Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Chapter 112 – Twilight Embrace.

‘Maybe I should have gone with one of the harder missions instead.’

Rusty wondered to himself as he watched the orc vanish before his eyes. He had chosen the easiest mission to gauge how dangerous this new summoning chamber was, and it seemed he wouldn’t face much of a challenge. While the creature was stronger than the dungeon orcs he had previously encountered, it wasn’t much of a threat - and it was alone. Additionally, the creature required its summoner for skill activation, a big weakness that he, as an aware monster, did not share. Rusty could effortlessly chain together his strikes, skills and independently decide the best course of action for any situation.

Katherine grit her teeth as her Red Orc faded into motes of mana, leaving not even its axes behind. Her frustration was palpable, and the crowd’s sudden enthusiasm for Gwendolin’s strange summon only worsened her mood. She wasn’t done yet, though. Not by a long shot. Katherine slammed her foot into the ground, her voice booming over the arena.

"Impressive, Rainstar, but let’s see how your tin monster fares against something real!"

The summoning circle beneath her flared to life, its intricate glyphs radiating with fiery mana. Katherine’s lips moved rapidly as she chanted a complex spell, her mana visibly pouring into the circle. The heat in the arena spiked sharply as something new was summoned.

“It’s not over yet? Didn’t Katherine’s monster lose?”

“You idiot, it’s not over until their mana depletes, they can summon as much as they want, the one with more mana will usually win.”

The crowd erupted into murmurs. They had all seen the red orc go down in a decisive defeat, but Katherine’s defiance kept the duel alive. Most people their age wouldn’t have enough mana for successive summonings, yet she was somehow managing it.

Rusty, however, noticed something peculiar. During her chant, the girl had quickly grasped a red crystal, one that emitted an intense burst of mana. The energy flowed into her body, resembling the way mana crystals had restored his own MP in the past.

“Hey, can you do that?”

“Stay quiet, it’s better not to get involved with the Grandwell house, you know how they are…”

“Yeah…”

This sparked a buzz around the arena. Several spectators cast glances at the instructor overseeing the match. Rusty wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but the atmosphere hinted that not everyone approved of her actions. His own summoner remained silent, her head bowed, but her tightly clenched fists betrayed her frustration.

Rusty briefly considered asking what this was all about but refocused on the fight at hand. Maybe this “easy” mission wouldn’t be so easy after all.

‘So, what’s she summoning now? A bigger orc? Maybe a big spider?’

‘No… it's probably that one… oh no, what will we do?’ 

Rusty asked himself, though it seemed his ‘summoner’ had heard his thoughts. He was still trying to make sense of this strange situation, it was possible to shield his mind from her - but only if he fully concentrated. Her distress was obvious, and it stirred something within him. Though he lacked a heart, it felt as though something was pumping excitement through his being. He had chosen the easy option, but deep down, he craved a challenge. He wanted his body to be tested, to push his limits, and to grow stronger through the fight ahead.

From the glowing circle, flame mana erupted, coalescing into the form of a massive salamander. The creature roared as it emerged, its fiery scales radiating waves of heat. The air shimmered around it, distorting its imposing form. The salamander’s tail, a long whip of living fire, lashed out, leaving scorch marks on the ground. Its molten eyes locked onto Rusty, and it bared fangs that dripped liquid flame.

“It’s a Lesser Flame Salamander, that living armor is finished!”

“That summon’s flames will melt it in no time.”

‘Melt?’

The crowd erupted into cheers once more as the next monster made its appearance. Rusty had never faced anything like it before. It was larger than his current form, with a long, sinewy body that exuded menace. Its sharp teeth gleamed, but he doubted they could pierce through his shield.

What truly concerned him were the flames. As someone with blacksmithing experience, he understood the effects of high temperatures on iron all too well. Prolonged exposure to that heat could be disastrous for him. Metal expanded when heated, and since his body was made of iron, any sudden alterations could disrupt his movements. If his body warped while he was in action, it could create a serious problem.

“Go forth Salamander!”

Katherine gave the command and the fiery salamander circled Rusty, its molten eyes narrowing as if assessing its prey. The crowd's energy surged as they anticipated the battle between fire and steel. Gwendolin stood frozen, unsure how to assist. She clutched her pendant, hoping that Rusty’s strange independence would carry them through once more. Rusty raised his shield and started observing the monster as it moved closer.

