Chapter 212 – Summon Rider.

“Keep her busy, don’t let her leave!”

“As long as we keep her here, we’re sure to win just like last time!”

“No, watch out!”

In a clearing, a humongous spider lifted its head as poison hissed between its fangs. Aranea’s massive purple and black summon lashed out at the smaller creatures that surrounded it. Its abdomen glowed faintly, and a burst of purplish fumes suddenly spread in every direction.

The ring of summoned beasts that had been encircling the large spider began to fall. The poison seeped into the veins of the orcs, lizards, and wolves nearby, leaving only the rock golems still standing. Even the poisonous snakes and large insects, normally resistant to such attacks, collapsed as everyone was forced to retreat.

“We must use inorganic summons. Quickly, make more golems and elemental constructs.”

A member of class B2 shouted this while working to keep the spider occupied. The other students focused on replacing their creatures with rocky humanoids and constructs resembling swirling clouds of wind energy.

Aranea sat atop her spider as if it were a mount. She was not alone. Eldric, her loyal follower, remained at her side, his snakes somehow unaffected by the poisonous mist.

“Lady Venomridge, you need to escape. I will distract them. You should take the chance and leave.”

“That would ruin the plan, would it not?”

She responded with a blank expression, leaving the other student baffled.

“Are you truly going to follow that plan? Can we really trust them?”

“Yes. Why not?”

Her voice carried a bored tone, as if her decision were the most obvious choice. Eldric looked troubled by the idea but eventually nodded and turned his gaze toward the six summoners surrounding them. Their monsters were not especially powerful, yet their numbers and coordinated tactics were proving effective.

Even when they managed to defeat a few of the summoned creatures, another wave appeared almost immediately to stall for time. This was still part of the plan. Their goal was to limit the number of defenders and attackers heading for their own base. The rest was up to the others, and Eldric was far from convinced that they could accomplish their tasks.

“If Lady Venomridge believes they can…”

Eldric bit his lower lip. He could not bring himself to oppose Aranea. Although he had little trust in the rest of the class, he would at least place his faith in her. He soon summoned his snakes to form a protective circle around her. Even when the golems attacked, he ordered his monsters to coil around them. With enough force, the stones began to crack, and once their legs were bound, the golems toppled easily to the ground.

The large spider remained deadly. Although the poison cloud did not affect the inorganic summons, there were other ways to harm them. The huge spider opened its mouth and released a concentrated beam of energy. The moment it struck one of the wind elementals, the creature vanished instantly. Turning to more particles of mana to fuel both sides of the conflict.

*****

“What are you idiots doing?”

A furious youth shouted as he rode a bear with the head of a wolf. Behind him a group of students clustered together with their orc summons, each orc holding a large shield to block the arrows raining down from the stronghold walls.

“We cannot get through, like this…”

One of the students peeked out from behind a shield and was immediately struck by an arrow from above. His mana shield shattered, and a swirl of energy enveloped him as the competition removed him from the field. He would soon join the others who had already been eliminated as the event moved into its middle stages. As he was removed, several orcs that he had been controlling vanished instantly.

“Get that thing out of my sight! I do not care how you do it!”

Bartholomew Woodward, the top student of class B2 and its current leader, shouted in frustration while his Bear-Wolf was pushed back again. Despite its greater power and size, and despite Bartholomew’s belief that it was superior in every possible way to the flimsy living armor standing before it, the creature could not force its way through.

Rusty proved unexpectedly agile, parrying attacks and slipping through narrow openings whenever the monster lunged with its jaws. The longer the fight went on, the more familiar he became with its rhythm. Fifteen minutes had already passed, and he had traded many blows with the beast, each exchange ending with its retreat.

‘I am holding out for now… but they might break through soon…’

Rusty knew he could not last forever. The only reason he had endured this long was Bartholomew’s arrogance. The young man was convinced of his own superiority and insisted on facing Rusty alone while his companions stayed back and acted only as ranged support. They waited for him to break through the gate, yet he continued to fail.

If they all charged together, Rusty knew the outcome would be very different. His body was durable, and none of their E-rank arrows could leave a dent. He blocked another swipe as the Bear Wolf’s claws scraped against his enchanted twilight steel. The impact cracked the ground beneath his armored boots. His body held firm, yet he could feel his opponent growing desperate.

‘That was stronger than before. He is pushing more mana into it.’

Bartholomew’s jaw twitched as he forced more mana into the summoned beast he rode. The creature beneath him heaved and snarled, its breath steaming. It might have been a construct of mana, but it still followed the limits of flesh. Its stamina was failing, and constant injections of new mana would not be enough for long.

“Enough of this charade!”

Bartholomew shouted, his voice shaking with anger.

“You think your trash armor puppets can stand before a true Rider?”

Rusty did not respond. He shifted his stance and braced as the Bear-Wolf lowered its head and charged again with such force that the air boomed under the pressure. Rusty slid back a few steps, yet with the aid of weight control, he refused to be moved any farther despite his smaller size.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

‘Now!’

He drove his halberd into the weakened spot he had targeted again and again. His skills and enchantments flared at once and lightning raced along the embedded weapon. The monster’s armor had cracked enough for the blade to sink deep. The surge of energy ran down the creature’s neck and even struck the rider above.

“Gah. You dare?”

Bartholomew screamed as the shock reached him. His eyes bulged in surprise and pain. The creature staggered back, and mana particles scattered from the wound along its neck. Even so, the young man instantly pulled out a bottle of mana to drink it and then restored his beast to full health.

“That is it. Enough is enough. Everyone charge with me. I will open the path.”

“But the arrows…”

One of the students tried to warn. Their troops would be injured if they rushed in without caution, but the attempt only made Bartholomew even angrier.

“I do not care. Use your summons as shields. Use your potions. We are getting into that stronghold, and we are doing it now!”

Rusty did not know what they were planning, but he suddenly felt a massive surge of mana coming from his opponent. He had assumed the potion was a simple mana potion, yet the energy felt different. It reminded him of his duel with Katherine Grandwell.

The armored Bear Wolf began to change. It grew larger, and sharp spikes erupted along its plated form. Its fangs lengthened, and its claws followed as it released a roar that shook the field. Rusty had never seen a summon transform like this. When he used his identification skill, the truth appeared before him.