I Only Summon Villainesses

”You want to bully me so bad? Establish your supremacy as a B-rank?” I spread my arms wide in mock invitation. ”Come on then, Derek! Come get a piece of this F-rank failure! I’m going to wipe the floor with your ass — or is it wipe your ass with the floor?” I paused. ”You know what, I’ll figure it out as I go.”

I positioned myself in a casual stance, an insane, rage-baiting grin plastered across my face.

Derek’s jaw tightened. ”You fool. You must’ve gotten high off whatever participation trophy you got for stumbling into that guardian kill.”

Movement at the entrance caught my eye — new arrivals filtering into the hall. I spotted Elena among them, her expression unreadable. No Kai, though.

’Probably still recovering. Or avoiding me. Smart guy.’

No Kael either, but that was expected. We weren’t seeing Kael again.

Poor bastard.

I refocused on Derek, letting my grin sharpen. ”What’s wrong? Suddenly hesitating?” I tilted my head. ”You’re all bark after all, huh? Pussy.”

Derek’s eyes blazed with rage.

Then he shot forward.

’It worked!’

Getting him to commit to a sharp, uncalculated charge was exactly what I needed. Now that I could actually follow his movements — track them, predict them — I could set traps. Lead him into positions where defense and counterattack became trivial.

’It’s almost unfair... No sorry, Derek.’’

A thought flickered through my mind, half-serious: ’Damn, was I a battle genius all along and just never realized it?’

I knew better, of course. I knew exactly where this sudden strategic clarity came from. But I could enjoy the moment anyway.

Derek closed the distance, planted his lead foot, and angled a heavy punch toward the side of my face — putting his whole shoulder into it.

My eyes tracked the incoming fist.

’Derek, why are you suddenly moving like you’re underwater? What are you, a kindergartener throwing a tantrum?’

I shifted back one step.

His punch sailed past my face, missing by inches. The momentum carried him forward, and he staggered — actually staggered — trying to recover his balance.

I watched him stumble with what had to be the most embarrassing lack of grace I’d ever seen from him.

’Here comes my legendary counter...’

I stepped forward, coiling slightly, then brought my head down like a hammer.

Just as Derek recovered from his stumble — just as his eyes widened in belated recognition — I smashed my forehead straight into his nose.

The impact gave me butterflies in my belly.

His head snapped back. Blood arced through the air in a crimson spray, catching the dim light of the gate’s fading crystals. Then he fell backward, landing hard on his ass with a grunt of pain and shock.

I stood over him, looking down.

”I told you...” I gestured vaguely at the palette of blue blood he’d landed in — gate guardian remnants mixing with his own red. ”I’d wipe the floor with your ass.”

Or something like that. Close enough.

Murmurs rippled through the assembled crowd, a wave of shock and disbelief and — if I wasn’t mistaken — a few poorly-suppressed laughs.