Chapter 45 The Real Villain Appears

My instincts screamed at me to pay closer attention. Illusions were definitely at play here. I closed my eyes momentarily and focused on the sounds around me.

Valerius standing before me was just another illusion. He carried no weight, and no sound accompanied his movements. Even the rustling of his clothes was absent. I knew better than to engage with this apparition.

Another swish of a blade came from behind, and I instinctively attempted to counter it. However, my swing met empty air, and I felt the cold steel graze my suit, leaving behind a small, but rather irritating, cut on the fabric.

Valerius, it seemed, was far from done with his onslaught. He summoned more of his sinister image illusions, creating a nightmarish phantasmagoria around me. His illusions rushed in from all sides, their eerie and deceptive forms attempting to undermine my senses. It became clear that Valerius had manipulated Bill and Grand, by using his illusion magic to force them into fighting each other. I had fallen right into his trap. His calmness about his fallen minions was now chillingly understandable.

I found myself dodging and weaving, fending off attacks from the phantom images while trying to anticipate the invisible sword strikes. I was on the brink, to put it bluntly. It felt like the very air around me was conspiring against my survival.

 Then, I heard a whistling sound, akin to an arrow being shot, and something whizzed past me. Immediately, there was a grunt and the unmistakable clatter of metal hitting the ground. Valerius's illusion images vanished into thin air, leaving me momentarily bewildered. My eyes darted down to the ground, where I discovered a curious artifact that resembled a small crown adorned with mysterious crystals.

 Then, I turned my attention towards the source of this salvation. There stood a goblin, Hermit, panting heavily, his breath ragged and labored. He'd clearly expended a tremendous amount of energy. With widened eyes, I silently expressed my gratitude.

Turning my attention forward once more, I noticed Hermit's massive walking cane discarded on the ground, resting beside a man who writhed in agony. The man clutched his face, his contorted features twisted in pain, while colorful curses tumbled from his lips in a steady stream.

"God damned goblin filth! How dare you to interfere! I will rip you apart! Limb from limb! Graaa!" 

It then became apparent that it was Hermit who had hurled his walking cane with remarkable accuracy, striking Valerius and disrupting his illusory powers. It was his quick thinking that saved me from a dire end.

The man who had been writhing in agony, clutching his face, finally managed to sit up, his eyes burning with a volatile mix of anger and humiliation. His curses echoed through the chamber, each word a venomous dagger dripping with frustration and rage.

"You blasted goblin scum! You insignificant freak! Do you dare to interfere in my affairs? Do you think you can waltz into my carefully crafted scheme? You, the lowest of creatures, have the audacity to stand in my way?" He spat the words like poison, his voice a growl of irritation and fury.

 As he cradled his throbbing jaw, his face contorted with both pain and annoyance. But in that moment, something hit me like a bolt of lightning – a realization that shattered my assumptions. The man sprawled on the ground was not Valerius, as I had believed in the chaotic frenzy of the situation. No, it was Vincent, Lumi's close friend, the very person who had warned us about Valerius, the one who had shared his suspicions.

I couldn't contain my anger and confusion any longer. I shouted at him with a fiery intensity, my voice crackling with a blend of rage and betrayal, "What is this madness, Vincent? Why are you doing this? Why hurt Lumi and the others? We trusted you! Lumi trusted you! Explain yourself!"

Vincent's laugh, a bitter and mirthless sound, cut through the tension. 

 "Trust? Ha! You gullible fools fell for my charade hook, line, and sinker. The ever-clever Vincent, the voice of reason and suspicion, was all part of my act to throw you off the scent. I've always been one step ahead of you, fools!"

My fists clenched, and I could feel my blood boiling with a potent mixture of rage and betrayal.

 "You played us for fools, Vincent! But why? What could possibly drive you to betray Lumi and the council?"

His mocking smile remained etched upon his lips, but in the depths of his eyes, a flicker of something far more sinister danced like a malevolent shadow.

"Oh, my dear friend, Kazuki," he began with a chilling calmness, "my motives are infinitely more intricate than your limited comprehension could ever fathom. This is about power, control, and the sheer ecstasy of manipulating the pieces on this grand chessboard. Luminecia's so-called leaders are nothing more than a gaggle of fools and brutes, their intellect barely surpassing that of a lowly worm. Although I must admit, Helen has constructed a truly magnificent town... well, it soon shall be mine, ahahaha!"

My anger churned like a tempestuous sea, struggling to contain the emotions that Vincent's deceit had ignited.

"You're delusional if you believe that you can waltz in and claim Luminecia as your own! No one will stand passively and accept you as their ruler, not after this!" I spat, my voice a venomous retort. 

