Chapter 2289: Defense Monster

"Come on!"

Owen shouted as he slammed his mace against the tower shield in his other hand, seemingly challenging the entire fortress by himself.

Unfortunately, he received no immediate response from the opposing side. It was as if they were too stunned to fully process what they had just witnessed.

What Owen had just tanked were shots from Mana Cannons.

They were siege weapons!

These destructive weapons of war were capable of annihilating entire armies. Even some of the most powerful destructive spells cast by mages might not be able to match their might without sufficient preparation.

Yet Owen had withstood the entire bombardment as though it were nothing.

His defensive capabilities were simply absurd.

Seeing that the opposing side still wasn’t responding, Owen couldn’t help but smirk. "Since you’re not planning to continue, then let me come after you!"

Bang!

Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and charged straight toward the Eastern Wall Commander, who was still as stunned as the rest of his people.

Swoosh!

Owen leaped high into the air while holding the rectangular tower shield in his left hand.

He raised it over his head before suddenly bringing it crashing down toward his opponent.

Boom!

The air seemed to explode as Owen descended like a falling meteor.

The flattened bottom of the tower shield was enveloped in golden mana, making it seem as though it had been set ablaze as he slammed it toward his opponent like a massive hammer.

Swoosh!

The Eastern Wall Commander immediately anchored himself to the ground, gripping his halberd tightly with both hands while gathering as much mana as he could.

"Ha!"

He roared as he swung the halberd with all his strength, sending a powerful strike toward the sky to meet the descending shield.

BOOM!

The collision produced another tremendous impact, sending violent shockwaves in every direction.

The ground beneath them sank under the force of the clash as a massive crater formed at the point of impact, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air.

During the collision, the Eastern Wall Commander felt as though his knees were about to buckle under the tremendous force of his opponent’s attack.

However, he gritted his teeth and endured the pressure. "Haa!!!"

He then poured even more strength into his arms, gradually forcing the heavy shield backward.

Bang!

He immediately retreated as quickly as possible, attempting to create as much distance from Owen as he could.

A heavy expression appeared on his face as he glared at his opponent.

Unfortunately, Owen didn’t care about his thoughts and simply kicked off the ground again the instant his feet touched the sand.

Bang!

He charged forward without giving the Eastern Wall Commander enough time to recover.

Swoosh!

Owen deliberately stayed close to the NPC, preventing the fortress’s cannons from finding a clear firing angle.

He might have been able to withstand their bombardment, but he didn’t want to remain entangled on this side of the battlefield for too long.

After all, the true threat they would have to deal with later was still the master of this fortress, who stood at the peak of the Tier 3 Realm.

This was their opportunity to eliminate as many of the fortress’s leading figures as possible before the Fortress Master could return to the battlefield.

Swoosh!

Owen held the rectangular shield along his arm before throwing a punch with it, slamming the shield into his opponent like a battering ram.

The Eastern Wall Commander had barely regained his footing from the previous exchange when he saw the flattened edge of the tower shield rapidly filling his vision.

"Shit!" He could only curse as he hurriedly tried to raise his guard.

Unfortunately, Owen’s attack came too quickly for him to properly defend himself, leaving him in an extremely dangerous position.

Whoosh!

However, just before Owen’s attack could hit its target, the Eastern Wall Commander was suddenly pulled away from him by a powerful force.

BOOM!

The air exploded directly in front of Owen as his attack narrowly missed the Eastern Wall Commander.

"Hmm?" Owen immediately retracted his arm, lowering his tower shield slightly before looking toward the direction where the Eastern Wall Commander had been pulled.

"Oh~!" His mood instantly brightened when he saw the additional figures standing alongside his previous opponent. "Now, this is interesting~!"

There were now two more NPCs standing beside the Eastern Wall Commander.

Owen activated his inspection skill and quickly identified the two newcomers, who were also Commander-ranked NPCs.

They were the Northern Wall Commander and the Southern Wall Commander.

The one standing on the right was a heavily built man clad in full-body armor that appeared even bulkier than the Eastern Wall Commander’s equipment.

His massive weapon resembled an enormous butcher’s cleaver with a broad blade nearly as tall as his body. He carried it casually over one shoulder, giving him the appearance of a brutal executioner.

This was the Northern Wall Commander.

