Chapter 301 Pushing Past the Limits

"We have the supplies to sustain us for now," Suzuka continued, "but we will not rely on these alone. We will work together to build a community, a home where you can thrive. Each of you has a role to play, and together, we will create a place where no goblin has to live in fear ever again. A place where all races can walk side by side, holding hands and laughing together."

The crowd erupted in cheers, the goblins' voices rising in a cacophony of hope and joy. Hermit stepped forward, his chest swelling with pride.

"Listen to our savior!" he shouted in goblin tongue, his voice echoing through the camp.

"S-she gave us a chance to be free! To get out of those awful cages and, uh, find a new life! And now, now we have to... to show her we can be good, and strong, and... and not just a bunch of whimpering goblins."

Hermit’s voice cracked with emotion, but he pressed on, his eyes watering with tears of joy, confidence rising with each word.

 "No more will we suffer in the darkness! No more will we be beaten and starved! No more will we cower in fear and hide from the tormentors! Under her rule, no more will we suffer under the whip or be forced to eat our feces! No more shall we endure the daily humiliations and tortures that have been our lives for far too long! We are no longer prisoners of evil goblins! We have been given a chance, a real chance to start anew!"

The goblins fell to their knees, bowing to Suzuka in a gesture of utmost reverence. Tears streamed down their faces as they offered their heartfelt thanks. As the goblins cheer, Suzuka reveled in the irony. Her heart, untouched by the warmth of their gratitude, beat with the rhythm of her hidden agenda. 

Suzuka took a deep breath and stepped forward once more.

"This is just the beginning," she declared, her voice resonating with unwavering strength. The goblins, still reeling from the events of the day, watched her intently, their eyes filled with a mixture of awe and hope.

"We have much to do, but I do not doubt that we will succeed. Together, we will build a future that we can all be proud of. A future where every goblin, every hatchling, can live in peace and prosperity. I know that it sounds like an impossible task, just like that unmovable mountain in the distance," she gestured dramatically toward the menacing peak that loomed ominously over the land, "but let me prove to you all that even such seemingly impossible-to-move mountains can be bested. Allow me to show you that the future I am promising you is not just a promise!"

The goblins cheered once more, their voices filled with hope and joy. Suzuka looked out at the sea of faces before her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a deep sense of fulfillment. Suzuka's eyes sparkled with a cold, calculating glee. She had orchestrated their so-called liberation with sinister precision, each step of her plan designed to exploit their desperation for her gain. The apparent act of kindness was nothing more than a strategic maneuver, a way to consolidate her power and manipulate the goblins into a position that served her purposes. It was a perfect chance to show the goblins her power.

With that proclamation, Suzuka turned to face the mountain, her eyes narrowing with intense focus. She drew upon her mana, channeling it into her gravity magic. Her fists ignited with black flame-like mana, the dark energy swirling around her arms ferociously. The goblins gasped in unison, awestruck by the miraculous display. As they watched, their astonishment turned to sheer bewilderment as they saw the distant mountain slowly being engulfed in a swirling black mist. 

Suzuka's face tightened with strain, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Even though Suzuka was a 5-star mage, she soon realized she had bitten off more than she could chew. The task of crushing the mountain in one go to impress the goblins and appear god-like had backfired.

 She felt a painful backlash from her magic, the immense stress pushing her body to its limits. But she couldn’t stop now, not with all eyes on her. Gritting her teeth, she pushed past her limits, exhausting every ounce of mana and then some. With a final, desperate effort, she slammed her fists together and called out the spell’s name, "Graviton Press!"

The ground beneath them trembled violently, the earth quaking with the force of her magic. The colossal mountain, its peak hidden within the clouds, began to shudder and vibrate. Suzuka's gravity magic activated with a deafening roar, the black mist swirling around the mountain like a hurricane. The goblins stared in shock and disbelief as the clouds above were blown apart, revealing the full, monstrous height of the peak.

Then, with a sound like a thousand lightning strikes, the mountain began to crumble. It compressed inward as if an invisible hand were squeezing it with unimaginable force. Rocks and boulders shattered, cascading down in a massive avalanche, only to be sucked inward by the relentless gravity magic. The mountain's colossal form shrank rapidly, collapsing into itself with a series of thunderous booms.

In mere minutes, the towering mountain that once scraped the clouds was reduced to a massive slab of compressed magical stone, glistening darkly in the fading daylight. It plummeted from the sky like a meteor, causing a powerful tremor that shook the ground. The goblins were left speechless, their eyes wide with shock and amazement. They had witnessed a miracle, something beyond their wildest dreams.

The goblins were so shocked that some fainted where they stood, others froze in place, not even daring to breathe as their brains struggled to comprehend what had happened.

