I Only Summon Villainesses

My eyes closed for a moment. It was more like a prolonged blink, meant to calm myself — somewhat disconnected from whatever chaos was unfolding around me. If I was going to pull something like this, I had to be heavily focused about it.

As my eyes snapped open, I fixed them on the clusters of Tercet flies and extended my hand like a gun. I had figured that most of these things, especially when controlling elements like flames, had to be a function of imagination. Visualization. Intent made manifest.

Just like before, when I would have to picture a circle around my opponent, this time I worked with a flare gun that would shoot up and explode. Immediately, from the tip of my fingers raised to the sky, the flames shot out — as simple as a thin line, so subtle that no one around me even noticed.

The moment it connected above, it exploded into a loud boom that overshadowed us all.

The blast caused certain distractions here and there. People ducked to prevent whatever it was from falling over their heads. It was only a mere factor of luck that the majority of the Spirit Beasts were as flustered by the explosion as the mercenaries were.

It didn't end there. In fact, that was just the beginning.

'Shit, can I actually do this?'

I had come too far to give up either way. As the first clusters of Tercet flies exploded with the flames swimming in the sky, the wind picked up. I immediately traced the lines of the flames to the next clusters that Tristan, in that moment, was bringing toward me.

Now I needed no control of ignition — people couldn't know my involvement anyway. All I needed to do was control the spreading while Tristan moved the flames with his wind.

But people were panicking below as the white flames burned frivolously overhead. Amidst it though, I heard Levi's voice cut through the chaos:

"There's no cause to be scared, push the line, this is all according to plan!"

The mercenaries' coordination was staggering. Or perhaps this was just how things went amidst them, and I was alien to it.

As soon as Levi shouted, the words echoed in someone else's mouth, then carried to another person until it traveled away into the far distance. The flames swam forward as if driven forth by a mad wind, leaping from Tercet flies to Tercet flies, setting them all on fire.

I did not stop. I continued to escalate it as much as my essence could allow.

And when I felt my essence hitting rock bottom, when it was hard to seize control anymore, I quickly glanced at Tristan. He nodded back to me with a subtle blue glow in his eyes.

The winds picked up but were gentle — not harsh in a manner that was a detriment to the flames. They pushed the leaves of the trees frivolously and scattered the flames to both sides of the forest. The leaves caught them hungrily.

And the flames of burning Tercet flies were thrown amidst the swinging and rushing forest, setting the trees on fire. The fire was getting stronger, already spreading across entire trees, which spread to another and another, catching whatever creatures lurked within them between the flames.

People glanced at the burning forest. The heat was ravaging, made their eyes doubt what they saw first. But they were all makings of seasoned warriors, seeing how they didn't need someone to tell them to throw the Gorewraiths and Cratakitis onto the white flames.

They naturally began to kick the Spirit Beasts back into the burning forest with all their might while Tristan was still using the influence of his wind attribute to spread the fire further.

I looked at it and felt my stomach drop. The forest was burning, but it was not enough. It was only a matter of time before it stopped burning. Not enough to set all the beasts on fire and burn them while we crossed the forest.

I gritted my teeth in pain and annoyance. Then it occurred to me…

'Maybe I can command it?'

[Warlord's Command] worked quite well on my own body. White flames were mine, a product of my own essence. What if I used the tiny bits of essence sweeping around that rock bottom to command the flames to burn and spread?

It was going to probably be almost pointless because my essence was already far drained by setting up the flames and even spreading them this far.

But there was a stubbornness in my eyes as it settled deep within my soul. In such a short time, this world had taught me a gruesome lot.

I shamelessly shouted with all the lungs in my throat and desperation in my heart.

"Burn stronger you goddamn piece of shitty fire!!! And spread already!!!"

Everybody must have been shocked by my shout. But something strange happened.

"Yes! Burn for the six-forsaken-gods, burn!!!"

"Save us, burn fire, burn!"

"Everyone throw them deeper, use them as wood to the flames!"

'Eh?'

My mind froze for a moment.

"Seize the day, ignite the flames!!"

"We can win this! The flames are a blessing!!"

I swallowed, still looking around in shock.

The vigor that people used to push the beasts into the flames and fight back suddenly increased. I wasn't sure what I had done, or maybe this was just how motivation worked.

But I had meant to motivate the white flames. Not the mercenaries.

Now I couldn't even tell if the white flames were burning stronger because I had commanded them with the last of me, or simply because the mercenaries were re-energized and seeing to it that the flames burned stronger themselves.

All through the rows of trees on both sides, the forest was on fire and the fire was spreading. People were — with energy, laughter, enjoyment, and cruise — kicking into the inferno the same beasts they were almost dying to a few moments ago. Maws and tails that had threatened to end them now reduced to fuel.

The battlefield indeed took a turn toward this end.

But I didn't exactly think it was the kind of turn that I was hoping for, or at least thought it would take.

'I accidentally became a motivational speaker instead of a fire commander. Who said I wasn't full of surprises!'

Albeit, it seemed we survived this one.

All that was left was to outrun the flame, because I had no essence left and I most certainly could not control the lines that the flame affected anymore.