"You can't be weak and be poor!"
I scoffed. "Have you been to planet Earth?"
I jabbed my fingers at her.
"And isn't that rich, coming from you—borrowing my soul and leeching off my spirit essence!"
A graceful frown crossed Kassie's beautiful features.
"That's the point of summoning! Didn't you summon me because you wanted to destroy the continent?"
My jaw dropped.
Destroy the continent? Who? Me?
'Wait—hold on. Maybe the warnings weren't overblown. Maybe this woman really is a walking disaster.'
I blinked several times, staring at Kassie, who still seemed personally devastated by the fact that I had no castle and was broke. Like I'd failed some fundamental requirement of being her summoner.
The door burst open, snapping our attention toward it. I moved to dispel Tyrant Empress, but froze when I saw Lira.
'Shit.'
I cursed myself silently.
Her smile vanished the moment she stepped inside. The paper bag slipped from her hand and hit the floor with a dull thud. Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing across her face before twisting into something sharper.
Anger.
"You!"
I straightened and turned to her, already calculating my defense.
"Um, I swear it's not what you think—it was all her fault!" I threw the criminal under the bus without hesitation. She didn't even need to bribe me.
Lira froze. Stunned. Confused. Her gaze locked on the regal, crimson-haired lady who sat elegantly on the bed, flipping her flowing hair and folding her arms beneath her breasts like some kind of disappointed empress reviewing her bankrupt kingdom.
Then she looked at me.
"What? Fault? How can you be so shameless?"
I shook my head.
"I know I'm shameless, but I'm serious — this isn't about that! She literally swung me through the air and slammed me onto it. It's all her fault it's broken like this!"
Lira's expression went blank as she blinked, trying to process my words. Then her gaze shifted to the shattered bed behind me — the wreckage of what used to be furniture.
A frown settled on her brow.
And her face erupted in rage.
***
Moments later, I found myself kneeling before Lira in the most ridiculous position imaginable. Tyrant Empress had been dispelled due to low essence. Lira towered over me with a stern glare that could've melted steel.
She inhaled deeply, visibly trying to control herself.
"So... that lady — she's your summon?"
I nodded. I wasn't sure, but I had a pretty good idea what Lira had thought when she first walked in. Seeing Kassie sitting there, legs crossed, looking so composed and beautiful — Lira had apparently assumed I'd brought another woman to her clinic for sex. Right after we'd just done it together.
'Smooth, Cade. Real smooth.'
She looked a little embarrassed now that she understood the truth, but more than that, she was shocked. Even after watching me dispel Kassie, she still struggled to accept it.
"What fortitude is she?"
I lowered my head, hesitating. She sensed it immediately.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, it's alright."
I'd decided Lira was someone I could trust. Sure, she could betray me tomorrow for her own gain — I wouldn't blame her. I'd just have to survive another way and maybe kill her down the line if it came to that. But right now, I needed someone. And in my current situation, Lira seemed like the best option I had.
"Kassie's fortitude is 8.2."
Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a perfect "O."
"Wait. Fortitude 8.2? That's — that's not possible!"
I shrugged.
"I don't know what's possible, given that I'm new to this world and all. But it's true. Kassie can talk and do anything she wants. She can even hit me and stuff, though I think there's a limit to what she can do. I hope there's a limit, anyway."
Lira exhaled sharply, still reeling from shock.
"Boy, you have no idea!" She was practically vibrating with excitement now. "I read a lot of ancient history for my research. I came across postulated theories about high-fortitude spirits and what they might be capable of. Some scholars even say a 10.0 fortitude could exist independent of their summoner's spirit essence and soul. But of course, these are all just speculations, since ranks are fixed, essence pools cannot be expanded, and therefore there's a fixed dependency that cannot be broken. A fortitude 10.0 simply cannot exist."
She paused, catching herself.
"Crap, I'm sorry. I got a little too excited. This is just..." She exhaled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Marvelous!"
Her eyes met mine, shining with something close to academic fervor.
"Having a fortitude 8.2 spirit summon is just insane…"
A smug grin crossed my face. "Wait till you find out her tier."
'This is gonna be good.'
Lira paused, tilting her head slightly.
"Considering that you're F rank, I'm guessing she's Mortal Tier? But still, that's incredible news! A fortitude 8.2 means you can actually hold your ground against D ranks. And there's that! Nirvana! It worked for you too, didn't it?!"
She rushed through her words with such excitement that I couldn't find an opening to tell her — no, Kassie is definitely not Mortal Tier. Not even close.
I exhaled, exhaustion seeping through.
"It's not like that."
My expression made her stop mid-thought. She stared at me, and I watched the excitement drain from her face as she registered my tone.
"What do you mean?"
I exhaled again, stood up, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Better to steady her now before she hit the floor.
"Don't faint, okay?"
A slight frown crossed her face — somewhere between confusion and suspicion — as I said to her:
"Kassie is Calamity Tier."
Her brows knitted together intensely, and she looked at me with something close to hostility. Like I'd just insulted her intelligence.
I stepped back, hands raised in defense.
"No, for real. I've got no reason to lie about this. She's a Calamity Tier Spirit Summon called the Tyrant Empress. I think she's also called the Blood Conqueror."
Her eyes widened — at this point, they might as well pop out of their sockets and roll across the floor. The color drained from her face, leaving her pale as death. Fear washed over her features like a wave.
"You summoned a disaster!"
As she said that, a certain man's scornful voice echoed in my head. The old man from the summoning ceremony.
'He wasn't exaggerating.'
My expression hardened.
"Lira, I need you to explain what you mean. Please." I kept my voice steady, but firm. "I have to understand this."