Heroine Creation: All My Summons Are Custom Made

Chapter 192: I Used To Read Your Thoughts

Patton and Kasto didn’t waste a single heartbeat. They broke into a dead sprint across the flat, rocky crossroads, kicking up dust as they hurried toward the smoking volcanic wasteland that had just belonged to the Elementalists.

Thor stood at the crest of the blackened ridge, waiting for them.

Ordinarily, such a move would have invited immediate conflict.

A vacant territory was the most valuable thing in this competition. Any ambitious team would have contested it the moment it became available. Normally, Enchanter-D or Specialist-D would have launched an intercepting strike to claim the territory for themselves.

But as the teams watched Kasto and Patton run completely exposed across the center plain, neither of them made a move. No one dared to step out of their bounds. .

The reason was standing in the middle of the volcanic plain.

Thor Stormchild looked bored, as though she had not just annihilated an entire team. Small arcs of lightning crawled lazily across her armor while the battlefield around her still bore the scars of her assault.

The ground had been ripped apart in multiple places. Fresh cracks spread through the black volcanic rock, exposing veins of glowing magma beneath, while several stone formations that had existed at the beginning of the match had simply vanished altogether.

Everyone had witnessed what happened.

Elementalist-D hadn’t merely been defeated.

They had been overwhelmed so thoroughly that nobody wanted to be the next group standing in Thor’s path.

Even from across the battlefield, Lancet could see the hesitation in the remaining teams. Specialist-D remained in formation near the ruined fort that served as their territory. Enchanter-D lingered beneath the cover of their forest, none of them willing to commit to an engagement while the Valkyrie remained active.

"They’re terrified of her," Vera observed, watching both teams carefully.

Lancet nodded. "Which means they’re terrified of us. We’ll be the last team either of them tries to attack."

By then, Kasto and Patton had reached the volcanic territory. The moment they crossed the boundary markers, glowing sigils sprang to life across the terrain and the battlefield recognized the claim.

Summoner-D had officially secured a second territory.

Without a word to the pair, Thor instantly dissolved into a blinding bolt of blue-white thunder, flashing back across the valley to reappear directly beside Lancet and Vera on the Summoner-D territory..

Up in the heavens, the stadium speakers practically rattled from the announcer’s unbridled excitement.

"AND THERE IT IS!" the announcer roared so loudly that his voice crackled. "SUMMONER-D HAS SUCCESSFULLY CLAIMED A SECOND TERRITORY!"

Thousands of students leapt to their feet.

The giant scoreboards suspended above the battlefield immediately updated. Summoner-D surged ahead of every other team as their score began increasing at twice the normal rate.

"Ladies and gentlemen, they’ve completely flipped the traditional strategy on its head!" the announcer continued excitedly. "Everyone expected Summoner-D to establish a defensive position and let the other teams fight among themselves. Instead, they’ve become the aggressors and seized control of the battlefield before anyone else could react!"

Down on the spectator platform, four pillars of white light appeared on the field, transporting the defeated Elementalists returned.

Kallan Kallahan looked the angriest amongst them.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had gone pale, and every muscle in his jaw looked strained from the effort of keeping his temper under control. Beside him, the Wind Mage looked completely stunned, Leslie, the Ice Mage, had tears of frustration, and Billard carried the exhausted expression of someone who had just survived a natural disaster.

"We didn’t even get a chance to fight!" Kallan snapped.

Instructor Phiodor Blaze came storming down the steps to meet them. His face was red and veiny, and his hands were fisted like was going to hit Kallan.

"What," he asked when he was close to the Lightning Mage, "was that?"

The four Elementalists immediately straightened.

Kallan pointed furiously toward the battlefield. "That wasn’t fair!"

Phiodor’s eyebrow twitched. "Fair?"

"He summoned Thor Stormchild!"

"And?"

The single word hit harder than any shout, shutting Kallan up.

