The fight in the narrow corridor intensified, turning into a deadly dance between Alex and the evolved goblin. There was no room left for hesitation—no space for retreat. Only survival… or death.
In that critical moment, Alex reached with his uninjured right hand and yanked the spear out of his wounded left palm. Blood splattered violently as a burning, electric pain surged up his arm and through his skull, nearly blinding his senses. But collapsing was a luxury he couldn't afford—the evolved goblin was advancing steadily toward him, a vile, twisted smile carved across its face. It watched him like a predator savoring every second of its prey's suffering.
Alex dropped the spear to the ground and locked eyes with the goblin's glowing yellow gaze. Running now wasn't just foolish—it was suicide. Turning his back would expose his exhausted body to an instant, merciless kill.
Using the armored octopus's regenerative abilities, he tightened the muscles around the wound and forced mana into his flesh, slowing the bleeding. He managed to stabilize it—but the agony from his left hand throbbed viciously, clouding his mind and distorting his vision. He didn't have the luxury to sit still and heal. Death was only a few meters away.
"Damn you… I'll wipe that disgusting smile off your face!" Alex growled through clenched teeth.
The evolved goblin took another heavy step. Then, with a swift and sudden motion, it swung its massive spear straight at Alex's heart. The attack held nothing back—a killing strike meant to end him.
With reflexes surpassing human limits, Alex unleashed all eight of his hidden tentacles at once.
Four tentacles lunged forward, forming a thick, armored barrier before him—a living shield of flesh and mana ready to take the full brunt of the deadly thrust.
The other four shot outward from four different directions, aiming to impale the goblin and kill it instantly. His intent was crystal clear: either he would win… or die trying.
But it wasn't that simple.
A spiraling aura of condensed wind erupted around the goblin, forming a swirling vortex-like shield. It was as if the creature could see the invisible tentacles. The wind barrier deflected the four attacking limbs with a screeching, metallic howl that shook the corridor. At the same time, the compressed wind gathered at the tip of its spear, releasing a storm of tiny razor-like blades toward Alex.
Alex barely managed to block the miniature wind blades with his forward shield of tentacles.
After that brutal exchange of attacks and defense, Alex steadied his breathing—despite the throbbing agony.
"I can win," he told himself, forcing a cold composure. "My defense is strong. Hard to break, even with his power. I just need one chance… one strike that breaks through and kills him."
The goblin was thinking the exact same thing—but Alex didn't care. Survival took priority over understanding the mind of the monster before him.
The evolved goblin surged forward again, this time propelled by razor winds swirling around its body like silent killers. Alex retreated rapidly, using two tentacles anchored to the wall to fling himself backward with high momentum, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.
At that moment, he grabbed the fallen spear—the same one that had pierced his hand—using his uninjured right hand.
The goblin sent more wind blades slicing through the air toward him. Alex deflected them with his remaining tentacles, every fiber of his focus locked on the goblin's movements. Every second mattered. Every gesture meant death or survival.
Then came the decisive moment.
The goblin launched itself at him with terrifying force. Wind gathered beneath its feet, accelerating it to a near-invisible speed. Its spear closed in like a herald of death. One meter away. Half a meter.
Alex smiled—tired, strained, but confident.
Earlier, he had placed a tentacle into the floor, burying it beneath rubble and debris. With all the dust kicked up from the wind explosions, visibility was poor; the goblin couldn't see the hidden trap.
The tentacle shot upward like a serpent, wrapping around the goblin's leg, freezing it mid-air for a single, precious moment. Alex felt the monster's brutal strength resisting the bind—it wouldn't hold for long. A few seconds at most.
"This is my only chance!" he screamed inside his mind.
Seconds were all he needed.
He fused three tentacles together into a single massive, spear-like appendage and launched it with devastating force. The distance was minimal. The speed was immense. The goblin had no time to respond—
—or so Alex thought.
He had underestimated his opponent.
In midair, the goblin twisted its body using its wind manipulation, contorting in an impossible motion to avoid the fatal strike. It didn't evade completely—the monstrous tentacle-spear grazed its shoulder and sliced its arm clean off, sending dark blue blood spraying across the corridor.
The goblin shrieked—a horrifying, ear-splitting roar of rage and pain. It summoned an enormous burst of wind that exploded outward, blasting Alex several meters back and slamming him hard into the wall.
The goblin glared at him now with its severed limb dripping pitch-blue blood. The arrogant smirk was gone—replaced by the raw fury of a wounded beast.
"Even with one arm… it still fights like a demon. I need to finish this—fast!" Alex thought.
With a single sweep of its remaining arm, the goblin launched four wind blades toward Alex. But Alex had no intention of blocking this time. He dove into a nearby room, smashing through its decaying door with his tentacles and taking cover inside.
The goblin faced a major disadvantage in the building—the massive spear was nearly useless in tight spaces, severely limiting its attacks in the cramped corridor.
Alex took advantage of this. He sent tentacles bursting through the weakened walls, attacking from multiple angles at once. Still, the goblin dodged with frightening precision, even with only one arm.
Alex burst out of the room again and re-engaged. Their battle continued throughout the hallway—tentacles striking relentlessly, targeting the goblin's left side where it had lost its arm. The creature bled heavily, but even so, its skill and speed remained monstrous. It deflected Alex's hidden attacks like a seasoned killer, refusing to fall.
"You won't last long! I'll tear your head off and end you right here!" Alex roared, pumping even more mana into his tentacles, transforming his pain into raw, explosive strength.