Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Chapter 176: Beautiful, Glorious Chaos

The giant Tribute Coin floated between them, spinning lazily in the artificial sunlight. Fifty yards of open ground. Two teams. One prize.

Luke stood on the raised outcropping, his godtree bow still raised, the silver arrow nocked and aimed directly at Renan’s chest. The string vibrated softly against his fingers and his eyes were still cold with determination.

Luke drew the bowstring back another inch. "I won’t miss," he told Renan.

Renan’s hand hovered over his sword hilt. Behind him, Sienna Starbridge drew her bowstring as well.

"Neither will I," she said.

Luke eyed her for a moment, then returned his glare to the Heavenly Knight.

Between them, the air started to thicken.

Min Tu’s Skeletons—Reaper and Wraith—slid into position on Luke’s flanks. Reaper’s twin swords hummed with green wind magic that spiraled around the blades like tiny cyclones. Wraith’s cleaver crackled with purple lightning, arcs jumping from the edge to the ground, leaving scorch marks on the stone.

The crowd in the stadium had gone silent, everyone’s breath was held..

Renan and Luke were the only ones whose eyes were locked together. Then, Renan smirked. "Think fast."

His hand closed around his sword hilt and he drew out the sword with the speed of light.

Lancet, watching from the stands, almost stood up in excitement. ’He used Bright Draw!’

He knew the skill from the lightnovel, a popular technique Renan used to blind the enemy so that he could not just draw his sword, but also attack them before they had the chance to recover.

In this case however, Renan was using it to escape.

Luke’s vision went white, his ears ringing and eyes burning. He dismissed the bow and threw himself sideways, rolling across the rocky outcropping. He heard Min Tu curse beside him, and heard her Skeletons hiss in confusion.

When his vision finally cleared—blinking away purple afterimages—Renan was gone.

So was the giant Tribute Coin.

"HE TOOK IT!" Cassandra shouted, her wolf spirit barking angrily. "He’s heading back to their clan land!"

Luke’s jaw clenched. He pushed himself to his feet, scanning the battlefield. Renan was already fifty yards away, sprinting toward the marked territory of Specialist-D, the massive coin tucked under his arm. Sienna and Locke flanked him, covering his retreat.

"OOOH!" the announcer roared. "THE SPECIALISTS HAVE CLAIMED THE GIANT TRIBUTE COIN! BUT CAN THEY MAKE IT BACK TO THEIR CLAN LAND BEFORE SOMEONE STOPS THEM?!"

Luke summoned his Soul Searching Spear, but Cassandra was already in action. She thrust her hand forward, her catalyst blazing with emerald light.

"Ngh!"

Five small spirits—humanoid and ghostly—shot from the catalyst’s surface and raced across the battlefield. They were like actual wraiths, and moved as fast birds.

It only took seconds for them to catch up to Renan.

The first spirit slammed into his shoulder, dragging him. The second wrapped around his ankle. The third, fourth, and fifth latched onto the coin itself, pulling backward with surprising force.

Renan stumbled. "What the—"

He swung his sword, but the blade passed through the spirits like smoke. Locke and Sienna tried as well to get them off their leader. But Locke’s sword also passed through the ghosts, and so did Sienna’s arrows.

Renan grunted and activated [ Phantom Mode ].

For a split second, he became translucent. The spirits’ grasps slipped through him, stumbling through his body like water. At this time, when he swung his sword, it slashed.

Three of the five spirits dissolved into smoke. The last two tried to use the diversion to grab the coin, but Renan’s speed was unanticipated. He cut through their ghostly body in another slash, and they too were nothing but faded smoke.

Renan was free...

BLAST!!!

"Ughhh!"

...but only for a second.

Just right then, a storm of giant rocks blasted into the Specialists from the side.

Sienna screamed as a boulder the size of a carriage slammed into her, sending her tumbling across the ground. Locke managed to deflect one with his sword, but two more caught him in the chest and ribs. Immediately, he vanished in a flash of light, eliminated from the competition.

Renan dove, rolled, and came up with his sword raised. He was safe, except for one problem.

The giant coin was no longer in his hands.

It lay on the ground ten feet away. And Frieda, his troublesome romantic interest, was already walking toward it.

The Elementalist-D leader stepped over a pile of rubble, orange fire still crackling around her fingers. Behind her, Cillian’s cold aura had frozen the ground solid, and Billard’s earth magic had reshaped the terrain into a defensive wall.

Frieda bent down, picked up the giant Tribute Coin, and turned to face Renan.

"You’re not going to get more mad at me now, are you?" she asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

Renan stared at her for a long moment. Then he scoffed, wiping dust from his coat.

"You probably will." Frieda shrugged. "Let’s go!"

