Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The initial rush of arrival died as they neared the city gates. The atmosphere hit them immediately—tense, heavy. Danger hidden in every shadow.

Turk and William walked point.

"So what now?" Turk's gaze tracked across the derelict buildings. "What's the move?"

With this many people, keeping everyone safe would be difficult. Moving through without drawing attention? Difficult was generous. Try impossible.

They needed a secure location for the group, and they needed to know what kind of trial waited for them.

William shook his head. "No clue. Let's poke around, see what this demon city's about."

They'd barely crossed the threshold when the unexpected happened.

A man clad in black armor appeared before them. William's hand dropped to his sword—pure instinct, ready to draw if this turned hostile.

"Welcome to the Demon City," the man said, a smile forming beneath his helm. "I'm merely a soul fragment left to guard this place. You've come for the inheritance?"

William relaxed his grip. "Yeah. What do we have to do to claim it?"

The fragment stepped closer. William didn't retreat. Didn't show fear. Staying calm was the play—the guy wasn't throwing off threat signals.

"I can sense our lineage already flows through your veins... So a descendant has finally returned? Excellent. Perhaps someone will finally prove worthy of the ultimate prize..."

William's curiosity burned brighter.

"He means my class and artifact," William thought.

He wasn't sure if that was what the soul fragment meant, but it could be.

The fragment delivered final instructions. "Escort your people to the temple at the city's peak. They'll find safety there, and you will face the trials to prove yourself worthy of the lineage."

He gestured upward. Even from the outskirts, the temple dominated the skyline—massive, perched high above.

"What are we dealing with on the way up?" William pressed.

Never hurt to squeeze a ghost for intel. Didn't work. The man simply dissipated like morning fog.

Turk exhaled, shoulders loosening. At least they had coordinates now. "Bound to be creatures inside," Turk said. "That bird flew here, so... yeah. Obvious."

William nodded. "Definitely. Protecting everyone's gonna suck, but we'll manage. Fill them in."

Turk relayed the plan to the others—stay tight, move as one. Warriors on the perimeter, William's summons filling the gaps.

Same formation as the forest, just concrete instead of trees.

William paused at the first ruined structure. He needed to know if anything valuable remained inside, or if something was waiting to ambush them.

"Better to check than get jumped," he muttered.

The beauty of having summons? He could send them in to do the dirty work while he stayed safe outside.

Most buildings had been stripped bare—no furniture, nothing worth taking. But they weren't empty. Bodies littered the floors. The same armored skeletons they'd seen ringing the city outside. Demon warriors who'd died in some ancient battle. None of them stirred. Good. At least for now, the dead weren't their problem.

William picked his way through the stone streets, eyes locked on the peak. Then he saw it. That bird—the one he'd fought outside the city—perched atop the temple like a sentinel, watching them from the heights.

Turk spotted it too. "Just waiting for us to get close," he said. "Think you can take it this time?"

William was the only one here with any shot at beating that thing. Everyone else would be dead in seconds.

He had no idea if he could pull it off.

"Honestly? Fuck if I know," William said. "But I'll try. Keep your eyes open."

*

Zanyi, Lucas, and Thompson descended into the basement. The key turned, the door opened, and like William before them, they stepped into the lineage realm.

The place hit them immediately—a completely different world. Another dimension.

Lucas and Thompson froze, staring. They hadn't expected this.

Zanyi didn't blink. He moved with purpose, like he'd been here before.

Because he had. He'd planned this from the start.

The old man carried scrolls—magic formations he'd crafted beforehand. Powerful ones, designed to cage even strong opponents for hours. He'd set everything up in advance.

The moment they stepped outside into the forest—the same one William had just crossed—Zanyi struck.

It happened fast. Lucas and Thompson had suspected Zanyi might turn on them—William had warned them—but they didn't expect it now.

Zanyi unfurled the scrolls.

Mana cages erupted around them, bars of solid energy slamming shut. Too strong to break quickly. Absurdly strong. Even for warriors like them, this would take time to crack.

"Zanyi, what the hell?" Lucas grabbed the bars, testing them.

