Heavy Metal

Small arcs of lightning buzzed from within a cloud of dust. The clash of the two summoned creatures created an explosion that shrouded both combatants in thick smoke. Sparks danced across the cracked earth as bits of scorched bark and broken armor littered the ground.

"Rusty…?"

Gwen called out weakly, her voice trembling. She couldn't see anything through the smoke. Mana still hung in the air, but it was fading fast. Her heart pounded as she stumbled forward, and her feet dragged through the dirt.

"Rusty! Are you there?"

Her voice rose, panic breaking through. She could not hear him through their bond, so instead she started shouting. Astrella grabbed her arm, holding her back.

"Wait, don't go running in, that tiger could still be there."

But Gwen was already moving, tears blurring her vision. For a moment, she forgot the danger and focused only on the being that had given her hope. She had already lost too many people in her life, but after only a few steps, she stopped.

A low growl rumbled through the smoke. From within the haze, a creature emerged. It wasn't her summon, Rusty. Instead, it was the white tiger. Electricity still crackled through its fur as it advanced toward Gwen. Both girls instinctively backed away in fear. Rusty was nowhere in sight. The little imp appeared beside them to defend them, and Airy joined as well, but neither would be strong enough to hold off the beast.

Then, as the tiger stepped forward again, something became clear. It was moving slowly, and a massive surge of mana was leaking from its back.

"Is… is that a wound?"

Astrella asked, giving Airy the order to move to the side. It was difficult to see from this angle, but the creature had been pierced by something, which was most likely Rusty's halberd. Its form had become unstable. Soon, its legs buckled beneath it, and it began to dissolve into mana particles. The beast had been defeated.

"He… he did it!"

From behind it came the one who had struck the final blow. Rusty had clearly seen better days. Large gashes split his armor, and one section was completely missing. The tiger had bitten into him with enough force to tear through his metallic plating. His additional wooden armor had splintered under the impact of the physical blow, and the creature had landed a lightning attack before Rusty managed to impale it with his spear.

Now, with both monsters vanishing, Rusty could feel it. He was beginning to fade. The damage he had taken was too severe, even for his resilient body. His core had been struck by the lightning beast, and his HP continued to drop. Even if he had been in his true form, he was not sure he would have survived this encounter.

Still, it had been a valuable experience. Facing opponents who used powerful elemental magic had taught him an important lesson. He would need to find a way to protect his core in future battles. The version of him created from Gwen's mana was already beginning to fall apart. He had only a few moments left before he vanished completely, but he felt no sorrow. His mission was complete.