Green Monster Epic

Chapter 69: Breaking the Fortress

Clearly, Stone and the others were celebrating too soon. When they saw a kobold elder with a long beard and a staff, standing just dozens of yards away from the fortress, a fireball gradually forming in front of him, floating in the air and slowly expanding, the mental blow to the hobgoblins from this display of magical power was far greater than when they had just repelled the kobold attack.

"We're finished! We're done for! What are we going to do?!"

Stone had witnessed the miraculous effects of magic before, and now he felt utterly defeated. But when he thought about the task Allen had entrusted to him before leaving, he couldn't bring himself to lead the tribe in a rout. He could only grip the steel axe in his hand tightly, constantly encouraging himself in his heart.

The female hobgoblins, however, weren't too afraid. Instead, they craned their necks to secretly watch this wondrous scene. With their limited imaginations, they couldn't fathom how the kobold on the other side was making a fireball float in the air. Only Tea Blossom, the shrewd female, had already started sneaking down from the wall when she saw the spellcaster appear.

As a sorcerer, Bonecrusher's Fireball spell was far less powerful and destructive than that of a proper wizard, because sorcerers relied more on the talent hidden in their bloodline for spellcasting, and their understanding of the fundamental principles of magic was only superficial. Wizards, on the other hand, could only cast spells after understanding the principles and constructing the spell model, so they were closer to the true essence of magic.

However, this didn't mean that sorcerers were completely useless. Given enough time to pour as much magical power as possible into the spell model, they could unleash power far exceeding the spell's inherent rank.

Of course, the risk of doing so was extremely high. A slight mishap could lead to a magical backlash, endangering the caster himself. In a fast-paced and volatile combat environment, no spellcaster would do such an irrational thing.

But now, Bonecrusher was in an environment where he was protected by his tribe, and there were no ranged combatants on the other side who could harm him. Therefore, Bonecrusher could cast his spell with peace of mind.

By the time the fireball in front of him had expanded to the size of a washbasin, with the surging fire element churning inside, and he used his will to levitate it several feet above his head, he could already feel the scorching heat emanating from it. At this moment, Bonecrusher's wrinkled face was covered in fine beads of sweat. Injecting magical power into the spell model was not an easy task. He had to ensure that the spell model didn't collapse due to excessive power injection, while also maintaining the stable gathering of the fire element. This was a great test for a sorcerer.

Fortunately, Bonecrusher was an experienced old sorcerer with decades of experience. Although he wasn't proficient in the principles and structure of the Fireball spell, the experience gained from casting spells for a long time was enough for him to release this spell completely.

"Go!!"

Guided by the wooden staff in Bonecrusher's hand, the fireball flew towards the section of the wall he had chosen, seemingly slow but actually swift.

When Stone and the others saw the fireball getting closer and closer, they couldn't bother with maintaining any semblance of composure. They immediately jumped straight down from the ten-foot-tall wall. As he jumped, he didn't forget to shout, "Get out of the way!!"

Apart from Stone, the few warriors Allen had arranged to stay behind and assist him in protecting the tribe had actually been planning to slip away since Bonecrusher began casting the spell. They didn't even need his reminder; they had already run away from the wall the moment the fireball flew over. Some even planned to take advantage of the chaos to run to the warehouse and grab some supplies to escape this place of trouble. Only those clueless old women were jolted back to their senses by Stone's shouts and clumsily followed his movements, jumping down from the wall, some of them falling face-first onto the uneven ground.

"Boom!!!"

The violent air vibrations brought a restless aura, directly blasting a large hole in the Greenleaf Tribe's not-so-sturdy wooden wall, large enough for two or three kobolds to squeeze through. The logs, as thick as a man's waist, were scattered in all directions, splintered and broken, over an area of several feet. Some of the broken wood crackled and popped, emitting the sound of burning, with scattered flames blossoming.

The females' fighting spirit completely collapsed at this moment. No one could muster even a shred of resistance. Most of them simply dropped their weapons and turned to run towards the other side of the wall. Pushing and pulling each other, they displayed their climbing skills, scrambling up the wall with their bare hands. With a few puffs and heaves, they climbed over the wall, abandoning the tribe and fleeing into the wilderness.

Of course, not all hobgoblins acted this way. A few hobgoblins didn't run away, but instead hid in the caves they had dug earlier, or in the original wooden huts in the fortress, acting like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, as if the enemy would spare them.

Several males, relying on their strength, opened the warehouse and grabbed some supplies at random. Others picked up a few weapons, stuck them in their waists, and casually grabbed a female, turning and leaving without looking back, with no intention of lingering in the fortress.

Only Stone, although he had jumped down from the wall earlier, hadn't fled with the others. At this moment, he was standing at the hole blasted open by Bonecrusher's Fireball spell, staring intently at the still-burning hole, the steel axe dragging on the ground in his hand, quietly waiting for the enemy to break through.

His thighs were constantly trembling. Bonecrusher's spell's destructive power was too astonishing, far beyond what an unadvanced warrior like him could match. Originally, according to his personality, he should have fled like the other hobgoblins, seeing that the situation was bad. He had done such things before; he had become accustomed to doing this kind of thing in the Greenleaf Tribe over the years.

However, today was different. The current chieftain of Greenleaf was Allen, a big brother who had taken care of Stone for several years. The only task he had given him before leaving was to protect the tribe. If he fled like the others, then he wouldn't know how to face Allen when he returned.

Stone didn't know when this persistence, which was completely inconsistent with the hobgoblin character, had appeared in his mind. His simple heart probably would never understand whether doing so was right or wrong. But for the sake of the good life he had enjoyed these days, waking up to eat and sleeping when full, he felt that he should do something to repay Allen's trust in him, to be worthy of these good things.

At this moment, Stone's figure was backlit by the flames in front, casting a long shadow, which happened to be seen by Tea Blossom, who had been the first to sneak down from the wall and had been intimate with him several times, adding a few strands of desolation to her heart.