Black Iron Magician

Chapter 96 Staff Fortress

After bringing Gobuo back here, we quickly started evacuating. If we stay in this place, we won’t be able to watch the battle. I have Lily and Gobuo carry the sheet, tea, and lunches, and we move to a place where the stone giant can’t reach us. Thanks to Gobuo’s quick work, we were able to secure a new seat in no time.

「Goshujin-sama, the move is complete! Please come to our love nest!」

「It’s quite an open love nest, isn’t it? As expected of Lilyvia, your ideas are very different.」

「Ufufu, Nell, I think it’s just you being non-flexible, you know? Understanding every detail of Goshujin-sama’s sexual disposition is the proof of being a first-class maid.」

「……Hmm?」

Hey, you there. Don’t fabricate people’s dispositions as you please. Also, please don’t fight in this place since it will be even more troublesome. At least, just keep it with just sending sparks with your gaze. That way, it will end with just the ground cracking due to the bloodlust.

「… Then we will move over there.」

「Yes, take care.」

The way Therese fights hasn’t changed, set up the shield and receive the attack. She uses her usual power to make her the target of the enemy, and in the meantime, Haru and Chinatsu will defeat the enemy. Certainly, Therese’s power works even against the stone giant and the power is tremendous.

The stone giant comes straight to Therese and completely ignores Haru, who throws the lion golem at it, and Chinatsu, who stabs it with the Glitter Lance. It occasionally shows signs of trying to attack Haru, but when Therese shouts, it stops and starts running again. It’s funny how blatant it is. Still, at this rate, the same thing will happen again even if she sets up her defense.

「Therese-ojousama, if it seems impossible, I can take over…」

「Thank you for your concern. But, I haven’t given up yet!

「I see. But, if something happens to you, I won’t be able to face Duke Ortho. The next time I feel it’s impossible, you should step back obediently. Is that okay?」

「You give me a chance, huh. Deris-san, thank you for your generous consideration desuwa.」

「Good luck.」

I return to the fire where Nell and Lily are quarreling. Well, I can rescue them from here just before the crisis. Rather, I’m the one who wants to be rescued, but I don’t think there’s anyone in this country who can do that. Therese-ojousama, just like you, I’m in a difficult situation. So you――

「The secret treasure of the Batten family, 『Staff Fortress Coalesce』! Show me your true form!」

――Just what are you going to do?

Something like gray soil is overflowing from the staff, which is the main body of the shield that Therese is holding. The heap of soil that emerges from the staff moves to the surface of the attached shield and is assimilated into the shield one after another. Gradually, the thickness and width of the large shield increased, and by the time the soil coming out of the staff stopped, a joke stuff was created. Is that a shield? It would be better to say that it a moving fortress… Ahh, that’s why it’s called the Staff Fortress.

「This form uses the magic power stored in the Staff of Coalesce to exert the maximum defense power desuwa! It’s the pride of the Batten family with a safe and secure design that can be used even if the user does not have magic power! Now, inheriting that feeling, Therese Batten is coming!」

Along with that shout, several stakes appeared from right under the Staff Fortress and pierced deeply into the stone pavement. The stake itself is quite long, so piercing it into the ground will make it more stable. It’s completely beyond the scope of a shield.

「………!」

Also, because she shouted out loud again, it seems that the stone giant only sees Therese. In the meantime, Haru and Chinatsu are hitting it with all their might, but it still only conscious of Therese. Around this time, all of Haru’s lion cannonballs had been thrown.

「All hit the mark! But it doesn’t stop!」

「Legs, joints, and face are no good. It’s troublesome that its whole body is stone and there’s no place that looks like a weak point…!

Running towards Therese is like running away from Haruna and Chinatsu. Attacking an opponent that’s running with all its might is troublesome. Attacking with magic from a long distance is less powerful and you have to chase it to attack at a short distance. Even though it exposes its back, which should be its weak point, it’s all stone. There is not much difference in durability compared to the front.

「Therese-san, please endure the attack just once! We’ll catch up with you in the meantime!」

I’m not sure if it’s correct to say it’s injured, but the surface of the stone giant’s whole body is full of cracks. It continued to receive various attacks such as repeated throwing of Haru’s lion cannonballs, Chinatsu’s Glitter Lance, slash attacks, and blow attacks. There was no way it took no damage. However, further decisive blow is required to stop the stone giant from walking. If there’s one, it would be a solid attack from close range. Haruna and Chinatsu are planning to make a big move when the stone giant is attacking Therese.

「Not only once, but I will also endure it twice or even three times! Come!」

The stone giant, which had approached right in front of Therese, raised its right leg high in the air. It is preparing to trample the target with that big sole.

「What an intimidating air! But, the Batten family will overcome the adversity desuwa!」

「………!」

She provoked it further. With the Staff Fortress covering her entire body, Therese is trying to confront this situation as well.

And then, Haru and Chinatsu wouldn’t just stand still and watch. While running, Haru throws her treasured iron ball and hits the ankle of its left foot, which supports the whole body of the stone giant. Since poison does not work on golems, she enhanced the weight to make it more powerful. Unlike the lion bullet, it sank into the ankle, probably because she concentrated the power on one point, and caused a lot of damage enough to make it cracked. Immediately after that, Chinatsu’s Glitter Lance hits the same spot directly.

Finally, the stone giant’s left leg lost its balance and its huge body was about to collapse. Even so, perhaps it was its last stubbornness, only the right foot that was swung up attacked Therese as a clear hostility.

「Guh…!」

The tough right foot swung down accurately at Therese and trampled her with its entire weight. Therese is somehow enduring the impact, which is more than the impact of the first fist. It’s scary that the Staff Fortress is starting to scream.

「What persistently remains in the end is a tenacious willpower desuwa!」

Not only endured that terrifying attack, Therese even pushed it back. The only supporting right foot is pushed, and the stone giant who has completely lost stability falls to the ground miserably. At the same time, the Staff Fortress deployed on Therese’s shield returned to the original form. Literally, it’s the result of mustering all of her last power.

「Willpower, huh…」

「That girl is good after all. I would love to have her in the Knight Order.」

A rumbling sound reverberates. Then, Haru and Chinatsu begin to shower it with attacks.