The Golem Mage Chapter 1076: Ice Captains Revealed 2.

“I’ll take the one with the shield, handle the other one,” Shun declared, spotting the two ice golems barreling right at them.

Bang!!!

Bulwark's every footfall sent a subtle shake through the ground, and the view of the huge golem surging ahead while gathering speed filled Shun with peril, urging him to launch the initial assault.

Shun whirled around and flung his shield at Bulwark.

In his thoughts, the result appeared straightforward, as Bulwark wielded smaller shields in his grasp, Shun anticipated forcing him into a cramped guard.

He pictured Bulwark lifting both arms high to defend robustly, only to get shoved back by the force, with the shield then bouncing toward him, allowing Shun to grab the advantage and dash in to narrow the gap.

Yet reality seldom follows one's expectations, for as soon as Bulwark noticed the shield hurtling at him with great velocity, he abruptly crouched and skidded ahead.

The big shield fixed to his back rubbed against the terrain, functioning nearly like a sleigh that carried him along.

Since much of the combat area was already blanketed by Titan’s ice domain, Bulwark’s glide accelerated over the frosty ground, while Shun’s shield soared just over his head.

Through that one action, Bulwark evaded the strike and bridged the space much quicker than Shun had foreseen.

Reaching striking range of Shun, Bulwark halted and whipped out with his right leg, slamming it fiercely into Shun’s right limb.

Whack!

The hit came so abruptly that Shun buckled to one knee right away as his footing gave out, and before he could regain poise, Bulwark unleashed a savage uppercut, ramming the compact shield on his right arm upward at an angle into Shun’s chin.

Mere instants prior to the impact, Shun had extended his arm, attempting to summon back his launched shield once he grasped that his assault had been utterly dodged.

However, his shield, which had lingered in the sky returning to him, abruptly lost its energy after the uppercut connected and vanished into the atmosphere.

Though the hit had dazed him briefly, Shun retained some power, aiming to smash a fist down, but Bulwark merely lifted his limb to shield his visage as he invoked a incantation.

Right then, a chunk of ice abruptly materialized encasing Shun’s head, making him reel back while gasping for air amid the icy trap locking his features.

With the ice chunk in place, Shun ditched the planned punch entirely, and with Shun thus subdued, Bulwark advanced and delivered yet another uppercut.

This hit proved final, sending Shun into instant blackout, unable to fend off the encroaching void as his form floated up a touch before crashing down with a resounding crash.

Fortunately, the ice block trapping his head broke apart into shards upon his fall.

“Bulwark!”

Right after dispatching his foe, Bulwark caught his name shouted, yet he skipped glancing around.

He merely pivoted his frame and flung his left arm sideways, hurling the crescent-notched shield rotating toward the far flank.

Clang!

The shield streaked directly into a volley of wind blades aimed at Glacius, blocking and scattering them, and with the danger averted, the shield curved back through the sky.

Glacius reached out with his left palm and seized it smoothly, then whirled to hurl it returning to Bulwark, while Kiri, witnessing her assault thwarted, hastily started another incantation, though it proved too tardy.

Glacius had bridged the gap; he hadn't simply rotated to launch the shield—he had harnessed that motion to swing his ice spear, aligning the handle broadside.

The flat blow smashed into Kiri’s skull, rendering her senseless at once.

In an instant, Hoshino Ren stood as the sole remaining fighter from Shinsei Academy.

And from how his clash with Alec progressed, prospects appeared grim for him too.

That instant, Ren heaved for breath intensely, the extended activation of his fused form had evidently started rebounding, suggesting he had undermined himself by prolonging it excessively.

Truthfully, Ren had never fully attained the stage needed to fuse with a far superior-ranked spirit. Typically, though, he overpowered rivals prior to the burden of that constraint emerging.

Against Alec, however, the scenario differed; he hadn't dominated Alec whatsoever. Indeed, inwardly he sensed that if Alec desired to conclude the bout, he likely could have already.

Still, the skirmish dragged on, with Alec engaging solely via his Changdao enveloped in Blood Killing Intent, thus Ren’s Crimson Qi kept colliding against Alec’s bloodlust-imbued edge.

At present, though, Ren had expended excessive Qi and neared exhaustion, while sustaining Akagami’s Crimson equipment summoning for so long had driven him to the edge.

Beyond his desperate condition, he felt utterly drained, knowing that tapping more from Akagami to steady himself would commence siphoning his vitality, yet gazing at Alec—who grew ever more at ease while effortlessly parrying his katana—Ren doubted even that offering would clinch triumph.

Alec observed him quietly, biding time, but the extended scrutiny of Ren convinced him little further benefit would arise from the duel.

Ren thought Alec toyed with him, yet that wasn't accurate; for the initial occasion since Alec’s blade and sword expertise hit advanced rank, he faced an adversary able to compel him into truly wielding his armament with utmost concentration.

Alec had been utterly immersed in the fray, concurrently getting instant alerts that his proficiency advanced.

Essentially, Ren had unwittingly served as a practice dummy for Alec’s skill growth, and the grin on Alec’s features stemmed from that fulfillment.

Ren misconstrued it, however; right from the start, Ren perceived Alec dismissed them entirely, mostly due to Alec’s composed and assured bearing.

Actually, it stemmed not from hubris but from Alec’s assurance in his capabilities.

“Let’s end this. One final move,” Ren announced, hoisting his radiant crimson katana skyward.

He channeled his remaining Qi entirely into the weapon, the force erupting fiercely, and a colossal spectral form arose behind him—it was Akagami, replicating Ren’s pose and heightening the aura emanating from him.

Witnessing this, Alec grinned, having learned plenty about Ren’s abilities from Agnes prior to the fight, and in honor, he chose to unleash full power for this closing clash.

“Alright.” Alec responded steadily.

He twirled his sword once in the air prior to sheathing it, and as the edge nested within, the scabbard quivered faintly.

Alec assumed his posture, legs wide, right foot advancing, right palm gripping the changdao's handle securely, left palm bracing the scabbard's center for steadiness.

Simultaneously, both combatants readied their ultimate arts.

[> Mid Tier Skill – Cleave <]

[> Mid Tier Skill – Iaido <]