"Be careful. This goblin's health is higher than anything we've encountered so far,
almost on the level of five Ender Dragons."
Ryen raised a hand, blocking the others just as they were about to rush forward.
Immediately, everyone's expressions darkened.
"Five times an Ender Dragon's HP? That's ridiculous. How long are we supposed to fight that thing?"
Even Tartaglia, normally delighted to see strong opponents, felt uneasy as he stared at the creature.
And that was only its health. They still had no idea what abilities this goblin possessed.
The goblin slowly scanned the group, as though memorizing every face for future use.
"Think we can negotiate with it…?"
Lumine asked, blinking mischievously toward Ryen.
He sighed.
"In all the time we've been in this world, have we ever negotiated with any monster?"
The others straightened at once, raising their guards.
"Stay alert. Don't get, "
Before he finished speaking, the goblin's eyes flared scarlet.
The usually minimalistic effects of the Minecraft world vanished.
A blood-red beam erupted skyward, engulfing the creature from the floor to the ceiling like a ritual pillar.
The group tensed, but none stepped back.
Lisa let out a breath.
"Compared to this, even the Wither Storm looks subtle."
"At least the Wither Storm didn't get a dramatic entrance," Lumine joked, nudging Ryen.
"Isn't this the flashy effect you wanted?"
Ryen shook his head.
"I'd actually prefer it didn't have effects like this…"
As the blood-light dispersed into drifting sparks, the goblin's appearance changed entirely.
It now wore a tall, immaculate white mage hood, draped in a flowing white robe tinged faintly with icy blue.
Only the canine snout beneath the hood disrupted the otherwise elegant silhouette.
Ryen frowned.
"…Annoying. Frost Sorcerer set."
The Cryo Archon raised a brow.
"Frost Sorcerer?"
Ryen nodded.
"A high-tier mage armor set. Boosts mana capacity by one-third and reduces spell cooldowns by forty percent."
"Give that to someone with a cooldown-reduction staff and they basically become a living artillery platform."
The Cryo Archon murmured thoughtfully.
"So that means, "
He didn't finish.
The goblin gave the answer itself.
A shimmering blue light coalesced in its hand.
An icy staff, cool blue from end to end, manifested in its grip.
Everyone recognized the weapon instantly, thanks to their experience with Ryen's own lightning staff.
A Cryo Master-Rank Staff.
The Eternal Frostbound Rod.
And considering the Frost Sorcerer gear…
Ryen suspected it was fully upgraded.
"This is getting troublesome," he muttered.
"Don't tell me you've got even more surprises, "
As if in response, the goblin raised its right hand, conjuring a radiant blade.
"Left hand a staff, right hand a sword… a battle-mage," Ryen groaned.
"Great. This thing's gear is better than mine."
But then his eyes widened.
And lit up.
"Wait,
No, this is good. This is great.
It's a walking treasure chest!"
"Ryen?"
Ganyu turned to him, confused.
He pointed excitedly.
"Look closely. Does that weapon look familiar?"
Ei reacted instantly.
"…A draw-blade sword."
She had seen Ryen's Enma Blade before.
She would never fail to recognize one.
"A draw-blade sword?!"
Everyone leaned forward, inspecting the weapon.
Although not identical to Ryen's sword, its overall structure, sheath, and aura were unmistakable.
A deep violet scabbard.
A faint, unsettling pressure like a lurking curse.
Far from frightening them, the sight made their blood stir.
Because,
Aside from Ryen's Enma Blade,
this was the only draw-blade sword known to exist in the entire Minecraft world.
"Definitely a treasure goblin!" Tartaglia clenched his fists in excitement.
Ryen studied the blade carefully before confirming:
"It's a demon blade."
"A demon blade?" Lumine tilted her head.
"That sounds ominous. So how strong is it compared to yours?"
Ryen rolled his eyes.
"My Enma Blade is a magic blade. Among all draw-blade swords, it's one of the strongest.
Nothing this goblin drops is going to surpass it."
"But weak? Not a chance. Demon Blades are another category entirely."
He continued:
"This one is The Sizu, a blade with enormous offensive power.
It wields spatial slicing like the Enma Blade, what's called a 'Phantom Edge.'
And with enough kills, it can even evolve into its next form: the Bloodblade Sizu."
"Forged from blood and life force…
You can imagine how strong that is."
Everyone's eyes brightened.
Lumine stretched her arms and grinned.
"Then it's decided. A treasure like that clearly belongs with someone worthy.
A goblin shouldn't be using it anyway."
Ei's expression sharpened.
She had never looked at an opponent with such focused seriousness.
The Sizu.
A demon blade she recognized immediately as something terrifying, and coveted.
The blade might have carried an ominous reputation, but Ei did not care. No matter how malevolent a sword was said to be, a blade still answered to its wielder. And she, who commanded the pinnacle of swordsmanship, had absolute confidence that she could master, even elevate, the sword's full potential.
