Giant Dragon Lord: Starting from Daily Intelligence-Chapter 197 - 191: Close Combat: Barrier VS Iron Guard
On the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s side, Karachi saw Rodney take the field. He raised an eyebrow slightly, a playful smile touching the corners of his lips as if he’d just thought of something amusing.
Soon, a Knight also emerged from the ranks of the Fiery Sun Army.
This Knight’s build was on par with Rodney’s; he too possessed the towering physique of a Giant.
His Armor was the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s signature gold. However, unlike Leonhardt’s light and ornate style, his Golden Armor was heavy and archaic, exuding a sense of Power. Every plate seemed forged from solid gold, carved with patterns of mountains and city walls.
His Weapons were also a Giant Shield and a Battle Hammer.
The square, golden Giant Shield had a relief of a glaring lion at its center, and it radiated an aura as solid as a mountain.
"Galio the ’Iron Guard’!"
This time, it was the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s soldiers who let out confident cheers.
Galio was the strongest Shield Guard under the command of the Domain Knight, Aston "Blood Lion." He was a Knight also renowned for his defense. It was said he had once withstood a frontal assault from a Tier Four Siege Golem and proceeded to forcibly dismantle it.
The two Heavy Armor Knights, both famous for their defense, faced each other from a dozen meters apart.
An eerie silence fell over the battlefield.
The wind swept across the empty battlefield, kicking up a few withered leaves.
Rodney, his face expressionless, slammed his Tower Shield onto the ground with a THUD, making the earth tremble slightly.
He assumed a standard defensive stance, seeming to merge as one with the ground beneath him.
On the other side, Galio followed suit. He held his golden Giant Shield before him and lowered his stance, his presence becoming as steady as a mountain.
And then... nothing.
A minute passed.
The two of them hadn’t moved a muscle.
Five minutes passed.
They remained perfectly still, as if they had turned into two statues.
The atmosphere on the battlefield started to turn strange.
At first, the soldiers on both sides had held their breath, anticipating an earth-shattering clash.
But as time went on, that tension was gradually replaced by a strange sense of absurdity.
"Uh... are they in a contest to see who can stand still the longest?"
A young soldier in the Allied Army’s formation couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.
"Shut up!"
The veteran soldier next to him hissed.
"This is a duel between masters! They’re looking for an opening in each other’s defense!"
Despite his words, the veteran himself couldn’t help but crane his neck, his eyes filled with confusion.
’These two guys are practically screaming "I have no openings,"’ he thought. ’How is anyone supposed to find one?’
The situation was much the same on the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s side.
"What’s Sir Galio doing? Go on, attack!"
"What do you know? This is a battle of presence! See? Our Sir Galio’s aura has him completely intimidated. He doesn’t even dare to move!"
Even the speaker himself sounded a little unconvinced by this forced explanation.
Finally, after a stalemate that lasted for over ten minutes, perhaps realizing he would become a laughingstock if he just kept standing there, Galio, the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s "Iron Guard," made the first move.
He didn’t charge. Instead, he took heavy steps, one by one, heading toward Rodney.
Each of his steps was powerful and heavy, making the ground tremble with dull thuds—THUD, THUD, THUD—as if an ancient Giant Beast were awakening.
Seeing his opponent move, a flicker finally appeared in Rodney’s eyes.
He did not retreat. He too lifted his feet and moved forward to meet him. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
The distance between the two mobile iron fortresses in the center of the battlefield rapidly closed.
Everyone subconsciously clenched their fists, their hearts in their throats.
At last, under the watchful eyes of all, the two "mountains" were about to collide!
Galio let out a low roar, pouring all his Power into his shoulder and Shield as he charged forward for a brutal slam!
"Hah!"
Rodney roared in response, his Black Iron Tower Shield meeting the charge head-on like a city wall!
CLANG!
A deafening boom, loud enough to shatter eardrums, exploded in the middle of the battlefield!
It wasn’t the crisp sound of Weapons clashing, but the thunderous roar of two metal mountains colliding!
A visible shockwave spread out from the two men, kicking up a huge cloud of dust and smoke.
The soldiers in the front ranks of both armies could even feel the ground shaking violently beneath their feet. Some lost their footing and nearly fell.
Through the dust, everyone stared intently at the center of the impact.
What was the result?
The dust slowly settled, revealing the scene within.
Rodney and Galio had their Shields locked firmly together. The ground beneath their feet had cracked, and their massive bodies were trembling slightly, clearly bearing an immense amount of Power.
But both stood their ground firmly, neither able to push the other back even half a step.
An even match!
"ROAR!"
Galio pushed with another burst of strength, trying to shove his opponent away.
Rodney grunted, not yielding an inch, his Black Iron Tower Shield seemingly rooted to the ground.
And so, an extremely comical scene unfolded on the battlefield.
Two fully armed Heavy Armor Knights, like a pair of Barbarian Bulls fighting over territory, began a contest of strength, pushing against each other with their Shields.
"Nngh... Hah!"
"Hrg... Yah!"
Both their faces were flushed red, veins bulging on their necks. The air was filled with their heavy panting and the incessant CREAK of their Armor grinding together.
They had given up on attacking with their hammers, because at such close range, whoever retracted their Shield to attack first would be sent flying by the other’s Shield bash.
At this point, the duel no longer had anything to do with technique, Magic, or Fighting Spirit.
It had devolved into the most primitive, purest competition of Power and endurance.
"Go! Sir Rodney!"
"Sir Galio! Knock him over!"
In the Fiery Sun Kingdom’s camp, the smile on Blood Lion Aston’s face had vanished, replaced by a look of resignation.
He watched the two guys on the field still "locking horns" and rubbed his temples.
’I sent Galio out to secure a solid win this round,’ he thought. ’Or at the very least, ensure we didn’t lose. But I never expected their commander to play so ’dirty’ and send out an identical ’iron turtle.’ If this keeps up, forget deciding a winner; they’ll probably still be pushing each other when night falls. This isn’t a duel anymore. It’s a trial of everyone’s patience.’
Finally, Aston seemingly couldn’t watch any longer. He spurred his horse forward a few steps, his booming voice echoing across the battlefield.
"Luke," he called out, "it seems our two Warriors have met their match, and it’s impossible to determine a winner. If they continue, they will only waste their stamina. How about we call this round a draw?"
As soon as he spoke, the cheering from the battlefield came to an abrupt halt.
Luke glanced at the two men still locked in their contest of strength. From the looks of it, they could probably keep pushing for another hour or two without issue.
He nodded, his face impassive.
"Agreed."
With permission granted, Rodney and Galio on the field seemed to let out a simultaneous sigh of relief and abruptly took a step back at the same time.
The two looked at each other, the previous hostility in their eyes gone. Instead, there was a hint of... mutual respect?
Galio faced Rodney and, using the Battle Hammer he never got a chance to swing, thumped his own chestplate, creating a muffled sound as a sign of respect.
Rodney silently nodded in return.
Then, they both turned and, with heavy steps, returned to their own lines.
And so a magnificent duel of Close Combat ended in an anticlimactic, almost farcical, manner.
First round: the Allied Army lost.
Second round: a draw.
Now, the final outcome of victory would be decided by the last and final round: the aerial duel.
