Every summon has its advantages?
What a joke!
What kind of advantage could a low-tier summon possibly have against the monstrosities before him?
Standing in a massive open-roof arena, Godfrey watched from the crowd as two figures faced each other on a wide platform.
On one side stood Isolde and her summon at her side.
The white-scaled beast stretched its leathery wings like the sails of an ancient warship, the membranes stretching from its elongated forelimbs. Its powerful hind legs were thick with muscle, claws digging into the stone floor of the arena, while its long tail lashed behind it, shaking the ground.
But it was the summon's head that stole everyone's breath; ferocious, reptilian, lined with a row of needle-like teeth that were sharp enough to shred whatever or whoever was unlucky enough to fall into its maw.
A White Wyvern. Tier 5.5. Potential 7.0. Current tier 6.8!
Facing them stood Dale and his summon.
A massive, hunched bull towering nearly seven feet at the shoulders. Two jagged horns jutted upward, their sharp tips crackling with lightning, while curved spikes of the same lightning hue protruded along its back.
Its entire body was entirely covered in black, chitinous plating, natural armor strong enough to deflect bullets.
The Armored Emperor Bull. Tier 5.2. Potential 6.2.
Both Isolde and Dale had bonded with their summons before they were old enough to even read properly, blessed early with powerful companions.
Dale smirked, confidence shining through, though his usual cockiness was restrained by Isolde's presence.
"My bull is already at 6.1 high-tier, with lightning at its command."
"Oh." Isolde's response was curt, almost dismissive.
Her wyvern lifted its head, cold intelligence gleaming in its eyes as it stared down at the bull.
Dale's smile faltered, but he clenched his jaw and signaled his summon.
The beast charged forward, its every step sending arcs of lightning snaking across the stone platform. Sparks gathered between its horns, condensing into a searing bolt of energy.
Isolde's wyvern growled. Its throat rumbled, then white mist swirled from its maw…
In an instant, the charging bull froze mid-stride, encased in solid ice.
Gasps erupted through the stands.
'Her wyvern… it can breathe an element!'
Frost raced across the platform, cracking the stone itself as it raced outward. The frozen bull detonated the lightning from within the frozen prison, shattering the ice into glittering shards…
…but the wyvern was already upon it.
With a violent whip of its massive, scaled tail, it struck the bull's neck, hurling the armored beast across the arena, skidding along the stone and blood spilling from its jaws.
Dale's hands trembled as faint lightning flickered along his arms, far weaker than before.
"Isolde wins."
The combat instructor's voice rang out, stern and decisive.
"Dale, retrieve your summon and let it recover. You treated her as if she were any other opponent. Her summon outclasses yours, but your defeat was sealed by your poor use of its abilities."
Dale gritted his teeth and recalled his bull.
Godfrey's gaze lingered on Isolde as she returned to the stands.
Every eye followed her with admiration. She wasn't just beautiful; she was talented, her future brimming with promise. For a brief second, she turned her head and glanced at him.
Godfrey's lips curved faintly.
'Cool summon,' he mouthed silently.
A proud smile touched her face as she caught his words.
"Snow wins."
The announcement snapped Godfrey's attention back to the arena. His eyes widened.
Snow stood beneath a strangely mesmerizing butterfly that was the size of a man. Its wings shimmered with a crimson glow, sparkling like falling starlight.
That glimmer drifted toward the snake another girl had summoned, instantly turning both summon and summoner to stone.
A stunned silence swept through the arena.
Snow lazily snapped his fingers. The Glimmer-Wing Butterfly flapped its wings once, releasing a glimmer of multicolored light that melted the petrification away.
The girl collapsed, trembling and in tears, her eyes wide with the lingering terror of being trapped inside her own body.
"Go easy next time. They are your classmates," the instructor said sternly.
"I did go easy," Snow replied coolly as he descended from the platform.
Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd.
The Glimmer-Wing Butterfly was no ordinary summon. It was a Tier 6.0, with a potential of 6.5. Though deadly in combat, even more terrifying was its side effect: the longer it was bonded with its master, the more strikingly beautiful its summoner became.
And Snow was already living proof of that.
Before Godfrey could fully process what he had just witnessed, the instructor's voice rang out again.
"Godfrey Daniels. You're next."
A knot tightened in his chest, but he exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself. His fists clenched and relaxed as he strode forward. This would be his first true battle as a summoner, the very beginning of a fundamental change in his life.
Across the platform stood his opponent, a girl with twin ponytails. She smirked as if already certain of her victory.
Godfrey closed his eyes for a brief moment, recalling the glowing words etched into a stone tablet beside the throne where he had found his knight.
*****
Summon: Knight-Captain of the Golden Order
Type: Hybrid
Tier: 3.0
Potential: 6.0
Description:
A Knight-Captain of the Sword and Shield unit – the greatest among them. An oath-bound soldier of the Golden Order, alchemically altered to slay monstrous beasts. Wields a 50-pound sword, a 100-pound shield, and armor weighing 150 pounds.
In Black-Out State, this knight-captain surpasses the limits of his base strength, ascends to greater heights, and mimics the abilities of his foes.
*****
Godfrey grinned within his soul space.
'A Knight-Captain, huh? Then I'll call you Mountain.'
His eyes snapped open to reveal the real world before him.
Across from him, the girl's summon materialised: a hulking Iron-Clawed Crab. Its steel pincers gleaming, each snap powerful enough to tear through a stone wall.
'Mountain… it's time. Come out.'
A golden summoning diagram blazed beside him, and the towering knight emerged, gold and steel glinting under the light, a white cloak trailing behind.
A blazing sun was etched across its cuirass. With heavy metallic steps, Mountain moved past Godfrey and raised his great shield, his sword poised to strike its enemy.
The girl chuckled.
Her crab scuttled forward, its claws slamming down against Mountain's shield with brutal force.
The impact rang out like a clap of thunder.
But instead of being forced back, the knight's shield flared with glowing runes. The absorbed force surged outward, exploding across the crab's shell and tearing wounds through its armor.
The girl and her summon recoiled in shock.
Mountain lowered his shield and swung his massive blade, cleaving through one of the crab's steel claws.
Gasps erupted as blood spurted across the platform.
But Mountain wasn't done. Hatred radiated from his stance as he slammed his ironclad boot into the crab's chest, sending it tumbling backward. His sword rose high, ready to end the creature in a single decisive strike.
"Stop!"
Godfrey's voice cut through the arena, sharp with shock.
Mountain froze, his blade hovering just an inch above the crab's head.
The arena fell completely silent.
For a heartbeat, even the instructor stood stunned.
Then he barked an order and rushed forward, retrieving the wounded crab before hurrying toward the school nurse to have its severed claw reattached.
All around, students stared at Godfrey with wide eyes, disbelief written all over their faces.
None of them could comprehend what they had just witnessed.
....
A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you.