My beast is Gundam

Titan's speed wasn't great, making it hard to engage both demon bears at the same time.

"I have an idea," Leon said, crouching in the tall grass. "Petty, have your black cat use illusions to distract the heavily injured one. My Titan and Beard's Golden Monkey will team up to take out the other. Titan will take the lead, and the Golden Monkey can target the bear's wounds."

As a seasoned gamer in his previous life, devising a simple but effective monster-fighting strategy was no big deal for Leon.

The only issue with this plan was whether Petty's black cat could hold off the injured bear long enough for Titan and the Golden Monkey to defeat the other.

"My contracted beast is called Sara, not Black Cat..." Petty mumbled softly, then nodded. "If it's just keeping the injured one occupied for a while, it should be doable."

With the plan agreed upon, Leon wasted no time. He summoned Titan from the distance.

Titan emerged from the woods, steam hissing from its joints as it stomped forward on its short, sturdy legs. It stopped a short distance from the two demon bears, raised its mechanical claw to scratch its steaming head, and fixed its glowing, intelligent eyes on the bears.

"Roar—"

The two demon bears, which had been feasting, froze and became alert at the sight of this iron figure. The injured bear stood upright, roaring loudly in an attempt to intimidate Titan and warn it off.

But Titan wasn't one to follow social conventions.

Leon gave the simple, unembellished command: "Smash it!"

Steam erupted from Titan's head as it stomped forward, raising its iron fist toward the roaring bear.

The bear faltered briefly.

Why wasn't this thing playing by the rules? It was supposed to hesitate, posture, or circle before attacking, wasn't it?

But instincts soon kicked in. Seeing the iron fist descending, the bear leapt sideways with surprising agility.

Boom!

The iron fist crashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.

Beard and Petty felt their hearts skip a beat.

While metallic beasts were known for their toughness and strength, Titan's raw power was extraordinary.

"That kind of power could probably stand toe-to-toe with a Grade-3 beast," Beard murmured in awe.

"Roar—"

The heavily injured bear, though visibly unsteady, tried to rise to its feet, likely to assist its companion. But before it could act, a sleek black cat suddenly leapt onto its head.

The cat's eerie eyes locked onto the bear's, and the beast froze, its massive body suddenly rigid.

"You need to hurry—sara can't hold it for long," Petty warned, her face tense as she received feedback from her contracted beast.

But Leon needed no further prompting. Titan was already engaged in close combat.

The uninjured bear, visibly annoyed that this small opponent dared challenge it, swung its massive paw at Titan.

For a moment, Leon thought he saw a faint arc of electricity flicker across the bear's claw.

"A combat skill?" Leon muttered, curious about the beast's abilities. He ordered Titan to meet the attack head-on.

Boom!

Iron fist and bear claw collided in a deafening impact, causing the ground to sink slightly beneath their feet and dust to billow outward.

The clash ended in a stalemate.

"Roar!"

The bear, furious that such a small opponent could match its strength, roared and charged forward, attempting to overpower Titan with sheer force.

"Hold your ground!" Leon commanded, his voice steady.

Steam hissed from Titan's head as it braced itself, resisting the bear's charge.

While the two locked in a fierce struggle, Beard's Golden Monkey seized its chance.

With incredible speed, the nimble monkey darted between Titan and the bear, clawing at the gash on the bear's leg.

The partially healed wound tore open, blood spurting out.

The bear howled in pain, its strength faltering. Titan seized the moment, pushing the bear onto its back. Although the bear evaded the follow-up punch, its movements grew noticeably sluggish.

"Looks like we've got this," Leon said, observing the fight with satisfaction.

Titan continued to pressure the injured bear relentlessly. With the Golden Monkey exploiting its wounds, the battle was firmly in their favor.

Finally, after a few more exchanges, the bear let out a final anguished roar before collapsing.

"Your base mech has won the battle. You gain +5 attribute points."

"Wild beasts lack the combat skills that Beast masters provide, so they're relatively straightforward to deal with," Leon mused, already planning how to handle the next bear.

But before he could act, an overwhelming sense of danger engulfed him.

Death!

The instinctive fear of imminent demise took hold.

"Watch out!"

Beard and Petty shouted simultaneously, their voices full of panic.

The heavily injured bear, having broken free of sara's illusion, had silently crept up behind Leon. Standing upright, it swung its massive paw toward his head, intending to crush it in a single blow.

Beard and Petty shut their eyes, unable to watch what was about to happen.

Thud!

The dull sound of impact sent a shiver through Beard's body.

It's over.

Leon was done for. Beard began to wonder who he'd team up with for future missions...

But then he noticed something was wrong.

Why was everything so quiet?

Curious, Beard opened his eyes—and froze in shock.

The massive bear stood next to Leon, its paw hovering inches from his head but unable to move further.

A massive iron claw had clamped down on the bear, holding it firmly in place.

Beard followed the claw's length with his eyes, tracing it back to Titan's steel frame, which stood several meters away, steam hissing from its joints.

"Damn, that was close!" Leon exhaled deeply, glancing at the restrained bear.

Thank goodness for the mechanical claw he'd installed earlier—otherwise, he'd have been reduced to a smear on the ground.