Chapter 161 Rock Iron Fist
In the central district of Necronia, within the grounds of the Kirke family, one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
The main entrance was overflowing with a large group of monsters and knights trying to push them back, so Garon and the others from the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ had to climb over the massive wall surrounding the vast grounds to infiltrate.
The beautiful garden was trampled and ravaged, and inside the mansion, the sounds of smoke, fire, and combat filled the air.
However, the attackers didn't seem to be entering the mansion itself, instead attacking from the outside. They probably didn't want to restrict their escape routes by entering the building. Since the target of the attack wasn't a specific individual, but the entire Kirke family, and Garon and the others didn't know the reason behind it, the enemy's goal goal was to stall the family, which led to this type of attack.
In any case, there were the monsters trying to invade the grounds and the human attackers currently besieging the mansion.
It was clear which one to prioritize.
"We'll leave the monsters to the knights, and we'll take care of the attackers!"
"""Roger that!!"""
Garon informed his companions, and they nodded without hesitation.
"Also, remember to be cautious around the Space Mages."
Everyone nodded with a serious expression upon hearing these words.
Among the attackers, there were 2 main types of people.
However, Garon and the others didn't know this, but there were adepts who belonged to the secret society Chronosphere and had strong loyalty to the organization. These adepts were different from the disposable pawns attacking the city, with not only loyalty but also higher combat ability. It could be said that they were the elite troops of Chronosphere.
However, the ones they should really be cautious about aren't them.
It's the ones using Space magic, who are attacking the mansion together with them.
They're the mages from the [Four Great Families of the Seals] who betrayed and left their families.There were quite a few of them, and they had been attacking the mansions of the 4 families.
Needless to say, Space magic is an extremely powerful magic.
The ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫ is a party of 6, all of whom are shield-bearers, with 3 of them having Unique Jobs that make their defense unbeatable among other adventurer parties.
However, even they couldn't defend against Space-based attack magic. Even if they put up their shields, they would be easily pierced through like paper, and their resistance would be for naught.
In other words, against Space magicians, most of the skills that shield-bearers could use would become completely useless.
This was also true for Garon Gasterk, whose Unique Job 'Legion Knight' wouldn't be effective against Space magicians.
Moreover,
"If we gather in one place, we'll be wiped out in one go. We can't afford to waste time either. Let's disperse and take down the attackers one by one in individual combat!"
"""I understand!!"""
Since Space Magic has an unstoppable, wide-range attack magic, party battles themselves become unfavorable for Garon and his friends. Additionally, to quickly suppress this attack, it's inefficient for the party to stick together and move as one.
Therefore, they decided to split up and have each of the 6 members go to separate locations to take down the attackers individually.
* * *
As his friends scattered in different directions, leaving him alone on the spot――Garon carefully stored the Kite Shield and long sword he had been equipping into his Storage Ring.
And then, he took out a new weapon.
It was a Round Shield (a type of circular shield). However, it was smaller than usual and made to be more sturdy and thick.
A specially made Round Shield crafted by Aaron from the core wood of the "Earth Elemental Treant".
Not the "Rock Iron Shield" version, but the "Rock Iron Fist".
As the name suggests, it's not a shield. When he grips the handle on the back, the front face of the shield doesn't come out in front of his forearm, but rather extends from his fist. In other words, it's just a punching bag in the shape of a shield.
Garon equipped one in each hand.
"......"
Then, he crouched down, lowered his waist――and began to sprint.
――BOOM!!
A tremendous, house-shaking impact that resonated throughout the mansion.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
With each step, Garon accelerated to an incredible speed, producing a grand, thunderous sound.
"――――!?"
Of course, the ones who were attacking the mansion noticed Garon's approach and turned around. However, it was too late. By the time one of the enemies turned around, Garon had already accelerated faster than an arrow and closed the distance,
――BOOOMM!!!
and with the momentum of a fierce dash, struck them with an enormous sound, unleashing a "Rock Iron Fist".
"Buggghhh――!? ."
The attacker who got hit by the fist was blown away parallel to the ground, piercing through the mansion's wall and flying to the other side. Although their figure couldn't be confirmed under the rubble, it was clear to the "adepts" that the blown-away person was no longer alive.
Rather, the moment the fist collided, it was clear that the person's body was torn apart, scattered, and couldn't survive in that state.
"Wha―――!?"
The attackers who witnessed Garon's incredible power were terrified.
"It seems...this is the first time I've used it on a human besides Aaron, but the power is quite sufficient."
Garon calmly observed the destruction he had caused and made his judgment.
Shield-type Jobs have few skills to defeat enemies. While they can acquire general-purpose Swordsman skills like [Aura Sword] and [Slash], they usually can't acquire strong attack skills.
That's why Garon had always felt that his lack of power to defeat enemies, rather than defend, would lead to a critical situation someday.
It's not just him.
His party members felt the same way. They didn't just want the power to protect, but also the power to fight.
He has always thought so, which is why Garon consulted with him. Specifically, with Aaron, the Clan Master.
