The blast of rainbow light faded, leaving spots in everyone's eyes. The sky portal closed with a sound like the fabric of reality being sewn back together.
Everything was quiet for a moment.
Then she landed while punching the ground.
The impact shook the ground so much that cracks spread out from where her feet and punch hit. Dust and debris flew out in a perfect circle.
As his mind began to clear, Lucian was able to see his second summon for the first time.
Every inch of his second summon, who was six feet tall, screamed warrior. It wasn't the graceful, elegant fighter that Glacielle was; it was raw, brutal military power.
Her body was athletic like a soldier's, with defined muscles and visible strength. Her skin was covered in scars from old wounds from many battles that she wore like medals.
The first thing that stood out was her hair. Her hair, short and crimson red with gold streaks running through it, was tied back in a high warrior's ponytail that somehow still looked like living flames.
It moved even when there was no wind, as if the hair were slowly burning.
Her eyes were molten amber, and the heat in them made Lucian's stomach drop even though it hurt. They weren't as cold as Glacielle's ice-blue eyes, but they weren't warm either.
Their eyes belonged to someone who had seen too much death and didn't care about adding to the number.
The bikini armor she wore fit with the system's required theme, but it was very different from Glacielle's beautiful ice look. This had a red and gold sun pattern on it and fancy chest plating that covered about twenty-five percent of her body at most.
The metal had flame patterns carved into it, and a big golden sun symbol was on the chest piece. The armor appeared costly and ceremonial, yet its scratches and dents conveyed a distinct message.
The armor wasn't equipment for a parade, but this... was gear for war.
A torn and battle-worn red cape hung from her shoulder plates, but it still looked royal. It fluttered in the wind in a very dramatic way, making her look like a commander who had just come from the battlefield.
But her aura was what really scared Lucian. The air around her body shimmered with heat distortion, as if she were sending out solar magic just by being there.
The temperature had gone up by at least twenty degrees since she got there.
She held two curved blades that could only be called "beautiful death." Two scimitars that glowed with golden sunfire.
Each looked like it was made from sunlight that had been captured and shaped into something that could cut through reality.
A huge pole weapon, at least eight feet long, was strapped to her back. It had a torn flag on it. The banner had a golden sun on a red field that looked like it had been stained with ancient blood.
Even when it was inactive, the banner exuded a sense of power.
And her name was...
...Marshal Kyrathiel Sunbreaker.
It took Marshal Kyrathiel exactly two point three seconds to look over the whole battlefield. Her eyes moved over Lucian, who was bleeding on the ground, and Glacielle, who was trapped in the Ice Golem's grip.
And then her eyes locked onto Corvus, who was standing on his wyvern and looking excited, with twenty-eight drakes in formation above and six SSR monsters still alive and in tactical positions.
There was no change in her face. She cracked her neck on one side and then on the other side.
And then she rolled her shoulders and cracked her knuckles like she was getting ready for a light workout instead of a fight to the death.
"Tch," she said, her voice rough and angry. "Wow, what a fucking mess this place."
"This situation is typical of a new master who is overwhelmed by his stupid responsibilities."
Corvus was no longer laughing. His crazy smile faltered for the first time since the fight began.
As Corvus tried to figure out how powerful the new person was, his crystal orb glowed brightly.
The readings went crazy. He couldn't read the numbers that were scrolling across his vision quickly enough.
He was confronted with power levels that exceeded the standard SSS levels. He encountered combat experience metrics that exceeded the limits of his system's measuring scale.
Then he smiled again, but this time it was different.
This wasn't being made fun of or laughed at. This was real excitement, just a desire to fight.
Corvus said, "Now... THIS," in a voice that was almost reverent. "...is better!"
"Another SSS bikini-type warrior!? And she looks like she can put up a good FIGHT I've desired for...!"
Marshal turned her head a little bit to look at Lucian. She didn't turn all the way toward him, which felt like she was being rude on purpose.
Her amber eyes looked at him like someone who had bought something that wasn't what they wanted.
"Listen up, rookie," she said.
Her voice had a military tone that made even dying feel like skipping formation. "I'll only say this once because you're my master, I guess."
She plunged one of her blades into the ground with the point facing down. The casual act was somehow scarier than pulling out a weapon.
"Marshal Kyrathiel Sunbreaker."
"Former commander of the Sunforge Legion in my previous life." Her words were concise and professional and carried the weight of authority that comes from genuinely leading armies.
"I led ten thousand soldiers through the Abyssal Wars and trained hundreds of warriors who became legends in their own right."
She picked up the sword from the ground and aimed it at the monsters that were all around them. "I've fought demons, dragons, and even gods!"
"I've won battles that should have been impossible to win, and I've held cities against impossible odds and broken enemy formations with only a tenth of their numbers."
Like a butcher looking at cuts of meat, she looked across the battlefield again and counted her enemies. "And I've NEVER lost a SINGLE war...!"
Lucian could hardly understand what was being said. He was losing consciousness, and everything was getting blurry because of the blood loss.
But it was impossible to ignore how heavy she was. This wasn't like Glacielle's quiet skill.
This was too much crushing power.
Glacielle's eyes had gotten big from the side. Even though she was hurt and being crushed by the Ice Golem's grip, she was looking at Marshal with something like awe.
"The Sunbreaker..." Glacielle whispered weakly, "I thought she was a myth..."
"The ancient relic said she was a legendary warrior who fought in the wars before the sealing... I never thought she was real and here right now..."
Marshal didn't respond to the comment. She just looked at Lucian one more time, and her face showed that she was very disappointed.
"So you're the one the prophecy said would come," she said flatly. "A careless boy who almost died on the second day of his new life."
She spat on the ground. "I've taught kids how to make better tactical decisions than a fool like you."
Lucian wanted to defend himself, but he couldn't find the words because she was correct. He had acted carelessly.
He had rushed into a fight that was impossible and almost killed everyone.
"But," Marshal said with a hint of annoyance, "at least you protected your warrior when it mattered."
"That's the only thing stopping me from leaving right now." She raised both swords. "I'll help you this time, but you must prove you're worth following to be my true master."
She focused all of her attention on Corvus and the army of monsters. Her aura burst outward, and the temperature rose so quickly that Lucian started to sweat right away, even though he was losing blood.
Corvus laughed so hard that it was louder than ever. "YESSSSS...!!!"
"FINALLY...!"
"THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!"