The group moved through the halls of the Black Goblin clan's citadel, following after the goblin messenger that had come to get them all. Jack was in front of them all, right behind the goblin, with Araneida sticking close to his right side while the three former leaders of the Goblin clans followed after the duo.

  As they arrived at a pair of large and fancy doors, the goblin messenger turned around and bowed towards the group. “H-He awaits.” Jack nodded and passed the goblin, placing his hands on the handles of the large doors and gently opening them.

  As the doors creaked open, he shed a slight sweat — not quite sure whether he was ready to see how Sallow had changed thanks to his evolution. Last time he had evolved to a Great Goblin, he changed rather drastically.

  Will that be the case again?

  As the doors fully opened, Jack entered the room, Araneida sticking closely behind him and the three goblin leaders following after them both a moment later. The room was rather dimly lit and eerily quiet. In order to give Sallow the most optimal environment where he could go through with his evolution, every single goblin in the entire clan was told to stay clear of this room.

  “Sallow?” Jack called out to his comrade.

  The room remained silent. Then, from the corner of the room, a quiet…

  Hisss…

  Came from the corner of the room.

  Then — something launched towards Jack. The Tamer quickly reacted, morphing his arms into turtle shells and blocking the incoming strike. The goblin leaders watched in shock, while Jack grinned. “Not bad…! I actually felt the impact this time around.”

  The figure that had launched at Jack let out a small chuckle, before stepping back and then kneeling before him. “...And yet, I still failed to breach your defence.”

  “Don’t feel bad. You’re improving — just a little slower than me.” Jack stated, before exhaling and making the turtle shells disappear. Greth, Frawn and the Black King all stared in confusion. Jack clapped, catching the kneeling figures' attention, before it quickly ignited the candles and torches in the room — finally lighting it up and revealing himself in the light.

  As soon as the three goblins laid their eyes on the figure, their jaws practically hit the floor.

  In front of Jack was kneeling a large goblin, who was at least twice Jack's height. His body was on the slimmer side, with a large upper chest and long arms and legs — which made him look more like a shadow monster or a demon. His skin was dark grey and his overall body had a rough texture across it – almost jagged, as if his bones were out of place.

  The hands were like claws and looked razor sharp and the head was very much distinct, being on the smaller side and with sharp ears – which leaned upwards. The mouth was on the smaller side and a pair of dark red eyes, which had no shine or pupils to them, stared back at them.

  On top of the head, were four protruding spikes – which shaped a bit of a ‘crown’ shape.

  Immediately, the three goblins dropped to kneel before the individual, as he rose back up.

  “Your Grace.”

  “Your Majesty.”

  “My Lord…”

  Each of them called Sallow different titles, while the goblin looked down at them. Then, they lowered their heads a bit lower, before collectively exclaiming;

  “Congratulations on your evolution.”

  Jack kept his eyes on Sallow, his expression mostly serious.

  “Let’s see how much you’ve improved from this one.”

  [ FAMILIAR ]

  Sallow

  Goblin Overlord

  Level: 40 (3)

  Rank: C

  Class: Striker

  Grade: Sovereign

  [ FAMILIAR ]

  Rank C? Now that’s a significant jump in power.

  By now, I’ve somewhat figured out how these ‘Ranks’ work — with them seemingly being tied to an individual's level, however also being influenced by an individual's species and power.

  And his grade?

  Sovereign… Guess he does count as one by now, doesn’t he?

  Sallow dismissed the three kneeling goblins, before looking at the Black King. “Step forward, Black King.”

  “Your Grace.” The small goblin didn’t waste any time, standing up and walking over to Sallow, before kneeling before him again. Sallow looked down at her, before also kneeling. “It’s time to bind you to my soul.”

  “I am honoured, your Grace.”

  Jack lifted his gaze up from the Sallows status window, closing it, before observing what was about to happen before him. “Right… Sallow didn’t get the chance to give the Black King a name, since as soon as she pledged her loyalty before him, the evolution occurred and he fell unconscious. I wonder what he’ll think of this time.”

  The other two goblins – Greth and Frawn exchanged gazes as they rose back up to their feet. Sallow lowered his head closer to the Black King, eventually pressing their foreheads together - Thin chains appeared from Sallows back and wrapped themselves around the two.

