I Only Summon Villainesses

Looking at Kassie falling all of a sudden did not assist my hope in the best of ways. After all, my shameful act had been one of support to supply her with more essence for her to finish off the creature.

All of a sudden she was inside.

’This is bad.’

Without wasting a moment, I released one chain, letting it blur through the space and grab her. Then it retracted, drawing her back to me.

She glanced down at the sea of darkness, and turned her head upward. Somehow, something dropped on her face.

She wiped it off with her index finger, and curiously examined what it was with her thumb, the thing was somewhat greasy on her hand.

She tilted her head left and right, still trying to figure out what it was.

In the midst of that, another fell on her face, and this time she really saw where it was falling from. Instantly her face contorted with disgust.

“You vile…”

I belatedly realized and looked down. Somehow, I had honestly forgotten to draw up my pants. Or who knows I might have left them on display, in case she was stirred to want to use her mouth to clean them up.

I quickly brought them up and chuckled awkwardly.

“It’s really not what you think, I know you wouldn’t believe, but I was helping you.”

She nodded.

“Good.”

“I wanted to—”

I paused and blinked.

’She believed me?’

“G…good?”

She turned to me with a deadpan look.

“You know, I wouldn’t believe you. That’s good enough. You’re pleasuring yourself in this rotten scape while I was worried about you? And you were helping me? How so?”

I wanted to retort, to immediately defend myself. But Kassie had just said the finest word in the entirety of her life. I wasn’t sure even she realized what she said.

She grimaced.

“What?”

I smiled pleasantly and shook my head.

“Nothing, I’m sorry. But now that you’re here, let’s focus on getting out.”

My smile glowed as my heart wouldn’t stop leaping.

“So, did you figure a way out, is that why you’re here?”

Kassie gave me a dumfounded expression.

“All that pleasuring yourself and you didn’t figure it out?”

I released an awkward smile.

“Let it go Kassie, let it go.”

She glared at me for a while, looking adorable despite her dark anger.

Then she turned back to the sea of darkness below her, hung by the chain I used to catch her.

I raised a brow, as I studied the look on her face.

She looked like she was really in deep thoughts, like truly deep.

’Kassie is thinking.’

I had never seen her really think about something. Anytime there was something to do, she simply looked at that thing and moved. I knew this was a function of her version of Strategic Apex that provided strategic situation at an instant speed.

Even right now, for both of us, Strategic Apex was having a difficult time.

This was a very difficult prison, almost like it was an illusion.

I paused… and looked around me.

’Hey… hey… hey…’

Then I glanced down.

“Kassie, what do you really know about this creature?”

She answered immediately, her tone even.

“Nothing. They exist in the Nether of the Spirit World. Visiting such a place means submitting your mind to graceless madness in exchange for diabolical power. I could never understand why any sane person would choose to lose their mind for the sake of power.”

“Sure you wouldn’t” I muttered beneath my breath.

Kassie glared at me silently from beneath.

“Pervert.”

“What do you think of this place being an illusion?”

I ignored her compliment and focused on what mattered. I was not so easily distracted after all.

Kassie was silent, thoughtfully silent. Then her head turned.

She looked at the darkness below.

“That does make sense. And it opens a lot of possibilities.”

She turned to me.

“You would have to summon that witch then.”

I shook my head.

“No, I’m not summoning Maggie. There’s no way to tell what she’s doing, and she has been distant and expending essence, so I’m guessing she’s also busy.”

Kassie stared down and exhaled.

“If this is an illusion, then it has to be one that affected the physical world at a large scale.”

Kassie and I, of course, were immune to mental assaults and if we were in our head, we certainly would have seen a flaw in this world. But there was no visible floor.

Which meant that the Summon was using a physical domain of illusion, something that existed within it.

“We could go about it two ways. The first is to tear it open from within. The second… is to find the spot.”

“The spot?”

“If it is a physical illusion, then it has a limit. Though the beast makes it look endless, what we have to first break is that illusion of distance that has to be the barrier protecting its core.”

My eyes grew wide.

“We can see its core here? Is that what you call the spot.”

She sighed, looking like she was suddenly tired.

“It’s not that. The spot is a reflection of its core. In situations like this, you can find that. An incorporeal body means your core also dissolves, but it can’t be nonexistent because the core is connected to the summoner’s soul. So there has to be a point where a shadow of that connection exists.”

She stared down.

“Even in an illusion. It can’t be covered. But it can be protected.”

“Hence, why we have to break the barrier of protection. But how do we break the barrier?”

She continually stared down. For a few passing seconds, she said nothing. Then she turned and said with a straight face.

“I don’t know.”

I froze… I blinked several times.

“You… don’t know?”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

She turned back down.

“Wow. This… feels refreshing.”

She gave me a scathing look but turned away without saying anything. She simply stared down into the sea of darkness.

I smiled.

“Oh well then, I have an idea how we can do that.”

I paused, grinning maliciously.

“Say, Cade, you’re my hero.”