Is there no way to increase their combat power? Even as a shield user, can't they develop a powerful attack method that can destroy their enemies, or a speedy movement technique? If he's being greedy, he'd love to have that too.
'Hey, Aaron, can you do something about it?'
Garon's reckless request was met with Aaron's instant nod, saying "Alright, leave it to me. I've got it covered." And then, he casually presented a solution.
'Just use [Shield Bash] to attack and [Shield Bash] to move, then you're good to go.'
――That's what he said.
"!?"
Leaving aside Garon's confusion and the feasibility of Aaron's words, his skill in controlling aura, honed through woodworking, managed to make those reckless demands a reality.
[Shield Bash] is a skill that releases a shockwave-like aura from the shield, deflecting the enemy's attack and disrupting their stance, or even blowing them away. Since it involves slamming a large shield with great force, it's naturally quite powerful, but unlike slashing or piercing attacks, it's not a technique that can instantly inflict fatal wounds.
However, by manipulating the aura released from the shield, Aaron said it could become an attack that blows the enemy's body away, and if done from the bottom of the foot, it could even become a high-speed movement technique. The narrower the impact range, the higher the power would be, he added.
Of course, to vary the skill as Aaron instructed, a certain amount of training was necessary.
To begin with, releasing [Shield Bash] from anywhere other than the shield is a high-level technique that requires a certain degree of Skill Mastery.
Even so, Garon had acquired it. He could unleash [Shield Bash] from the soles of his feet to facilitate high-speed movement with [Bash Step], or he could use his shield to strike enemies and simultaneously activate [Shield Bash] to amplify its power with [Bash Blow], and many other new techniques.
And it wasn't just limited to Garon alone.
――BOOM!!
――BOOM!! BOOM!!
――BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
A series of heavy, painful shockwaves began to resonate from Kirke's grounds.
The technique, developed under Aaron's guidance and shared by Garon with his comrades, had been elevated into a shield-based Battle Technique that all shieldsmen of the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ could use.
"――E-enemyyyy!!"
"Surround and kill him!!"
The moment Garon regained his composure amidst the continuous shockwaves, the assailants surrounded Garon and launched a swift attack. The power and speed of their assault exceeded the realm of top-notch warriors.
It was impossible to completely dodge their attack at that timing.
The moment he made that judgment, Garon clad himself in an aura armor. However, it wasn't just any ordinary aura. He constructed the armor using the "Rock Iron Fist" he grasped with both hands, which was infused with earth attributes.
Shieldsmen Skill――[Aura Armor: Rock Iron Layer]
The effect of the aura when infused with earth attributes was surprisingly simple: aside from complete resistance to lightning, the aura's structure became extremely robust. In other words, if it took the shape of a blade, it would become a hard, sharp blade; if it took the shape of a shield, it would become an unbreakable shield.
Garon's aura armor withstood the concentrated firepower of the assailants.
However, even he couldn't endure the continuous barrage of attacks forever without letting his guard down.
Well, that's a given, and if he can withstand it for even an instant, it's more than enough performance.
――BBOOMM!!
And then, a devastating explosion erupted from the center, accompanied by an intense shockwave that echoed through the air,
"――AH!!"
In the next instant, Garon burst forth, clad in his aura armor.
He charged forward, striking his stunned enemies with his fists.
BBOOMMM!! The attacker he punched was blown away, his body shattered into tiny pieces, the remaining fragments flying off like cannonballs.
The surviving attackers were horrified by the brutal death, their faces pale with fear.
"U, UWAAAAAAAHHH!!"
They launched a frenzied attack on Garon, but it was no use. Garon's aura armor deflected the attacks, and he quickly closed the distance with his [Bash Step] technique, trapping his enemies in a tight space before striking them with his shield.
Shield Battle Technique――[Bash Blow]
BBOOMMM!! The earth-attribute aura released from "Rock Iron Fist" sent a shockwave crashing down, blowing the attackers away into tiny pieces.
"W-WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS GUY?!"
Their screams of terror had reached a fever pitch.
After taking the attack, Garon would instantly close the distance and land a devastating blow that rendered defense useless. His fighting style was extremely strong, and it perfectly suited his job as a shield warrior.
No one on the scene could pierce Garon's armor, and therefore, no one could stop him.
BBOOMMM!! BBOOMMM!! BBOOMMM!!
The attackers were blown away one after another.
Garon's fighting style was truly unbeatable, but――,
"――AH!!"
Next instant, for the first time that day, he dodged an attack.
Garon, who had jumped back, narrowly avoided the attack that had been descending from above where he had been a moment ago. A rainbow-colored――or rather, a pale blue-green――magical blade imbued with light flew in, and without any resistance, it was sucked into the ground, leaving behind a deep, unseen fissure from the slash.
That was the magical blade that could cut through everything――[Space Rupture Slash].
Recognizing it, Garon looked up and braced himself.
There, standing on the [Space Barrier] deployed in mid-air, was the golden-eyed magician gazing down at him.
"――You've come."
The Space mage who had been attacking elsewhere had come to this location.
Even Garon couldn't defend against their attacks. The real fight was about to begin.
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