Chapter 246 The Unmoving Knight Galahad
Day 2 of the Exploration.
After spending the night in the cave, we quickly resumed our exploration the next day.
With a thunderstorm pouring down and strong winds raging on the 47th floor, we cautiously moved forward, protected by the Shieldsmen equipped with the "Rock Iron" series.
Since we were well-prepared, we didn't have to worry too much about the lightning strikes coming from above.
However, the rain and storm were definitely draining our stamina.
Also, it was always dark like night, making visibility poor, and the thunderstorm made it hard to hear sounds around us. This made it difficult to detect any surprise attacks from the monsters lurking in the floating islands.
The strength of the monsters themselves wasn't a problem for us right now. While there were some differences in the monsters that appeared, they weren't tougher than the ones on the 46th floor.
But the nerve-wracking exploration was slowly wearing us down and making us less focused.
Surprisingly... or maybe not, the 'Dark Crows' turned out to be really helpful.
They stayed right behind us as we led the way, constantly detecting and informing us about the hiding spots of the monsters and any surprise attacks.
Although they weren't combat-focused scouts like Ail's 'Hermit' job, their scouting abilities were definitely the best among us.
I heard that they had skills to improve the accuracy of [magical energy sense] and skills to see infrared and magical energy. Because of that, they could spot hidden monsters visually.
It was the Storm rain that blocked our hearing, sense of smell, and the flow of air――this was a blessing for us, who had many senses hindered.
I thought that if we got close enough, we could sense the monsters with our [magical energy sense], but in this environment, it would definitely take longer to notice them, and if that happened, we might barely manage to deal with a surprise attack.
Just being able to detect hidden monsters or ambushes in advance makes a huge difference in how easy it is to explore.
Therefore, while we struggled a bit, thanks to the 'Dark Crows,' we were able to reach the deepest part of floor 47 without too much danger that day.
And then――
"Lady Lucia, is that also a hero from the Age of Gods?"
Gathered on a floating island, we activated a barrier magic tool to temporarily shield ourselves from the rain and wind, observing what seemed to be the innermost floating island.
Just like in the upper floors, in the center of the enormous floating island stood a large gate, glowing faintly, standing alone without any support.
In front of that gate was a small shadow compared to the gate――a human standing tall.
When Logan asked Lucia, she nodded on my back.
"Yeah. That's probably... 'The Immovable Knight Galahad.' The hero from the Age of Gods who became the basis for the Unique Job 'Immovable Knight.'."
"The Immovable Knight?"
I tilted my head.
"We don't have anyone with that Job among us... but does that mean someone with the same Job will definitely appear?"
"Yeah. Heroes with the same type of Job tend to show up. But it doesn't mean they'll be exactly the same. This is set as a trial for those trying to pass through the labyrinth."
"Hmm... so, who is this trial for?"
I have a guess, but it's better to ask for sure.
As expected, Lucia seems to be confident and starts answering right away.
"Galahad had a twin brother... and that brother became the hero known as 'Legion Knight.'."
In that moment, we all looked at Garon.
"......"
But Garon didn't say anything, just stared at Lucia as if urging her to continue.
Lucia began to explain the abilities of the 'Immovable Knight.'
"If the 'Legion Knight' is the hardest knight in the army, then the 'Immovable Knight' is the hardest knight as an individual... The 'Immovable Knight' has many unique skills..."
According to Lucia, the famous unique skills of the 'Immovable Knight' are as follows:
Reflects magic――[Magic Reflection]
Reflects aura――[Aura Reflection]
Creates an area that can push damage onto surrounding objects or equipment, but becomes immobile once activated――[Damage Trans Area]
Based on the premise of not being able to move, generates layered aura armor that becomes stronger over time――[Laminated Armor]
After explaining all that, Lucia pointed at Galahad, who was standing in front of the gate.
"Everyone, look at Galahad. That full-body armor and tower shield are made from super hard metal created with the technology of the Age of Gods... Even if Galahad takes damage, he can transfer it to that armor and shield, so ordinary attacks won't deal any damage to him for a long time..."
