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Chapter: 248

A single strike.

Talos’s one punch landed squarely on the ogre’s head.

Boom!!

Unlike the ogre’s furious retaliations, there wasn’t a shockwave that rippled out. Just the sound of something bursting.

“My goodness…”

Those witnessing the scene could only gasp in shock. The once-mighty ogre’s head had vanished in a single blow.

The spot where the ogre’s head used to be was now just occupied by Talos’s fist.

The headless ogre fell backward, without a fight, like a tall tree being chopped down.

“I can’t believe this…”

The Knight King could only express his astonishment, forgetting to lead others, and merely watched the battle between the two giants.

The frozen atmosphere shattered when Talos, who had exploded the ogre’s head, moved.

Talos picked up the fallen ogre’s corpse and quietly gazed at the sky.

Suddenly, a brilliant light burst from above, wrapping around Talos, holding the ogre’s corpse.

After a brief moment, the dazzling pillar of light enveloping Talos slowly faded away.

And there was nothing left.

Only the scattered blood and flesh of the ogre remained—proof that this battle was not a figment of the imagination.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

A headless torso is destined to lose its life. This also applies to large groups.

Once the breath left the ogre, who was the king of goblins and orcs, the goblins realized that the invisible collar restraining them had loosened.

With the powerful ruler gone, the hold over the goblins weakened.

Of course, even though the ogre had disappeared, the ruling classes of orcs and hobgoblins still remained, and the goblin chieftains, along with the orcs, attempted to control the disoriented goblins…

Phew!

“Kyack!”

Only to have their heads pierced by arrows flying from somewhere.

While the orcs managed to survive by deflecting the elves’ arrows, the lizardmen were charging with fiery eyes, targeting the surviving orcs.

After a short while, virtually no entities were left to control the goblins.

The goblin kingdom, having lost its mighty head, its orc and goblin chieftains—its spine—began to crumble almost instantly.

Countless goblins, freed from control, scattered in all directions to save their lives.

Thus, the war with the Greenskins came to a close.

Of course, that didn’t mean everything was over.

In war, there’s always cleanup to handle.

Those who had personally experienced what happens when goblins are left unchecked moved with the intent not to let a single goblin escape.

The ones most active in this were the elves and the beastmen of Vistia, as their sharp senses were ideal for locating hidden goblins.

Elven hunters, distinguishing the sounds of fleeing goblins with heightened hearing, unleashed arrows with pinpoint accuracy, augmented with wind spirits, to hunt.

They might be slower than knights on horseback, but they galloped much faster than ordinary infantry, employing their keen olfactory senses and acute awareness to track the goblins.

While the lizardfolk of Rattkinia had keen senses as well, unfortunately, carrying their enormous shields made them less agile, relegating their role to hunting down goblins hiding in narrow caves.

It was only after countless goblins separated from the horde were hunted down that the war could be fully concluded.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The first war conducted by various races and nations forming a coalition army. After what would later be known as the First Coalition War, various changes ensued.

First, the shift in perception toward goblins.

They had previously been seen as troublesome creatures akin to wild dogs… but that changed entirely after the war.

Goblins. Hobgoblins. Orcs. Even ogres.

Who would have thought that the little goblins they dismissed could become so strong when gathered together?

Thus, goblins began to be treated as dangerous entities to be hunted down immediately upon sighting or finding traces of them.

Of course, there still were goblins that grew in places away from human eyes…

But should hobgoblins or, even more alarmingly, orcs be found, nearby lords quickly gathered troops to exterminate goblin hordes.

Another change occurred among the wizards.

To the mages who wielded magical power, goblins became incredibly valuable subjects for research.

Monsters that changed and evolved due to magical power.

Those unique goblins adapted to their environments and used magical power in various ways…

Especially goblin shamans drew the attention of mages.

“Is magical power not limited to basic elements like fire or ice?”

“How did that goblin shaman control the Energy of Death and reanimate fallen goblins?”

“Could it be that magical power has far more diverse applications than we thought?”

These discussions erupted among the wizards of Procyon.

What can we do with magical power?

Is magical power a force with endless possibilities?

Thus, mages gathered and split according to their thoughts and ultimately began to solidify into various factions.

Some claimed that the essence of magical power was controlling and manipulating the various elements in the world.

Some argued that they could tame monsters using magical power, much like the founding king of the ancient Arcadia.

Some believed that since living creatures naturally possessed magical power within them, that power could be harnessed to strengthen their bodies.

Others maintained that, just as the miracles from the Church of Life healed wounds, magical power could be used for healing.

Some believed that through magical power and scrolls, everyone could access magic.

Others thought they could dominate other objects using magical power to manipulate them as they pleased.

They even thought, just like the goblin shaman did, that they could move the dead bodies too.

Additionally, there were those who believed they could comprehend the flow of magical power in the world and predict how it would evolve.

Thus, these various factions of mages began their studies, shifting away from merely using the spells defined by their individual talents to laying down the foundations of fundamental research on magical power.

In other words, they commenced a theorization of the concept of magic, breaking away from primitive magic.

Now let’s talk about the changes among the knights.

The knights, or more accurately, the cavalry, are the loyal vassals of the Knight King and the lords who govern fiefdoms and their subjects.

These knights, when referred to as knights, didn’t quite fit the conventional image of armored figures.

They weren’t donned in heavy armor that would impede their riding.

Yet they witnessed. They saw it unfold.

The black knight. A knight forged from black stone.

An invulnerable guardian that couldn’t be shaken by anything.

The indomitable Talos.

And so, the trend of sturdy armor began to spread among the knights.

Of course, acquiring full-body protective armor wasn’t an ordinary feat, and thus, they settled for armor reinforced only at critical spots.

As for other races, the changes were… well, not that significant.

They simply grew increasingly hostile toward goblins, turning to hunt down any goblin that came into view.

And their interest in other races gradually expanded, starting to establish relations with other races and nations bit by bit.

They began treating them like distant neighbors since they shared the same divine halls and spoke the same language.

Lastly, the change within the Church of Life.

After the war concluded, a revelation came to the Church of Life.

“From this help onward, we will no longer aid the realm directly.

The coming age will belong to those who live within this world; the age of gods has long passed.

No god will stand directly upon this land.”

To be honest, it became incredibly bothersome.

No, honestly, it’s the fault of those humans who failed to manage goblins properly even after all the warnings!

Now we’re backing off! Just watching from a distance!

No god will wander this world anymore! Except for Talos; he’s not a god and is currently on vacation.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t do anything. We’ll still listen to prayers and such. Asherat will.

The underworld is running smoothly, and the Church of Life is operating without any issues.

There are no troublesome gods stirring up trouble, and most gods are gathering faith by indirectly influencing the world.

The sudden goblin problem has been resolved! Now we can truly back off! Just watching leisurely!!

It’s genuinely becoming annoying! I won’t do anything! Just so you know!!

Of course, the Church of Life that received this revelation was in great turmoil. But who cares? I’m going to relax. I’m going to play. I won’t do anything. From now on, call me the recluse goddess!

 

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