Yuki’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the demon writhing against its bonds. The room was thick with tension, the air heavy with the acrid smell of sulfur and ozone. The summoners’ panic was palpable as they scrambled to maintain control over the summoning circle. Their chants grew erratic, their voices trembling with fear.

  “No!” one of the summoners cried out. “The bindings aren’t holding!”

  The demon’s roar reverberated through the chamber, a deep, guttural sound that seemed to shake the very walls. With a final surge of power, it shattered the chains and colrs restraining it. The summoning circle fred brightly, its intricate runes twisting and distorting as the energy within spiraled out of control.

  Yuki braced herself as the circle expanded abruptly, its glow intensifying. The air shifted, growing colder and heavier. Then, with a deafening crack, the rift at the center of the circle tore open, and chaos erupted.

  Three imps burst forth, their bat-like wings fpping wildly as they cackled with glee. Their small, grotesque forms darted around the room, their sharp cws glinting in the dim light. Moments ter, a succubus emerged from the portal, her lithe form hovering gracefully above the ground. Her crimson eyes glowed with malice, and her sharp cws dripped with infernal energy.

  The summoners screamed and stumbled back, their carefully maintained formation colpsing into disarray. The imps lunged toward them, shrieking with malicious delight.

  Yuki didn’t hesitate. Void energy surged around her, rippling like bck fire as she activated [Void Resonance]. Her presence amplified, an otherworldly aura enveloping her. The bde in her hand glowed faintly, coated with the dark, crackling energy of [Elemental Coating: Necrotic].

  “Get out!” Yuki barked, her voice cutting through the chaos like a bde. The summoners froze for a moment, their wide eyes fixed on her, before scrambling toward the exit. Fear and desperation propelled them as they fled the immediate danger.

  The imps turned their attention to the fleeing summoners, but Yuki was faster. In a blur of movement, she intercepted them, her bde carving through the air with deadly precision. The first imp disintegrated upon contact, its body dissolving into ash with a pained screech. A second swipe cleaved through the second imp, its cry cut short as it crumpled to the ground.

  The third imp hesitated, its malicious cackle faltering as it realized the danger it was in. But it didn’t get far. One of Yuki’s shadowy tentacles shed out, impaling the creature midair. It let out a strangled cry before falling limp, its lifeless body hitting the ground.

  The succubus hissed, her glowing cws sshing toward Yuki with deadly intent. Yuki parried the attack with her bde, her tentacles shing out to restrain the demoness mid-flight. With a sharp twist, she smmed the succubus into the ground, the impact cracking the stone beneath them. The succubus snarled, her crimson eyes bzing with fury, but Yuki’s grip was unyielding.

  But the portal at the center of the circle continued to expand. A grotesque, hound-like demon cwed its way through, its snarls echoing through the chamber. Another imp followed, its shrill shrieks blending with the cacophony of chaos.

  Yuki turned her gaze toward the rift. Without hesitation, she drove one of her shadowy tentacles into the portal itself. The appendage sliced through the fabric of the other realm, eliciting inhuman screams from the creatures beyond. When her tentacle withdrew, it dripped with bck ichor, evidence of the damage she had inflicted.

  “Close the portal!” Yuki shouted, her voice a mix of urgency and fury. The summoners, shaken but alive, snapped out of their stupor. They began chanting hurriedly, their voices trembling but resolute as they worked to seal the rift.

  Meanwhile, Yuki focused on the remaining demons. The hound lunged at her, its massive jaws snapping inches from her face. With a single, precise ssh from her necrotic-coated bde, she severed its head from its body. The creature crumpled to the ground, its blood pooling beneath it.

  The succubus, still restrained by Yuki’s tentacles, let out a guttural scream, her cws thrashing wildly. Yuki tightened her grip, the shadowy appendages coiling around the demoness’s limbs and throat. The succubus’s struggles grew weaker, her curses turning to desperate gasps.

  One by one, more demons attempted to crawl through the portal, but Yuki was relentless. Her tentacles shed out, strangling and impaling each creature before they could fully emerge. The summoners’ chants grew louder, their combined magic forcing the rift to shrink. Despite their fear, they worked with a newfound determination, their voices rising above the din of battle.

  Finally, with a resounding crackle of energy, the portal colpsed in on itself, the glow of the summoning circle fading into nothingness. The room fell into an uneasy silence, broken only by the bored breathing of the summoners.

  Yuki released the lifeless succubus, its body hitting the ground with a dull thud. She turned her attention to the remaining demons—a few imps that had managed to survive the initial onsught. They cowered before her, their once-arrogant demeanor repced with abject fear.

  The summoners cautiously approached, their leader stepping forward. She raised her hands, muttering an incantation. Glowing markings appeared on the necks and arms of the demons, their essence bound to the summoners’ will. The imps whimpered as the magic took hold, their bodies shuddering under the weight of the spell.

  “Thank you,” the leader said, her voice trembling with a mix of gratitude and exhaustion. She handed Yuki a slip of paper, the summoners’ signatures scrawled across it. Along with it, she offered a small coin pouch containing six gold coins. “We owe you much. As an additional payment, you may choose one of the summoned demons to take with you.”

  Yuki considered the offer, her violet eyes scanning the subdued creatures before her. After a moment, she pointed to one of the imps. The summoners performed a binding spell, transferring ownership of the imp to her. A faint mark appeared on the imp’s neck, signifying its allegiance. It hovered at her side, its demeanor subdued and obedient.

  [System Notice: You have gained Ownership of a First Ascension [Fme Imp (female)]

  Before Yuki turned to leave, the leader spoke again. “If you want to learn more about summoning magic and how summoned beings can return to their original pnes, you’ll need to register with the Summoners’ Coalition. Their library is invaluable for such knowledge.”

  Yuki nodded, filing the information away. “I’ll think about it.”

  With her task complete, she stepped out into the cool night air. The battle had left her physically unscathed, but her mind churned with thoughts of her next steps. The road ahead was uncertain, but she was determined to find her way. Each step brought her closer to her goals—and perhaps, one day, to finding a way home.