In any case, there was no doubt that Gol boasted an absurdly high defensive capability compared to a normal light-class golem. I didn’t miss Ginem Bari’s momentary frozen look when Gol brushed off a direct hit from the clowns’ daggers.
However, these clowns were also terribly quick and horrifically strong. I mean, Gol was actually having trouble attacking them. I feared it was partly that they didn’t have her full concentration because she kept checking on me, but nevertheless, these were dangerous enemies.
The clown brigade leapt in all directions at high speeds. Whenever Gol attempted to punch one, the remaining three simultaneously threw themselves at her, which forced her to dodge. This effectively circumvented her ability to unleash her sure-fire killer punch.
It really did feel like each golem was a dexterous, clever finger on the same giant hand. Ginem Bari sure was skilled at the golem-fighting game. He was like a professional gamer who had dropped in at an arcade to challenge me, the trash beginner.
While Gol struggled to best the clowns’ fierce strategy, I probed the situation in the forest. Though the battle had begun and Gol had left my side, the heavy-class golem still didn’t show any signs of approaching. Were they backup, or were they actually just observers?
I only became more suspicious, but Ginem Bari was having the time of his life. “Your golem is phenomenal. Its strength is undeniable, and its mobility surpasses anything I’ve seen. To think I would encounter someone who could hold off my golems for so long.”
Ginem’s narrow eyes narrowed even further, as if he were trying to understand something about me. “Moreover, its defenses are abnormally high, given its apparent base. Did you concentrate its mana circulation to create a physical barrier? I’ve heard stories, but I’ve never actually seen it done.”
“Hm…? Hmph, well, now you have.” I pretended I knew what he was talking about. My partner was doing her best to fend off her fellow golems, so I couldn’t cower and lose this debate with their owner. I needed to stand tall as a golem wielder, lest I embarrass my partner.
“Hmm, I see. You didn’t equip it with any armor as a show of confidence in its abilities… I suppose that would make sense if you had such trust in the fortitude of the barrier you devised,” Ginem said.
“Hmph, of course,” I said with a triumphant look, perhaps a dash of arrogance as well. I didn’t exactly know what he meant, but I knew this delightful man was complimenting my adorable partner. Like a simpleton, I let Ginem Bari score some affection points.
Then he said something quite unexpected. “To tell you the truth, I planned to have one of my jesters slip through an opening and dispose of you… But your golem doesn’t have any openings at all, eh?”
He was going to make such an underhanded move? How scary! Affection points rescinded!
I realized then that this was probably what made a multiple golem wielder so fearsome. Unlike me, who only had Gol to rely on, Ginem had a much wider range of options. Having more tools at your disposal inevitably expands your tactical repertoire.
However, it did seem like Gol was keeping the enemy at bay, preventing them from reaching me. This compelled me to praise her—I had to, as her owner. “Hmph, well, my very good girl, Gol, would never give you any such openings.”
“G-good girl…?” Ginem Bari looked confused, but he soon resumed his usual smirk. “Well, whatever. I wonder how long you can last. The moment that barrier you trust so much breaks will be your last.”
The delicate blue-haired man and I glared at each other.
A second later, the stalemate fractured. At last, Gol held one of the clown’s heads in her fearsome clawhold.
At first my vulnerability had distracted Gol, but it seemed the clowns’ persistence had finally irritated her enough to focus up. By and large, she was a kind and patient girl, but for some reason, she could be quite short-tempered when dealing with anyone but me.
“Tsk,” Ginem Bari clicked his tongue. As he did, the three remaining clowns charged Gol in an attempt to tear their captured comrade away.
In response, Gol unleashed a controlled roundhouse kick. The outrageous force of her lashing white leg created a whirlwind, and her enemies were pushed back by the tremendous wind pressure surrounding her. She eyed them calmly, then ripped through the captured clown’s neck with all her might, tearing its head from its body as easily as I could tear paper.
“Wha—?” Ginem Bari’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Head gone, the clown’s body ceased functioning and fell limp. The beautiful elf goddess with burning eyes tossed the clown’s head to the ground as if discarding a broken toy. She was once again the white witch of destruction.
Next, Gol cracked the armor from the clown’s body, which separated neatly in two. It appeared their stone armor was composed of both a chest piece and backplate. But what exactly was she planning to do with that dismantled armor?
Gol hurled each armor plate and the clown’s body one after the other. The body and armor careened forward at a frightful speed until three purple hunks of stone crashed into the dense crowd of spellcasters, knocking them all down in one go like bowling pins.
The female spellcaster tumbled dramatically away and her red staff snapped. The impact of the spellcasters’ landing covered the battlefield in a plume of dust. The force of Gol’s natural power partially accounted for that giant cloud, but the rest was due to the profound weight of the stone armor.
When the dust cleared, there were no other words to describe the scene but “a clean sweep.” The spellcasters buried in the dirt lay bloodied, motionless, annihilated. Pained groans and cries rose up from the mass. Every one of them was severely injured, but a majority were still conscious. However, it was probably safe to say that the spellcasters meant to support the golems had been rendered powerless.
You see, in order to cast a spell, you don’t just have to chant the proper incantation—you have to construct a mental image. It takes a great deal of concentration. This is likely easier for some people than others, but I doubted it was possible for anyone to effectively cast spells while suffering from such grievous injuries and outlandish amounts of pain, especially when dealing with things like broken bones.
Honestly, the outcome of this situation reminded me of nothing more than a hand-to-hand fight. Maybe in a game you can fight at full strength right up to the moment your hit points have been exhausted, but in real life, humans are steadily weakened by the harm they endure. As a weak man myself, I would certainly be useless the moment I was hurt.