Then, the creature pounced, launching a straightforward but ferocious attack. Its jaws clamped down on his shield, emitting intense heat as it attempted to gnaw through the iron. The searing energy radiating from its mouth was a real issue, and Rusty could feel its effects beginning to take a toll on his body. For the moment, his shield held firm, but it was clear that this monster was far stronger and heavier than the red orc he had faced earlier. 

An exchange of blows soon followed, with him landing a few shallow cuts with his poleaxe which gave him some range. His approach was somewhat strategic as he was trying to get a feel for what he was facing. The monster was quite strong and outranked him so he needed to be careful. His strategy was paying off as he managed to thrust his pointy end of his pole axe into the creature a few times, leaving shallow wounds behind. 

“That monster is still not going down…”

“Now that I look at it… what is that thing? Is it a unique?”

The crowd began murmuring once again, and Rusty could see a large vein bulging on Katherine’s forehead. It was clear she didn’t appreciate the attention her opponent was getting, nor the fact that her powerful monster still couldn’t take down Rusty, who had switched to a defensive stance. In frustration, she suddenly barked an order, mana flowing into another command spell.

“Salamander, use your flame breath! Melt that ugly thing!”

The monster, now about ten meters away, halted its pursuit and reared back, its tail flicking in preparation for the devastating attack. The air shimmered with heat as it gathered flames in its throat, its molten eyes glowing brighter with every passing second.

Rusty, still gripping his shield, quickly assessed the situation and realized that, in his current form, dodging the attack would be nearly impossible. Instead, he made the decision to brace for impact, raising his shield to absorb the attack. He believed his thick tower shield should be able to withstand the full force of the fiery blast. The salamander's body tensed, its jaws parting as it prepared to unleash a torrent of searing fire.

‘Here it comes! I just need to block it and then counter attack!’ 

Rusty thought to himself, his mind calculating the best way to mitigate the incoming blast. Just as the salamander released its fiery breath, a burst of heat and light filled the arena. The flames crashed against Rusty’s shield in an explosion of molten fury. For a moment, everything was a blur of blinding red and orange. The crowd gasped, and some even recoiled at the intensity of the attack.

He focuses all his will on holding his ground. His shield groaned under the pressure as the heat licked at the edges of his armor. He could feel the iron beginning to heat up, warping ever so slightly with each second. However, he persisted through it while his body just slightly turned red. For a moment he remained in place, waiting for the heat to lower before attempting a counterattack. However, to his surprise, this wasn’t over. The summoner raised her hand again and performed the same command letting the salamander fire off another blast of heated energy, something that he didn’t expect.

‘What? It can do this multiple times?’

From his experience with E-ranked monsters, Rusty knew they shouldn’t have that much mana. This breath attack likely consumed a large amount of MP, but strangely, the monster didn’t seem to lose any power as it unleashed the flames. It didn’t take long for him to realize what was happening: mana from the summoner was flowing into the monster, replenishing its energy.

He reacted quickly and activated his Fortify Armor skill before the heat could intensify any further. Though the skill allowed him to endure the second blast, a third one was already on the way. His own mana reserves were dwindling rapidly as he relied on the fortification skill to protect himself. The ground beneath him was beginning to turn to glass, and if not for the skill, he would have likely started melting by now. Using his bulky body to absorb the flames had been a mistake, but he hadn’t anticipated that the summoner could continuously replenish the monster's mana while he had no access to mana crystals to replenish his own.

‘Oh no, Katherine’s mana is getting replenished by the mage gemstone, what should … what should I do, if this continues my summon will lose… but what can I do?

‘Oh… can you do that too?’

‘Huh? Can I do what?’

As Rusty was trying to come up with a strategy, his summoner’s thoughts suddenly resounded in his mind.

‘Can you do what she’s doing? Give me mana?’

‘I… I should be able to!’

It seemed the young girl had been too stunned to help until now. She had been caught off guard, but the realization finally struck her - she was a summoner just like Katherine, and she could also channel her mana into her summoned monster. While she didn’t have any gems to accelerate her mana recovery, she could still provide a boost by refilling his mana reserves, even if it was just once.

‘Then do it!’

