Chương 274: Chapter 272 – Up Against A Wall.

Classification: Ashram [D] Type: Beast/Demon Description: Ashrams are demonic beasts said to originate from the lower hells. They resemble massive rams with skeletal heads wreathed in eternal flame and bodies covered in heat-resistant scales. Despite their size, Ashrams are capable of explosive bursts of speed and often overwhelm prey through relentless charges. These creatures possess an unusual affinity for fire mana.

Injuries that would cripple ordinary beasts can be partially mended by absorbing nearby flames, making them difficult opponents in prolonged battles. Ashrams are highly territorial and typically travel in herds led by stronger variants. When threatened, they become increasingly aggressive and may continue fighting even after sustaining mortal wounds. This seemed like an ordinary variant of the creature, but the description implied that a stronger one could be among the herd.

"Stronger variants... it won't be a C-rank, right?" If it had been any other time, he would have been excited to confront a C-rank monster at his current level. He had already defeated the pinnacle of D-rank in the form of the mercenary leader and was now stronger than before. However, Gwen was with him. If such a powerful foe appeared, her life would be at risk, and retreating might be their only option.

"Hm... maybe I should make another armor variant once this is over..." He had created two different types for his metallic frame. One was the Wraith, built for agility, and the other was the Goliath, designed for raw strength. However, there were many other forms he could take. He had previously been able to assume the shape of a centaur-like armor. While that form was not ideal for direct combat, it had potential when it came to traveling long distances as a mount.

"BaAaA!" The Ashram finally started moving. It sounded strangely similar to some mountain goats he had encountered during his travels, but the cry carried something far more sinister. Lowering its head, it shot forward and charged straight at them.

"No, you won't." Rusty remained where he was and simply raised his shield in front of him. While the monster appeared to possess tremendous charging power, defense was his specialty. Even in his standard form, he could withstand incredible force by increasing his weight and lowering his center of gravity. A loud crash echoed through the forest. The Ashram slammed into Rusty's shield with enough force to uproot nearby shrubs and send loose snow cascading from the branches above.

Flames burst from the beast's skull as it pushed forward with everything it had. Rusty's metallic boots slid a few centimeters across the ground, but he barely moved. His shield remained undamaged, and the flames failed to penetrate his armor. The impact was powerful enough to make the arm holding the shield vibrate violently for a moment, but he suffered no damage.

"A normal D-rank monster is no match for me!" He shouted as he pushed back against the ram. Its head jerked backward, and it stumbled a few steps away after the collision. However, it refused to give up. Almost immediately, it charged again. This time, the impact was much weaker because it had not been able to build up enough speed.

"This creature... is it kind of dumb?" Rusty watched in surprise as the monster repeatedly hurled itself at his shield in a straight line. It seemed incapable of doing anything except charging forward.

"If it's really like this... Gwen, why don't you order the others to attack while I keep it occupied?" Gwen had been observing the battle alongside the other living armors. The moment Rusty turned his helmet toward her, she understood what he meant.

"Ah... of course, Rusty. Leave it to me!" Gwen raised her wand and pointed it toward the demonic beast.

"Everyone, attack!" The living armors immediately obeyed. Two rushed in from either side with swords raised, while another advanced with a spear. Above them, the imps unleashed small bolts of dark mana that streaked through the air and slammed into the monster.

"BaAaAa!" Just as Rusty had thought, the Ashram continued to ignore them, as it seemed capable of moving only forward. He was not sure why, but it was an extremely easy weakness to exploit. There was one problem, though. Most of Gwen's summoned creatures were still E-rankers. They were close to reaching the pinnacle of that rank, but they had not crossed into the next one yet. Their weapons mostly bounced off the monster's scales, but with their relentless attacks, they eventually managed to pierce its hide.

"Ack!" Gwen recoiled in shock as dark blood sprayed from both sides of the Ashram. This was not a summoned monster but a real living creature made of demonic flesh. It could bleed like any other being, and it seemed that the young summoner was not quite used to sights like these. Rusty pushed forward, forcing the monster off balance, and delivered the final blow with his halberd. He struck directly into the wound created by the living armors.

