I Only Summon Villainesses

One would think I would get lucky and not encounter any other Spirit Beast as we traveled deeper into the cave, but the gods of this world looked down upon me, literally bit their lower lips as they gave me a satisfying "Fuck you."

Barely ten minutes later — I hadn't recovered from my burning legs and shaking body — Kassie was already moving funny.

'No… please, let it be the entrance…'

By now I knew her body language when she suspected something was wrong. She froze and stared forward with a flat expression on her face.

Despite my earnest wish, I just knew the truth already and released a helpless chuckle, slowly trying to see if my grip on one dagger could still manage to matter.

The answer? It was futile. My hands were trembling.

Kassie finally shifted.

"Another one is coming…"

I sighed.

'Not surprised… I'd die on the path to strength. I'd die or who knows, that's the point of getting stronger anyways.'

Not that these zero-to-hero projects usually spelled out these things. But maybe, the whole point of getting stronger was dying… over and over again.

And if I was to be frank for once, perhaps it was worth it. What did the old and soft plushy me gain after all? Lira's death, the merciless massacre of the guild, even Emma.

I sighed and slowly began to move forward even when she didn't command it.

She looked at me from behind and said.

"You can use your flames this time."

I glanced back at her, raising one brow.

"You sure?"

Her red brows lowered, framing her face in cold, ruthless beauty.

"Before I change my mind."

I flashed her a grin.

"You wouldn't want me dead."

She said nothing. Just stared at me blankly. I turned and moved forward, slightly limping.

Now that Kassie gave me permission to use my flames, things were going to be so much easier — but I had to be careful. It wasn't news that I lacked combat experience. Every confidence I accounted for myself bordered on arrogance, and because of that I knew I couldn't afford to let myself get comfortable.

As I stepped forward, I could already hear a hissing in the darkness. I paused that moment and traced the direction of the sound using the enhanced hearing Kassie had taught me.

She had also mentioned how this applied to every other part of the body, so in that moment I spread my essence around myself, focusing my eyes on it, seeing through it, also trying to feel it with my skin.

I wasn't sure I was doing it right, but this had to be it. Vision enhancement and body enhancement.

Then, just in time, the tentacles made their entrance. They flew out in quick succession — fast. My eyes struggled but managed to track them, catching their blurs before those blurs vanished.

Because of it, I was able to react in time to create a consecutive combustion of white flames in the air they were snapping toward and immediately cut to my right.

The creature's limbs caught fire. I was already cutting to meet it by the side.

Of course, I didn't forget that only two tentacles had hit the flames. The moment I changed directions, the other two followed. If I wasn't certain before, I knew now.

'These things have a freaking mind of their own!'

Two chains flew out from behind me, both connecting with the remaining tentacles and quickly twirling around them to trap them in the air.

I entered the darkness where the beast hid. I couldn't completely see its body even with my vision enhancement — but the redness around its spine was vivid. My dagger found purchase in that point without any waste of my momentum.

As I stabbed my blade into the spine of the creature, I felt the skin give way more easily than the first time, and with it came a painful howl from the beast itself.

Its tentacles flared wildly, gaining terrific strength that tore apart my chains and slammed into everything around me with intense frenzy. I quickly created a nest of fire expecting the bastard to avoid it, but the tentacles simply lashed through.

I belatedly threw my arms up to protect myself but got slapped away regardless. I flew across my own flames and slammed into the wall, air punched out of my throat before I dropped to the ground coughing blood.

'Damnit, how many broken bones?'

I winced painfully. On one hand I wanted to cry about how difficult it was to really become strong in this world's context — on the other hand I was really hating this damned Voidlash Stalker.

It reminded me of the enemy that went and took everything away from me.

I gritted my teeth as I slowly stood up. The creature was positioning itself before me, snarling, having overcome its pain-induced frenzy from before. Its snarls sounded like mockery.

Despite not being able to stand straight easily, I tried, feeling every bone in my body snap strangely and torment me with pain.

I fixed the spirit beast with a ruthless glare.

"I am going to fuck up your life. Burn, you black bastard."

The creature snarled powerfully at me, as if responding with a declaration of its own, and shot forward—both with those thick strong legs and independent tentacles.

I simply called forth a flame that consumed the entire darkness, turning everything bright. Both of us, consumed. One of us was going to burn first for us to see the darkness again.

And it certainly wasn't going to be me.

I laughed internally. 'I look forward to your screams, cuckold.'

Somewhere quieter, my own head voice said to me:

'Would Lira even recognize you right now, you bastard.'

But to me that was…

Good.

Pushing the thought away, I focused on the burning whiteness surrounding me.

The heat pressed against my body and the Spirit Beast let out wails that made me disturbingly satisfied. It cost a lot of spirit essence to use white flames like this, so I wasn't actually planning to sustain it for long — not that the creature was smart enough to call my bluff.

In the flames, chains shot out of my back and grabbed all four burning tentacles, tying them together. A couple more flew out, finding the body of the beast and wrapping around it.

The flames dimmed and the darkness returned, but the chains were now tightening into the skin of the creature.

Brutally so.

I watched with a cold expression as black blood spilled out… what could have happened to me with the pretty boy's lasso… what I felt could have happened to me.

I was improvising. And making it happen to them instead.