I Only Summon Villainesses

Chapter 233: Valid Crashout

’A level five bestial tier?’

A cold thread of dread settled into my bones. I didn’t have time to sit with it though. A whole herd of these creatures had attacked the two of us, and I had to dive back into the fight.

The natural thing, of course, was to summon Maggie and put an easy end to this. But that seemed like a shortcut to success.

Who didn’t want a shortcut to success? But I had other plans.

’Why will I miss out on an opportunity to impress both my villainesses?’

I was looking forward to their expressions when they saw that I actually cleared this gate without summoning either of them.

It was outrageous for a summoner to brave a battle without their summon, but I wasn’t just any summoner. I was different.

I instinctively reinforced [Emperor’s Presence], casting a buff of strength and morale not just upon myself but upon Nisha, who was buried somewhere in the rams of wool and fighting.

A wave of crimson flames rolled out of my body and knocked back several of them. I followed right after. My sword flashed through the air, both hands gripping the hilt.

The Nullapens had thick skin hidden beneath all that wool, so a one-handed style wasn’t going to cut it. Two hands. Maximum force. I lunged forward and swung the Frostfang in a wide arc from the side. The blade blurred down trailing wisps of snow, crashed into the first one’s head, and bounced back.

At the same time, several white chains appeared around the creature, coiled tight, and flung it out of my path.

That first hit told me something. The force I thought would cleave them in a single strike wasn’t enough. I’d miscalculated.

So I adjusted.

The next ram charged at me to headbutt. I sidestepped and drove the sword upward, catching it beneath the jaw and severing straight through the neck. The head went flying.

[You have killed a...,]

I let the notification die into the background and immediately twirled, already swinging again. Three more rushed me from different angles. I jammed the pommel into the first one’s skull and sent it staggering. Reversed my grip. The second one lunged, and all it took was one explosive backward step to bury the blade’s tip into its eyes.

I pivoted, wrenched the sword free, and hacked into the third. White flames surged across the blade on contact and engulfed the creature. The beast bleated, thrashed, danced in place until it collapsed.

There were more. Some had gathered on the far side around Nisha. Others were still burning and charging toward me.

I looked around the chaos and I realized I had created it.

To be honest, after coming this far... it felt so good.

I drove my blade into the ground and rested my hands on the hilt, then closed my eyes for a moment and gathered my essence.

[Emperor’s Presence] radiated powerfully. The beasts around me slowed, and the fire burned them harsher, faster. But it was a whole herd. We were surrounded. Some had run past us entirely. Some weren’t even considering us a priority, too busy ramming their heads against the rock surface trying to quench their pain.

But their pain was never going to be eased.

In fact, I was about to double it.

I inhaled. And when I exhaled, a line of red fire rolled out of me like a final plea. It connected with my sword from pommel to buried point, then spread across the ground like a flood.

A river of flames. It erupted into every creature it touched, shooting upward to form pillars of fire.

From the river of red, flame pillars rose one after another, and all I could hear in that moment was the endless flooding of the lodestar’s voice.

[You have killed a Bestial (+++) Tier Spirit Beast: Huallapen]

[You have killed a Bestial (++++) Tier Spirit Beast: Huallapen]

[You have killed a Bestial (+++) Tier Spirit Beast: Huallapen]

[You have killed a Bestial (+++++) Tier Spirit Beast: Huallapen]

[You have killed a Bestial (++++) Tier Spirit Beast: Huallapen]

[You have gained Glacier Horn Fragment]

[You have gained Glacier Horn Fragment]

[You have gained Permafrost Wool]

[You have gained Permafrost Wool]

[You have...]

Nisha slowly straightened. Her cleavers were slick with blood and her shadow was thicker, denser than before. But shock spread across her face as the Huallapens she’d been tearing apart erupted into flame pillars one by one.

She looked at me, and I could see the hesitation in her body. The way she half-turned toward me and then stopped, as if she was weighing whether coming closer was safe.

The flames settled. Just like that, hundreds of these ram-like beasts, if we cared to count, had dropped dead on the ground. The air smelled like burnt wool and scorched stone.

Nisha stepped closer. Not too close though. She looked at me and hesitated.

”...you okay?”

I lingered for a moment, asking myself the same question. Then I shook my head clear and a smile spread across my face.

”Yea, I’m good. I feel very good actually.” I nodded, firmer this time. ”I think I just crashed out and it felt so nice to do that.”

She looked at me with one eyebrow raised. ”Did it now?”

”Hmph, it did.” I pulled the Frostfang from the dirt and slung it over my shoulder, then threw a proud glance across the field of roasted beasts.

’I singlehandedly did this, didn’t I?’

It felt like I had opened a lock that I’d been subconsciously trying to keep shut.

I didn’t know if it was out of fear or caution. But I knew that every step along the way, I had always wanted to crash out like this. To just let go. And every time, something held me back. It felt wrong... especially with Kassie always around.

But now that she wasn’t. Now that none of them were.

I had finally given in to that innate plea to wreak havoc, and I felt free.

No... the right word would be, something in me felt free. Not all of me, something specific that I couldn’t name.

And it bothered me a bit that I had no idea what.