Shield, Endure
Originally, I thought Gerard’s knights would be flustered. After all, their trusted commander’s master was about to face them. That alone should have weighed on them and made the tension far heavier. Yet somehow, the one who seemed most tense was Gerard himself. The other knights, by contrast, wore expressions of anticipation and curiosity as they studied me closely.
“Master, are you truly going to spar with us?”
“I am. Why? Are you afraid of swinging your shield and sword against your own master?”
“Honestly, I can’t help but feel afraid. I have no idea how badly we’ll be broken.”
Gerard’s words drew a laugh from me. Thinking back, I had beaten this boy far more mercilessly than any of my other disciples—more than even I thought reasonable. Not because I disliked him or for any personal reason. On the contrary, Gerard was an outstanding disciple. If Lily was the model daughter, then Gerard held the position of model son. Ah, now that I think about it, he really was the only male among them.
So why had I driven him so hard? Because he was the sole main tank in my party. Garam and Jenia were close-range dealers, Daisy the mage, Iris a damage-taker, Lily both supporter and healer, and Ester the assassin striking from the rear. There was also the other Iris, but since I had never trained her, I set that aside. In any case, a main tank was essential. Too many tanks meant a loss in overall damage output. One exceptionally sturdy shield was more than enough.
Gerard fit that role perfectly. That was why I had no choice but to be harsher with him than with the others—he alone had to carry the main tank position.
“When I think about it, Gerard, you really had it rough.”
“Rough? I nearly died several times.”
“So you resent me for it?”
“Resent you? How could I resent the man who taught me how to escape death and how to protect others? That would be absurd. I simply have no desire to repeat the experience.”
Gerard was always serious, even at unnecessary moments. For someone like him to wear such a troubled smile while mixing in a joke could only mean one thing: he truly wanted to avoid this and had no idea how to do so.
“Unfortunately, your knights seem eager to clash with me.”
It was no empty remark. Gerard’s knights genuinely wondered how strong I was and what kind of existence could be called the master of the Heroes. Their eyes and expressions said it all.
Gerard let out a long sigh. As someone who had personally suffered under me, he knew exactly how foolish—and how deeply regrettable—this was.
“It seems there’s no helping it. Then please go easy on them, at least enough for my subordinates to endure.”
“Worried about them? It wouldn’t hurt to trust your knights a little.”
“I do trust them. Of course I do. But the non-combat losses are painfully obvious.”
I nodded with a smile at his words. If it were just Gerard facing me alone, that would be one thing. But if I treated his knights the way I usually did… well, it would be a massacre, plain and simple.
“What to do? Shall I use real swords, or wooden ones?”
“Wooden, of course—”
Gerard had been about to say “wooden,” but when the surrounding knights showed clear disappointment, he sighed again. His current feelings were probably something like: Do they really need to find out whether it’s dung or soybean paste by tasting it themselves? I’m trying to spare them unnecessary pain, so why won’t they cooperate?
“…Let us use real swords.”
In the end, Gerard shook his head as if to say “whatever happens, happens.” His request for real swords was essentially asking me to show his subordinates my techniques. Of course, Gerard’s knights weren’t underestimating me. If they had been, it wouldn’t have been my hand that twisted their necks—it would have been Gerard’s, and they would all have been planted face-first into the ground.
Perhaps because they had rolled and tumbled under Gerard’s command, they carried both respect for the strong and a desire to test themselves against one.
“I won’t go as far as the Moon.”
“Then you’ll only use up to the Wind? That’s a relief, at least.”
“That only applies to your knights.”
“…That sounds like I’m not included.”
“Why ask the obvious? Do you think you could even scratch me with just the Wind?”
After saying that, I lightly kicked off the ground as a signal to begin. At the same time, the knights formed a defensive formation around Gerard. It looked like a massive, solid, and reliable wall of shields that could withstand even considerable monsters or demonic beasts.
Well then, let’s see just how hard our rookies have worked. Time to test them as a stagnant water.
“Here I come, Gerard. Keep your wits about you and look after the kids.”
I deliberately used the word “kids” to provoke them, but the knights beside Gerard showed no reaction whatsoever. Considering that Demon God Worshippers specialized in psychological warfare, this was proof that Gerard had trained his subordinates’ mental fortitude exceptionally well. Giving him points for that, I lightly kicked off the ground.
Starting with sword techniques would make things far less interesting. These rookies had worked hard to get this far together. As a veteran, crushing their resolve was something I should absolutely avoid.
— Start light.
I drew my sword slightly back, gathered energy, and focused it into my palm. In just three steps I reached their barrier and struck the shield hard with a palm technique.