Ryen, however, was far less optimistic.
This goblin was clearly something the system had enhanced, as if simply giving it an enormous health pool wasn't enough to be worthy of a final boss.
Now it held a draw-blade sword and a full Frost Sorcerer's set…
Which meant something more troubling:
If the Eternal Frostbound Rod had appeared here,
did it still carry only the spells found in the Twilight Forest mod?
He doubted it.
The group tensed, preparing to strike, but Ryen raised a hand sharply.
"Let me probe it first."
He switched to an RPG launcher and fired a round.
The goblin didn't step aside.
Its staff flickered once, and a lance of polar light erupted forward.
A solid wall of ice took shape instantly, and the roaring missile exploded harmlessly against it.
"What kind of spell is that? I've never seen it!"
Hu Tao stared, wide-eyed.
Ryen exhaled slowly.
"This is the worst thing that could happen… That staff isn't from the Twilight Forest at all."
"It's using Witchcraft Academy spells."
At those words, everyone who knew the implications stiffened.
The draw-blade sword was powerful, yes, but more like a treasure waiting to be claimed.
A master-rank staff, however, especially one capable of Witchcraft-system spells…
That was a catastrophe.
Spells from that system were notorious, many of them difficult or impossible to block.
Ryen's brow furrowed,
, and then his gaze snapped toward the ground.
"Back!"
In an instant, everyone leapt away from their positions.
A wave of unnatural silence swept out from the goblin.
Within a radius of several dozen meters, even the air seemed to freeze solid.
The ground turned white beneath a sudden crust of frost.
Xiao had been standing closest. His retreat was half a second too slow.
A crystalline crack rang out,
and he was frozen mid-step, encased in clear ice.
"Xiao!"
Zhongli started forward, but Ryen seized his arm.
"Don't! That's Ice Age, a master-rank spell. You can't enter its effect zone."
"But Xiao, !"
"Ice Age forcibly freezes anything alive for a full minute," Ryen explained heavily.
"Even lava and flame freeze under it. Xiao has a Totem of Undying. He'll revive if necessary."
"Our priority is figuring out what other spells that staff can still cast."
Zhongli glared toward the goblin through the frost wall.
This enemy was on a different level altogether, stronger than anything they had faced.
And the goblin still hadn't taken a single point of damage.
The final monster of the Twilight Forest mod…
truly lived up to the title.
The goblin ignored the frozen Xiao entirely.
Stepping through its own ice barrier, it raised the staff again.
Behind it, frost condensed into the shape of a colossal, hulking outline.
"Master-rank summoning spell: Frost Giant," Ryen muttered.
"Immune to all Cryo damage."
Murmurs of frustration passed through the group.
Three master-rank spells already, two more would complete the standard five-spell loadout.
And the goblin showed no signs of stopping.
Its staff glowed again.
Behind it, a grotesque gate of bone and shadow unfolded like a maw.
The atmosphere sharpened; everyone tensed.
"Master-rank creation spell… Zombie Apocalypse."
Ryen's voice grew tight.
"This thing is built for both single-target and group warfare…"
Hu Tao opened her mouth to speak,
, but the gate disgorged a flood of zombies, swarming outward like a tidal wave.
Tightly packed. Endless.
Moments ago, they had encircled the goblin.
Now they were the ones surrounded.
A sharp cracking burst behind them.
Xiao, just unfrozen, staggered backward toward the group, one Totem of Undying already gone, its glow extinguished at his waist.
"You alright?"
Ryen glanced at him.
Xiao's expression was strained.
"I used a totem… My apologies."
"That's what they're for. Don't worry about it."
But the goblin still hadn't used its final spell.
Ryen passed his lightning staff to Lisa, then looked toward Ganyu and the ranged fighters.
"You keep up long-range pressure. Focus on clearing the Frost Giant and the zombies."
Then he turned to Zhongli and Ei.
"We're going in. Watch the staff, if you see the flash, run."
Zhongli nodded darkly.
He'd seen the Ice Age spell.
The forced freeze was absolute.
Even he couldn't guarantee he'd survive it without a totem.
And with the Frost Sorcerer set boosting cooldowns, and the staff likely fully upgraded…
The goblin was effectively a moving artillery fortress.
Plus a draw-blade sword.
Plus over a thousand HP.
Plus no obvious weaknesses.
"A worthy opponent," Ei whispered.
Her gaze locked onto the demon blade with fierce intensity.
"If we kill it… may I have that sword?"
Ryen's eyebrow twitched.
He drew his Enma Blade, stepped once,
, and vanished, reappearing beside the goblin in a blur of space-splitting motion.
"Depends on your skill," he called back.
"Try and take it!"
~~----------------------
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