57: Sunset

As dawn broke, the heavy gates of Goblin King City slowly creaked open.

Su Jin sat astride a magnificent warhorse, the morning light outlining his tall figure.

He calmly scanned the front, with Bai Xiao always by his side.

Behind him, nearly ten thousand bloodthirsty warriors, in strict formation, silently poured out of the city gates.

Banners fluttered in the ranks, and behind them, the emblem of Infinite City waved in the wind above the city walls.......

.......

At the junction of Sunset Plain and Twilight Forest.

“Rumble…”

A dull, rhythmic sound, growing from distant to near, shook the earth.

A massive army appeared on the horizon, advancing like a torrent of steel—it was the Infinite City army, having departed from Goblin King City.

Su Jin reined in his horse, and the warhorse beneath him pawed restlessly.

He gazed at the outline of the forest ahead, which was even deeper than Nigu Forest.

Behind him, the nearly ten-thousand-strong army maintained a strict, silent formation; only the sound of armor plates rubbing and flags fluttering could be heard.

“Pass the order,” Su Jin turned to the messenger beside him, “Ahead is Twilight Forest; the entire army is to remain vigilant, and the vanguard should slow down….”

Before he could finish, several urgent, sharp eagle cries suddenly rang out from the sky!

That was the highest-level alert issued by the reconnaissance eagles flying high above.

Almost simultaneously, a message came from the scouts responsible for ground reconnaissance: “Lord! A large Goblin army has been spotted ahead! They are approaching us!”

Su Jin’s eyes sharpened instantly, and he looked up.

At the end of the horizon, right at the intersection of the forest edge and the plain, a long black-green dragon of dust rolled forward, surging towards the Infinite City army formation at an astonishing speed.

Su Jin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Bai Xiao moved closer to his side.

“It’s the Goblins!”

As the distance closed, the appearance of that army gradually became clear—it was the main Goblin legion!

It seemed that although they had suffered casualties from the fierce battle with the Elves, their military might was still strong, and their numbers even slightly surpassed Infinite City's. Each Goblin exuded a fierce, violent aura, and a rough glance showed that they were at least Tier 4 elite units, with a far greater number of high-tier soldiers than usual.

Upon discovering the Infinite City legion, the enemy also slowed down.

Finally, the two armies confronted each other across the junction of Sunset Plain and Twilight Forest.

A relatively open grassland lay between them, and the air seemed to solidify instantly, filled with the heavy scent of gunpowder.

At the very front of the Goblin legion, a figure was particularly striking.

He was burly, clad in heavy plate armor, and a massive axe in his hand gleamed with an ominous light. A powerful aura, almost tangible, pressed down.

“Tier 10… Gold Rank?” Huo Jun’s expression changed slightly, and he murmured.

That figure was the newly ascended Goblin King—Bashaka! His crimson eyes swept over Infinite City’s formation, finally locking onto Su Jin at the front.

“King of Humans! Come out and face me!” Bashaka’s voice boomed like thunder, carrying undisguised rage and killing intent.

He wanted to personally slaughter this lowly human who dared to occupy his Goblin King City and enslave his people!

Su Jin’s expression was calm; he gently tugged the reins and rode forward, facing Bashaka.

“Bashaka,” Su Jin’s calm voice came.

Bashaka saw how young Su Jin was, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by disdain: “Lowly worm! How dare you call yourself King?! And dare to demote my Goblin race to slaves?!”

He raised his great axe and pointed it at Su Jin, “Today, I will use your head to honor my fallen people and wash away the shame of my Goblin race!”

Facing Bashaka’s fury, Su Jin couldn’t help but chuckle: “Victory and defeat are as old as time. The vanquished have no right to discuss titles with the victors. As a King, you should know this truth better than I.”

He slightly raised his chin, his gaze fixed on Bashaka’s angry face, “As for my head, I’d like to see if you have the ability to take it.”

Bashaka looked at Su Jin, no longer wasting words. He knew that all language was now pale and powerless.

Only blood and death could answer this provocation, and a furious battle intent, mixed with the power of his newly ascended rank, erupted with a roar.

“Roar—!” Bashaka swung his battle-axe, “Crush them—!”

“For the King! For the tribe! Crush them!!” The Goblin generals behind him responded to their King with fervent roars, simultaneously transmitting the will of destruction to every warrior.

With the command given, the Goblin army surged forward like a flood breaking through a dam.

At the very front, hundreds of massive Goblins, clad in heavy black iron plate armor and far larger than their kin, let out dull war cries. They wielded huge spiked clubs, and each step made the earth tremble slightly.

Following closely behind was a dense mass of Goblin heavy infantry; their heavy plate armor reflected a dull light, and their countless long spears formed a moving thicket of steel thorns.

This main Goblin force, having just conquered the Elven High Court, was by no means a disorganized rabble.

They became a green-black tide sweeping across the land, carrying a strong murderous aura, surging towards Infinite City’s formation. Their battle-hardened, death-defying ferocity was enough to make any weaker enemy flee in terror.

“—Awoo!”

On the left flank of the army, thousands of elite Wolf Cavalry let out fierce howls. The war wolves beneath them, with bulging muscles, ran as swift as wind.

The cavalrymen hunched low, gripping their scimitars, like a sharp, poison-tipped crescent moon, cutting precisely into the flank of Infinite City’s formation, attempting to tear open a breach. The dust kicked up by the galloping wolves almost obscured half the sky.

At the same time, behind the Goblin army formation, thousands of javelin throwers with astonishing arm strength let out short shouts, forcefully hurling their specially made javelins with armor-piercing tips.

Immediately, sharp whistling sounds echoed through the sky, and thousands of black shadows, glinting with metallic coldness, converged into a rain of death. With unparalleled kinetic energy, they covered Infinite City’s infantry square, attempting to shake the human defenses with this thunderous first strike.