Kuuung!
“Kuh?!”
“Ugh!!”
The knights were probably startled. One moment a person had vanished, the next he appeared right in front of them. Though it looked like a light push against the wall, it felt as though another massive shield had slammed straight into them.
“Everyone, focus! Think of him as the strongest of the strong—or even beyond that!”
At Gerard’s shout, the knights poured strength into their bodies once more. The barrier, which had developed a faint crack, solidified again.
More than that, this was quite remarkable. Even though I hadn’t poured much energy into the palm strike, and even though the opponents weren’t channeling energy like I was—they were simply propping up their shields with each other as supports—they had still withstood it and held their ground. At this level, they could probably endure even mid-grade monsters charging head-on.
“Sturdy. The sturdiest wall humans can produce.”
“…”
“Of course, there are plenty of beings in this world capable of breaking that wall.”
Three or more mid-grade monsters, or a high-grade monster or Demonic Human, would shatter it in an instant. I wondered how the knights would respond once their barrier fell.
Since I had used a palm technique, it was time to break them with fist techniques. I employed some of what I had taught Iris, though her energy was red while mine was closer to black.
— Thunderclap
Black lightning flashed once from my right hand and crashed into the prepared rookies.
Kwaaang!!
“Kek!”
“Kyaah!”
A single attack was enough. In the end, that barrier too was made of human strength and human construction. Against internal energy—and against the Enemy that would one day devour the world—it could offer no meaningful resistance before being swept away in an instant.
Several knights were flung through the gap where the barrier had been cleanly split in half. They had unfortunately been at the center of the Thunderclap’s impact. The remaining knights were stunned that their wall had been shattered by a single human fist.
“Disperse!”
Still, they were men trained by the Guardian Hero. At Gerard’s command, they immediately regained their senses and scattered in all directions.
“As always! First squad, attack! Second squad, raise the wall and prepare to rotate!”
Dozens of knights moved in perfect unison, splitting in every direction. Some drew their swords and charged straight at me, others waited behind them, and the rest adjusted their shields to claim the space I could use.
It was clear Gerard had trained them well. No matter how skilled an expert might be, two things could defeat them: endless numbers pressing forward, and space that refused to yield even an inch. Even my master—and even the Heavenly Demon—had acknowledged this. Not even they could face hundreds of warriors in a space barely a foot wide. Being outnumbered meant being driven back, and losing space meant losing the ability to exert power. There were limits to enduring on internal energy alone, so defeat was inevitable.
‘Of course, that only applies when the opponent is skilled enough to properly utilize those numbers and that space.’
Unfortunately, Gerard’s knights were not at that level of expertise.
Thud!
Bang!
“Kuh!”
“Kek!”
I was striking with the flat of the blade rather than the edge. Moreover, the sword I held wasn’t my master’s blade. It was an ordinary sword I had borrowed from one of the knights. Even though the weapon didn’t fit my hand, two or three knights were sent spinning through the air and slammed into the ground with each swing.
At this rate, there was no need to use any techniques at all.
“W-what is this…?”
“Do you really think you’ll only ever face enemies at your own level? There are countless beings in this world stronger than you.”
They had probably felt secure simply by being with Gerard. They believed this level was enough to hold their own or even win. It was nothing but worthless nonsense. In the end, these knights had been relying on Gerard’s strength rather than their own. Now that he was absent, both their numerical tactics and spatial control had turned to dust, leaving them floundering before being crushed.
“It seems this method won’t educate them properly, Gerard.”
“…I wonder if Master is being too heavy-handed.”
“This is already quite gentle by my standards.”
I hadn’t cut them with the sword—I had merely patted them a little. If my other disciples saw this, they would probably call it special treatment.
“Huu.”
Gerard exhaled and gestured for his knights to fall back. Then he took his stance, preparing to unleash his most powerful weapon—his absolute defense technique.
“You’re moving on your own without me even telling you to. You’ve gotten quite proactive.”
“You were going to do this anyway. Might as well get hit early and be done with it.”
“For someone saying that, you’re preparing quite solidly.”
A tremendous energy was already coiling around Gerard’s shield. At this level, I would definitely have to draw moonlight. Even the Crescent Moon that had casually cut down the Demonic Human twins wouldn’t suffice. I would need at least the New Moon—or something beyond that.
Kuuung!
“…I’m ready, Master.”
Gerard declared this while lowering his shield, now brimming with light. I nodded and slowly swung my sword.
Just how sturdy had our tank become? As both a player and a master, I was genuinely curious.