"You’re Elementalists," Phiodor continued. "You had the terrain advantage. You had ranged superiority. You had equal numbers. Yet somehow you managed to get yourselves eliminated before the competition properly began."

"Oh, formats don’t save you from a bad day!" the announcer narrated with a winced laugh. "Instructor Phiodor is absolutely tearing into them! You can practically see the smoke coming out of his ears from here!!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

In the Summoner-D, Ms. Maecil watched Phiodor’s rage and frustration with a glorious smile on her face. Finally, after many years, she was the one on top, and Phiodor was the one at the bottom.

Back on the battlefield, that lead became more obvious with every passing second.

The Tribute counters continued updating overhead. While the remaining teams gained points at the normal rate, Summoner-D’s score climbed twice as quickly thanks to their control of two territories.

Kasto and Patton wasted no time ensuring they kept that advantage.

"Metalhead!"

Steam burst outward as gears, pistons, and steel plating assembled themselves into a towering mechanical giant. The massive mecha landed heavily upon the volcanic terrain and immediately turned its glowing crimson eyes toward the battlefield.

Patton followed moments later.

"Darkclay, rise!"

Dark mud surged upward through the cracks in the ground, gathering together into a hulking beast of sludge and stone. Thick arms formed first, followed by broad shoulders and an enormous torso. By the time the summon finished materializing, it stood nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with Metalhead.

Together, the two summons transformed the captured territory into a fortress.

Anyone hoping to steal it would first need to get through them.

Back atop Summoner-D’s rocky ridges, Vera watched the defensive preparations with obvious satisfaction before turning toward Lancet. "So what now?"

Lancet’s gaze drifted across the battlefield, studying the two remaining teams. His eyes lingered on Specialist-D for several seconds before a small smile appeared on his face.

"Renan is a pretty intelligent guy," he said, his voice quiet and perfectly calm.

Vera followed his gaze.

Lancet continued. "They’re incredible fighters. Probably the best combatants here. But that doesn’t help much when you’re responsible for controlling territory. Like I said, Specialists are still close-range fighters at heart. Every other class can influence the battlefield from a distance. Most Specialists have to physically be present to exert control."

He pointed toward the ruined fort.

"If they sit back and play defense, they’ll eventually get boxed in."

Then his attention shifted toward the forest territory.

"And Enchanters know it."

Even from this distance, it was obvious where their focus lay. Soren, Diera, Jon-Mark, and Stacey were all watching Specialist-D, quietly studying formations and positions while preparing for what appeared to be an inevitable attack.

"They’re going after them," Vera said.

"Exactly."

"The Enchanters are whispering," Lancet continued, smirking ingeniously. "They think they’re being subtle, but they’re actively plotting to launch a full-scale assault on the Specialists’ fort to claim their territory. Renan is intentionally keeping my eyes away from them right now. He’s faking being oblivious, to bait them."

Vera tilted her head, her hand tightening around her wooden staff. "To bait them? So he wants them to attack instead?"

"No, he wants a surprise attack," Lancet replied smoothly. "You can bait an enemy into launching a strike, sure, but you can also bait them into not expecting one. I guarantee you right now, Renan has already given his team the silent signal. He’s looking directly at us to keep up appearances, but all of his focus is actually locked on Specialist-D’s territory."

Lancet’s smile widened. ’I know you very well, Renan. Heh. I used to read your thoughts.’

He scoffed. "They’re going to attack in three..."

Across the flat plain, Renan Falconhart stood at the edge of his stone ramparts, his silver hair cutting through the wind as he glared intensely toward the Summoner territory, his hand resting firm on the hilt of his blade.

"Two..."

Vera held her breath, watching with anticipation. In the distance, the Enchanters were preparing their spells, their bodies glowing as they coiled their legs to leap toward the Specialists. Meanwhile, the Specialists kept their eyes glued forward, seemingly entirely fixated on Lancet’s position.

"One."

FLASH!