The shockwave cleared…
Ren stepped out of the swirling dust. Five concentric layers of mana barriers hummed around his body, deflecting the falling ash and ambient heat.
He didn't pause to admire his work. He didn't wait for the smoke to settle or for the dragon to reveal its wounds.
Time was a luxury.
His hands were already weaving a new runic sequence. He sent mana and reached out to the towering spike he had just summoned. The jagged surface of the earth began to shift. The dull gray stone took on a dark metallic sheen. By weaving earth, fire, and water mana together in a highly specific ratio, he altered the structure of the rock. It approached the legendary density of the lost metal element. It became incredibly heavy, yet retained a degree of flexibility that ordinary diamond lacked.
The construct responded to his will like a phantom limb.
Across the crater, the smoke parted. The guardian loomed in the haze.
