Josec stared in horror as the golems continued to materialize within the dome. With this ace up his sleeve, Gargolem had instantaneously turned his dome of defence into one of entrapment. If he released the dome, the golem army outside it would invade the city and slaughter everyone but if he didn't release it, the golems inside the dome would slaughter everyone regardless and with the dome up, there was nowhere to run.
Josec stared at Jason seeking an answer but Jason had already made his move. He had diffused a large amount of pollen into the air with a message. The pollen carried his message to the people, that they should remain indoors. Jason smiled at Josec.
"If the people have gotten my message, it might buy us some time till we can think of a way to counterattack. The people were indoors but seeing the golem army within the city, they couldn't help but scream in desperation.
Their screams worried Josec deeply. He was of the Class Of Defender but he couldn't do anything. His powerlessness crippled him, filling him with anguish.
"Josec! Listen to me son. There are two kinds of power in this world. The Power to Destroy…" Josec recalled as images of his father's dying words overlapped with images of the golems. "…and the Power to Protect…" images of his dome filled his mind. "You have a kind heart and abundant love within you. Let your love be your strength and never lose hope" he recalled his father's words.
Somehow, those words filled him with courage and he began to breathe more calmly.
"Tell me about the last class, the shield" he recalled his request to Jo-lan.
"The shield represents the Class Of Defenders. It is the weakest Jo-lan class with almost no offensive power at all…however the defensive power of this class is as great as the offensive power of the warrior class. This class belongs to people who only wish to protect others. The power of this class if ever used for offense is never lethal. If you choose this class, you must live with the reality that you will certainly never be able to defeat Innovain. No Jo-lan fighter throughout history has ever chosen this class" he recalled Jo-lan's words during his first experience in the Book Of Jo-lan.
"Well then, I guess I'll be the first. I choose the Defender Class!" Josec recalled his declaration.
MEANWHILE ON THE BATTLEFIELD…
"If what Master Colette said is true, I need to return to Josec immediately…Josec" Buern thought in concern.
Master Pheisl nodded.
"Go…" Master Pheisl said.
"Are you going to fight? I thought…" Buern was about to say when Master Pheisl interrupted her.
"I'll make an exception this time. In this special case, it's not that you didn't choose to act but you couldn't remain on the battlefield while someone you cherished was in mortal danger. Make no mistake, I am in no way making your choice for you. It's simply that in this case I can best enforce your actions by acting separately from you. Besides that…can't exactly blame me if nature chooses to smack the golem army left and right" Master Pheisl said with a wink.
Buern smiled.
"Thank you Master Pheisl" Buern bowed.
"You'll need to forgive me Ryu…but doing nothing now goes against my vows" Master Pheisl said as he stretched his hands towards the earth.
The powerful roots of the Earth-Suturing Trees grew out of the ground and captured the golem army before him, shattering them into pieces.
ON BENEDICT'S ARK
Ryu smiled as he watched Master Pheisl battle the golem army.
"There are times when a choice must be made between two priorities of equal value. You are not to interfere in the affairs of Josec's world because you do not belong there. It would be taking away the ability of the people there to choose to act however to choose not to act in this case would be tantamount to observing a carnage that could have been avoided. Your actions Pheisl align with 'Heart' so I will let this go" Ryu said with a smile.
BACK ON THE BATTLEFIELD…
Estelle and Harry also excused themselves and chose to return to Josec. The Masters did not stop them.
IN THE CITY…
The golems were marching towards Josec and Jason.
"At the moment, you are our priority Josec Fenix, the inheritor of the 'Heart' of the phoenix. All it would take for Souryu to succeed is to rid the world of at least one of the phoenix successors. Once that is done, the carnage can begin in earnest" the lone golem thought to itself.
Josec watched the golems march towards him.
"You certainly are a general deserving of the name of 'War'. You haven't mixed up any of your priorities" Josec thought with a smile.
He was breathing hoarsely.
But he knew that if Gargolem was not mixing up any of his priorities how long he could hold out might determine how soon the carnage began. Soon, the golems all stood before him.
"In the Port Town Of Wusihen, you protected the people while stopping the rampage of the psychorages there. But compared to that paltry town, you're now tasked with protecting an entire city. The amount of energy required to do such a thing must be significantly greater. So great in fact that it immobilizes you. If you drop that shield, I certainly assure you that a carnage will begin regardless of whether you are alive or not" one of the golems spoke to Josec. "Of course regardless of what you choose to do, the dome will drop once you're dead so a carnage will begin anyway" the golem said with a laugh.