The weapon punched through the opening and deep into the creature's chest.

"BaAaA...!" The Ashram staggered backward. Flames burst from its nostrils as it tried to rear up for another charge, but Rusty twisted the weapon and ripped it free. Dark blood sprayed across the snow, and the creature's legs finally buckled. Its massive body crashed onto its side and slid several meters through the frozen undergrowth before finally becoming still.

"Is it dead?"

"It should be." Rusty responded while shaking his halberd to clear some of the blood from the blade. Gwen looked away. She did not like the sight. The monsters fought by summoners were usually other summoned beasts, and the creatures inside Void Gates dissolved into particles of light after being slain. This one, however, remained where it had fallen. Black blood continued to pool around its body, releasing a strong, unpleasant smell. You might be reading a pirated copy.

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"Urp..."

"Gwen, are you all right? What's wrong?"

"It... It's nothing." Gwen covered her mouth and turned away from the corpse. Rusty immediately stepped between her and the dead beast.

"You don't have to look."

"I know... but the smell..." Her voice was quiet. This was different from training. Different from the academy's exercises, mock battles, and even the gates they entered. There were no protective magical spells woven into the environment, and nothing that would teleport them to safety if they were injured. One mistake could cost her life.

"Let's keep moving, Gwen. I'm not sure how many creatures like this one have made it down here, but the noise we made could have alerted them." Just as he finished speaking, he heard more strange noises in the distance. These monsters approached from predictable angles, but if enough of them arrived at once, they would have a serious problem. A single charge was easy to block, and once the creature could see nothing but his shield, it would continue moving straight ahead.

However, if several of them attacked from different directions, Gwen would be in danger.

"Yes, that's a good idea. Let's keep moving." They resumed their journey and did not look back at the monster they had slain. Normally, Rusty would have loved to take the creature apart to see whether it contained any magical stones or if its flaming skulls could be used to craft something useful. At the moment, however, his priority was Gwen. He needed to get her back to the other summoners as quickly as possible.

"So, Gwen, I see that you've managed to improve your skills." As they walked, Rusty spoke through their connection so no one else could hear them.

"I did. I can even summon armor that is much stronger than these, but it costs a lot of mana."

"You can? That's great." It was only natural that his summoner had improved. People like Syber and Aranea had already reached the middle of D-rank. The same could be said for Eldric and Aldric. Because of that, it was not surprising that Gwen had achieved this feat as well. Her mana capacity had reached D-rank, and she had even managed to remain in B-class despite Rusty being absent for half a year.

"Are there any other creatures you can summon besides those imps and living armors?"

"Um... I can summon some other creatures, but they are lower-ranked. Why?"

"Oh, well... is there anything you can use as a mount?"

"Uh, not really..." Gwen suddenly stopped as she noticed a series of glowing ram heads peeking through the trees in the distance.

"T-there are so many!" Rusty jumped back as he spotted monsters approaching from both behind and ahead of them. Without hesitation, he grabbed Gwen, hoisted her over his shoulder, and started running.

"We need to run, Gwen! Distract them with the other armors!" Gwen barely had time to let out a surprised squeak before Rusty took off. The forest blurred around them as his metal legs pounded against the frozen earth. Snow exploded beneath his boots with every step while the glowing skulls of the Ashrams multiplied between the trees.

"I... I can hear hooves..."

"They're really chasing us... and their numbers are..." While Rusty was not one to run from a good fight, there were simply too many enemies. To make matters worse, these creatures were much faster once they began a chase. The only reason they had managed to avoid them so far was that the monsters kept ramming into trees and the mountainside.

"D-don't worry, Rusty. I'll try to help!" The pounding of hooves echoed through the forest like thunder. Suddenly, an Ashram slammed into a living armor just as it was forming beside them. Several more crashed into it moments later. Gwen squeezed her eyes shut and chanted as if her life depended on it. Rusty kept her slung over his shoulder and continued running. He was not particularly fast, but at least his stamina was endless.