The tiny hatchlings, nestled safely in their caretakers' arms, peered out with wide, innocent eyes at the wonder. The colossal mountain that seemed to touch the heavens, a monolith they had always seen as an unmovable part of their world, now trembled and shook under Suzuka's immense power. As the mighty peak began to crumble, their tiny hearts beat faster with both fear and awe.

Some hatchlings, too young to fully grasp the enormity of what they were witnessing, simply stared with mouths agape, their eyes as wide as saucers. Others, slightly older, began to babble excitedly in their broken, newborn language, pointing with tiny fingers and tugging at their caretakers' skin to ensure they were seeing the same unbelievable sight.

One hatchling, overcome with excitement, clambered onto his caretaker's shoulder and squeaked out, "Dada, look! Big mountain go boom! Lady strong!" His caretaker nodded. Tears of joy and relief streamed down his face as he held his hatchling close, whispering words of hope and comfort.

Another hatchling simply clung to his caretaker's leg, his tiny hands trembling with a mixture of fear and awe. He stared at Suzuka with eyes full of reverence, his small body vibrating with the realization that they were under the protection of a being of immense power.

As the ground shook violently beneath their feet, some of them tumbled over, only to scramble back up, their gazes never leaving the sky where the mountain once stood. A racket of squeaks and squeals erupted from the hatchlings. Their high-pitched voices filled the air, a symphony of shock and awe. They began to jump up and down, their tiny limbs flailing as they tried to make sense of the colossal spectacle. The mountain, their monumental fixture, the highest peak they believed to touch the heavens, was now nothing more than a memory.

The hatchlings clutched at each other and their caretakers, eyes shimmering with a mixture of fear and excitement. They pointed their tiny fingers toward the now-empty sky, their tiny bodies trembling with the realization of the sheer power that had been displayed. Some of them even fell to their knees, as if bowing to the immense might that Suzuka had demonstrated.

Their voices, normally so meek and barely audible, now rose in a chorus of disbelief and adoration. 

"The mountain... it's gone!" they squeaked, their words a jumble of high-pitched excitement and reverence. 

"She's a goddess! A true goddess!"

One particularly bold hatchling, his eyes wide with wonder, tugged at his caretaker's ragged skin and squeaked, "Muma, did the heavens send her? Is she here to save us all?"

The goblin, equally astounded, could only nod, tears streaming down his face. He had no words to explain the miraculous event they had all just witnessed.

 Hermit, who thought he had seen the full extent of Suzuka’s power, found himself utterly overwhelmed. The sheer force of the mountain’s obliteration was beyond anything he could have imagined. As the colossal slab of compressed stone plummeted to the ground, causing an earth-shaking tremor, Hermit’s confidence shattered. He fell to his knees in abject terror, his mind racing with the horrifying possibilities of Suzuka’s wrath.

His entire body quaked uncontrollably, consumed by an all-encompassing fear. Every nerve seemed to scream in panic, his heart pounding so fiercely it felt as if it might burst from his chest. His breaths came in short gasps, each one a struggle against the paralyzing dread that had taken hold of him. The reality of Suzuka’s power, far exceeding anything he had witnessed before, was a revelation that left him feeling incredibly small and powerless.

The thought of ever defying Suzuka now seemed like the epitome of madness. Hermit’s mind was flooded with images of the devastation she could unleash if provoked, the sheer scale of destruction she could bring down upon them. His eyes were wide with horror, his pupils dilated as if trying to take in every detail of the catastrophic event that had unfolded before him. He could barely comprehend the magnitude of her strength, let alone muster any thoughts of angering her.

As he knelt there, trembling and drenched in cold sweat, Hermit’s fear became a physical thing, almost visible in the air around him. He understood, perhaps for the first time, the true extent of Suzuka’s capabilities and the dire consequences of ever crossing her.

Meanwhile, Isaac, a fellow 5-star mage, was deeply impressed, his eyes widening in astonishment. He had seen incredible feats of magic in his time, but nothing compared to the raw, overwhelming power Suzuka had just unleashed. His respect for her, already substantial, soared to new heights. He felt a surge of pride to be allied with someone of such monumental strength.

Larry and his team were stunned beyond words, their jaws practically hitting the ground. They had always known Suzuka was powerful, but this display was beyond their wildest imaginations. The sheer magnitude of the event left them speechless, their minds struggling to process the enormity of what they had just witnessed. Larry's normally composed demeanor was shattered, replaced by a look of sheer, unadulterated awe.

Silvia, unable to withstand the wave of power and amazement that washed over her, felt her knees buckle. She collapsed to the ground. Her heart raced as she tried to comprehend the impossible feat she had just witnessed. The ground seemed to spin beneath her, and she clutched at the earth, her mind reeling. Her admiration for Suzuka, already deep, now bordered on worship.