Shield of the Rose

Early spring chill mingled with returning warmth; March represented the season of nature’s awakening. Roadside foliage pulsated with vibrant green life—trees sprouting new buds, bushes growing fresh branches, grass emerging from the soil, and distant brooks babbling softly. It was early March, the morning air crisp and cold, carrying a penetrating chill wrapped in dense fog and whistling wind that seeped into collars, sleeves, and garment seams. The ground lay wet, whether from fog or morning dew.

Few people enjoyed traveling at such an hour, yet the main avenue swarmed with a dense human tide, a long column stretching infinitely forward with neither head nor tail in sight…

This was a gravel road—not overly wide, barely accommodating two carriages passing each other without colliding. The road surface was laid with gravel mixed with asphalt, while the shoulders were compacted with earth, lacking drainage systems found on high-grade highways, making the road somewhat worn and dilapidated.

This was the obscure third-grade road selected by Malone’s group. Facts proved they had underestimated the scale of this refugee wave; even on this little-known country road, travelers were numerous—though compared to major highways, congestion here remained far lighter.

Richie’s column comprised seventy-four vehicles in total—all standard heavy transport trucks. Yet because decommissioned trucks lacked upper cabins, after reassembling the chassis, they used canvas and wooden frames to construct makeshift cabins to block wind and rain, though failing to block early morning chill.

Fortunately, military coats and blankets were abundant, allowing everyone to wrap themselves warmly and huddle inside.

All vehicles were linked together with iron chains, towed by lead equipment vehicles at the front.

Equipment vehicles were more numerous, ostensibly set up to establish a rear command base, though Knight Headquarters was actually preparing for final retreat.

No one knew what cargo those vehicles carried; all equipment vehicles remained locked tight. Every dozen vehicles, a knight stood watch on the roof. Fleeing refugees could follow the column, but were strictly barred from approaching the trucks—even Richie’s group was warned to stay clear.

Richie didn’t remain with his own people; upon setting out, he was invited to the front vehicle.

The person inviting him was the column commander—a red-haired woman in her thirties radiating mature charm. Richie couldn’t be certain of her exact age, for before fifty, knights appeared far younger than ordinary civilians due to Aura’s nourishing effect. Past fifty, knights aged rapidly to catch up with normal humans.

Female knights were even harder to judge, for many cultivated youth-preserving techniques. While male knights rarely practiced them, female knights frequently did, allowing a fifty-year-old woman to look barely thirty.

The woman signaled Richie to sit beside her, saying: “My name is Vilia. Lina mentioned your affairs to me.”

Vilia? Richie felt the name sounded familiar, though failing to recall where he had heard it. “What did Lina mention?” Richie watched the woman’s face.

A faint blush crossed the woman’s face, vanishing in an instant: “Squad 105’s members improved their strength at an astonishing pace. Lina told me the secret lies with you.”

Richie understood immediately why Lina had hesitated to state the exact condition for her help, telling him to ask in person.

Yet Richie felt somewhat puzzled; Lina wasn’t a shy woman, and few topics embarrassed her. It seemed Lina had guessed the other party’s intentions without being entirely certain, and if her guess touched upon intimate dual-training, she naturally hesitated to state it openly.

“Methods exist, though somewhat unique,” Richie said. Since she spoke vaguely, he saw no need to state details explicitly.

The woman let out a quiet sigh, though showing zero hesitation, having contemplated the matter long before deciding.

“In the first campaign, we lost numerous elites. When this campaign ends, losses will be even heavier. If future battles erupt, we’ll be forced to deploy reserve forces.”

Vilia recounted the grim situation calmly.

Richie naturally understood what reserve forces implied. While male and female knight ratios were nearly equal, battlefields had been dominated by male knights, making units like Squad 105—comprised almost entirely of females—an absolute minority. Yet going forward, that would change.

“In upcoming battles, every bit of extra strength offers an additional ray of survival.” Vilia leaned against her seat, looking forward with a desolate expression.

“Enhancing strength requires time,” Richie didn’t refuse, though having others pin their survival hopes on him created immense pressure.

“No need to worry; I never expected you to enhance every female knight’s strength.” At those words, Vilia’s face flushed crimson, suddenly realizing the implicit meaning of her statement—didn’t that imply every female knight becoming this boy’s woman?

Not daring to think further, she stated her true plan hastily: “You’re an Ace Knight now, knowing well that early-stage cultivation poses few obstacles. Only in later stages—especially approaching bottlenecks—does progress slow drastically, let alone breaking through bottlenecks. Many remain stuck at that hurdle for life. I know you can help others cross that greatest hurdle…”

“Is that so?” Richie looked at her face with confusion, suspecting Lina might have exaggerated his abilities.

