Limitless Summoner: Rise of the Soul God

It would be an understatement to say that Ethan was frustrated. All the training he did couldn't match an actual combat situation and he once again had his ass handed to him by someone from behind.

"Keep an eye on your blind side, you fucking idiot!" He scolded himself as he looked around the space. The first thing that caught his eye were the red cloaks. His eyes widened in shock. Red cloaks, the ones Luna talked about.

There were about a dozen red cloaks in the small, cramped space. They looked humanoid, and judging from their hands and faces, they definitely looked human. Yet, there was something about them that made Ethan's hairs stand up.

Religious fanatics!

Even just from a glimpse, he could tell that these were crazy lunatic cultists. All sorts of symbols and shit were inscribed everywhere around him. They were sitting down and chanting something in a language he couldn't understand.

Ethan swallowed and waited. He had only one chance to do this right, and he wanted to make it count. For some reason, these people hadn't killed him yet. He needed to make good use of this opportunity.

Interrupting his thoughts, another red cloak loudly barged in. "Here. I found one more lurking in the forests. Let's get started before more and more begin to arrive. We shouldn't force the hands of the city lords. The fools have accommodated us, but eventually, their greed will turn to fear. Let's finish this tonight. The summoning shall succeed, and the great lord shall descend."

Ethan caught a glimpse of the other body that was unconscious and tossed on the ground. It was a slender woman with long blonde hair. "Tie this one up. I will bring the prepared sacrifices. If it's not enough, we can use these two as backups. Both are awakened, so they should make a good substitute for that little girl who escaped."

All the other cloaks silently nodded. It looked like this fellow was running point here. If he could just gauge the strength of this person, then Ethan would be a lot more confident in tackling these guys.

Ethan waited and watched, his heart pounding like crazy as he listened to the cultists talk about sacrifices. As soon as he heard them mention it, a plan started forming in his head. He figured that when more people showed up for the ritual, there would be lots of chaos—exactly the kind of distraction he needed to act without drawing too much attention.

While he was hiding in the shadows, his eyes landed on the blonde woman lying in a corner. For just a split second, her eyes flickered open and locked with his—a cold, sharp stare that sent a chill down his spine. Ethan couldn't tell who she was, but it looked like she was waiting too, just like him. Maybe she wasn't completely brain-dead like the others. If she could help him out, even a little, that might change everything.

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing mind. He remembered what the old hag always said: a mage's mental state was super important. If his head wasn't clear, his magic could go totally haywire.

As he focused on quieting his thoughts, another worry popped into his head—what if they had taken his talismans? His plan depended a lot on that. If they had really taken it, then he would have to rethink many things.

He quickly eyed his pocket, and, much to his relief, his pocket was still fat with them. Maybe his weird looks had saved him from a proper search. He had acted like a naive idiot, but these people were bigger idiots than him. He once again focussed on his breathing, waiting and preparing.

And the moment finally arrived. A loud clamor made everyone stand on their feet as a dozen human beings were dragged into the small space. They were all in some sort of a daze as they blankly walked inside. All human beings and not demonically corrupted human beings.

There were about fifty of them, and there were even small children in the group. He gritted his teeth in anger, but he did not let this cloud his judgment. Looking at the way these people were in a daze, he was pretty sure that there was a mage in this group. It would be best to find out who that is before he took any action.

However, the blonde woman didn't exactly share his sentiment. She didn't waste a second. In a flash, she broke free from her chains and lunged toward the nearest cultist. Her sword swung fast, and with one clean slash, it sent the red cloak sprawling to the ground.

Before his body could hit the ground, the woman had already moved to the next one. Ethan did not get up just yet. Something was off, and he could feel it. The strength of these people was way too weak.

To make lords of two different cities submit, did they not need more power? How could influence come without power?

Seeing how easily the blonde woman was cutting down one figure after another, Ethan was convinced something was going on. The cultists tried to gang up on the woman and block her, but her fighting spirit was strong. Her sword danced as she slashed through the group, each swing sending red cloaks tumbling like cheap action figures.

In between, she threw a glance at him, but Ethan still pretended as if he was groggy. Fighting these idiots was not a big deal, but his gut instincts told him something was going on, and he once again did not want to make a naive mistake.

In just a few seconds, his theory proved to be true. As the blonde woman carved her way to the last few cultists, a robed man entered the space. He laughed coldly, his laughter reverberating in the small space.

"Quite a determined one, aren't you?" He simply took a step inside, and the blonde woman froze.