The four young men in front of me had never truly stood a chance.
As they continued staring at the translucent shield and trying to figure out a way to break through it, I quietly observed them from behind the barrier. Now that all four of their abilities had been revealed, there was nothing left for me to learn... it was time to end this.
After exchanging a few glances, all four of them stepped forward once again. It was clear they had no intention of backing down after reaching their conclusion. If a single attack wasn't enough to break the shield, then they would simply keep attacking until it shattered.
The larger young man clenched his stone-covered fist as frustration became increasingly visible on his face. After watching every attack fail, he seemed determined to prove that enough force could eventually overwhelm the barrier. With a low growl, he gathered his strength and drove another powerful punch toward the shield.
The moment his stone-covered fist struck the shield, the section of the barrier at the point of impact suddenly shifted. A sharp thorn made of condensed energy rapidly formed from the shield's surface.
The transformation happened so quickly that the young man didn't even have time to realize what was happening. His fist was already pressed against the barrier when the thorn emerged from its surface, piercing straight through the stone covering and burying itself deep into his hand.
"Aaaagh!"
A scream immediately echoed throughout the alley.
The young man's eyes widened in shock as intense pain shot through his arm. He staggered backward several steps while clutching his injured hand, his face twisting in agony. Blood quickly seeped from the wound and dripped between his fingers as he stared at the shield in disbelief.
For a brief moment, none of them understood what had just happened. Their eyes briefly shifted toward the larger young man as he staggered backward clutching his injured hand, shock and confusion flashing across their faces before their attention returned to the fight.
Then the shield shifted again. The section of the barrier closest to the young man using Wind Step suddenly deformed as energy gathered and condensed along its surface. Before anyone could react, a sharp thorn of energy rapidly took shape and thrust forward under my control.
The young man was still in the middle of his attack. Having accelerated toward the shield using his ability, he had already committed to the movement. The distance between him and the barrier was simply too short.
His eyes widened in alarm. By the time he realized what was happening, it was already too late. The energy thorn pierced straight through his leg.
"Aaaagh!"
A scream tore from his throat as intense pain shot through his body. He had already committed to the attack and was moving forward at high speed when the thorn pierced his leg. Unable to stop his momentum, he crashed directly into the shield before losing his balance completely. The young man fell heavily onto the ground and immediately clutched the wound, his face twisting in agony as blood began seeping through his clothes.
The others still had not fully reacted. Everything was happening far too quickly for them to properly process. The larger young man had barely begun screaming in pain, and the one using Wind Step had only just crashed into the shield and fallen to the ground when yet another change occurred.
A small circular shield suddenly materialized around the leg of the young man using afterimages. The sudden restraint caught him completely off guard. His movement was abruptly restricted, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the ground. Alarm flashed across his face as he looked down at the construct wrapped tightly around his leg, unable to understand when it had appeared or how it had trapped him so effortlessly.
Then the shield changed shape. The smooth inner surface of the circular barrier suddenly shifted as energy flowed through the construct. In the next instant, multiple sharp thorns of condensed energy rapidly formed along its interior and drove inward from every direction.
A cry of agony immediately escaped the young man's mouth. The thorns pierced deep into his leg, and the color drained from his face. At the same time, the afterimages scattered throughout the alley vanished one after another as his concentration collapsed under the sudden surge of pain. His body jerked violently before he fell back to the ground, clutching the injured leg with both hands while trembling uncontrollably.
Within seconds, three of the four young men had been injured. The entire exchange had taken less than ten seconds.
Their cries of pain echoed throughout the alley. The confident expressions they had worn at the start of the fight had disappeared completely, replaced by pain, shock, and growing fear. Meanwhile, I had never once stepped out from behind my shield.
The young man with the Shockwave ability simply stared at me. His eyes moved repeatedly between his injured friends and the translucent barrier standing in front of me, as though trying to make sense of what he had just witnessed. The disbelief on his face was obvious. Everything that had happened during the last few moments had completely shattered his understanding of what a Shield Controller was capable of.
"H-how?"
The words escaped his mouth almost instinctively.
His voice trembled slightly as he continued staring at the shield.
"How can a Shield Controller do that? How can you manipulate the shield like that?"
As he spoke, he unconsciously retreated several steps. The confidence and arrogance he had displayed earlier had vanished completely. After watching three of his friends get injured within seconds, the reality of the situation was finally beginning to sink in. The fear in his eyes had become obvious.
I didn't answer any of his questions. Instead, I calmly took a step forward and the translucent shield moved together with me.
The young man's eyes widened slightly as he instinctively took another step backward. His gaze remained fixed on me, and more specifically, on the shield standing between us. The confusion in his expression had not disappeared, but it was now accompanied by an unmistakable fear.
"D-don't come near me!" The panic in his voice was impossible to miss.
Almost immediately, he threw another punch. A powerful shockwave erupted from the air in front of his fist and raced toward me before crashing into the translucent shield with tremendous force. The impact sent ripples spreading across the barrier's surface, but beyond that, it accomplished nothing. The shield remained exactly where it was, completely unharmed.
Refusing to stop, he attacked again. Another shockwave surged through the alley and slammed into the barrier head-on. Once more, the shield absorbed the attack without difficulty. The ripples faded moments later, leaving the construct as intact as before.
Meanwhile, I continued walking toward him at the same steady pace. Step by step, the distance between us continued shrinking. The young man's face gradually turned paler. He turned around and tried to run. Unfortunately for him, he was already too late.
The moment he turned to run, a small circular shield suddenly materialized around his lower legs, trapping them within the construct. The shield effectively bound both legs together, severely restricting his movement. Caught completely off guard, the young man barely managed a single step before losing his balance and crashing face-first onto the ground.
Panic spread across his face as he scrambled to get back up. He planted his hands against the ground and tried to push himself upright, but the shield locked around his legs prevented him from standing. The more he struggled, the more obvious his desperation became.
A few moments later, I arrived beside him. By then, there was nowhere left for him to run.
The large translucent barrier that had been protecting me gradually dissolved into countless particles of energy before disappearing completely. At the same time, the smaller shield restraining the young man's legs vanished as well.
The young man immediately looked up. His face had gone completely pale, and his entire body seemed tense.
"Don't come near me!"
"Do you know who I am?"
The words tumbled out one after another in a panicked rush. There was no trace of composure left as he stared up at me from the ground, desperately trying to regain control of a situation that had already slipped beyond his grasp.
Around us, his three friends remained where they were, clutching their injuries and groaning in pain. None of them made any attempt to help him. After witnessing everything that had happened, they understood they were no match for me. Their eyes followed my every movement, filled with unease and apprehension.