin's quadriceps. An ample amount of blood emerged as the hobgoblin bellowed in pain.

"Anyway, we're here now," said Eugene. "You can rest assured."

Roars of anger surfaced as countless humans charged at the hobgoblin, expressions of fear having been wiped away. They did not fear the catastrophe capable of bringing Alex to the verge of death. After having understood the gravity of the situation solely via fear, they came to also understand their own capabilities.

Under Eugene and Sarah's command, all of them charged at the hobgoblin, eager to assist those who had already been fighting.

Eric let out a subtle smile as he thought inwardly, 'thank you.'