The one standing on the other side was not a warrior, unlike the other two Commanders.

Compared to the other two, he appeared much leaner and more composed. He wore a long set of dark mage robes covered in intricate patterns, with a tall scepter resting firmly in his hand. Faint traces of mana constantly flickered around the tip of the scepter, giving off an oppressive and mysterious feeling.

This person was the Southern Wall Commander of the fortress.

"Why did you leave your posts?" asked the Eastern Wall Commander in a heavy tone.

"You should be thankful that we came to save your ass," replied the Northern Wall Commander, casually resting the massive cleaver on his shoulder.

He had rushed here after receiving an order from their Fortress Master before the latter focused on recovering from his injuries.

"It was the Fortress Master’s orders," the Southern Wall Commander replied calmly.

Unlike his rough-looking companion, he remained composed as he spoke, his gaze never leaving Owen.

Bang!

While the three were still discussing among themselves, Owen had already kicked off the ground and launched himself forward.

From the looks of it, he was planning to face all three Commander-ranked NPCs alone, charging straight toward them like a cannonball.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Seeing him charge toward them, the three Commanders immediately moved.

The Northern and Eastern Wall Commanders stepped forward while swinging their weapons almost simultaneously.

Shing! Shing!

The massive cleaver and halberd cut through the air as they met Owen’s incoming charge.

However, Owen simply raised his tower shield in front of himself, blocking both attacks head-on.

BOOM!

The collision produced yet another destructive explosion.

At the same time, Owen was forced to halt as the combined force of the two attacks stopped his charge.

If he had been facing either of the two Commanders alone, neither would have been able to forcibly stop Owen’s advance.

But by combining their strength, the two were able to generate enough power to match Owen’s overwhelming force.

Bang!

Owen was even forced to take several steps backward from the impact.

However, that didn’t mean they had overpowered him.

Bang! Bang!

The Northern and Eastern Wall Commanders were likewise forced to retreat several meters, using the distance to dissipate the tremendous force they had absorbed from the collision.

They were not discouraged, however.

The Southern Wall Commander had already finished casting his spell.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Huge hands made of sand suddenly erupted from the ground around Owen before rapidly reaching for him, attempting to seize his body.

Seeing this, Owen immediately stomped his foot into the ground, sending a powerful shockwave outward that momentarily halted the advance of the incoming sand hands.

BOOM!

Immediately afterward, he raised the mace in his right hand toward the sky.

Bang!

A bolt of golden lightning seemed to descend from the heavens and strike the mace before Owen violently slammed it into the ground.

BOOM!

The resulting shockwave erupted outward, releasing countless golden currents of light that blasted apart the surrounding sand hands attempting to restrain him.

Whoosh!

A thick cloud of dust erupted into the air as the sand hands exploded one after another.

Shing! Shing!

However, before the dust had even begun to settle, two energy waves suddenly cut through the cloud, intersecting to form a giant cross that flew straight toward Owen.

The Northern and Eastern Wall Commanders had struck simultaneously once again.

Owen licked his lips beneath his helmet as he watched the incoming attack.

He then slammed the mace against his tower shield once again before stepping forward.

Bang! Bang!

Immediately afterward, he raised the tower shield in front of himself before slamming it firmly into the ground and hiding his body behind it.

Boom!

The ground beneath him sank even further from the impact as a towering wall of energy suddenly rose before him, blocking the incoming giant cross.

BOOM!

The wall and the cross collided, violently repelling each other before both dissipated into the air like countless motes of light.

The Northern and Eastern Wall Commanders didn’t wait for the chaotic mana to disperse. They immediately charged forward, attacking Owen from both sides.

Shing! Shing!

Owen merely glanced at them before instantly switching the mace in his right hand for a round shield.

He then twisted his body, swinging both the tower shield and round shield to meet the two incoming attacks.

Bang! Bang!

The two Commander-ranked NPCs were forced to retreat from the impact, while the Southern Wall Commander seized the opportunity to launch another barrage of spells.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Owen swiftly turned toward the incoming spells and slammed the tower shield into the ground once again, blocking the attacks with ease.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not long after, Owen emerged from the thick cloud of smoke and dust, revealing his majestic armor, which hadn’t suffered even the slightest damage despite the relentless barrage of attacks.

He then looked toward the trio before roaring excitedly. "Again!"

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