Baron Rivelle's figure instantly blurred forward, and within a heartbeat, he was already before the Goblin. His katana was already in motion, streaking toward the creature's head with a powerful, slicing motion. Unlike his Knight Commander, who had begun his clash with the Minotaur through a contest of raw strength, Baron Rivelle did no such thing. He went all out from his very first attack, his intent sharp, direct, and merciless.

The Goblin immediately reacted to the Baron's assault. Its green hands blurred toward its waist, unsheathing its katana with startling speed as it raised the blade for a perfectly timed block. A thunderous metallic impact echoed through the air as the two blades met, sending showers of golden-orange sparks exploding outward, painting the battlefield in brief flickers of light.

For an instant, the world seemed to hold its breath. Dust hung suspended, and the air stilled between them as their gazes met in the heat of that frozen moment. Neither spoke; both were the kind who detested unnecessary words, the kind who believed only strength needed to speak on their behalf. Then, with a booming crack, man and monster vanished from their standing positions, the sand and stones beneath their feet jerking upward under the weight of their tremendous movement.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The metallic rhythm became constant, ringing out in rapid succession. The sound of two deadly blades filled the valley as both combatants moved for the kill with every single strike. Each blow was meant to end it, no hesitation, no mercy, both eager to finish the other so they could return to whatever awaited them beyond this fight.

The next moment, Astra energy surged violently through their Astra veins. The ethereal power coursed through them, coating their feet and hands with radiance. Their speed multiplied, first subsonic, then transonic, then supersonic, until both man and beast tore through the battlefield at hypersonic velocity, leaving streaking afterimages in their wake. Their blades blurred so completely that even the wind failed to register their motion, sliced apart by the sheer sharpness of their swings.

The Baron's katana streaked toward the Goblin's skull, a gleaming line of death. But the Goblin stepped back at the last instant, narrowly evading the fatal strike. The attack, however, cleaved cleanly through the straw hat hanging from the creature's head, splitting it apart in midair. Neither of them spared it a glance. The Goblin retaliated immediately, its katana now coated in brilliant Astra energy that shimmered like molten gold. It slashed forward in a deadly streak that tore toward the Baron's neck.

The Baron saw it coming but realized he was too late to retract his blade for a proper block. Instead, he raised his vambrace in a split-second decision. The Goblin's katana slammed against it with colossal force, tearing through the metal like a blade through parchment before reaching flesh. With brutal ease, the Goblin's strike sliced into the Baron's arm, crimson blood splattering through the air in glistening arcs.

Yet the Baron did not flinch. The injury, though painful, was shallow compared to what he had suffered before. The vambrace had absorbed most of the impact, dulling the edge of the blow. He had been injured countless times on numerous battlefields, and this was neither the first nor would it be the last.

Without hesitation, he countered. His katana arced down toward the Goblin's right thigh in a lethal sweep, aiming to tear through its muscles and cripple its stance. But the Goblin had already begun to sidestep, its sharp instincts having read the sword's motion. Before it could move fully clear, however, the sand beneath its feet shifted violently, morphing, tightening, and binding it in place as though the earth itself had betrayed it.

The Goblin's crimson eyes narrowed. It realized immediately that it was too late to raise its katana for a parry, it had already committed to its evasive movement. In desperation, Astra energy flared around its right thigh, forming a barrier of shimmering gold to absorb the blow. But the Baron, reading its intent with uncanny precision, altered his strike mid-swing. His attack shifted fluidly from the right thigh to the left.

The blade bit deep into green flesh. Like scissors through silk, the Baron's katana sliced cleanly through the Goblin's left leg. The limb detached entirely, and a surge of thick green blood sprayed across the shattered ground, splattering in heavy droplets.

Pain exploded across the Goblin's body. It clenched its fanged teeth, suppressing the scream that threatened to escape. Its lips twisted in silent fury, its pride refusing to yield to agony. The Baron, however, was merciless. He pressed forward without hesitation, exploiting every advantage. The same sand that had trapped the Goblin's feet began to rise again, shifting upward like a living tide, curling around the creature as though the earth itself sought to devour it.

At the same time, the Baron's katana flashed again, this time aiming directly for the Goblin's neck with lethal intent.

But the Goblin had already made its decision. Seeing the sand rising to consume it and recognizing the Baron's complete control over the terrain, it made a brutal choice. Ignoring the pain, it severed its other leg, the right thigh, on its own accord, freeing itself completely from the sand's grip.

At that precise instant, the Baron's katana was a breath away from its neck. The Goblin's Astra flared outward violently, bursting from its body in a cataclysmic surge. The unleashed energy detonated with the force of a thunderclap, erupting in all directions.

A thunderous, ear-splitting boom followed. The shockwave expanded in every direction, consuming over two kilometers of terrain. The very earth cracked open beneath their feet, and shattered trees disintegrated under the sheer force of the explosion. Everything within the blast radius was devoured by the chaotic surge of Astra energy unleashed by a Grave Rank monster's desperate counter.

As the dust and smoke swirled, silence slowly reclaimed the valley. When the haze began to clear, two figures emerged through the shifting gloom.

Baron Rivelle stood tall and serene, his figure unmoved as though the explosion itself had failed to touch him. But the truth was otherwise. At the very last moment, he had encased himself in a sand barrier, shielding his body from the brunt of the explosion.

His bleeding arm was wrapped in dense sand, sealing the wound to prevent further blood loss. His eyes, however, burned with focus and determination, as though nothing in the world could shake him.

Across from him, the Goblin stood once more. Its two legs, previously severed, had reformed entirely, the limbs glistening with faint green luminescence. It stood upright as though it had never been injured at all. Yet a frown darkened its face, its crimson eyes narrowing in silent frustration.

Regeneration.

That was the Goblin's innate ability, its unnatural gift. It could heal and reconstruct any part of its body as long as its Astra veins still carried enough energy to sustain the process.

But regeneration came with a price. The Goblin's body might have been restored, but its reserves were not infinite. Regrowing two entire limbs consumed an immense amount of Astra energy, and when combined with the enormous detonation it had unleashed to escape decapitation, its reserves had plummeted drastically.

Even now, the Goblin could feel the strain. Its veins pulsed faintly beneath its skin, the flow of Astra less vibrant, less alive. It could tell at a glance, it was already down to roughly half of its full capacity. Its regeneration was a powerful, sought-after ability, but it came with limits that few understood until it was too late.

The Baron, meanwhile, adjusted his stance, his sand armor shifting subtly around him. His breathing was steady, his gaze sharp. Though wounded, he looked as though he could continue fighting indefinitely.

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