Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made-Chapter 39: You Have My Word

Over the winding canyon, Astensia’s leap created a golden streak in the hazy sky, then it started to descend, almost like a falling star.

They landed with a heavy, dust-scattering thud at the very end of the gorge, directly in front of the boss’s chamber.

Almost immediately, a new kind of scent penetrated Lancet’s nose. The air was strong, despite the wind there was still a smell of rusted iron and dried blood.

Before them sat the Throne of Bones. The thing was huge; grotesque in its shape but built like a monument from the bleached ribs and curved tusks of dead behemoths, bound together by rusted chains.

However, what was more terrifying was the beast that sat on top of it.

Upon the throne, was the apex predator of the badlands: The Orc King.

The beast was colossal, easily fifteen feet tall, its dark green flesh covered in ritualistic crimson scars and thick slabs of iron armor bolted directly into its skin.

It wore a spiked crown of molten iron and rested a war hammer the size of a boulder against its knee.

It was eating a giant bloody thigh, likely offered to it by the High Orcs they had just killed.

Sensing the intruders, the Orc King’s heavy yellow eyes snapped open. It dropped its meal and let out a localized, earth-shaking rumble, gripping the shaft of its hammer as it slowly pushed itself off the throne.

Astensia gently set Lancet down on his feet. The moment he was secure, she turned to face him, bowing her head slightly.

"I am sorry for my unreasoned actions, Master Lancet," she said, her voice laced with sudden, sincere guilt.

"Huh?" Lancet blinked, tearing his eyes away from the giant monster that was currently standing up to its full, terrifying height. He narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

"I lost focus of my true purpose," Astensia confessed, her blue eyes filled with true conviction. "I am your friend, yes, but I am also your Summon. The only reason I live now is because of you. Because of your power. I should do better in respecting that."

Lancet looked at her with profound confusion. A few yards away, the Orc King let out a deafening roar and started thumping toward them, the ground quaking with every step.

"Uhm..." Lancet gestured vaguely toward the charging behemoth. "You’re being a little dramatic right now, don’t you think?"

"Maybe," she admitted, tilting her head slightly, completely ignoring the fifteen-foot monster bearing down on them. "But I promised you loyalty, and I must uphold that."

She scanned Lancet’s face, and it was like the youthful, naive and warm features she saw brought a smile to her face. Her Master.

"You want to claim the rewards of this beast’s death over that rival of yours," she said determinedly. "I must make sure that is the case."

Lancet’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Wait... is that why you separated us? Why you rocketed us here before him?"

She nodded once, a faint, calculating gleam in her knightly eyes. "I still would have landed the killing blow, but if he had joined the fray, the Dungeon’s system would have forced the rewards to be shared. I am your Summon and I should thrive for your absolute best, Master."

Lancet couldn’t help it. A massive, thrilled grin spread across his face. "Woah. So there is some serious badassery in you after all, Astensia."

Astensia smiled, a soft blush coloring her cheeks. "Please, do you forgive me, Lord Lancet?"

Behind her, the Orc King closed the distance. It raised its colossal iron war hammer high above its crowned head, casting a massive, deadly shadow over both of them.

Back in the Dungeon Hall, the atmosphere had devolved into complete, utter panic.

Every other First Year pair had either cleared their objectives, run out of time, or been emergency-extracted.

Lancet and Renan’s gate was the only one still active. Hundreds of students and instructors were crowded around the main holographic screen, watching in absolute horror.

"Are they mad?!" a student screamed, pointing at the projection.

"The Orc King is right there!" another said. "Why are they just standing there talking?!"

Phiodor Blaze gripped his hair, his eyes bulging. "He is going to get them both killed! The boy has lost his mind!"

Maecil Gudgarten had both hands clamped over her mouth, her face entirely pale, silently praying to any god that would listen.

Even Dean Ordenance had stepped down from the dais, his calm facade finally cracking into a look of breathless tension.

"What will happen here?"

Inside the Dungeon, Lancet looked up at the descending shadow of the hammer, then back to his smiling Knight.

Lancet thought for a split second. "I’ll forgive you if you do exactly one thing for me."

"Anything," Astensia vowed.

"Train me!" Lancet ordered, his eyes burning with determination. "Teach me how to be a great fighter."

The Orc King’s hammer crashed down toward them with enough kinetic force to shatter a mountain.

Astensia didn’t draw her sword. She didn’t raise her shield. She simply reached up with her bare, gauntleted left hand.

BOOM!

The heavy iron face of the hammer slammed into her palm. The impact generated a catastrophic shockwave that violently ripped the red dust and loose rocks away in a perfect, expanding circle.

But at the epicenter, the ground beneath Astensia’s boots didn’t even crack. She held the colossal weapon completely still, her arm not buckling a single millimeter.

Through it all, her piercing blue gaze remained entirely locked with her master’s, the great Lord Lancet.

In the Dungeon Hall, the silence stretched for one agonizing second before the entire room erupted.

"WOAH!!!" The collective scream of disbelief shook the Academy walls. Students were grabbing their heads, instructors were yelling, and Maecil Gudgarten let out a laugh that sounded more like a sob of relief.

"You have my word, Master," Astensia whispered her promise. Though somehow, that whisper carried easily over the roaring wind of the shockwave.

It sent a thrill through everyone, even the viewers back in the Dungeon Hall.