She and her team turned and started running toward the red-marked Elementalist clan land. The giant coin gleamed under her arm.

The crowd erupted.

"WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS!" the announcer bellowed. "THE ELEMENTALISTS HAVE STOLEN THE GIANT TRIBUTE COIN FROM THE SPECIALISTS! BUT CAN THEY MAKE IT BACK?!"

Lancet gripped the railing. ’This is chaos. Beautiful, glorious chaos.’

He watched the giant screen with excitement. The cameras were focused now on Frieda and the rest of Elementalist-D. They had the giant Tribute Coin now, but they’d barely covered twenty yards when the ground beneath them exploded.

A wall of ice crystals erupted from the earth, blocking their path. Frieda skidded to a halt, flames already gathering in her palms.

Min Tu’s Skeleton—Wraith—stepped out from behind the ice wall, its cleaver crackling with purple lightning. Reaper appeared on the opposite side, twin swords howling with green wind.

Luke Travers stood directly in front of them, Devil’s Fangs in both hands.

Frieda perked her brows. "You guys move pretty quickly."

Luke glanced at Cassandra who looked like she was now running on fumes of Grace. "We’ve got Cass to thank for that." He summoned his bow and targeted the arrow at her.

"The coin," he said quietly. "Drop it."

Frieda’s eyes narrowed. "Make me."

She suddenly pushed both her hands forward and a cone of fire roared out. It blasted the ground between them. And right then, Billard jumped forward, pushed the ground which had melted into molten rock upwards, then sent it crashing towards them.

Luke quickly dismissed the godtree bow, summoned the Gilded Aegis, and planted it. The molten rock splashed against the golden shield, sizzling but not penetrating.

"Some help Min Tu!"

Min Tu sent her Skeletons into attack.

Wraith sped into Frieda’s flank, cleaver swinging. Billard raised a stone barrier, but Reaper’s wind-enhanced swords sliced through it like paper. The Skeleton kicked the broken rubble aside and lunged at Billard.

Billard tried to stomp the ground, but Reaper was faster. The twin swords crossed at his throat and in a blast of light, Billard was eliminated.

"BILLARD IS OUT!" the announcer screamed. "Elementalist-D has lost a teammate!"

Frieda spun, hurling a fireball at Reaper, but the Skeleton dodged, its wind magic carrying it sideways. The fireball struck the ice wall and detonated, sending shards flying.

Cillian raised both hands, trying to chill the battlefield but an arrow punched through his shoulder.

Luke had dismissed the shield and summoned his godtree bow. The silver arrow had curved around the ice wall, threading a gap no wider than a fist.

"Fuck! You Arsenals are so damn annoying!" Cillian snarled like a child, clutching his hand as he scampered to safety.

But Luke was letting him get away. Not that easily. He shot another arrow. This time to the chest.

Cillian vanished. Eliminated.

"CILLIAN IS GONE!"

Frieda was alone.

She looked at Luke. At Min Tu’s Skeletons closing in. At the giant coin at her feet.

In desperation, she spun her hands around, summoning a cyclone of fire around her. She pushed the cyclone outwards and it burned through everything.

To escape, everyone had to either duck low or leap high. But by the time they had done any of that, Frieda had already grabbed the Coin and was on her hot heels.

Luke was after her in an instant.

Using [ Flaming Feet ] Frieda was able to clear distance with more speed. But Luke was naturally an agile speedster, and so, he was hot on her tails.

Every few steps, she hurled a fireball behind her. She didn’t really aim it properly, she just threw them at the relentless Arsenal. The explosions forced Luke to summon the shield, to dodge, to slow down..

Frieda thought she was getting away, but that was when she saw two bonemen coming at her from the flanks. She grimaced with frustration. "Min Tu and her stupid Skeletons!"

Knowing she couldn’t outrun those things, she stopped and planted her feet.

Luke forced his rapid legs to a sudden halt, and the Skeletons stopped as well some distance in front of him.

Before they could even ask what Frieda was about to do, she raised her gaze to the sky and screamed.

A wave of fire erupted from her entire body—a nova that turned the air to ash. Luke protected himself with the shield but the blast caught Wraith full in the chest. Reaper tried to jump over the wave, but the heat was too intense.

Both Skeleton Soldiers returned immediately to Min Tu’s Summon Space.

"TWO SKELETONS ELIMINATED!" the announcer shouted. "FRIEDA IS TAKING THEM WITH HER!"

However, the nova had cost her.

Frieda dropped to one knee, gasping. She was all out of Grace at this point. Sweat poured down her face and her flames were all out.

Luke sent his shield away and stood over her, pointing Sunpiercer at her face.

"The coin," he said.

Frieda smiled weakly. "Just eliminate me with your sword already. I’m not going to give up the coin."

Luke lifted the blade... and brought it down.