SSR Waifu Summoner

*Flap… Flap… Flap…*

The three Alps began their descent as violet twilight painted the sky in shades that still felt alien despite a month of living in this transformed world.

Below them stretched something that absolutely shouldn't exist.

"... What the hell is that?"

Nero couldn't keep the shock out of his voice.

And honestly? It's a reasonable question.

"..."

Below them, a massive city sprawled across the landscape, its architecture defying every law of urban planning he'd ever known.

Stone terraces rose in layered tiers like a wedding cake designed by someone who'd never heard of structural engineering.

Entire districts floated above the ground, suspended by glowing arcane mechanisms that pulsed with energy that made his eyes hurt if he stared too long.

The architectural chaos was stunning in its impossibility.

Marble spires that belonged in ancient Greece stood beside squat dwarven forges belching smoke.

Delicate elven archways with their distinctive organic curves were crammed next to practical human marketplaces.

Crystalline towers that seemed grown rather than built rose from clusters of wooden structures that looked like they'd been assembled yesterday.

It was beautiful.

It was insane.

It absolutely should not exist.

"Okay, serious question," Frila called out over the wind. "Wasn't it just like... a month ago? Before everything went to complete shit…?"

She gestured exaggeratedly at the impossible city below.

"... How the fuck is there a city now?! With different races and districts and floating platforms and everything?!"

The other five girls were practically vibrating with the same confusion.

"Y-Yeah!" Carmen called out from the second Alp, her voice carrying genuine bewilderment. "This place looks like it's been here for decades!"

"Centuries, even!" Zara added as blinked her eyes, "Look at the wear patterns on those lower structures! The infrastructure alone would take years to establish, even with modern construction equipment!"

"And the population!" Nell pointed at the crowds visible below. "There are at least thousands of people down there! Where did they all come from?"

Isabell's spatial manipulation gave her a unique perspective. "The dimensional anchoring required for those floating districts... that's not something you just throw together!"

Dia, who'd been relatively quiet until now, finally spoke up as she looked at the fantastical structures. "... This doesn't make any sense from an engineering or sociological standpoint."

"..."

Nero's senses swept across the cityscape.

The way different architectural styles blended despite having no business being adjacent.

The flow of aerial traffic above them, dozens of flying creatures carrying passengers or cargo.

The sheer density of the population concentrated in what should be wilderness.

His eyes narrowed with calculation, identifying potential threats among the diverse crowds visible even from this altitude.

Different races mingling together.

Some armed, some not.

Guards stationed at what appeared to be checkpoints or gate structures.

The organized chaos of a functioning society that somehow existed where there should be nothing.

"... It's really a full-blown neutral city, huh." He commented after a while, letting his guard down a bit.

Celis, who'd maintained her gentle smile throughout their flight, finally spoke up,

"With the aid of magic, 'tis entirely possible to construct a fortress within mere days. A city such as this could be erected within weeks if sufficient mages and resources were dedicated to the task."

"..."

Everyone except Aurelia turned to stare at the Saintess.

"Weeks?" Frila repeated incredulously.

"Indeed."

Celis gestured toward the floating districts with graceful certainty.

"By shaping the earth, the ground was lifted; by spatial magic, the platforms were made steady; by transmutation, rough stone became fine walls. With many skilled hands working together, what would take years was done in but a short while."

Aurelia nodded in confirmation. "... Celis speaks the truth. During the ancient wars, entire fortifications were raised overnight through combined magical efforts. Cities could be built, destroyed, and rebuilt multiple times within a single campaign season."

"... Magic is really fucking convenient at this point." Nero muttered.

In fact, he's planning to learn magic next, considering he's now quite proficient with the way of western sword.

"..."

The casual profanity made Celis's smile widen slightly, though she made no comment on his language.

Nero couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the fantasy environment spread below them.

The impossible architecture.

The floating platforms that should have crashed but didn't.

The way magic seemed to make physics more of a suggestion than a law.

It's really like he's living in a fantasy setting.

'Nah, aren't I actually in an apocalyptic fantasy setting right now?'

He chuckled as his eyes settled forward.

But more than any of those structures…

"..."

His eyes fixated on the diverse population visible even from altitude.

This time with a different thought in mind.

… Different races.

Actual different races.

Not just humans with different skin tones or ethnic backgrounds.

But completely distinct species walking alongside each other like it was the most normal thing in the world.

'... Damn, this is basically a neutral town for all races of some sort, right?'

His otaku heart was racing.

Years of consuming fantasy media, reading light novels, watching anime, playing games – all of it featuring various fantasy races that he'd only ever experienced through screens and imagination.

And now they were real.

Walking, talking, actually existing in physical reality.

'Where are they… the cat girls?'

The thought made his pulse quicken with genuine excitement that had nothing to do with attraction and everything to do with pure weeb enthusiasm.

And then,

"!!!"

'There are actual… real-life cat girls down there! Elves, and dwarves too!'

His mind was already noting down all the other races he'd spotted during their descent.

Elves with their distinctive pointed ears and graceful movements.

Dwarves, stocky and broad, moving with purpose through the crowds.

What looked like lizard people near the forges, their scaled skin reflecting the firelight.

Beings with horns and tails that might be imp-halflings or tieflings or something else entirely.

The sheer variety was overwhelming in the best possible way.

"Lord Nero appears quite... enthusiastic," Aurelia observed with a faint smile in her usually stoic tone.

"Can you blame me?" Nero grinned unashamedly. "Do you have any idea how many years I've spent consuming fantasy media about this exact scenario? And now it's actually real… it would be a shame if I let this opportunity pass by, you know?"

