"Knights of Light! Seize this vermin this instant!"
As if they'd been waiting for his command, four knights in polished steel armor and billowing white cloaks burst from the entrance, longswords already drawn and gleaming. The sound of their boots hammered against stone as they charged toward me.
Seeing the wall of blades closing in, hearing that thunder of heavy footsteps — my heart began hammering, and cold sweat slicked down my spine. Dread seized my chest. Panic clawed at my thoughts.
'Okay, Cade. Think. What the hell are you—'
I glanced at the tall demoness standing before me like a blade drawn from the dark itself. Jagged black armor clung to her form like a second skin, organic and cruel, as if it had grown from her rather than been forged. Red light pulsed faintly along the seams.
As my eyes focused on her, I felt it — a connection. Faint but undeniable, like a tether pulled taut between us. I didn't need to speak for her to understand me.
She shifted her stance, angling one spiked shoulder forward. Red sparks crackled along her arm as the first knight lunged — and she drove the jagged spike on her pauldron straight through his guard.
The impact was brutal. The black spike impaled his forearm, punching through steel like it was paper. Using her height and leverage, she hoisted him clean off the ground before delivering a vicious backhand slap that sent him spinning through the air. He crashed into the wall beside the platform where the old man stood, the impact cratering stone.
A greatsword materialized in her hand.
The weapon was impossibly large — nearly twice her height — with a dull crimson blade that seemed to drink the light. The hilt and crossguard were ominous black, etched with patterns I couldn't make out. She swung it from behind with terrifying ease, the movement tearing through the air with a low, menacing hum that made my teeth ache.
When she brought it down on the next knight, the sound was catastrophic. His helmet smacked the floor hard enough to spiderweb the stone beneath him, cracks spiraling outward in jagged lines. He tumbled away like a wrecked vehicle, armor dented and bent at unnatural angles.
'Holy shit.'
She twirled the greatsword effortlessly — like it weighed nothing — and brought it down toward another knight. But in that instant, golden light erupted beneath her feet, blazing bright enough to make me squint. As she slammed the blade down, a shockwave exploded outward, the concussive force sending even me staggering backward. The pillars holding the hall groaned and fractured, stone dust raining down in thick clouds.
The entire hall shook as if it would collapse.
I threw an arm over my face, coughing. When I peered through the settling dust, I saw him — Emperor Aurelius, standing beneath her massive blade. He'd blocked her strike with his own longsword, a weapon comparable in height to hers, gleaming with that same golden radiance.
The air froze. Pressure built like a held breath, thick and suffocating. Both remained locked in position, neither giving an inch.
Then I heard Kai's voice cut through the silence.
"Cade! It doesn't have to be like this! Don't do this!"
My brows furrowed.
'What is this bastard talking about? Try getting arrested in a world you know nothing about and see how cooperative you feel.'
He shouted again, louder this time, as if I were standing mountains away from him instead of across the same damn room.
"I understand you're scared! This is a strange world, and we don't know what they're going to do to you. But resisting like this — summoning a disaster spirit and attacking the priest? Is that really the best you can think of?!"
My gaze hardened.
"Do you have a better idea?"
He stepped toward me, hand raised like he was trying to calm a spooked animal.
"Yes! For now, surrender. Let us speak on your behalf — it's not your fault you summoned a disaster, and more importantly, she's still within your control." He placed his hand on his chest, striking a pose like he was my beacon of hope or some shit. "Let me reason with the authorities here. Trust me — I won't let anything happen to you."
My hardened gaze persisted. Darkened further.
Honestly? I didn't buy his bullshit. But he was also right, in a way. I had almost no information about this place and even less of an idea what I'd be up against if I decided to resist and run.
'Hell, I haven't even been past this hall. Don't even know what it looks like outside. Could be a fortress. Could be surrounded by more knights. Could be—'
So I was left with too few real choices, and it seemed I'd have to depend on Kai whether I liked it or not. I didn't trust him — not even close — but I was certain the hero complex in him would want to prove itself. The least I could do was rely on that overblown sense of righteousness.
Or devise another plan in the meantime.
One thing I knew for certain: I wasn't dying here.
I gave my summon a mental command to stand down. Immediately, she relaxed her shoulders and pulled back, the massive greatsword disintegrating into a whirlwind of red sparks that spiraled into nothing. The moment she vanished, I felt something rush back into my soul — warm and heavy, like blood returning to a numb limb. With it came crushing fatigue that hit me like a truck.
My steps faltered as I tried to walk forward. Vision blurred at the edges. My knees buckled, and the cold stone rushed up to meet my face.
Everything went dark.
***
My eyes shot open.
I sat up fast, heart pounding, only to find myself in a dark room. My brows knitted together as I scanned my surroundings, trying to piece together where the hell I was.
It wasn't pitch black — pale moonlight filtered through a barred window high above, painting silver lines across stone walls that smelled of damp and old metal. I could make out a small wooden table and chair beside the bed I'd woken on, and beyond that, a heavy metallic door with rust stains along its edges.
The room itself was wide enough for maybe ten people to occupy without feeling cramped. But the realization that I was in a prison cell made my chest tighten anyway, the space suddenly suffocating despite its size.
I rested my elbows on my knees, staring down at the floor and replaying everything that had happened.
From suddenly receiving that strange Lodestar notification while I was sitting in class to finding myself thrown into a new world, awakening as a wretched F-rank summon, and now — after summoning what was apparently an evil disaster spirit instead of some heroic one like they'd expected — ending up locked in a cell.
An incredulous chuckle escaped my lips.
'Never had a bad day, huh, Cade?'
I lifted my head and exhaled slowly, watching my breath mist faintly in the cold air.
'Alright. Move past it. Spiraling won't help.'
I rolled my shoulders, trying to shake off the lingering fatigue.
'Let's see — the old man said we can check our summon's status, right?'
I gave the mental command, focusing on that connection I'd felt earlier.
And immediately, it appeared — glowing faintly in my mind's eye.
[SPIRIT PROFILE]
Name: Kassandra the Unconquered
Title: The Tyrant Empress, The Blood Conqueror
Spirit Tier: Calamity (9)
Fortitude: 8.2
[SIGNATURE ABILITIES]
• Emperor's Command
• Intimidation Cascade
• Tactical Dismantling
• Tyrant's Advance
• The Red Banner
I read through it once. Then again. And again.
Each time, my eyes kept snagging on the same line.
'Fortitude. 8.2. Calamity Tier.'
My eyes widened.
'Wait — didn't the old man say fortitude 7.0 or 7.5 was considered legendary? Some kind of tall tale? And that Calamity tier spirits haven't been seen in eight hundred years?'
I blinked, staring at the glowing text like it might suddenly make more sense.
'What the hell am I looking at right now?!'