The more they eliminate, the more keep coming.
Welze starts to feel tired.
She curses the fact that she is only a rank D wizard and, therefore, has a limited maximum MP available.
The situation is hopeless.
But at that moment, a woman with pink hair appears from the opposite direction.
The woman with pink hair moves with a grace and precision that commands attention.
Her presence alone seems to stir a newfound energy within Welze and her comrades.
The spiders, sensing the arrival of a formidable opponent, hesitate for a moment, giving the group a much-needed respite.
"Stand back!" the pink-haired woman shouts, her voice cutting through the chaos.
Her arrival is like a gust of fresh air, bringing a glimmer of hope to the dire situation.
The pink-haired woman moves with an elegant grace, her eyes filled with determination.
She wields a staff similar to Welze's, but with a different aura about her.
The woman twirls her staff, tracing a magical circle in the air.
"In flames that blaze both fierce and bright,
With trails of fire, embrace our rite.
Burn the flare, spirit of the burning trance,
Answer our call, with your fiery dance."
She slams the staff on the ground three times.
[TERSIFLARE]
*FLASH*
A blinding flash envelops the cavern, lighting it up for a brief moment.
Everyone present is forced to cover their eyes with their arms.
A spherical core of flames forms near where the woman with pink hair struck her staff.
The blazing core splits open like an egg. From within, a divine figure emerges.
The spirit opens its eyes.
With a graceful somersault, it exits the core and lands gracefully on the ground.
What remains of the core vanishes in a cloud of smoke.
The figure shrouded in flames is an ethereal being of angelic beauty.
The being moves its hands in the air, dancing.
Silk ribbons of fire are attached to its arm like delicate fabric, fluttering in the air.
The fiery spirit spins around, followed by its ribbons of fire, creating a spectacular choreography.
"Tersiflare, annihilate these spiders!" orders the summoner, pointing towards the monsters.
The spirit immediately, with a lightning-quick motion of its arm, launches its ribbon towards a giant spider in front of it.
The fiery ribbon extends as if it had a life of its own, coiling around the spider like a lasso.
The flames from the ribbon quickly spread over the furry body of the creature as it screams in sudden burning pain.
With another upward motion of its arm, the spirit lifts the flaming ribbon, hoisting the ensnared spider into the air.
Then, moving its arm downward as if cracking a whip, the ribbon hurls the burning spider towards a group of spiders that are closely gathered. Too close.
The fiery body of the spider hits them squarely, spreading flames throughout the entire group of spiders.
But Tersiflare has only just begun its performance.
Moving almost as if it were levitating, it swiftly traverses the cavern, lashing out with its ribbons of fire at the remaining spiders.
Continuing to dance, the spirit claps its hands, and each time it does, the flames it has ignited intensify, growing in size.
The cries of suffering from the monsters fill the cavern, creating an unsettling sensation for the spectators of this splendid yet dreadful spectacle.
Welze watches in awe as the pink-haired woman's summon, Tersiflare, effortlessly decimates the remaining spiders.
The fiery ribbons dance through the air, engulfing the creatures in flames with every strike.
The cavern trembles with the force of their screams and Welze can't help but feel a sense of both horror and exhilaration at the sight.
The pink-haired woman, her summoner, stands with a smug smile on her face, reveling in the chaos that her fiery spirit has unleashed upon the spider horde. Welze watches as Tersiflare gracefully takes down spider after spider, their bodies consumed by the relentless flames.
As Tersiflare dances through the cavern, its ribbons of fire erupt with increased intensity, burning brighter and hotter with each movement. The spiders' agonized screams echo off the walls, mixing with the crackling of the flames. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the monsters are no match for the unreal power being wielded against them.
As Tersiflare continues its deadly performance, Welze glances around at her comrades.
Franz and Gallo stand in disbelief, their weapons momentarily forgotten as they watch the spectacle unfold.
Jarica on the ground, with a horrible appearance, stares wide-eyed at the fiery display.
Welze's heart pounds in her chest as she takes a step closer to the pink-haired woman.
She can feel the heat radiating off Tersiflare, its flames dancing in a mesmerizing display of power.
The summoner's eyes meet hers.
Like an electric shock this meeting of glances, it transmits in Welze a renewed determination.
Welze joins the battle once again.
She unleashes a barrage of spells, combining her fire magic with Tersiflare's inferno.
The cavern becomes a battlefield of flames and destruction, as the spiders are consumed by the unrelenting firestorm.
The pink-haired woman's summon continues its relentless assault, its ribbons of fire leaving trails of destruction in their wake.
The spiders' once deafening cries have been replaced by deathly silence as their charred bodies litter the cavern floor.
Franz and Gallo shake off their stupor and charge back into battle.
Their blades slice through the remaining spiders with renewed vigor, their movements synchronized and fueled by adrenaline.
The tide of battle has turned in their favor, thanks to the arrival of the summoner.
The remaining spiders are caught between the relentless flames of the spirit and the determined strikes of Welze's classemates.
As the last spider falls to its fiery demise, silence fills the cavern.
The only sound that remains is the crackling of dying flames and the heavy breathing of exhausted warriors.
Welze and her comrades stand amidst the scorched remains of the spider horde, panting heavily from their exertion.
The air is heavy with the acrid smell of burnt flesh and smoke.
The cavern walls flicker with the dying embers of Tersiflare's fiery dance.
The woman slams her staff on the ground three times.
"Farewell, Tersiflare," the summoner commands.
The fiery spirit performs one last pirouette, its ribbons twirling brightly in the air.
Then, as if aware of the audience that has admired it, it turns towards the exhausted Ventures.
Tersiflare smiles and then bows.
Welze can't help but applaud, captivated by the spectacle of destruction and beauty offered by the summoning.
The spirit transforms into a gigantic flame that burns out quickly, leaving no trace of Tersiflare behind.
The blue-haired Wizard is speechless at the display of power shown by the summoner.
She had read about the Summoner class in books, and in the artificial dungeon, she had faced summoned monsters, but nothing compares to what she has just witnessed.
Franz Dadref approaches Welze, covered in soot and looking exhausted.
The blonde man looks at the summoner and points, saying, "She's Xiaikai Frolich. The top of the Academy. The only S-rank student."
"The Empress?" Welze whispers.
She has heard of her. The rumors she has heard about Xiaikai are true.
The Wizard doesn't believe she has ever seen such a beautiful woman.
Even Welze, as a woman and heterosexual, can't help but acknowledge that she is in the presence of an "once-in-a-million-year beauty," a beauty so rare that it could only be born once in a million years.
Her beauty is so mythical that no one can compare, perhaps the only beauty comparable to Xiaikai Frolich is the spirit she herself has summoned, Tersiflare.
Her skin, as fair as the light of a full moon, almost seems translucent.
In contrast to her fair skin, her eyes are as dark as the night, reminding her of those of Strauss Wagner.
Welze can see that she's not the only one captivated.
Franz struggles to keep his mouth closed as he gazes at Xiaikai with desire.
The blue-haired girl, aware that she can't compete, suddenly feels completely demoralized, and jealousy and envy start taking hold of her heart.
As the group catches their breath, Welze approaches the pink-haired woman, her eyes still wide with awe.
"That was... incredible," she says, her voice filled with admiration. "I've never seen magic like that before."
The summoner smiles, a glimmer of pride in her dark eyes.
"Tersiflare is a force to be reckoned with," she says. "But she is only as powerful as their summoners allow."