CHAPTER 1014: SUMMONS

Ilvera’s eyes widened but she hadn’t lost her composure. Her eyes gaze hardened as she raised her gloved hands toward the massive fireball looming behind her.

Blue light shimmered from the runes etched into the gloves and she channeled her Magic with steady control.

A summoning circle flared into existence in the air with blue glow and from its surface a serpent’s head of gleaming blue clear scales pushed through.

The snake opened its maw wide then unleashing a torrent of water that roared outward, smashing into the fireball and quenching it in a violent hiss of steam.

"Hoo..." Esther tilted her head slightly from below, a small smile tugging her lips as she watched. "That kid has some good artifacts on her hands."

"Of course," Annette replied dryly. "They’re nobles. Of course her father would shower her with the best of everything."

Neither of them looked worried in the slightest, even after witnessing Ilvera’s countermeasure that seems exaggerated.

Their expressions carried more amusement than concern, like adults humoring a child’s tantrum.

"You think that gloves will be good for me?" Esther asked with a sly glance upward.

Annette’s brow arched. "You want to take that from a child?"

"Why not?" Esther’s grin sharpened. "Her father will just give her another. But for us? It would take forever to get our hands on something that fine."

Annette exhaled slowly, eyes half-lidded. "Hmm... I suppose I can’t stop you. Just do it when I don’t look."

"Don’t worry, priest. I won’t drag you into this stealing sin. Heheh."

Annette remained silent at that, her face composed, though inside she couldn’t deny the little thrill.

She didn’t want to stop Esther. A part of her even wanted to support it. But with her position and her vows as a priest, It didn’t allow her to openly encourage such things.

So silence was the action she chose.

Above them, the fireball had dissipated, snuffed out by Ilvera’s conjured torrent of water.

She sat tall on her eagle’s back with pride. Her grin widening as she gazed down on the two women.

"What do you think about my ability now?" Ilvera called smugly.

"Not bad," Esther answered simply, her smile unfazed.

"Ha!" Ilvera barked a laugh. "You’re still smiling? Let’s see if you keep that smile after this!"

Both her hands lifted again, the right glowing blue and the left pulsing red. The runes along her gloves blazed and a large summoning circle burst into existence beneath her eagle. From its depth rose a dark-scaled wyvern, wings spreading wide as it gave a bone-shaking roar.

"She’s just using her trump card like that?" Esther muttered with a shake of her head.

"I’ll be hiding now," Annette said casually, already turning.

"Yeah, I’ll handle this," Esther replied, her tone amused.

Annette gave a lazy wave of her hand as she slipped away without any hint of worry in her stride as though she already knew the result of this fight.

Two heartbeats later, her figure was swallowed by the dense forest shadows.

Ilvera looked down with fire in her eyes, her eagle circling above the wyvern’s broad form.

"You’ll die now!"

"I don’t think so," Esther said evenly. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing with interest. "It’s just a wyvern. How many more summons do you have, kid?"

"I’m not a kid!" Ilvera snapped, her voice breaking with anger. "I’ve got two more of my favorites. But I won’t need them. You said it’s just a wyvern? Let’s see if you can handle a wyvern, you old hag!"

Esther sighed, shoulders dropping faintly. "Two more, huh? Alright then."

The wyvern beat its wings once, then swooped down with talons outstretched as its jaws opened wide to devour her whole.

But Esther vanished in a flicker of flame. The ground where she stood ignited in a brief blossom of fire, then went dark.

The wyvern’s claws tore into empty soil. It landed with a crash and dirt spraying in every direction. But its prey was nowhere to be found.

Ilvera frowned when her wyvern’s talons met nothing but soil. Her sharp eyes darted across the battlefield with clear irritation flashing in them. Until she caught sight of Esther standing casually on the top of a tree branch.

Esther waved one hand with a bright mocking smile, as though challenging her to try again.

Ilvera’s lips pressed into a thin line, her pride stung.

Rage coiled in her chest but she wasn’t reckless. She inhaled sharply and steadied herself, remembering the first rule of summoners which is to maintain distance and let the summon do the fighting.

She clenched her gloved hand and gave her wyvern a sharp command.

"KHRAAAAHHH!!!"

The beast let out a piercing roar and with a powerful thrust of its wings then launched itself into the air, banking toward Esther with fury in its glowing eyes.

"Hmm," Esther muttered under her breath, her grin never faltering as the wyvern barreled toward her. "She’s not as dumb as I thought."

—

On the other side of the battlefield, Arty stood straight with her gaze locked on Renard as his lightning charge ripped through the forest toward her.

Lightning danced wild along his body, tearing soil, stone, and bark apart in his wake.

She didn’t flinch. Instead, she raised her chin, her eyes cold, her very stance daring him to meet her quickly.

Then her aura erupted. The ground around her shuddered and split. Chunks of earth breaking free then rising into the air as though pulled by unseen hands.

The fragments converged together and twisted into a jagged boulder bristling with sharp edges.

With a sweep of her hand she sent it shooting forward.

BOOM!

The impact shook the clearing as Renard smashed through the boulder without slowing, his body wrapped in silver arcs of lightning that shredded the stone into shards.

Dust and debris engulfed the air but when the smoke cleared, Arty was gone.

Renard narrowed his eyes, a sharp prickle running across his skin.

A rush of wind cut at him from above. He tilted his head back and saw her floating midair with her aura streaming. Her hair whipping wildly.

Arty’s hand snapped downward. Dozens of wind blades erupted into being, sharp crescents that screamed as they cut through the air and all of them converging on Renard.

With a growl, Renard blurred into motion, lightning sparking across his limbs.

His speed cracked through the air as he moved, dodged, and forced his body to keep up with the rain of blades slicing all around him.

---