"And Lumi... Lumi placed her utmost trust in you, of all people! You've betrayed that trust!"

Vincent's eyes locked onto mine, and his voice dripped with an unsettling amusement that sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh, but they will accept me, Kazuki," he purred with sinister glee.

 "For I shall employ my illusion magic to impersonate all of Luminecia's leaders, pinning the blame squarely upon Valerius and his two proteges for this heinous attack. Meanwhile, I shall play the hero, saving the great ruler, Helen, and all of her captains, including the council members. Well, perhaps not the goblin; one can't save them all, can they? In the eyes of the populace, I shall be hailed as their savior."

His tone took on a darker edge as he continued, "Ah, Lumi... Such a naive beauty, undeniably intelligent, I'll grant you that, but fatally naive. She may have served as a pawn, but she has proven to be remarkably entertaining. The depths of her despair will be nothing short of exquisite."

Rage surged within me, fueling a determination that could not be extinguished. I took a deliberate step forward, my voice unwavering and icy.

"You won't escape the consequences of your actions, Vincent. No matter the cost, we will put an end to your twisted plans."

His derisive laughter rang out through the chamber as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"Oh, dear Kazuki," he taunted, "you may try with all your might, but in the end, Luminecia shall be mine to rule, and there is naught you can do to change that."

As Vincent reveled in his twisted monologue my mind raced for a solution. I couldn't allow his vile plans to come to fruition.

Amid the tense standoff, a small, green figure darted through the shadows, unnoticed by Vincent. It was Goblinworth, driven by a primal sense of urgency to find Lumi. He scuttled frantically through the winding corridors of the manor, his tiny feet pitter-patter on the ground and his ears draging on the floor.

Finally, he located Lumi, her petite frame huddled in a concealed alcove, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. Goblinworth approached her cautiously, his gnarled fingers trembling with anxiety. Lumi hugged the goblin tightly even his bones started to pop.

"Oh, my little buddy! I missed you so much! I'm scared, I'm sorry I ran and hid leaving you all alone! I just didn't want them to take me. I'm sorry Goblinworth."

With hurried gestures and a series of whistles and clicks, Goblinworth conveyed my message to Lumi. 

Goblinworth, with an air of urgency, conveyed the message that Kazuki had sent through hurried whispers. 

"Oh Master Lumi, you need not worry about that! Ah! That is right! I have a message from Master Kazuki to Master Lumi. You must do something about that Box Prison! Find a way to bring it down, or escape while there's still time! That is the message. Master Kazuki will try to hold them off as long as he can."

Lumi's wide, apprehensive eyes locked onto the goblin as the gravity of the situation washed over her. The weight of responsibility pressed heavily upon her shoulders.

"Alright, Goblinworth," she replied, her voice quivering with fear.

 "I'll do my best. We can't let Valerius have his way. Let's go, gobbie."

Vincent's gaze, like a predatory hawk, shifted from me toward the goblin Hermit. With a swift, malevolent gesture, he extended his arm, and from his palm, a searing fireball shot forth. Hermit, barely standing, was unable to evade the fiery projectile, which struck him with unforgiving precision, turning him into a charred husk in an instant. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as Hermit collapsed to the ground, smoke curling ominously from his lifeless form.

Vincent, seemingly intoxicated by the horror he'd wrought, threw a crystal to the ground, revealing its purpose as the source of the fireball. He smirked with a sadistic delight that made my stomach churn.

"Oh, nothing quite matches the sight of a filthy goblin roasting," he taunted, his words laced with venom.

 He inhaled deeply and said, "Ah, the scent of burning goblin flesh, truly a delight to the senses. It was well worth sacrificing a crystal for the sole purpose of eradicating this abomination... oh, how I relish this moment. The culmination of my patience in finally ridding this splendid town of these wretched creatures and the other monstrosities that plague it. Soon, they shall all be under my rule."

A surge of sorrow and anger coursed through me, witnessing such a callous act against the defenseless goblin. While I was left helpless to prevent the fireball's strike, I remained resolute in my intent. With fierce determination, I propelled myself forward from the ground, gathering momentum for a sweeping blow aimed at Vincent.

Yet, time seemed to slow, a surreal moment unfolding before my eyes. A delicate but powerful fist, seemingly from nowhere, connected with Vincent's cheek with astonishing force. His body collided with the ground with an impactful thud, his sinister grin shattered by the unexpected assault. 

It was Alitia, her presence radiating and her fury raging as her voice thundered, "Vincent! What have you done with my love, Valerius?!"