While he still had some options, if his mana was fully replenished then he could try a different more aggressive strategy. Soon, Gwendolin focused and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She had only recently learned how to channel her mana directly into a summon, and this was her first real test. Her hand shook slightly as she reached out toward Rusty. A faint, shimmering light surrounded her, and for a brief moment, her connection with Rusty deepened. Soon her mana was flowing into him and he could see his MP rising.

‘This should do it… let’s try that!’

Before evolving, he had received a new skill - one he hadn’t yet been able to fully test. Though he understood how to use it, this would be his first time activating it in a true battle. Soon, his body began to shimmer as black and white energies surged and enveloped him. He activated ‘Lesser Twilight Embrace’, a skill that called upon twilight energies to amplify his power. As the skill took effect, he could feel the rush of strength coursing through him. His stats shot up, granting him great boosts in attack, agility, and even defense.

The arena fell silent as Rusty’s body was consumed by swirling black and white energies. His iron form gleamed with a spectral glow, the twilight energies creating an ethereal halo that seemed to darken the very air around him. The oppressive heat radiating from the Lesser Flame Salamander no longer felt as overwhelming; instead, the energy coursing through him made him feel invincible.

The crowd gasped as they watched Rusty step forward, his movements suddenly fluid and eerily precise. With his shield still glowing orange from the residual heat of the Salamander’s breath attacks, he raised his poleaxe, the weapon shimmering with twilight energy. Even Katherine paused, her mana flow stopping as she observed the sudden transformation.

“What is that?! Did the summoner give it some kind of buff?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it…”

Rusty didn’t wait for the crowd’s murmurs to subside. He darted forward, faster than anyone had expected. Despite the Salamander’s flames surging toward him, he gripped the heavy shield tightly and charged ahead. His metallic body emitted a screeching sound with every step, echoing through the arena. Though this was his bulkier form, he was moving faster than he ever could in his normal body. He could feel his MP draining rapidly as he sustained the skill, knowing he had to end the confrontation quickly.

The Salamander lashed out with its flaming tail, aiming to halt Rusty’s advance. Yet, the empowered living armor anticipated the attack, pivoting smoothly and raising his glowing shield to absorb the brunt of the strike. Sparks exploded as the molten appendage collided with his shield, but Rusty barely slowed. Instead, he twisted his poleaxe and aimed a devastating counterstrike at the creature’s exposed flank.

The blow landed with a resounding crack, the twilight-imbued blade cleaving through the Salamander’s fiery scales and drawing a howl of pain from the beast. The crowd erupted, some cheering wildly while others gasped in disbelief. The Salamander staggered, its body wreathed in flickering flames that seemed to dim slightly as it reeled from the injury. Katherine’s eyes widened in shock, and she quickly resumed her mana flow to bolster her summon. 

“Salamander, don’t let it get close! Keep it at a distance!” 

She commanded, her tone implying panic. However, Rusty refused to let the creature escape. As it swung its tail toward him again, he released his shield and gripped his poleaxe with both hands. With one empowered cleave, he severed the flaming tail in a single, decisive strike. The monster roared in agony as its tail crashed to the ground. It sizzled momentarily on the arena floor before the flames subsided.

Rusty didn’t relent. The Lesser Twilight Embrace continued to surge through him, amplifying his every motion. With his shield abandoned, he could now fully wield his poleaxe, launching into a flurry of brutal strikes. Each swing carried the weight of twilight energy, leaving trails of black-and-white afterimages in its wake. Bolstered by his summoner’s mana, Rusty seamlessly chained power strikes together, unleashing a relentless barrage of blows that quickly overwhelmed his opponent.

Katherine clenched her fists, pouring more mana into her summon in a desperate bid to turn the tide. The Salamander’s flames flared anew, its body surging with revitalized energy. It lunged at Rusty with jaws wide, aiming to crush him in one decisive move. But Rusty was faster.

Pivoting sharply, he sidestepped the attack and spun his poleaxe in a wide arc. The weapon struck the Salamander’s neck with a thunderous crack, slicing through layers of fiery scales and lobbing it clean off. The crowd erupted into cheers and gasps, their eyes glued to the spectacle unfolding before them. No one thought that it was possible but the battle was over and the underdog had been victorious.