Rebirth Of The Bastard Spirit Summoner

"Huh? What's the matter?" the merchant asked.

He sat up straight and began rubbing his eyes tiredly, the effect of riding for a full day beginning to show on him. Then his mouth hung open when he saw what was ahead of them.

"Stop the carriage!"

He didn't have to say it twice. Stark pulled the horses to a stop, gently guiding them to the side of the road, after which he jumped down.

Some distance away from them was a roadblock, hindering them from going further.

Blockades were not that rare on travel roads, it was the nature of this specific blockade that was concerning.

Multiple thick branches and sizable rocks lined the road, stacked up against each other to the point it was as high as his waist down.

"They worked throughout the night," Stark said, offering Jade a hand.

Jade gave him a look before taking his hand and jumping down.

"That is the work of goblins, isn't it?" the merchant asked, pulling out a dagger from his shirt.

His hands were shaky, and Stark could hear the fear in his voice from the way it trembled slightly.

"Not just regular goblins…" Stark glanced at the structure and sighed.

"Goblin raiders."

The man fell back to his seat at the mention of them.

Even among goblins, there were differences between them when it came to tribes and behavioural patterns.

Regular goblins were easy to deal with. They had the intelligence of a monkey and were largely incompetent. They were cannon fodder.

But goblin raiders… they were the real deal.

"Stay in the carriage, we'll deal with this," Stark said before he began walking towards the obstacle with Jade by his side.

"Do you plan to fight them with your bare hands?" she asked, glancing at him.

Stark smiled. "That's why I have you, right?"

She scoffed, and then a purple crystal blossomed from her palms, the tough material elongating and taking form until it took the shape of a sword.

As she handed it to him, Stark could see the glow of her horns from underneath the hat.

Taking the weapon in his hands, he weighed it and did a few practice swings.

It was just like a regular sword, but far heavier. Its handle was rounded, and it had a sharp pointed pommel.

After swinging it around for some time, Stark smiled. The weapon had surprisingly good balance—it was as though she had crafted swords countless times in the past.

When they got to the blockade, he glanced around before focusing on it, but he kept the forest in his peripheral vision.

Goblin raiders were ambush specialists, they would not attack until they saw that their opponent had let down his guard.

And for good measure…

Boom!

Stark rammed his feet into the blockade, sending the wood flying and scattering the stones.

He lifted his feet once more, about to further damage their handiwork, when a swift shadow charged at him from the side.

It was hoping to catch them unaware, but Stark had been waiting for that exact moment.

Just when the monster was nearly upon him, Stark pivoted, jumping back and cleaving forward.

His sword gleamed under the light, the purple crystal catching the sun—just before it was stained crimson.

The head of the goblin rolled, carrying the original momentum of the goblin to the other side of the forest.

Stark swung the sword at plain air, shaking off the blood from it before turning.

Behind them, a little army of goblins had aligned themselves at their back, cutting them off from the carriage.

They were all armed with a number of crude rusty weapons, some having better gear than others, and a few even had oversized armour they had scavenged off the travelers they had killed.

Stark smiled and cracked his neck.

There were two things he planned to achieve with the goblins today. First, test out his strength after his ascension…

And the second was to grow Jade's power.

When a spirit gained a new master, they became considerably weaker than they originally were.

His third ability, Spirit Herder, allowed him to grow their strength. How?

For Jade, it was simple. Slaughter.

While he depended on Spirit Crushing, Jade depended on pure, unadulterated slaughter. The more she killed, the stronger she would become.

He lifted his sword, the tip glinting dangerously.

"Are you ready?"

Whoosh!

Jade lunged forward, not bothering to answer his question.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Eyaaaaa!"

The goblins screamed as they lunged, meeting them with violent intensity.

Stark sidestepped a goblin and jumped back just as another one charged at him, its rusty sword aiming for his chest.

His sword clashed against the goblin's sword and he easily batted it to the side and struck forward.

But the goblin was fast,far too agile for its own good. It barrel-rolled to the side, evading the attack and darted towards Stark's back, hoping to get him from behind.

Stark knew just how devious the little monsters could be.

Clang!

Sparks erupted as both swords met, but it was only briefly. He twisted his sword, causing the goblin to lose balance and stumble forward.

That little mistake cost it.

Stark's sword tore through its chest, causing it to cough up blood, and he kicked it off his blade.

Then with a quick spin, he slashed, his grip on his sword tightening as he split a nearby goblin in half.

In front of him, three others were already charging forward, their yellow eyes locked on him.

Stark charged at them, meeting them in the middle.

Crystal met steel with a clang. The little goblin tried its best to keep his sword at bay, while the two others darted to the side.

'They are fast!'

Stark jumped back just as two swords whistled past where his legs once were.

The goblins charged after him, moving in zigzag patterns, their bodies so fast that keeping track of them was difficult.

"They don't have a reputation for nothing."

Immediately, his feet touched the floor, he slashed at their stomachs, but they both jumped, moving in perfect sync.

The first one screeched, swinging at Stark, but he sucked in a deep breath, dodging to the left before bringing his sword back up, cleaving it in half.

He cut past the second one, ripping its abdomen open—grabbed its hand and tossed its lifeless body at its partner.

The goblin screamed, eyes wide as the corpse came crashing into him, and then the crystal sword followed, digging into its skull.

Boom!

A loud booming sound filled the area, followed by the sound of Jade's signature scuff.

It seemed she too was done with the goblins on her end.

"That was too easy…"

Stark lifted his hand, and all the spirit shards rose into the air before rushing into his palms.

Crack!

Sucking in a sharp breath as the essence flowed into him, Stark turned to face the forest.

"That is the end of round one," he said, his voice cold.

Now, it was time for the real deal.

A deep, guttural growl reached their ears.