"Your left leg is next," Edward said, his voice calm like a winter morning, not even showing he was trying hard. "Then your left arm. And last... your head. I've always liked to do things in order."
Kragthar got up, wobbling on his feet. The shock of losing his arm was being held back by the anger rushing through him. He looked at where his shoulder used to be and made a sound that was more like a dry, crazy cough than a laugh.
"A fluke!" Kragthar yelled, his yellow eyes all bloodshot. "A lucky hit! You caught me by surprise with that trick! Think one cut makes you tough? I'm the strongest! I'm as strong as the earth!"
The green glow around the goblin got stronger, turning into a dark, muddy red. His muscles got bigger, ripping through the leather straps on his chest as his body grew. The stinky smell got stronger as Kragthar made his heart beat super fast, burning up all the power that Edward's father had put into him. Now he was a huge, red-colored monster, almost eight feet tall.
"I'll crush you to bits!" Kragthar shouted, grabbing his black sword tight with his one hand.
He lunged forward.
The stone floor broke under his weight as he charged like a tank. The force of the wind from his charge sent dead goblins flying. To anyone watching, he was unstoppable.
Edward didn't move. He didn't even lift his sword. He simply stood his ground and slowly stretched out his left arm.
As Kragthar got close, swinging his sword, Edward's left hand closed into a fist.
BOOM!!
It didn't sound like a punch; it sounded like the air itself was breaking. A wave of force went out from Edward's fist, unseen but strong. His fist didn't even touch Kragthar, his fist remained inches away, but it was a disaster.
Flesh, bone, and blood erupted into a cloud of green mist. Kragthar's left leg was the first to explode, exactly as Edward had promised. It happened so fast that Kragthar didn't even register the pain. His left arm followed an instant later, the explosion there immense, the sword shattering as both weapon and limb were reduced to a storm of shredded meat and twisted metal. The force kept going, hitting Kragthar's chest and sending the monster flying back until he smashed into the black throne, breaking it into pieces.
Edward didn't even drop his arm. He stood in the dust, his fist slowly opening.
"Martial Arts: Shin Fist," he whispered.
Silence filled the cave again, only broken by blood dripping from the ceiling. Kragthar was lying in the broken throne, a mess of green flesh. Both his arms were gone. His red glow was gone, replaced by the grey color of death.
"How..." Kragthar coughed, his voice weak. "No magic... I felt nothing... How...?"
He was scared. He couldn't understand how such power was possible without magic. He had watched Edward; there were no spells, no glowing signs, no burst of power. It was like the world just decided Kragthar's leg and arm shouldn't be there.
Edward walked closer, his boots crunching on the black rocks. You're looking for magic when it's just about intent. What I just used was a 5-Star Martial Art. The shin fist."
".... Shin fist." Kragthar murmured.
Edward stopped, looking at his hands. "Earlier, my body wasn't tempered enough for such attack. But after killing a thousand of your people... after their marrow made my body stronger... I could finally go further. Now that my body is tempered, I can use up to the Seventh Star of martial arts without breaking myself."
"Wait... please..." Kragthar stuttered, his eyes showing fear. "I... I can serve you! I know the Marquis's secrets! I know the location of the hidden labs in Luminaris! Spare me... I am a masterpiece... do not waste me..."
Edward's face turned hard. He looked around the cave, at the bones on the floor—bones that were from goblins, and the training his father had sent down here over the years.
"Remember every insult you said to me," Edward said, his voice low. "Think of every man, every soldier, and every prisoner you killed in this cave to test your power for your pitiful evolution. When they begged for their lives... did you feel sorry for them?"
Kragthar tried to speak, but couldn't.
"Did you listen to them?" Edward asked. "Did you stop when they talked about their families or their fears? No. You laughed. You called them weak.'"
Edward stepped closer, his shadow covering Kragthar. "Why, then, should I pity you? You speak of mercy as if it is a currency you are entitled to. But mercy is for the innocent and the honorable. You are neither."
The fire in Edward's eyes burned, showing the deaths he had seen. . "Starting from my two hundredth lifetime, I stopped begging for mercy. I realized that the universe does not care for the cries of the falling. I made a vow: I would never again accept a plea of mercy from anyone who had the audacity to raise a blade against me. To do so would be to insult every version of myself that died screaming."
"But I... I was made by your father!" Kragthar cried, trying one last thing.
"Which makes you a mistake," Edward replied. "One I'm going to fix."
After that, Edward placed his hand right over Kragthar's heart.
"Extraction."
This wasn't like the quick extraction he had done on the other goblins. This was slow and painful, as Kragthar was essentially still alive, so his essence was still soul bound.
Kragthar's eyes opened wide. A sound came from him that wasn't human or goblin—it was the sound of a soul being torn apart.
Edward started to pull.
The marrow from Kragthar's heart was significantly larger, and more difficult to pull as he was still trying to breathe.
The pain was too much. Kragthar's body shook, his muscles tearing themselves apart as his life was taken away. He could feel his bones turning to ash inside him, his strength being drained into the boy who stood over him with a calm look.
Edward watched, as he could feel the essence, it was a lot. Kragthar's essence was stronger than a normal goblin's.
Kragthar's screams got softer as his throat dried out, his skin turning to paper. He was being emptied, turned into a shell. Every memory, every bit of strength, and every drop of his life was being used.
The extraction went on, as Kragthar was still alive, his eyes on Edward in a last, silent plea.