"Oi! These vines on my foot [i]are [/i] in close range!"

While yelling at Hayato, Soka saw the Needle Blight preparing its attack. "Metal!" he called out, the liquid mix flying out of his sword case. It  materialized in the air near the two Knights in the form of a thin sheet of hard steel. The needles sprayed against the steel defense, before falling to the ground harmlessly. A few needles did get past the shield, but the majority were stopped.

"These plants sure are annoying. Don't they have any fruit trees here?"

When the thin shield had done its job, it formed into a blade and flew up into the air, before crushing down toward the Needle Blight.