“You might not know yet, but Margaret broke through her bottleneck, becoming an Ace Knight as well. In half a month, you guided her from approaching bottleneck into final breakthrough. Her ‘Dark Frost Aura’ is famous for slow progress. Your capability is by no means small!” Vilia smiled with a hint of teasing.

So that was what happened. Richie understood.

It seemed Lina hadn’t spread rumors; this woman possessed another intelligence source that held slight distortions, creating the current misunderstanding.

Unfortunately such matters couldn’t be explained—nor did he wish to explain.

Led to another vehicle, the moment he boarded, Richie knew these women were fully prepared.

The vehicle interior was pitch-black, windows sealed tight without a ray of light, the floor feeling soft underfoot—lined with sound-absorbing material, and undoubtedly walls and ceiling were identical.

Such a dark cabin was partitioned into two sections.

The outer half sat a dozen women wearing face covers, seemingly unwilling to let him see their faces. A sliding door separated the sections.

The door shut heavy with a thud, blocking the final ray of light, plunging the interior into pitch darkness.

No one spoke, nor did Richie need instructions. Pretending to grope in the dark, he found the sliding door, opening it to reveal a reclining chair inside arranged like a medical treatment chair, complete with a shelf on the right holding a large jar and a wooden stick wrapped in cotton.

He guessed its purpose immediately, dipping a finger inside to confirm it was lubricating paste.

Richie sat down, though the moment he sat, he felt an object beneath his buttocks.

Reaching out, he pulled out a vibration sphere. Seeing that object, Richie knew Randy had meddled in this affair with mischievous intent. These female knights had never made love with him, and using such an object on short notice could prove dangerous. Sitting back down, Richie heard rustling sounds from outside—the female knights stripping off their clothes.

Richie didn’t stay idle, stripping off his clothes as well. A hidden compartment behind the chair held his garments.

Just as he finished, the sliding door opened, and a woman slid inside like a gust of wind. The face cover on her head had been removed, assuming Richie couldn’t see.

Beside Nora, no one knew Richie possessed “Field”—an ability exclusive to Honor Knights. He hadn’t deliberately hidden it from Lina and the squad, merely lacking an opportunity to explain. Naturally these women held zero chance of knowing.

The woman entering was by no means lacking in beauty; in truth, Richie had never seen an unattractive knight. In ancient times, knights were viewed as divine darlings, possessing beautiful appearances alongside formidable strength. Now people speculated knights were ultimate achievements of ancient biotechnology, where beauty and strength were pre-determined in the bloodline. Upon entering, the woman appeared composed, having prepared herself mentally, yet when action neared, her body trembled involuntarily, her breathing growing heavy.

Waiting face-to-face in silence for five or six minutes, Richie knew the woman had never experienced such a situation, so as a man, he had to take the initiative. His hand extended forward, resting on her buttocks.

The woman reacted intensely, her body shuddering as goosebumps emerged, instinctively moving to push Richie’s hands away. When their hands touched, the woman froze, her push turning into a stroke across the back of Richie’s hand.

Richie’s hand was rough, with broad knuckles—unmistakably a man’s hand—yet by no means large.

The woman froze. In her imagination, she was to face a burly, muscle-bound man, yet judging by hand size, her partner was merely a boy.

An indescribable awkwardness filled her mind.

She held a family, a husband, even a child, and making love with another man inspired guilt; that this man was an underage boy proved even harder to accept.

Just as she hesitated whether to withdraw, a wave of deep itchiness spread from her buttocks, making her groan unexpectedly. That sudden shift woke her, and she suppressed her groan hastily, but before she could react further, a waves of pleasure surged from her lower abdomen. Her legs went soft, almost kneeling, when those magical hands caught her body. Richie pulled the woman onto his lap, spreading her legs naturally. In that instant, the woman seemed to regain clarity, her muscles tightening as if to struggle. Richie’s fingers applied force against key aphrodisiac points.

This technique had been researched on his women over the past two months—flawless on ordinary women, though he held mild uncertainty when applying it to female knights.

To Richie’s delight, the moment Aura surged, the woman emitted a soft moan—a melodious, weeping tone that felt divine to his ears.

Such a exquisite voice was something he had heard for the first time. Previously Richie evaluated women by face, body, and intimate skill, never considering talent or aura. Yet right now he gained a new realization: a voice could be so exquisitely beautiful.