Josec smiled and opened his eyes to stare at the golem.
"You should certainly hope you can take me down Gargolem. You won't get another chance…of that I assure you" Josec said very seriously.
The golems were temporarily forced to back away from the force of his presence.
"Those that possess the 'Heart' of the phoenix are known to be the most gentle of the three phoenix clans but…I can clearly sense the boy's fury and he doesn't seem to be bluffing. His eyes show confidence in his words" Gargolem thought.
"Need a sparring partner?" Josec recalled Buern's offer on their journey to Fencer's.
"Yeah, thanks. I think I'm becoming familiar with my dad's battle stances and fighting forms but I can't seem to be able to execute moves that involve the use of joki" Josec recalled his reply.
"We are training right here, on top of this mountain. There is a reason I brought you here. At this height, the air is thinner. You'll find your stamina running out much quicker than usual. Here, I will teach you your first powerful offensive technique" he recalled Buern's words.
Josec recalled his surprise.
"An offensive attack? But you know I'm a Defender. Offensive attacks are impossible for me" Josec recalled his words.
"I know that…but there is one exception to the rules of the Defender. Your power is limited by your Jo-lan class so there is no way you can attack with raw offensive power however…your great defensive powers can be converted into an offensive" he recalled Buern's words.
"What do you mean?" he recalled his question.
"In high level battles your shield amounts to nothing" he recalled Buern shatter his defence and punch him in the gut.
ROUGHLY EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO…
Josec watched as his father, Vega Fenix trained within his arena in a presently sealed off portion of the house. His father's Crimson Wings decorated his back and he was flashing around the arena at tremendous speeds.
Josec stared in awe.
"Amazing dad! When I grow up, I want to be as strong as you are" Josec exclaimed.
Josec was only six then.
"I'd rather you avoided a life of combat Josec but when a time does come that you need to embrace the art of fighting, I'm sure you'll awaken it, the Jo-lan Martial Art inherited only by members of the Fenix clan, the Killer Ghost" his father had informed him.
"What is the Killer Ghost dad and why is it unique only to our clan?" young Josec had asked.
"It is a Martial Art that combines the Eyes Of The Phoenix, the ability to perceive need, and be there to act with the Wings Of The Phoenix that make things that are normally impossible possible. When used in combat, it is a technique that seeks out the vulnerabilities of a foe and instantaneously transports the practitioner there creating chances to attack" his father had informed him.
PRESENTLY…
"I hope you are prepared to die Fenix and with your fall will come Souryu's ultimate triumph! Golems! Attack!" the golem that was speaking ordered.
Josec raised his eyes to stare at the charging golem army. He opened his eyes. They had assumed the likeness of the phoenix. Buern, Harry and Estelle who had arrived at the dome witnessed this.
"Josec! Let us in!" Buern pleaded.
Just at that moment, Crimson Wings of Flame sprouted on Josec's back. The golem army surrounded him and he could not be seen.
"Yes…destroy him!" the lone golem encouraged them.
But something strange was happening, the golems were shattering and collapsing to the ground.
"WHAT?! YOU FOOLS! HE CAN'T EVEN MOVE! HOW ARE YOU THE ONES BEING BEATEN?!" the lone golem roared.
Soon, Josec stood alone with Jason staring at the lone golem. He smiled.
"Want to try that again?" he taunted the lone golem.
"You can't even move so how?!" the golem roared.
Then he noticed Josec's Crimson Wings.
"It's those abominable Wings isn't it?! Those Wings with the power to make the impossible possible!" the golem roared.
In an instant, the golem heard Josec's voice from behind it.
"You cannot keep hiding Gargolem. I will find you. That…is a promise!" Josec said as a sudden blow shattered the golem.
"D-Did you see that?! Josec created a clone and I thought I was the only one that could do that!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.
"It's something far more advanced than that. He oscillated at tremendous speeds in numerous locations around the golems creating the illusion of being in multiple places at the same time. You cannot exactly call any of the afterimages generated as a result of his oscillation an illusion because at that tremendous speed, they might just as well be real. He did all that while creating the illusion of holding the dome up" Buern thought in awe.
MEANWHILE…AMONG THE GOLEM ARMY
One of the golems was furious.
"If that Fenix brat can deal with my army, it is pointless to infiltrate the dome. I suppose I'll deal with the Masters first" the golem thought.