"Hmm..."
Finally, Garon opened his mouth.
"Lady Lucia, you said that Galahad can reflect both magic and skills, but does that mean he can reflect any kind of attack?"
Of course, that couldn't be true.
If he could reflect any power without exception, then he would be invincible. Since such a thing cannot exist in this world, absolute invincibility is impossible.
Naturally, Lucia shook her head.
"The limit of what can be reflected depends on the user of the skill, but there is, of course, a limit to the power that can be reflected."
"I see... Thank you."
Garon then looked at me.
"Aaron, can I take care of this part?"
Seeing Garon's serious face, I nodded solemnly.
Heh, I'm not the type to interfere with someone else's trial...
"Yeah...! Do as you like, Garon...!!"
* * *
As Garon and the others jumped from floating island to floating island, the 'Immovable Knight Galahad' stood firmly in front of the gate, raising his huge, thick tower shield and starting to activate skills one after another.
Immovable Knight Skill――[Damage Trans Area]
In an instant, the full-body armor and tower shield that Galahad wore, along with the ground within a 2-meter radius around him, were filled with a shining aura.
However, the skills he activated were not just that.
Immovable Knight Skill――[Magic Reflection]
Immovable Knight Skill――[Aura Reflection]
Outside the glowing ground, an aura dome was formed in a double layer, covering Galahad in a semi-spherical shape.
That must be the skill that reflects magic and aura. It looks almost the same as the [Dome Shield] learned by Shieldsmen Jobs, but its hidden capabilities are on a whole different level compared to [Dome Shield].
Furthermore, continuing――
Immovable knight skill――[Laminated Armor]
An aura expanded over Galahad's full-body armor. It was densely concentrated, thin, but layered many times to create an aura armor.
――Thus, Galahad finished his preparations and awaited the approaching Garon and his team.
No matter what kind of attack you throw at me, I will deflect it―― he seemed to say, standing confidently in an immovable stance.
In response, Garon shouted――
"――Everyone, fire!!"
He yelled to the 70 members of the Extermination Team following him.
While shouting, he launched a mass of earth attribute aura from his equipped "Rock Iron Fist."
"Hyahhaaaah!!" "Dieeeeee!!" "Not a speck will remain!!" "Come on, come on, come on!!" "Zeeeeeaaah!!" "Here we go!!" "Ryaaaah!!" "Drop deadddd!!"
And countless magic spells were unleashed, creating a storm of aura.
They exploded, froze, raged, sliced, crushed, slammed, pierced, burned, and finally combined to create a dazzling explosion.
Galahad's [Magic Reflection] and [Aura Reflection] did not deflect anything and were blown away in an instant.
Before he could even check if the [Damage Trans Area] was functioning properly, Galahad's figure disappeared behind the oncoming magic and aura.
The [Laminated Armor] probably held little significance.
It was a complete overkill.
Galahad vanished without a trace.
"Wow, that was a brutal fight..."
I muttered as I watched Garon's attacks with Lucia, Fiona, Logan, Noah, Chloe, and the 'Dark Crows.'
"Well, still, that's the right way to do it."
Logan said with a wry smile.
"If Garon challenged him alone, it would just be a battle of Shieldsmen. Even though both sides have their attacks, it's easy to imagine getting stuck in a situation like a stalemate."
Indeed, even with Garon's [Bash Blow], it would have been tough to break through Galahad's defense alone. But still...
"That many people weren't necessary, right?"
I felt sorry for Galahad...!!
For some reason, I felt empathy and sympathy for Galahad, who was being bombarded by countless attacks.
Why was that...? As I wondered, Fiona quietly said while staring at the crater where Galahad had literally disappeared without a trace.
"Not being able to withstand that attack means he wasn't tougher than Aaron, huh?"
"...Huh!?"
That's right...!! I thought it looked strangely familiar, and then I realized that total attack was the same one I faced once a month...!!
Just using [Dragon Scale] alone wouldn't be enough to block it, so I had to come up with various sword techniques to counter it, or else I'd seriously be dead...!!
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