The howls in the forest grew louder and closer. The clash between the summoned beasts from both classes sounded ferocious. Even from a distance, Rusty could see trees shaking and collapsing as they were slashed or smashed by something with incredible strength.

  Rusty tightened his grip on the bow and drew his first arrow. His life detection skill could not reach the edges of the forest, so he had to rely on his mana perception and sight instead. The moment he saw ripples forming, he took aim and fired his first shot just as a strange mantis-like monster emerged from within.

  It was not a normal mantis, as its size was comparable to that of a person. It was also not alone. Several others like it came crawling out of the brush. The moment they laid their insectoid eyes on the small stronghold, they let out a strange, piercing shriek before charging forward.

  His arrow collided with one of the monster’s heads, turning it into particles of mana almost instantly. Yet as soon as it fell, another took its place. The siege had begun, and soon more monsters poured out of the forest. Their summoners appeared as well, but they concealed themselves behind groups of creatures, rocks, and their own spells.

  Just like in the previous test, if a summoner was defeated, their creature would vanish. Everyone here only had one life, and if they suffered sufficient damage, they would be forced out by the teachers. This was one of the reasons defending was easier. It was far better to focus on the summoners, but the attackers needed to expose themselves if they wanted to capture the flag.

  ‘That pesky range we need to maintain around our summoners comes in handy at times like this. They won’t be able to stay behind those trees and rocks if they want this flag.’

  His plan was simple. He would target the summoners and take them out. If they defeated enough of them, the other group would be forced to ask for reinforcements from their stronghold. However, this required the cooperation of the entire class, and when it came to teamwork, the opposing class seemed to be superior.

  “Why do I have to order my orcs to use bows? They are much better in close combat than this. This is a waste of my skills.”

  “Just be quiet and shoot. They are coming!”

  “Fine…”

  Some of the students manning the walls and ordering their monsters to fire arrows were already complaining. These mages carried a great deal of pride. Most of them seemed to be nobility or descendants of wealthy merchants who disliked being told what to do. Only when a high noble was present would they truly listen. Gwen, who came from a fallen noble house, did not seem to command that level of prestige yet.

  “They are advancing, shoot!”

  A swarm of arrows flew through the air and embedded themselves in the insectoid monsters. They were not alone, as other creatures such as snakes, salamanders, and, as always, orcs advanced with them. Some held shields as they slowly moved toward the moat area. The bridge leading in could not be pulled up and it created a death zone through which they needed to funnel if they wanted to get inside. To make things more interesting, a few flying creatures appeared as well.

  ‘Never seen that one…’

  “Flying units, left side!”

  One of the students shouted as a group of harpies attacked. Two of them were shot down, but another duo managed to lift one of the kobold archers high into the air. Once they were high enough, they let go, and the poor summoned beast crashed into the ground below, turning into mana particles in an instant.

  Rusty’s eyes locked onto the incoming harpies as they swooped overhead, their wings beating in a strange rhythm. He instantly let one of his arrows fly, and it connected with the monster’s head. For him, who was a D rank monster, it only took one shot to make the creatures dissolve into mana, but for the E rank monsters, it was not as easy. Even after multiple arrows were lodged in the harpy’s body, they managed to persist and pull some of their creatures off the walls.

  ‘This battle looks strange…’

  For a moment, Rusty stopped attacking as he watched the fight unfold. Monsters were dying left and right. It felt like a real battle, but the number of attackers was not dwindling. Even when an orc or a kobold died, it was replaced by another. The summoners within the stronghold continued to pull back the spent mana or drink mana potions to restore it. Some even stood in strange formations that seemed to lessen the strain on their casting, and the other group was doing the same.

  Even after defeating multiple of those insectoid foes, some that could also fly, there seemed to be no end to them. It was a stalemate. The monsters could not really get through the walls, but even after defeating tens of enemies, they only needed to spend some mana to restore themselves.

  ‘They are slowly moving forward, getting closer and closer while using their monsters as meat shields.’

  More and more summoners appeared from within the forest. Some large rocks and slopes could be used as cover, and with every passing minute, they were moving to take the main gate.

  ‘Wait, what is that sound? Something big is coming…’

  The ground trembled. At first, it was subtle, more a vibration than a true quake, but within seconds, the tremor grew into something heavy. Even the golems that stood around their Flag started shaking, and in the distance, trees started being pushed apart as something emerged.

  It then came into view, a colossal beast burst from the treeline, scattering mantis creatures and orcs alike as if they were nothing more than leaves in its path. It had the head of a wolf but was built like a massive armored bear. It was a strange fusion of a monster much bigger than a grizzly, its frame wider than a carriage and taller than even a horse. To make things even more interesting, it had someone riding on its back.

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  “What’s taking you so long? You people are useless!”

  The man on its back was the bearish, large framed youth who had proclaimed B2 class victory before the competition even started. He sat upon its back, which had an especially made saddle and harness. He even had reins similar to those of a horse, but adjusted for the monster’s head. It looked more like a mount than a summon and radiated power that was on par with Aranea’s summon.

  “It’s Bartholomew! Wasn’t Aranea supposed to keep him busy?”

  Shouted Astrella as she ordered Airy to form a shield around the entrance gate.

  “That’s Lady Venomridge to you!”

  Shouted Aldric, who offered help by sending one of his golems to push against the doors that they knew were going to be attacked.

  ‘Perhaps they had some tactics to keep her occupied, but as long as we last it out, this might be a good thing. The humanoid is clearly proud and thinks that Aranea is his only real obstacle…’

  Everyone pointed their bows at the charging bear-wolf. They flew in a nice arc and connected, but instead of creating holes, they all just bounced back. Even the ones that collided with Bartholomew himself were deflected by a mana shield. The young man just continued laughing and pushed forward as if his summons was some kind of armored siege engine.