The glowing skulls of the Ashrams began colliding not only with the environment but also with the living armors that Gwen continued to summon. Even the floating imps managed to distract them. The creatures crashed into trees, rocks, armors, and even into one another.

"T-the trees... they're collapsing and burning..." Rusty glanced back and saw flames spreading through the forest behind them. Even though the woods were nearly frozen, dozens of flaming ram heads had somehow managed to set them ablaze. Branches cracked and crashed to the ground. Entire trees toppled across the slope as the stampeding Ashrams smashed through everything in their path. The forest was rapidly transforming into a burning corridor of destruction.

"Just keep distracting them. We're getting closer!" Rusty tightened his grip on Gwen and pushed his speed as far as he could. By this point, they had already been moving through the forest for close to an hour, and the burning woods behind them would serve as a clear signal to anyone who might come to their rescue. The monsters continued their pursuit, and soon another problem arose.

"My mana... I can't summon anything anymore..." Gwen had finally run out of mana while distracting the monsters chasing them. To make matters worse, the forest they had been using as cover was beginning to thin out. There were fewer and fewer trees ahead. Then, without warning, they emerged into a clearing that ended at a steep mountain wall.

'Maybe if I still had my wraith form, but like this... I can't climb it.' Rusty turned to look at the approaching monsters. They were still closing in, and his current body was poorly suited for climbing. Even if he managed it, he doubted Gwen would be able to hold onto his back for long. Letting her inside his body was not an option either, as the added weight would likely make them slip. They seemed completely trapped.

"Gwen, get up on that ledge. If you can, try climbing higher."

"But what about you, Rusty?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll stop them here." The ledge was narrow, but at least it placed her above the direct path of the charging monsters.

"Gwen, stay there no matter what happens." Rusty stepped away from the cliff and positioned himself between the approaching herd and the narrow ledge. His shield was larger than before, and he had gained more mass, but his luck finally ran out when the Ashram variant he had been worried about appeared. It stood nearly a full head taller than the others and was considerably broader. The flames within its skull burned brighter, and its horns were far more pronounced.

It charged straight at him and slammed into his shield. The impact echoed through the clearing, and even with his increased size, Rusty felt the shock reverberate through his metallic joints.

'This thing is D-plus.' Rusty dug his feet into the frozen ground as the larger Ashram continued to push against his shield. The pressure was on a completely different level from that of the other ordinary monsters. Cracks spread beneath his boots, and he was slowly driven backward. To make matters worse, more Ashrams rushed him from both sides.

"Rusty!"

"I'm fine. Just stay there." The larger ram finally pulled back and immediately charged again. The smaller ones slammed into the sides of his shield, forcing him even closer to the rocky wall behind him, but he held his ground. Although his durability was high, dents were beginning to appear across his body, and the rising heat from the repeated impacts was causing his metal frame to grow hotter and hotter.

'What should I do?' If he only had to worry about himself, the situation would have been simple. But protecting Gwen changed everything. If any of the rams crashed into the wall behind him, she would almost certainly fall from the ledge. Yet just as he was considering whether to activate his buffing skills or perhaps use his new chain ability, he noticed a strange shadow moving across the ground.

"What is that?" For a moment, he glanced up and saw a massive eight-legged creature skittering silently across the wall. It was not alone. Two people rode on its back, both of them familiar, while a third ran alongside it.

"Aren't those...?" One of the Ashram's charged at him, but before it could reach him, a sticky thread coated in purplish liquid shot down from the giant spider above. The monster's legs became entangled, and it screamed in pain as the poison sizzled through its flesh.

"You..."

"GWEN!" Astrella's voice rang out from atop the spider, and moments later the summoned creature landed beside him. Aranea, its master, was there as well, and the two were not alone. In his fused form, Syber descended like a bolt of lightning, driving his claws into the side of another charging Ashram before landing on the ground. Rusty had no idea how the three of them had managed to get here, but with them at his side, he was certain this battle could finally be won.