"Ms. Aesta!" General Vincent called out in a loud voice. "Do your job! Protect this building, because I am going to fight seriously now!"
Near the rubble of the receptionist's desk, Aesta Fartwood, who had merely been observing the battle all this time, immediately furrowed her brow.
"Tsk!" The elf woman clicked her tongue loudly, her expression showing clear protest. "I've told you this over and over again! Do not order me around as if I were your subordinate!"
Despite voicing her complaint in such a sharp tone, General Aesta knew exactly how destructive her military peer could be when he claimed he would "fight seriously."
She raised her magic staff high into the air.
"Earth Cage!"
Rumble... Crack!
Suddenly, the floor everyone stood on inside the lobby began to shake violently, as if struck by a localized earthquake.
Around the combat zone, the floor fractured, spawning a multitude of elongated cracks. These cracks did not move randomly. Under General Aesta's absolute control, they shot forward in an orderly, rapid fashion, connecting with one another to instantly form a giant rectangular pattern surrounding General Vincent and his three opponents.
From every corner and line of the newly formed fissures, the earth materials responded to the Magic General's call. Extremely thick and dense pillars of the earth element erupted from beneath the ground, shooting upward at a terrifying speed until they nearly touched the guild's ceiling.
The pillars of earth did not merely stand straight. They writhed, crisscrossed, and interlocked, forming an incredibly sturdy earthen weave. They enclosed the four fighters within, resembling a closed arena.
At their peak, the earthen weave spread horizontally, converging to cover the remaining gaps, before finally fusing together to form a solid earthen ceiling.
In less than five seconds, a colossal cube of earth element stood firmly in the middle of the guild lobby, absolutely isolating the bloody battleground from the outside.
General Aesta lowered her magic staff and exhaled softly. "Finish your job in there quickly!"
"Yes!" General Vincent replied from within.
Seeing that he and his two comrades had been completely caged, Idai had no spare time to feel surprised. His eyes swept across the earth structure surrounding him. He smirked. This confined space was actually highly advantageous to him.
"Are you sure about asking your comrade to lock us up like this?" Idai mocked, continuing to swing his axe in a relentless barrage without pause. "You just dug your own grave, General!"
"You do not need to worry about me." the General answered calmly while continuously parrying the axe blade aimed at him. "I simply do not wish to destroy this guild."
Thud!
Seizing a tiny opening in his opponent's attack rhythm, General Vincent swung his leg and landed a solid kick squarely on Idai's stomach with lightning speed.
"AGH...!!"
Idai spat blood from his mouth. His eyes widened to their absolute limits.
Bang!
The man's body was sent flying backward at the speed of a bullet. He sailed past his two comrades, who had no time to react, before finally slamming violently against the wall of the Earth Cage.
The impact of Idai's body against the wall created a deafening thud. However, the most terrifying aspect was the structure of the Earth Cage itself.
Despite taking such a massive hit, the weave of earth magic pillars did not shatter in the slightest. The wall remained standing sturdy, without a single crack or scratch. Even the blast of wind and dust that should have swept through the guild lobby was completely suppressed. The area was entirely isolated.
Idai slumped to the floor, coughing violently as he clutched his aching stomach.
Damn it! Idai cursed inwardly. Why was that kick so fast and powerful? This bastard general's strength and speed are entirely different from before!
Seeing their comrade sent flying by just a single physical strike, York and the fighter instantly realized the true danger they were in.
The two of them immediately formed a dual defensive formation right in front of Idai, who was struggling to get up.
"Idai, are you alright?" the fighter asked, never taking his eyes off Vincent's figure ahead of him.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" Idai answered as he stood back up. He then spat to the side, clearing the remaining blood from his mouth.
The axe-wielding man's eyes were now filled with an ever-growing murderous intent. The crimson aura enveloping his body flared even thicker, reacting to his threatened survival instincts. He stepped forward, then stood right between his two comrades.
"York, Arman, let's launch a combination attack!"
Hearing the order from their party leader, York and Arman nodded firmly. Both of them understood exactly what needed to be done.
"I will attack him first!" Idai gave a follow-up instruction to his two peers.
"Got it!"
Whoosh...
Idai surged forward, cutting through the air at full speed. He charged at the General, who still stood in his place.
Seeing the axe-wielding man launch another frontal assault with the same pattern, General Vincent did not stay still. He adjusted his stance, ready to parry the axe strike and use its momentum to unleash a counterattack.
The moment General Vincent swung his spear to block the attack, Idai abruptly executed a sharp maneuver, evading him completely.
The opening strike was merely a feint.
General Vincent's eyes widened slightly. And in the exact fraction of a second after Idai's figure shifted out of his line of sight, another silhouette had appeared in that place.
Arman, the fighter with the [Iron Man] blessing, was already in position, ready to launch his attack.
General Vincent was quite caught off guard by the position swap that occurred so swiftly and smoothly between the two of them. He had no time to retract his spear, which had already been swung to parry the initial strike.
Clang!
The spear clashed violently with the punch Arman threw. He blocked the General's weapon attack head-on using only his fist, which was now as hard and strong as steel.
"Protect!"
At the exact moment Arman halted the spear's momentum, York activated his skill. He relocated directly in front of the fighter in a crouched position, ready to strike using his shield.
This is bad!
General Vincent tried to create distance to escape the shield-wielding man's attack range, but it was too late.
"Shield Bash!"
Thud!
The bash of the shield, accompanied by a powerful shockwave, struck the General's body squarely.
"AKH!"
General Vincent's chest tightened instantly. His body lost its balance, sent flying backward through the air at high speed.
However, the barrage of attacks from the Rank S party was not over yet.
Idai, who had executed the sharp maneuver earlier, had positioned himself directly in the trajectory of General's airborne body.
"This is the end, General!" The man roared, filled with rage and murderous intent. "Battle Axe Spirit: Shear Impact!"
He swung his axe with terrifying speed and power straight toward the General Vincent.
Crack!