"... Y-You're like a kid in a candy store." Carmen noted with her own smile.

"Damn, right I am."

Their Alps joined the aerial traffic circling the city, falling into what appeared to be an organized pattern despite the chaos.

Dozens of flying creatures moved through designated paths, each one carrying passengers or cargo.

No wyverns or dragons or griffins though.

Most were C-tier summons at best, with maybe a handful of B-tier mounts scattered throughout.

Their three A-rank Alps actually stood out as unusually high-quality transport, drawing occasional glances from other aerial travelers.

Nero noticed several flying platforms that moved through mechanical means rather than biological, their arcane engines humming with contained energy.

The infrastructure for managing this much aerial traffic must be incredible.

Landing zones marked with glowing symbols.

Traffic patterns enforced through some kind of magical signaling.

Guard patrols on flying mounts keeping watch for violations or threats.

It was organized chaos at its finest.

"Let's follow the flow," Aurelia instructed, her mind immediately grasping the traffic patterns. "There appears to be a designated landing area ahead."

Sure enough, a large platform came into view, marked with symbols that probably indicated its purpose even if Nero couldn't read the script.

Other flying creatures were descending toward it in orderly fashion, disgorging passengers before taking off again to clear space for new arrivals.

Their Alps touched down with surprising grace for creatures of their size, their massive clawed feet finding purchase on the stone platform without difficulty.

*Thud... thud... thud...*

The sound of their landing drew some attention from nearby travelers, though most seemed more interested in going about their business than gawking at newcomers.

"Stoneveil Quarter," a sign proclaimed in multiple languages, including one that Nero could actually read. "Landing Platform 7. Please secure all mounts and declare any restricted cargo to customs officials."

"Well, at least they have signs," he muttered, dismounting from the Alp with significantly less grace than Aurelia or Celis by jumping straight down on his feet.

*Boom!*

His landing caused a loud boom that attracted some attention but was immediately dispelled upon noticing that it's just a normal human.

The six former wives followed with varying degrees of success, some stumbling as they adjusted to solid ground after hours of aerial travel.

The moment Nero's feet touched the platform, sensory overload hit like a physical force.

The bustling marketplace sprawled before them in every direction, an explosion of sights and sounds and smells that made his brain struggle to process everything at once.

Dozens of languages mixed together in an incomprehensible cacophony.

Merchants calling out their wares in dialects he'd never heard.

Customers haggling in tongues that sounded like music or grinding stones or chirping birds.

The linguistic chaos alone was enough to make his head spin.

Exotic goods from merged dimensions displayed openly on every stall.

Weapons that glowed with obvious enchantments.

Fabrics that shifted colors as he watched.

Foods that smelled incredible or terrible or both simultaneously.

Artifacts whose purpose he couldn't even begin to guess.

And the smells.

Dear gods, the smells.

Different racial cuisines creating an overwhelming atmospheric assault on his nose.

Something sweet and spicy from what looked like an elven food stall.

Rich meaty scents from the dwarven district nearby.

Exotic spices he couldn't identify wafting from a vendor whose species he didn't recognize.

The mixture was both appetizing and nauseating depending on which particular scent his brain focused on at any given moment.

"T-This is..." Frila trailed off, clearly as overwhelmed as he was.

"Incredible," Nell finished.

"Terrifying," Carmen added.

"Both," Zara decided.

Nero was about to suggest they find someone to ask for directions when movement caught his attention.

A figure approached from the crowd with confident, feline grace.

Cat ears.

Actual cat ears perched atop a head of auburn hair that swayed with each step.

A tail, fluffy and expressive, swishing behind her with obvious contentment.

Amber eyes that held friendly intelligence and just a hint of predatory awareness.

She wore practical leather armor that somehow managed to be both functional and distinctly feminine, with modifications that accommodated her non-human anatomy.

A real cat girl.

An actual, genuine, walking-talking cat girl approaching them directly.

Nero felt his heart skip several beats.

'Stay cool, stay cool, don't let your otaku blood take over...'

"Nya~! Welcome to Eidralis, nya!"

The greeting came with a cheerful wave and the kind of enthusiasm that suggested she'd done this introduction hundreds of times.

"I'm Niya, one of the official guides for newcomers to our fair city! You folks look like this is your first time visiting, nya?"

"..."

The casual 'nya' at the end of her sentence nearly broke Nero's brain.

She actually said it.

She actually ended her sentence with 'nya' like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Every stereotype, every cliché, every anime trope he'd ever consumed was happening in real life right before his eyes.

"I can tell you're travelers from the way you're staring at everything, nya!" Nyx continued with a knowing smile.

"Don't worry, that's totally normal! Eidralis can be pretty overwhelming for first-time visitors, nya!"

She gestured broadly at the chaotic marketplace around them.

"We're a neutral city, founded just after the dimensional merge began accelerating, nya! All races welcome, all faiths tolerated, all goods legal as long as they're properly registered, nya!"

"..."

Aurelia was watching the cat girl with interest more so to the content of her words rather than the way she speaks.

Celis maintained her gentle smile as she listened silently.

The six former wives were split between being amazed at both the content of her words, her typical isekai appearance and way of speech.

And for Nero himself...

His otaku soul was screaming with joy.

A real cat girl, saying 'nya' naturally, offering to guide them through a fantasy city.

This was it!

This was the moment every fantasy nerd dreamed of!

And there was only one appropriate response!

Nero cleared his throat, composed himself, and with a nasty grin...

"Thanks for the welcome, nya! We'd love a guide, nya!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

When in Rome, do as the Romans do!