  Rusty reacted quickly, pulling back the string of his bow and activating the Power Shot skill. He was at the same rank as the monster and probably the only one capable of dealing real damage to it. Just like before, his arrow flew, but this time it was surrounded by red energy and moved far faster. Yet when it struck the monster’s side, it left little more than a scratch on its hardened armor.

  “...”

  He did not panic. He notched another arrow and aimed for the man riding the beast. It was not an easy shot, and he was not a specialized archer, but he waited patiently for the right moment before letting it fly. Just like before, the arrow hit its mark, but once again it proved useless. A thick mana barrier shimmered around Bartholomew as the arrow bounced off without penetrating.

  ‘It had some effect, but I won’t get much with this…’

  While his attacks were not entirely pointless, the damage his opponents sustained was minimal. It was clear that the creature was built for defense and raw power. It was not agile enough to avoid his shots, but it did not need to be. Soon, the Bear-Wolf reached the gate and slammed its massive body into the closed entrance.

  “Ugh… I don’t think I can take many of those…”

  Astrella groaned as she poured more mana into Airy, who was shielding their entrance. Bartholomew urged his mount forward, and the Armored Bear-Wolf rose onto its hind legs before slamming its full weight into the gate. The impact echoed like thunder, and it was clear the entrance was about to give way.

  “Ha, this is too easy! That’s why Summon Riders are superior to everyone!”

  “Summon Riders?”

  “Summon Riders are…”

  Gwen started to explain, but he cut her off.

  “I can guess well enough. There’s no time for that, Gwen. Bring out the parts we saved. I’m going to stop that bear.”

  “Ah… s-sure. Be careful, Rusty. Bartholomew is strong, strong enough to be accepted into A-class.”

  Rusty imagined that this Summon Rider was another form of summoner. At first, he had thought summoners were simply mages who relied on creatures and stayed safely behind them. However, after seeing Syber and now Bartholomew, he knew better. There were clearly multiple paths to strength within this single profession. Fusing with monsters, riding them into battle, and forming deep bonds with them all seemed to amplify their power.

  ‘Bonds with the summoner, huh?’

  For a moment, he looked at Gwen as she opened her bag of holding. From within, she pulled out the monster armor parts they had saved from the corrupt void gate, but that was not what occupied his thoughts. Instead, he wondered if his bond with this girl was making him stronger. After each mission, he had become a little better and earned many rewards. Yet it was not only his power that was growing. A strange attachment was beginning to take hold, one that made him want to see her succeed in this unfamiliar world filled with mystical beings.

  With the parts laid out, he put his puppeteering skill to use. The armor taken from the red hobgoblin knight was far bulkier than the rest and demanded the most of his mana, but it was still worth the cost. With Gwen lending him her mana, he could fight almost without pause, and it would likely fall to him to stop the monster and those behind it from breaking through.

  "I’m going in, be sure to hide, Gwen!"

  "You’re going in? What do you mean?"

  As Gwen spoke, Rusty seized two of the puppets he had created and leapt forward, accompanied by the strongest one formed from the hobgoblin knight’s parts, which moved on its own. They landed with a solid impact right in front of the hulking bear and the rider commanding it.

  "Out of my way. You must be that fallen nobles' minions. Living armor is no match for my Bear-Wolf."

  Bartholomew hesitated for only a moment before regaining his composure. All he saw were a few mismatched living suits of armor, something his bear could tear apart with a single swipe. When it did just that, something strange occurred.

  "What?"

  The massive paw was stopped, the force spreading harmlessly as Rusty held his ground. Instead of being pushed back, the three armor puppets behind him surged forward, charging toward the summoner perched atop the enormous bear wolf.

  With a thrust, he landed a solid blow on the monster’s neck area, but even his halberd bounced off without fully penetrating. From his identification skill, it seemed that this monster was not completely armored, yet he could not see any gaps.

  ‘Is it the belly, but how do I reach it?’

  “Crush them!”

  Bartholomew gave the order, and his monster obeyed. The beast lunged, its jaws snapping wide enough to swallow Rusty’s upper half, but he had already moved. The two lesser puppets darted to either side, their joints clanking as they circled around to get behind it. Both carried spears, and their task was to create chaos from the rear.

  The mismatched knight armor moved to one side while Rusty controlled the bear wolf’s head. When it snapped at him, he raised his shield and even slammed it into its large wolf nose. Soon, he and his puppets were striking at it from all directions, and the young man riding it was starting to lose his patience.

  “You dare! Stop moving!”

  He continued pointing at the metal puppets around him, but this only confused his mount. Each time the large summon was about to crush one of the puppets, Rusty thrust forward with all his strength. Even though he could not reach the soft underbelly, as long as he focused on a single spot, he would eventually weaken its armored defenses. With each hit, particles of mana flickered, showing that he was slowly making progress.

  “We need to help Lord Woodward!”

  However, the young man was not alone. Once the other summoners saw that their leader could not break through, they changed their tactics. Rusty had hoped that seeing their strongest fighter pushed back would break their will, but they were more coordinated than he had expected.

  Soon, one of his lesser puppets was smacked aside by a large mantis and then crushed by the bear-wolf. With its metal bent out of shape, he could not restore it, as it was not a true summoned creature like the others.

  “We need to aid Rainstar’s summons.”

  Still, he was not entirely alone. Arrows soon flew from the walls, aimed at the smaller creatures trying to assist Bartholomew. Neither side let up, but time was against them. The longer the battle dragged on, the more their walls and entrance suffered damage. Their defenses were slowly beginning to crumble, yet they had to hold out until their companions returned with the other flag.