Ethan barely had time to react—
The goblins were already on the move.
"Hey—!" he shouted, too late.
A cluster of them surged forward, hammers raised high.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sickening crunch of bone and flesh echoed through the clearing.
Blood sprayed in arcs.
The Bloodfiend was beaten flat into the dirt, limbs twitching, barely clinging to life.
Ethan let out a sigh and strode over, grabbing the creature by the scruff with one hand and hauling it upright like a sack of meat.
"Listen," he said, voice low and even. "Tell me—who's your leader? What kind of power does he have?"
The Bloodfiend bared its blood-slick fangs in a grin. "Heh… kill me… and you'll find out."
Its eyes gleamed—not with fear, but with something far worse.
Devotion. Madness.
Ethan's brow furrowed.
Then—
Crack.
The creature's hand shot up and slammed into its own chest.
"Shit!"
Ethan felt it instantly—the magic in the air twisted, surged.
A self-destruct spell.
"Fall back!!"
