After a fierce clash, Roland used the recoil to take a small step back, his eyes flashing with a keen light.

He made a move that would have stunned any observer.

It wasn’t a defensive move, but an attack.

"Hah!"

With a low roar, Roland hurled the Fine Iron Round Shield—already cracked and deeply dented—at the Bear Goblin’s face. He threw it with all his might, as if it were a heavy hammer.

The Shield whistled as it flew through the air.

The Bear Goblin clearly hadn’t expected its opponent to abandon his last line of defense. A savage light flashed in its crimson eyes.

It didn’t even try to dodge. Its giant claw, filled with destructive Power, swung out to meet it without hesitation.

BOOM! KRRRAAACK!

A deafening crash echoed through the valley, far louder than any of the previous clashes of metal.

Under the Bear Goblin’s furious blow, the Fine Iron Round Shield shattered like fragile pottery.

Twisted, scorching metal fragments shot out in all directions like a deadly rain of iron, embedding themselves deep in the surrounding rocks and soil.

The Shield was shattered.

However, in the instant the shield fragments were still flying through the air, partially obscuring the Bear Goblin’s vision; in the split second it instinctively relaxed after shattering its opponent’s defense...

Roland moved.

There wasn’t a trace of panic in his eyes at losing his shield. Instead, there was a long-planned, almost ice-cold Concentration.

His right hand, gripping his sword, remained perfectly still, the Mithril Longsword pointed straight ahead.

His left hand, however, shot to his waist like a long-dormant viper, drawing a sharp Dagger in a flash.

’Twin Martial Arts!’

It was as if Roland’s body had instantly shed the constraints of its skeleton, becoming as fluid and supple as water.

He executed an extreme, twisting slide to the side that seemed to defy human anatomy. By a hair’s breadth, he dodged the Bear Goblin’s giant claw, which had swung wide from the inertia of shattering the shield and had not yet been retracted.

At the same time, his Mithril Longsword became a silver streak tearing through the air, thrusting toward the vital point on the Bear Goblin’s throat—exposed by its wide swing. Empowered by Galvis’s War Song, the sword’s tip let out a piercing shriek.

Meanwhile, the newly drawn Dagger in his left hand, like a scorpion’s stinger, slashed from an impossibly cunning angle. It moved silently but viciously toward the tendon on the inside of the Bear Goblin’s supporting knee.

Two weapons, two distinct trajectories, two lethal intentions—all achieved perfect harmony in Roland’s assault.

His movements were utterly fluid, without a hint of hesitation. It was as if he were born to fight this way.

SHIIINK!

THUD!

The sounds of two blades sinking into flesh rang out almost simultaneously.

The Bear Goblin’s roar instantly became a shriek of agony.

By twisting its head at the last second, it narrowly avoided a fatal blow to the throat, but the sword still sliced through its tough hide, sending dark red blood gushing forth.

And that cunning slash to the inside of its knee made its massive body lurch sideways as the strength in its supporting leg suddenly gave out.

This sudden, two-pronged attack completely changed the rhythm of the fight and threw the Bear Goblin into disarray.

It had no choice but to frantically swing its claws, trying to simultaneously parry the heavy attacks coming from both left and right at cunning angles.

Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Roland’s eyes.

His body suddenly paused. His fluid, water-like offensive came to a deliberate, almost imperceptible halt. He even intentionally exposed his left flank, putting it within the attack range of the Bear Goblin’s still-functional right claw.

"ROAR!"

A ferocious light, born of desperation, erupted in the Bear Goblin’s crimson eyes.

It had no time to consider if this was a trap. The dying beast saw only one last chance to tear its opponent to shreds.

It gathered all its remaining Power, determined to take him down with it. With a shriek that tore the air, its giant claw swung ferociously at the "opening" Roland had exposed.

The blow was as fast as lightning and as fierce as a Thunderbolt.

It looked as though it would tear Roland in half at the waist.

At that critical moment, Roland’s physical conditioning, which had been pushed to its absolute limit by his Fermented Battle Intent and Knight’s Breathing Technique, finally erupted!

"[Crescent Moon Guide]!"

Following the low shout, Roland’s left arm whipped back at a speed and angle that defied human limits.

The Dagger was no longer a striking viper, but a silver arc of light meant to redirect Power. It moved to precisely intercept the Bear Goblin’s devastating claw strike.

CLANG! K-KRAK!

A heart-stoppingly dull thud and a crisp cracking sound exploded simultaneously.

The moment the Fine Iron Dagger made contact with the Bear Goblin’s claw, it was as if it had been struck by a collapsing mountain. The blade groaned under the unbearable strain before shattering, piece by piece.

Yet, in that same instant of contact, Roland’s left hand, wrist, arm, and even his entire body executed an exquisitely masterful maneuver to absorb and redirect the force.

He was like a master matador, using his cape to guide a charging bull.

In the instant the Dagger was sacrificed, the Bear Goblin’s fatal, all-or-nothing blow was forcefully deflected by a clever, circular motion.

The giant claw scraped past Roland’s waist and, with the force of an avalanche, slammed violently into the hard ground beside him.

KABOOM!

The earth trembled violently.

Shattered stone shot out like shrapnel.

A huge crater formed in an instant.

Having missed with its full-power strike, the massive inertia sent the Bear Goblin’s body stumbling forward, completely off-balance. Its savage head, an expression of sheer disbelief on its face, was now wide open and defenseless before Roland.