William had warned them, sure. But Lucas had needed to see it. Needed to believe his old friend could actually do this.

"Sorry," Zanyi said. Not smiling, not gloating. Just tired. "I need this lineage. I have my reasons."

"So it was you? That rift? The monsters in the city?" Lucas gripped the mana bars until his knuckles whitened. "You knew everything?"

"Yes. I needed the key from the rift." Zanyi turned away. "No time to explain. I need to reach that city."

He walked off, heading for the demon city.

Lucas and Thompson stood trapped.

Thompson shook his head. "William warned us. We still walked right into it. Fucking idiots."

"Yeah..." Lucas strained against the bars. "We need to get out. Now. Can't leave William alone in that place."

They threw everything they had at the cages. Punched, kicked, poured mana into the bars. Even with their strength, the formations held. Zanyi had built these to last twelve hours minimum.

He hadn't counted on William's demonic energy burning inside Lucas.

Instead of twelve hours, Lucas broke free after eight. Once out, he helped Thompson, cutting the total time down even further.

Finally free, they had to move.

"We need to reach that city Zanyi mentioned," Lucas said. "William's definitely there."

They weren't walking. Thompson could summon a fire tiger. Fast as hell on land.

Even with the fire tiger eating up the miles, the city was still hours away. Zanyi would definitely beat them there. But it beat walking. They just needed to arrive before Zanyi found William and things got ugly.

*

William carved through corrupted creatures the entire ascent to the temple. Then a squad of demon warriors emerged from the ruins. Tough bastards—fighting exactly like him. Swords, demonic energy, black fire dancing off their blades.

The more he killed, the stronger he felt. EXP flooded his system. Before he knew it, he hit level 70.

His stats exploded. He was a completely different fighter from the guy who'd faced that bird outside the city.

He reached the temple doors. The creature spotted him immediately.

It screeched and launched off the roof, diving like a spear.

"Turk, get them inside!" William roared. "I got this."

Black flames erupted from his back, solidifying into wings. He shot upward to meet the monster.

Zanyi, already inside the city walls, spotted the aerial clash from the streets below.

"They're near the temple," he muttered. "That's where I need to go..."

He kept moving while William danced with death above.

William met the dive head-on, sword raised. Same move as before—that devastating beak strike that had sent him flying, ribs shattered.

Not this time. With the levels he'd gained, he held his ground. Met the bird's force with his own.

"Like that?" William grinned through the strain. "You're going down."

Black flames wrapped his blade.

"Demonic Slash of the Blackfire Bird!"

Yeah, William loved naming his moves. Cringe names and all.

The wings blasted him close. He hacked at the creature, over and over. Absurd speed. Absurd force.

The first ten strikes bounced off like he was hitting iron. Then—a red line. Blood sprayed from the bird's chest.

"Yes!"

Hope surged through him. First blood. He could actually win this.

Below, Turk herded everyone through the temple doors. Just like William ordered.

Then the wrong person walked in.

Turk recognized him immediately.

"Zanyi!" The name came out like a curse.

Zanyi didn't know Turk, but he could guess.

"So you're the ones trying to claim this place?" His eyes narrowed. "How did you even get in? There's another key I don't know about?"

He assumed they'd found a second key. Never crossed his mind that William carried the lineage in his blood.

Turk's hand found his sword. Slow. Deliberate.

He needed to buy time. Just until William finished that bird.

Zanyi raised his hands, trying to look non-threatening.

"Relax. I'm not here to fight you guys. Just let me access the inheritance and start the trials. What do you say? Or would you prefer I kill everyone here?"

Turk was caught in a bind. He knew taking Zanyi head-on was impossible. The gap in power between them was just too wide—he wouldn't be able to stall long enough for William to get back.

He didn't have many options. Fighting was a death sentence.

Zanyi noticed Turk sheathing his sword again.

"There we go. That's the smart move."

He walked toward the statue at the back of the temple, the gateway to the inheritance trials.

Even while locked in combat with the bird, William caught the movement as Zanyi entered the temple. A spike of urgency shot through him.

"I need to end this now!"