I Only Summon Villainesses

Having to deal with the everyday struggle of hearing myself talk was heartbreaking enough. Hearing my voice from a creature monstrous and abominable was revolting in all manner possible.

I had no desire whatsoever to rest until I killed this endearing creature. It giggled right before my eyes, obviously enjoying the annoyance that was climbing my face.

“I guess we’ll find out.” It said the same thing again in my voice and laughed again, still latched onto me, seeming to have all the time in the world rather than throwing its long tongue at me and trying to destroy me.

I frowned, and somehow that single inaction sent some information straight into my head. I could sense it. Something was wrong.

The Spirit Beast was terrifying because it could mimic, but that wasn’t the only thing that scared the shit out of me. What truly did was how almost flawlessly it had acted out Nisha. If it weren’t for the inconsistencies, the way she’d kept hurrying me forward when the real Nisha’s disposition towards danger was usually calm and carefree, the fixation on the ass, and a dozen other small things that just felt wrong, I probably wouldn’t have known that this wasn’t Nisha at all.

And that alone placed this creature far above every Primal tier Spirit Beast I had ever faced in my life. This Chameleon had intelligence, and that made me suspect it was a very high level Spirit Beast.

’This is sad.’

It was going to be a grueling battle indeed, but the bastard was not attacking and merely taunting me.

’It probably thinks I’m so dumb, I can’t see the fact that it’s hesitating and using its unsettling antics to keep me distracted.’

This brought me to the conclusion that this bastard was delaying intentionally and trying to buy time.

’Time for what, I wonder…’

Whatever it was, it was evident enough that I couldn’t just stand around and wait to find out. Aside from the fact that I needed to hurry up and find Nisha, I was thinking that whatever delay could make a beast this smart and advanced depend on tactics most likely had to be my huge chance at defeating it. Otherwise, things might get really ugly for me.

I stood there watching the abomination and it still stayed on the tree, muttering the same thing and giggling.

“I guess we’ll find out. Hehehehe…” The laughter of course sounded nothing like me. My laughter flows in a very much demure and elegant manner, granted I can’t even remember the last time I laughed with sincerity.

When I saw that the bastard was just repeating patterns without moving, staying latched to the white wood like it had all the patience in the world, I finally exhaled and commanded my legs to be stronger and faster.

As I did, I gained a small amount of vigor, then dashed forward, my brain already working overtime to seek a sure way for me to win this battle.

First of all, I could not carelessly spread my flames about, in order to preserve my essence. And even though my entire body was hurting and I should be somewhere right now receiving treatment, or at the very least, some really nice nurse telling me they want to make me feel good and take away all this unfair pain.

’I really have seen better days huh…’

When the times were still kind to me, only a punch had sent me to an office and taken away my virginity in the end. But here I was… dying, and still nothing.

My sword finally found purchase, but just as I reached the abomination, it flew off the tree and latched onto another, and my blade bit into bark instead. The impact shuddered up through my hand.

“I guess we’ll find out.” The bastard said, and giggled eerily.

While it was my voice, it was starting to irritate me.

It continued to giggle on the new tree it latched itself onto, and I slowly turned towards it, let it see that there was nothing funny about its laughter. Not that I expected it to work.

I shot at it again, leaping through the air, but the bastard leaped even higher, flying upward on the same tree and still saying the same eerie words to me. As it reached the upper branches, it lashed its tail down towards me. I rolled away and sprang to my feet, but the tail was already coming again, and it seemed longer than I last remembered.

I caught the tail against the flat of my blade. The force was ferocious, threatening to throw me off my feet, but my legs held strong, rooted into the ground beneath me. I staggered to the side when the force diminished and quickly righted myself, gathering a spin and swinging my sword as the tongue flew right at me.

This time I came with stronger momentum thanks to the spin, and my sword bit into its tongue and severed the edge cleanly.

A dark and eerie cry tore loose from the throat of the abomination, and I chuckled in satisfaction.

“Yea, that’s more like it. Now, you’re beginning to act more like yourself.”

The creature’s eerie cry faded into a wet, rasping gurgle. Dark ichor dripped from the severed edge of its tongue and spattered across the white bark below.

For the first time since this fight began, the Chameleon stopped giggling.

Its body shifted colors rapidly, cycling through hues I had no name for, before settling on a deep mottled white that blended almost perfectly with the white trees. Only its eyes remained visible. Two pale, unblinking slits fixed directly on me.

“There you go,” I said, adjusting my grip on the sword. My fingers were slick and whether it was blood or sweat, it didn’t matter.

The creature glared at me with death in its eyes and lunged.

The difference was immediate. Where before it had been content to latch onto trees and taunt me from safety, now it came down like something unhinged. Its remaining tongue snapped toward my chest and I barely twisted aside, feeling the air displacement against my ribs. The tongue cratered the ground where I’d stood, punching through compacted earth and root with a sound like fracturing bone.

I didn’t have time to thank my stars for dodging in time. Its tail swept in a wide arc from the other direction and I threw myself forward into a roll, feeling it whip over my back close enough to tug at my clothes. I came up swinging, but the Chameleon was already gone, launched back into the canopy with a speed that made its previous movements look leisurely.

I chuckled and looked up.

“Ah! Finally, did I beat some motivation into you?!”

’This bastard, so this is how you look when you try.’