  “From this day on, you shall serve under me with the name… ‘Sable’.” Sallow stated quietly, closing his eyes. “Do you accept?”

  “...With the utmost honour, your Grace.” The Black Goblin responded. The chains ignited in red flames, before quickly wrapping around the Black Goblin as Sallow backed up from her. For a few seconds - it was like a cocoon of flaming chains had swallowed the Black Goblin.

  Then, the chains shattered, before absorbing into the small Goblin, who rose up to her feet and placed her hand onto her chest. “My name is Sable – the commander of the Black Goblins under the rule of the Great Sallow - The new Goblin Overlord.” Sable stated, before bowing towards Sallow. Her appearance had changed a bit – with her now being dressed in light plate armour and black leather clothing.

  Around her neck, she had a crescent moon necklace – which seemed to be there purely for decoration.

  Frawn gently applauded.

  “Congratulations and welcome ‘Sable’. Now you’re officially part of the new upcoming combined goblin nation.” He said with a lighthearted, slightly joking tone. Sable turned to look at him and laughed, crossing her arms. “Well thank you - glad to be on the deck.”

  The two goblins laughed together, while Greth sighed and approached Sallow, slightly intimidated by his new appearance. “So… What now?”

  Sallow looked at her a bit confused.

  “...What do you mean, what now?”

  “I mean, you’ve taken over four of the five goblin clans and have evolved to the position of a Goblin Overlord… You, by all counts, have surpassed every goblin that currently lives on.” She expanded a bit, before turning around and exhaling. “But… This is as far as you can push this quest of yours, no?”

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  Jack turned his attention to Greth, moving to Sallows' side. “What do you mean? There is still one goblin clan left, no?”

  “There is,” Frawn also joined in, joining Greths side before rubbing the back of his neck, “But… that clan is the White Goblin clan. And… well—”

  “I don’t think it’s possible for us to conquer it. The leader of the clan, after all, went through a Rank Evolution – which turned him into an Ogre, a creature that not even the strongest of goblins in history could overpower.” Greth cut Frawn off and turned back around, crossing her arms. Frawn simply nodded, sliding his hands into his coat pockets and looking down at the ground.

  “And to add onto the problems, the King of that clan - the White King - is not an ordinary ruler… Even with his Majesty going through his own Rank Evolution, statistically speaking, he’s still inferior to the White King when it comes to power.” Frawn lifted his gaze up to Sallow. “I don’t see a possibility of us successfully taking over the White Goblin clan at our current state.”

  Jack and Sallow remained silent.

  Sallow looked frustrated, clenching his fists tightly, which scared the three other goblins present in the room for a moment, however he then sighed heavily, calming down and turning around. “...You’re right. Even with my evolution – I am not ready to fight the White King just yet.”

  Frawn looked surprised, quickly exchanging gazes with Greth and Sable, before stepping forward a bit. “Then… what will you do?”

  Jack looked at Sallow, observing his silence for a bit, before laughing to himself and then stretching out. “Can I ask if there are any strong monsters around these parts?” He asked, turning to face Sable, who quickly dove into her thoughts for a bit, before looking back at him. “Well, there is a cave that is filled with a bunch of Giant Bats that are quite strong… But why do you ask?”

  Jack grinned, turning around and patting Sallow lightly on the back.

  The Goblin Overlord looked at the Tamer, who looked up at Sallow with a confident expression and a wide grin. “If we are no match for the White King right now… the only logical thing is to grow stronger, right?”

  Sallow remained silent for a bit, before exhaling and nodding – smiling himself.

  “...Right.”

  “Then let’s not waste any time.” Jack stated, before turning around and passing the other three goblins, who looked back and forth between Jack and Sallow. The Tamer stopped at the entrance, allowing Araneida to catch up before looking at the four goblins behind him in the room, his eyes shining orange.

  “Come on — we won’t grow stronger by lazing around.”

  Meanwhile…

  At the White Goblin clan.

