Steel Awakens Part 2

The Mudspire roared, slashing furiously. Ronan met its blows with fierce determination, but even his immense strength was beginning to wane. Every strike from the beast cracked his armor further, sending shards of metal scattering.

"Come on, you overgrown rock," Ronan growled. "I’ve fought worse than you!"

Jace's hands trembled. His sword lay forgotten at his side. Helplessness threatened to consume him.

“I’m the hero here.”

The words echoed in his mind. But what kind of hero stood by and watched?

The Awakening of Steel

Then, it happened.

A surge of energy coursed through Jace’s veins. His body burned, but it wasn't from fear. It was something else. Something primal.

His hands trembled, then hardened. A metallic sheen spread from his fingertips, coating his arms in glimmering steel. The veins beneath his skin pulsed with molten power.

"What… what is this?" Jace whispered.

The sword in his grip pulsed in response, the once-dormant steel element roaring to life. 

Jace’s gaze snapped to Ronan, still fighting desperately against the Mudspire.

"No," Jace growled, teeth clenched. "Not like this."

With a cry of defiance, he charged. The steel around his hands thickened, forming gauntlets that gleamed beneath the fading light. Sparks crackled as he swung the sword with newfound strength.

“Who do you think you are? I’m the hero here!”

Jace’s sword struck the barrier once more. This time, it didn’t break against it. Instead, a blue energy surged forward, shattering the wind barrier in an instant.

"What the—" Ronan’s eyes widened.

Jace sprinted through the opening.

The Mudspire roared, its attention shifting. Jace didn’t hesitate. He met the beast’s charge head-on, his sword colliding with its hardened claws. Sparks flew as steel clashed against stone.

"You're not taking him!" Jace roared.

The battle intensified. Ronan fought alongside Jace, both warriors pushing the beast back. Nick's healing magic surged from the outside, mending Ronan’s wounds as fast as they appeared.

But the Mudspire, relentless and furious, showed no signs of tiring.

Jace's steel-coated arms trembled. The strain was unbearable, but he refused to fall. Then, in a final act of desperation, the Mudspire unleashed a barrage of earth bullets.

"Jace, move!"

But it was too late. The deadly projectiles shot forward. Jace braced for the impact, but before they reached him—

........

"Ronan!"

The warrior threw himself in front of Jace, taking the full brunt of the attack. Blood sprayed from his wounds as he staggered.

"Y-You’ve done quite well for a newbie," Ronan rasped, his legs giving out beneath him.

"No!" Jace caught him, tears welling in his eyes. "Why would you—"

The Mudspire roared once more, preparing its final blow. But Jace’s sorrow twisted into something else.

Rage.

The steel coating his hands darkened. Blue energy swirled violently around his blade.

"You bastard," Jace whispered. "I’ll end this."

With a final cry, he swung. A crescent wave of steel-infused energy erupted from his sword, the air crackling with raw power. The Mudspire attempted to dodge, but the sheer force of the attack tore through its side.

The beast let out a pained roar before retreating into the darkness, its form vanishing beneath the shattered earth.

Jace stumbled, the last remnants of his power fading. His sword fell from his trembling grasp. The world around him blurred as his body crumpled to the ground.

The last thing he saw before the darkness took him was Ronan's broken form, and the distant, worried cries of Nick and the others.

To be continued....

Note : Black energy is the mysterious energy and the blue energy is the element energy of steel attribute.

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