The goblins did not retreat after the first wave fell. Instead, their movement only became more aggressive as more of them poured out from between the trees, filling the gaps left by the ones Nightwalker had already cut down. The forest around the group stopped being half empty, and every direction now carried faint sounds of shifting bodies and broken branches. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Leo quickly realized this was not a simple encounter but a sustained pressure meant to wear them down rather than overwhelm them immediately.

Nightwalker stayed at the front without hesitation, his sword moving in clean arcs that carved through the advancing goblins and the larger creatures behind them. Even while still recovering from injuries, his presence on the battlefield forced a natural opening wherever he moved, as if the space itself reacted to his momentum. The heavier enemies that tried to push through the center were met with precise strikes that broke their formation before they could even coordinate properly.

With his injuries, the member of the Seven Radiant Blades didn’t use his Tree and relied on the characteristics of his sword and his martial skills making the fight balanced rather than ending in minutes.

Leo moved in parallel with him, but his focus was different. He did not try to match Nightwalker’s raw suppression and instead targeted the gaps created by him. The [Yielding Spine] adapted to each movement, shifting between defense and counterattack as goblins slipped through the edges of Nightwalker’s advance. Each strike Leo made was calculated to remove threats before they could regroup, but even so, the increasing number of enemies made it clear that efficiency alone would not be enough.

Sure, the sword was currently whispering bitter truth into the ears of the goblins that came at him but he couldn’t trust the bastard sword that much since it did the opposite of its work.

Lucien remained slightly behind Leo’s position, fighting in a way that looked almost detached from the chaos around him. His golden aura did not explode outward like the others but instead moved in controlled layers, responding only when needed. Whenever a goblin closed in on him, it was met with a precise counter that ended the exchange immediately, as if Lucien had already predicted every possible movement before it happened. Leo noticed it but did not question it yet, only storing the observation for later.

The group behind them struggled to maintain formation as the pressure increased. Even with rotations and structure, the constant flow of enemies made it difficult for the less experienced students to stay coordinated. Some broke formation instinctively, only to be pulled back by others who understood that separation would lead to immediate collapse. The forest itself seemed to be closing in on them, as if it was adjusting to contain their movement inside a shrinking battlefield.

Nightwalker suddenly shifted his stance and drove his sword into the ground, releasing a wave of force that pushed back a cluster of larger goblins attempting to break through the center. The impact created a brief opening, but instead of slowing down, the enemies simply filled the space again from the sides. Their numbers were not reducing at the same rate as before, and Leo could already tell that the initial advantage was beginning to fade.

"This is getting worse," Lucien said calmly while deflecting another attack and stepping back into formation without breaking rhythm.

"I noticed," Leo replied, cutting down a goblin that tried to flank him from the left. "They’re too much."

Nightwalker did not respond verbally, but his expression tightened slightly as he rotated his sword and cleaved through another wave. The exhaustion in his movements was still present, but it was being suppressed by sheer experience. Each movement carried a sense of efficiency that did not waste even a fraction of energy, as if he had already fought this kind of battle countless times before.

Leo pushed forward slightly, forcing himself deeper into the frontline to reduce pressure on the weaker students behind him. The [Grinning Mist] briefly activated, spreading in a thin layer that disrupted the coordination of nearby goblins, causing them to hesitate for a moment before attacking. That hesitation was enough for him to eliminate two of them before they could recover, but the effect was temporary and already beginning to fade as more enemies replaced them.

[You’ve slain a Capricorn, Memory Of Crude Goblin From Eldrath]

[You’ve slain a Capricorn, Memory Of Crude Goblin From Eldrath]

Lucien shifted closer to Leo’s side without saying anything, adjusting his position to match the flow of the battlefield. His movements were calm but deliberate, always placing himself where the pressure was highest without overextending. Leo began to notice a pattern in the way he fought, something consistent yet unfamiliar, like he was following an internal structure that did not match standard combat training. It reminded him faintly of something he had seen back in school when he fought Caius.

That thought lingered briefly in his mind, but he did not have time to fully process it.

The goblins increased their pressure again, and the larger ones finally entered the frontline in greater numbers. These were not the same as before. Their bodies were more reinforced, their movements slower but heavier, and each impact carried enough force to disrupt the balance of even experienced Aura Farmers. One of them slammed into the formation, breaking through the edge and forcing three students to scatter backward.

Nightwalker immediately intercepted it.

His sword moved in a downward arc that met the creature’s charge directly, and the collision sent a shock through the ground beneath them. The goblin’s momentum halted completely for a moment before Nightwalker twisted his stance and forced it backward with a second strike that cut through its armor and ended its movement entirely. Without pausing, he turned and moved toward another cluster, continuing the fight without acknowledging what he had just done.

Leo exhaled slowly while adjusting his stance. The situation was no longer about holding ground. It had shifted into controlled withdrawal pressure, where every second spent fighting was slowly draining their overall stability. If this continued, even Nightwalker would eventually reach his limit, and once that happened, the entire formation would collapse.

"Lucien," Leo said briefly while blocking another attack. "We can’t keep holding here."

"I know," Lucien replied, still calm. "But retreating now would expose the weaker students."

Leo did not respond immediately. He understood that logic, but he also knew that staying meant eventual exhaustion. The balance between survival and movement was already beginning to tilt.

Nightwalker suddenly appeared beside them again, having cut through another wave. His breathing was slightly heavier now, but his voice remained steady.

"They’re not stopping," he said. "This is not random. And I can’t use my ability here, it’s risky to everyone around."

Leo gritted his teeth. "Then continue battling. We’ll find a way eventually. And if we don’t, we kill them all."

Nightwalker glanced at the forest edge while deflecting another strike. "Not a plan, but okay."

He blurred again.

The battlefield continued to expand as more goblins entered from deeper within the forest. The sound of movement now came from all directions, and the formation that had started as structured defense was slowly becoming compressed under pressure. Leo tightened his grip on the [Yielding Spine] as he realized the next phase of the battle was approaching, and whatever was controlling the goblins was not done increasing the scale yet.

"Okay!" He yelled revealing triangular teeth of [Shell Of Dread].

"Come for me, you ugly green dwarves!"