  Inside of the citadel of the White Goblin clan, a cloaked figure rushed through the halls, towards the leaders hall. Slamming into the large gates of the hall, he stood in the doorway, facing the other individuals gathered there – four highly dangerous and strong looking individuals. “I-I bring news regarding the other Goblin clans!”

  The other individuals in the hall looked towards the cloaked figure. “Share them.” A heavily armoured male said – his voice deep and sharp. He was dressed in silverish armour, with a large greatsword on his back, which gently reflected the light in the room. ( Baal – White Goblin clans, Silver Knight. )

  The cloaked individual took in a light breath, before exhaling.

  “They have all been conquered!” As soon as the announcement rang through the room, the individuals all let out a collective gasp, looking towards the cloaked figure. Then, a large goblin with white skin and robes that covered his body, slammed their arms on the table. “Oi, oi – you better not be joking with us now! Those kinds of jokes are not to be made!” ( Bethra – White Goblin clans, Soul Striker. )

  “I-I apologise, great leaders. But it’s true.” The cloaked figure placed his arms together, bowing towards the individuals present in the room. “The Green Goblin clan, the Red Goblin clan and the Black Goblin clan have all been conquered and brought under the rule of a single individual.”

  “Seriously?” A female white goblin spoke up – dressed in a witch attire, with a long black dress and a large witch hat, which had a small veil fall from it over her face exclaimed, before exhaling heavily, nudging her smoking pipe that she held in her right hand down a bit. “That’s troublesome news…” ( April – White Goblin clans, Taboo Witch. )

  “But who could have conquered them? An outsider of sorts?” Baal asked.

  “Most likely. No one but our ruler is strong enough to bring all the other leaders down to their knees among the goblins.” An elder goblin spoke up – dressed in white, simple clothes while gripping a large stone staff in his left hand. He brought up his wrinkled old hand to brush his beard. ( Kalos – White Goblin clans, Elder Magus. )

  “A-Actually — there is concrete evidence that the one who did it… was the Grey Goblin clan's King.” The room fell silent.

  Everyone looked at the cloaked figure with disbelief filled eyes.

  “...What?” Beth pushed out with a cold, emotionless breath, before gritting his teeth. “That’s… difficult to believe. The Grey King, while not weak, is not powerful enough to take on any of the other Kings — especially the Black King.” Kalos added, resting his arms onto his staff. The cloaked figure exhaled.

  “But it’s true. Our spies saw everything — the Grey King appeared at each of the clans, accompanied by a human and a spider, and defeated two of the three other Kings.”

  “Pause,” April said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow under her veil. “Two?”

  “The Black King willingly relinquished his throne to the Grey King.” The four goblins around the table looked shocked beyond belief. They all fell silent, just staring at the round table that they stood around in utter disbelief.

  Relinquished his throne willingly? The Black King?

  The strongest of the five Goblin Kings, second only to the White King, whom they served? Was that even possible?

  Before any of them could say anything more, a pair of white eyes ignited in the shadows deeper inside the room. “The Grey King managed to get the Black King to kneel before him?” Everyone looked towards the source of the voice. Within the shadows, a pair of shining white eyes lingered, before standing up and going higher — then, approaching the table. The cloaked figure bowed towards the approaching figure.

  “It has all been confirmed with each and every spy we had in the other clans. It was the Grey King, accompanied by a human and a spider, who did it.”

  “Human… this deep?” The white eyes looked to the side, before closing and letting out a heavy exhale before the individual who the eyes belonged to, finally stepped into the light. He was absolutely massive – with a large, mountainous build. His ash grey skin had white tattoos all over it, all forming a fierce image of the White Goblin clans crest on his back. He wore a pair of black, baggy trousers, that were held up by a white chain. Around his neck, he had a tooth necklace, at the center of which was a small amulet with a white gem inside it. He had thick, messy white hair dredging down from his head and his face had a scar going across it, going over both of his eyes — which were fully white, as if he was blind.

  This was the White Goblin clan's ruler.

  Their leader — the White King.

  The monarch, who underwent a powerful evolution.

  The White King narrowed his eyes on the cloaked figure, his presence intense. “Tell me everything. Do not leave out even the smallest of details.” The cloaked figure nodded and bowed towards him.

  “Of course, your Lordship.”