Supporting the woman with one hand, his other hand massaged her sensitive areas.

This belonged to the “Soul-Melting Touch” techniques. Vilia preparing lubricating paste was thoughtful, but to Richie it proved completely redundant—with his skills, where was lubricant needed?

A few caresses rendered the area wet, and the woman turned limp as if boneless, leaning against his shoulder. Seeing the timing ripe, Richie released his support, and her body slid downward.

Richie’s massive shaft stood waiting, and as she slid down, penetration occurred naturally. The woman reacted as if touched by a hot iron, her body jerking, but Richie’s lips pressed against hers, his tongue sliding inside her mouth.

All foreplay was completed, yet Richie had to pause. The woman before him hadn’t learned dual-training methods, and in the heat of arousal, he had forgotten to teach her.

Was he supposed to stop, put on clothes, and step outside to tell those women he forgot the most important step?

Richie could easily predict the outcome: he would be beaten into a pig’s head by those female knights.

Teaching on the spot was the sole option.

Leaving her lips, leaning near her ear, Richie whispered: “Open your heart; harbor zero resistance. Guide your Aura following my hand.”

Finishing his words, Richie kissed her deeply again, his right index finger pressing against her perineum.

Injecting a thread of Aura into her body, Richie’s finger moved upward slowly. To his relief, the woman proved cooperative, her Aura circulating along his guided path.

Injected into her body wasn’t merely Aura, but mutated energy converted from energy crystals—a conversion he could now execute without Randy’s assistance.

The moment mutated energy entered her body, like water splashed onto boiling oil, intense shifts erupted. Following a thread of non-attribute Aura, a thick column of fiery Aura surged forward—scalding and violently explosive.

These two streams of Aura completed a circuit through her body before entering Richie’s body.

Richie’s body was filled with mutated energy, and that scalding Aura acted like a spark dropped into kerosene, igniting with a bang!

In that instant, even Richie’s own organized Aura threads were blasted apart. Fortunately, his rank surpassed this female knight by a full tier, his Aura quality vastly superior, allowing his scattered Aura to reassemble instantly.

Though free of danger, Richie was startled. Such wild Aura could only be matched by master Dina’s Thunder Aura.

Such Aura was slow and dangerous to cultivate, yet once breaking bottlenecks into Ace rank, combat strength stood supreme among peers. Leveraging higher-tier strength, Richie forcibly contained the explosive Aura, guiding it to circulate through his body.

After one circuit, the Aura was injected back into the female knight’s body.

Though her own Aura, having been strengthened inside Richie’s body, the female knight almost failed to control it upon return. Fortunately, mutated energy wrapped around the Aura like a shell, preventing harm despite temporary loss of control.

With that experience, Richie didn’t dare drop his guard, keeping his hand resting obediently on her buttocks.

Fire-attribute Aura excelled in rapid movement; once the path was established, movement speed accelerated drastically, completing a dozen cycles in moments.

Richie suddenly felt her vagina contract violently—a sign of imminent climax.

His index finger pressed against her tailbone, releasing Aura. In an instant, the female knight shuddered violently as a flood of Aura poured into Richie’s body.

It contained no core power seed, which disappointed Richie slightly. Yet that was normal: her wide hips and plump vulva indicated she was a married woman with children.

Containing the incoming Aura, returning it to her body, Richie released his lips and lifted her off his body.

The female knight remained dizzy and limp, yet instinctively sensed that cultivating right now yielded maximum benefits, regretting it if missed.

Just at that moment, the sliding door opened, and another female knight walked inside. Scooping the former knight into her arms, she carried her out to an empty seat outside, returning to close the door behind her. “Now it’s my turn, little brother; you’re quite impressive.”

This woman was an unabashedly bold knight.

Toward bold women, Richie raised zero objections, pulling her into his arms.

When lovemaking turned into work, enjoyment vanished. Initially Richie maintained interest in flirting, but gradually it degraded into mechanical movements: pulling whoever entered onto his lap, using Soul-Melting Touch to neutralize resistance, spreading her legs to massage sensitive areas into state, penetrating to guide Aura through one circuit, and after climax, carrying her out for the next to enter.

By the end, Richie experienced a strange feeling—resembling stories of military comfort stations, except genders were reversed.

Previously, making love brought a sense of conquest; now conquest occurred without an ounce of that satisfaction.

Yet despite the mediocre feeling, Richie never contemplated stopping dual-training.

Dual-training yielded greater benefits with more participants. He had lost count of how many female knights participated, gaining benefits from each, which accumulated into a staggering total.

