I Only Summon Villainesses

The instructor’s grin had vanished. His eyes narrowed, flicking between his downed summon and Kassie. ”Mortal tier, you said?”

I swallowed. ”Yes, sir.”

Kassie released my collar. I stumbled forward a step, catching my balance while she remained perfectly still—a statue of contempt carved from malice and grace. She hadn’t even looked at me when she’d saved my ass. All her attention was fixed on the instructor.

The rhino lumbered back to its feet, huffing. Embers dripped from its nostrils. Its master cracked his knuckles, rolling his shoulders.

”Interesting.” His stance shifted, weight dropping lower. ”Very interesting. That strength... those reflexes... Either you’re lying about her tier, or you’re just a really good summoner. I’m guessing the later, since you are F rank.”

He blurred again.

This time he wasn’t targeting me. He went straight for Kassie, closing the distance in a blink, fist already in motion. A feint—his body twisted mid-strike, leg sweeping low instead.

Kassie didn’t move.

The kick connected with her shin. I heard the impact, saw the instructor’s face contort—not in satisfaction, but in pain.

”What—”

Kassie’s hand shot out, fingers closing around his throat. She lifted him off the ground one-handed, her movements economical, almost bored. The instructor clawed at her grip, eyes bulging, but she held him like he weighed nothing.

”Kassie!” I barked. ”Don’t kill him!”

For a heartbeat, she didn’t respond. Then, with what felt like deliberate insolence, she tossed him aside. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up gasping.

The rhino charged again—straight at her this time. Flames wreathed its horn, metal plates glowing cherry-red. A proper Elite-tier attack, the kind that could punch through reinforced walls.

Kassie still hadn’t moved from her spot.

”Kassie—”

She pivoted on one heel. The movement was minimal, precise. Her fist met the rhino’s horn.

The shockwave knocked me backward. I threw up an arm to shield my face as debris and sparks exploded outward. When I looked again, the rhino was skidding across the field, gouging deep furrows in the packed earth. Its horn—that massive, superheated lance—had a visible dent where Kassie’s knuckles had connected.

My mouth went dry.

Around us, the arena had gone deathly quiet. Even the whispers had stopped.

’Damnit dammit dammit dammit, we are supposed to be Mortal‐tier Kassie!!!’