Heavy Metal

Chapter 60 – Dungeon Defense.

"Hey, did you feel that?""Hm?"

A small group of adventurers stopped in their tracks as they noticed something unusual. They had been

"Wait… it's doing something… what is this?"

He felt something within his very being trying to draw something out but he stood firmly against this feeling. The other monsters were feeling the same phenomenon but it was working on them. All the slimes started falling down from the ceiling and crashing down before him. The zombies along with the skeletons started to crumble down to the ground, and even the goblins were dying.

"Is it directly killing the monsters? It can do that?"

Rusty was surprised as he saw the other monsters fall down to the ground. The goblins were clutching their chests as if they were in a lot of pain. With the help of his new skill he could see tiny fragments of energy flowing outside of their bodies. It was as if the Dungeon Heart was taking out the mana it had given to these creatures in an attempt to regain some footing. It was probably a desperate last measure and he knew that this would be it.

After the monsters crumbled down to the ground, the tremors around the dungeon started to cease. A large veil of energy was now floating above the entire chamber but Rusty wasn't feeling restricted in his movements. It seemed this boost of energy wasn't meant to restore the mana threads that he was cutting but for something else entirely. In a flash, the mass of mana condensed into a singular orb and flew out of the tunnel he had entered through.

"Isn't that where the boss chamber was in? What is it trying to do?"

This was quite a confusing matter as now he was left with no obstructions to the Dungeon Heart. It was a chance to move in and get this finally over with. He moved forward, his large iron boots echoing with each step as he approached the Dungeon Heart. The pulsating crystal, now isolated and seemingly weakened, was defensless before his might. However, before he could get any closer, a strange noise resounded from behind him.

"I recognize that sound…"

Rusty instantly knew what was coming and quickly turned around. From the hidden corridor he came out from a silhouette appeared of someone he recognized. It was the tenth floor boss that he once barely defeated and this explained the ball of concentrated mana. The Dungeon Core sacrificed the lesser monsters to revive the defeated boss. Its for was the same as before and it was holding that huge slab of iron called a colossal greatsword.

"There aren't any pillars I can use here…"

This monster had been a tough opponent and he had only won thanks to using strategy. This place had an unfavorable structure as it was a wide open area. Rusty couldn't even use the pillar the dungeon core was on as he still was being suppressed by the voice it produced. There was no way of going around this, he needed to face his toughest opponent once more.

"I'm not the same armor as before."

The boss charged at Rusty, its colossal greatsword swinging in a wide arc. Rusty raised his massive tower shield just in time to block the attack. The impact reverberated through his entire frame, but he stood firm, feeling the strength of his twilight armor plating absorbing the blow. He retaliated with a powerful swing of his war pick, aiming for the boss's exposed side. The weapon connected with a resounding clang, but the boss's thick armor absorbed most of the impact as well.

"I can do this… I've trained for it!"

With the adjustments he had made to his form, Rusty was almost as tall as the living armor before him. He had designed this configuration specifically to combat larger foes, and within the Soul Forge, he had spent a few moments in the training chamber practicing against this very boss. The attack patterns he was seeing now were all exactly the same as those he had faced in training.

The boss roared, its eyes glowing with an eerie red light. It swung its greatsword again, this time with even more force. Rusty didn't dodge but instead angled his tower shield in such a way to force the blade to slide off. Once the monster exposed its flank, he charged in with his war pick. The flat side connected with the armor, the impact producing multiple cracks on the plating.

While he couldn't rely on agility in his current form, using a more skillful approach was the key. His opponent was slightly superior in all stats but had fewer skills. Coupled with his knowledge of its attack patterns, Rusty was able to either deflect or minimize the damage to his own robust frame. The exchange was long, but eventually, the opponent was forced to back away, its body cracking and its joints wavering.

Rusty pressed his advantage, exploiting the weaknesses he had created in the living armor. He swung his war pick with precision, targeting the already damaged areas. Each strike chipped away more of the monster's defenses, and its movements grew increasingly sluggish.

Finally, with one last powerful blow, Rusty drove the war pick into the monster's groin area. It was the place where the monster core had been located the last time around. The force of the impact shattered the remaining armor plates, and the red glow in its eyes dimmed before flickering out entirely. The massive suit of armor collapsed to the ground in a heap, defeated.

Congratulations you have gained a level.

Rusty stood over the fallen boss, his body dented and broken in several places. The battle had been taxing, but he had prevailed. He knew that he needed to continue and quickly his body started to shift, going through another loadout exchange as he switched to his all-purpose form.

"It's just you and me now…"

He called out to the being that created him. The heart's voice continued to call out in a desperate plea, but its tone had shifted from commanding to fearful. Rusty felt a hint of empathy; despite everything, this being was his creator. But he knew what had to be done…