The Man Who Summons Monsters

"Damn it! How dare that lowly servant slap me!" Jack Chase slammed the steering wheel of his luxury sports car, his face contorted in anger. "I was the one who delivered you to Lady Rowan—an honor—and you have the audacity to hate me!" His rage, though, wasn't directed at the powerful Lady Rowan, but at Charlotte, the maid who had slapped him earlier. Clearly, he was the type who only vented his fury on the weak.

"Werewolf! Yes, if I can capture that werewolf, Lady Rowan will surely forgive me," Jack muttered as his mind raced. Fueled by anger and desperation, he started his car, ready to return and devise a new plan.

Bang!

A loud crash echoed as the roof of his car buckled under the force of a sharp claw. A massive werewolf paw tore through the car's top, ripping it clean off. In the dark night, Jack saw glowing, eerie green eyes staring at him.

Fear shot through Jack like lightning, instantly clearing his mind. Despite being human, his reflexes were fast, and he leaped out of the wrecked car just in time to avoid Ash's lethal strike.

"Well, well, I was just about to come find you, and here you are, Werewolf," Jack said smoothly, adjusting his suit with exaggerated calm. But there was no mistaking the nervous twitch in his eyes.

"Looking for me, huh? Want a taste of my claws?" Ash responded, his voice low and threatening. He had followed Jack from the villa and now decided to make his move on this quiet street.

"No, no, not at all. I was merely hoping to invite you as a guest," Jack said, maintaining his haughty demeanor, though his eyes darted for an escape. His tone was always exaggerated, even more so in moments of danger.

"Enough of the theatrics. Let's fight," Ash growled, leaping forward with incredible speed, his razor-sharp claws aimed at Jack, thirsting for his blood.

In response, Jack raised his hand, releasing a black mist from his palm. Within seconds, a grotesque, nightmarish creature appeared in front of him—a summoning from the darkness itself.

The monster was twisted and deformed, like something from a horror movie. Its head was located at its waist, with seven or eight arms of varying lengths sprouting from its back, each arm lined with grotesque mouths full of sharp teeth. It was the kind of creature that could drive a normal person insane with fear.

But Ash wasn't an ordinary person. Seeing the abomination charging at him, he quickly balled his claws into fists and delivered a powerful punch. The deformed monster, though grotesque, was no match for Ash's raw strength. It was sent flying into the bushes at the side of the road.

"Is that all?" Ash scoffed, turning his attention back to Jack. He was ready to go after him next.

"Take a look at your hand, Werewolf," Jack called out with a smirk, standing calmly as if he knew something Ash didn't.

Ash glanced down at his claw, noticing that the area where he had struck the monster was starting to turn pale and rot, as if infected by something. It was a virus or poison, a trap he hadn't anticipated.

When the deformed monster rose from the bushes, the grass and plants around it had withered and died in just a few breaths. The creature's mere presence spread decay.

Ash felt a headache coming on. First, he had to deal with the corrosive black liquid from the Bullheaded Monster earlier, and now this new foe couldn't even be touched. How was he supposed to fight something like this?

"So, how about that invitation, Werewolf? Otherwise, if this infection spreads, you might be in real trouble," Jack taunted confidently.

In response, Ash hurled a nearby trash can at Jack, who dodged easily. But Ash wasn't done. He pushed the wrecked car towards the deformed monster, using it like a battering ram. The monster, though strong, couldn't withstand the force of the car and was slammed into a nearby wall.

Crash!

The deformed creature was pinned, struggling as Ash repeatedly smashed the car into it, trapping it further. He wasn't finished. With quick precision, Ash ripped a metal streetlamp out of the ground, sharpened its end with a few quick strikes, and hurled it like a spear. The makeshift weapon impaled the creature's head, pinning it to the wall.

Jack, who had initially thought of intervening, stopped in his tracks. Ash's movements had been too fast for him to react.

While the deformed monster wasn't dead, it was effectively immobilized. But Ash's infected hand was still a problem. The infection had spread slightly, though his natural regenerative abilities were keeping it at bay. His flesh would rot, regenerate, and rot again in a vicious cycle.

Jack raised his hand again, releasing more black mist. Ash scowled. "How many of these things can this guy summon?"

This time, the mist coalesced into a woman-like figure, dressed in white. Her body was shapely, but her face was grotesque—there were no eyes, no nose, only a wide, gaping mouth filled with sharp teeth. She let out an ear-piercing scream, directed at Ash.

Unfazed, Ash opened his own massive maw and roared back, challenging her.

The white-clad ghost-like figure floated forward with incredible speed, rushing towards him with a terrifying wail.

The battle was far from over.