Though Aura “quantity” mattered less after reaching Ace rank, accumulating quantity to a certain threshold created terrifying power. By the third day, he felt as though his body would explode—despite purifying the excess Aura repeatedly, his Aura threads expanded from strings to ropes.

As Aura threads expanded, Richie sensed his circulation channels becoming unstable—like a heavy convoy traveling down a narrow path, functional yet experiencing friction. Fortunately he cultivated multiple manuals, which provided alternative paths to distribute the convoy. Didn’t that mean cultivating more manuals yielded superior results?

Richie acted on thought, his mind fixated on a specific manual—the sole core manual among the seventeen divine arts: Vajra.

Vajra was the most comprehensive divine art, comprising core techniques, defensive “Vajra Body”, offensive “Great Vajra Strike” and “Vajra Extinction”, and auxiliary “Vajra Might” and “Vajra Persistence”.

His self-created “Mirror Reflection” bounced attacks, which Vajra Body accomplished as well—its defensive capability so terrifying that at peak mastery, it could block most divine arts, including his “Solar Slasher”.

Though famous for defense, its offensive capability was formidable: Great Vajra Strike exploded with destructive power, while Vajra Extinction delivered concentrated, high-penetration strikes.

Among auxiliary skills, Vajra Might was minor, for knight strength relied on armor output, where extra physical strength merely eased control. But Vajra Persistence enhanced endurance and physical recovery—the exact reason Vajra practitioners were called immortal turtles.

Other divine arts were rare due to harsh cultivation requirements, whereas Vajra differed. Earth-attribute divine arts shared a common flaw: massive Aura loss during circulation, making accumulation slow and rank advancement even slower. As the ultimate Earth manual, Vajra exacerbated this flaw into a bottomless pit.

Historically, practicing Vajra required accumulating dense Aura, abandoning original manuals, and switching to Vajra—a high-stakes gamble where success brought a brilliant future, while failure meant total ruin. Circulation paths were permanent, and while other manuals were secondary branches that could be abandoned, Vajra remained a permanent sink. Initially Richie contemplated practicing Vajra, but refrained out of caution; yet this time he resolved to gamble.

At dusk, the column halted. Richie’s group wasn’t in a rush, for Malone’s group moved slowly alongside the main refugee wave. Vilia, the column leader, held no desire to move fast either, for dual-training benefits were manifesting, making her prefer a slower pace.

After dinner, Richie refrained from visiting the rear, walking straight into a nearby forest. The forest wasn’t an ideal training ground, but he needed zero interruptions.

Leaping onto a tree, Richie found a large bird nest left by a crane or stork at the treetop. Sitting inside the nest cross-legged, he closed his eyes.

Vajra’s circulation path was intimately familiar to him. This time he refrained from refining the fire-attribute Aura absorbed during the day, which was chaotic and explosive.

Fire-attribute manuals were fierce and destructive, yet caused severe internal strain, requiring cautious, slow cultivation.

Yet with mutated energy acting as a mediator, that issue vanished, allowing fire Aura to cultivate faster than other attributes.

The red-haired woman had noticed that trait, sending female knights practicing fire manuals from the second afternoon onward. Absorbing so much fire Aura naturally made him feel uncomfortable.

Extracting a thread of Aura from the chaotic pool, he guided it along Vajra’s path.

Ordinary Earth manuals circulated beneath the skin, but Vajra traversed skin, internal organs, and bone marrow, visiting 3,625 nodes that formed countless sub-circulations.

Before completing the entire circuit, that thread of Aura was completely consumed, leaving Richie’s face pale.

He had underestimated Aura consumption; Vajra proved even harder than anticipated. Stopping now was impossible, for established sub-circulations consumed Aura continuously without generating new Aura until the main circuit completed—the exact hurdle where ninety-nine percent of practitioners failed.

Without delay, Richie drew another thread of Aura—this time a far larger volume.

Traveling the same path, because the initial half was cleared, consumption proved light until reaching the break point where consumption spiked.

Sweat poured from Richie’s forehead. He realized he hadn’t prepared for failure before taking this gamble.

Aura consumed continuously, the thread shrinking back into a fine strand until even forming a strand proved impossible.

Seeing Aura about to deplete with the circuit nearly complete, Richie steeled his heart.

Drawing all remaining Aura at once, he plunged it directly into the opened path.

In an instant, he knew he had won the gamble.

The depleted front end suddenly filled with energy, re-assembling and condensing.

Richie didn’t wait for complete condensation, guiding the Aura to surge forward to open the final stretch.

In moments, a complete circuit formed. The instant it completed, Richie felt as though his body were bound by steel wire.

The manual was indeed formidable, though carrying notable drawbacks: beside massive Aura consumption, physical movements felt stiff.

Richie deployed Vajra Might immediately, the stiffness vanishing, feeling merely like wearing a tight suit of heavy canvas clothes.

He understood why Vajra Might—an apparently “useless” auxiliary skill—existed; its true purpose lay here.

Still feeling somewhat constrained, Richie threw a punch forward.

With a loud snap, the bird nest and supporting branch snapped cleanly.

Richie reacted swiftly, adjusting his posture mid-air to land firmly on the ground.

Footsteps rushed over as a dozen female knights ran toward the spot, startled by the commotion.

“Nothing happened! I just fell from the tree,” Richie explained hastily.

The female knights looked at him with suspicion; a knight falling from a tree was as bizarre as a fish choking on water.

More female knights gathered, many carrying weapons, assuming an emergency had occurred.

Seeing Vilia arrive holding a giant red sword, Richie felt even more embarrassed.

“I just mastered a new manual and failed to adapt in time,” Richie explained hastily.

“A new manual?” The red-haired woman walked around the tree, picking up the broken branch—an arm-thick branch snapped by sheer force. While nothing for a knight, who would pick a fight with a tree branch?

If the branch snapped due to uncontrolled force rather than deliberate intent, that was by no means simple.

If stray force held such power, what would a full-power strike yield?

Richie felt reluctant to answer. Like possessing “Field”, mastering Vajra represented a trump card. Furthermore, he hadn’t reached basic entry mastery, lacking force control, so exposing it would draw trouble rather than benefits.

“A manual I wished to practice long ago but lacked courage to attempt,” Richie spoke vaguely: “Your words made me resolve to try; as conditions worsen, holding extra strength is always good.”

To Richie’s surprise, his words made the female knights’ cheeks flush crimson.

Reflecting briefly, he understood: Vilia had spoken similar words to them, prompting their decision to engage in dual-training.

His words sounded like a provocation, and seeing their angry, alluring eyes, he knew trouble was coming.

A female knight with messy short hair and wild beauty stepped forward holding twin swords: “Having just mastered a new manual, what you need most is a sparring partner to familiarize yourself with its traits. Let me help you.”

With one stepping forward, others followed.

“Helpful people aren’t limited to you; we can help as well!”

“Me too! Such an adorable little brother—who wouldn’t want to help him?”

The women chattered boisterously.

“Stop messing around,” Vilia shouted, and the female knights quieted down. Then she turned to say: “You disappoint me—your vision is terrible! Seeing his clothes, you assume he’s a mere apprentice knight? Anyone thinking so will end up picking up their teeth from the floor! He has slain two Honor Knights and uncounted Ace Knights! If you want to spar, you must all go up together!”

Vilia’s words sparked even greater noise among the female knights.

“Wow! That impressive?”

“Slaying Honor Knights earns a silver star badge—the kid hidden it to trick us!”

“With our numbers, we might not be enough for him to fight!”

“That’s easy—just recruit more people! Plenty of people want to spar with him.”

Seeing the women eager to try, Richie felt his head throb.

He could sense a thread of blushing resentment in their eyes.

Yet on second thought, he felt a wave of anticipation…

Inside that dark room, though intimately close to these women, they remained complete strangers whose identities he didn’t even know.

Richie disliked that feeling, constantly seeking an opportunity to meet these female knights and learn who they were.

Now presented a fitting opportunity, for those coming to bother him were certainly women who had engaged in dual-training with him, sharing a tacit understanding without drawing outside interference.

Using this opportunity to meet would avoid awkwardness.

Richie held another motivation: inside that dark room, he had conquered these female knights physically, yet that wasn’t genuine conquest, for knights valued overall combat strength above all else.

Toward ordinary women, overall strength comprised status, power, and wealth, whereas female knights cared only for strength. Through this opportunity, he could display his true strength.

If possible, he genuinely wished to conquer these women completely.

Arriving at the border city of Stein, Richie’s group first encountered the refugee crisis—how to resolve this issue becoming their initial step into the political arena. Richie’s father stating his stance while Richie maintained constant vigilance against Malone prompted Richie to quietly plan alternative retreat routes…

Manuel’s arrival brought the Great Craftsmen’s latest research on the “Magic Cube”, inspiring Richie toward a new armor design. Yet the Librarian Uncle’s warnings still echoed in his ears—what inspiration would this bring to Richie?

​