Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill-Chapter 355: Demonic Energy Replenishment

The sacred guards had been quick to sound the alarm. It wasn’t just their efficiency, though; it was the tireless work of the patrols watching the region day and night, ensuring the monastery never went unguarded.

Thanks to that, Nilse had more than enough time to round everyone up and seek shelter on the monastery’s second floor.

She wasn’t the only one doing it. The other nuns pitched in, ushering the people inside the monastery to safety.

"Come on, move!" Nilse shouted, "Everyone together now!"

As the nuns corralled the civilians, the priest took his place at the front lines alongside the other sacred guards.

He was the monastery’s commander and, arguably, its strongest fighter. That meant he had to stand with the guards in the coming battle.

William wanted to help, but he held back. Instead, he followed Nilse and the others up to the second floor. Given his current condition, he was too weak to stand against the beasts. The risk wasn’t worth it.

As soon as he reached the stairs, William struggled to climb. Nilse was right there and steadied him.

"I’ve got you," she said. "Lean on me."

"Thanks..."

The second floor looked much like the first. It was primarily where the nuns and guards slept, though there were other, more important rooms down the hall—a library and a study hall.

But they didn’t stop there. They made their way to a room with a large glass window, offering a panoramic view of the surrounding area. From there, they could look right into the forest.

They stood there in silence for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. No one looked nervous or anxious about the impending beast attack.

"Is this a common occurrence?" William asked.

"Yes. As I told you, the situation in the kingdom isn’t great right now," Nilse replied.

That was when the trees in the forest began to shift. They didn’t just sway; they were crashing to the side, as if massive, powerful creatures were approaching.

William glanced at Nilse and noticed she looked uneasy, almost worried. She kept twisting her fingers together, her breathing shallow and agitated, as if she were choking on something.

He didn’t say a word, simply watching. The trees continued to fall until, finally, the creatures emerged. They were bizarre, utterly unlike anything William had ever seen before.

They resembled monkeys, but their bodies were hairless, covered instead in rows of sharp spikes. Tall and lanky, they bore four long, spindly arms. They looked gaunt, as if starving. Multiple eyes adorned their faces, alongside rows of long, sharp fangs. Their necks were twisted at a sickening angle, as if broken.

"These things look like they crawled out of a horror movie," William thought.

The mutant monkeys scurried on all fours, shrieking in a continuous, grotesque wail.

The sacred guards drew their weapons and formed a defensive line, bracing for the horde. Beyond the front line, lookouts stationed in the towers near the main gate prepared their ranged weaponry—that was their purpose.

Of everyone present, only the priest stood motionless, watching the monsters close in. He turned to the guards beside him and offered a reassuring nod.

"I will use a Divine Invocation," he said, his voice as calm as still water. "There’s no need for us to take risks. I’ll need a few days of rest afterwards, but that’s no problem."

The guards visibly relaxed at his words. One of them signaled the archers in the towers.

Nilse and everyone else watching through the window caught the signal.

"Ah, thank goodness," Nilse sighed. "Everything’s going to be fine now." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

William frowned. "What does that signal mean?"

"It means the priest is going to use one of his Divine Invocations," Nilse explained. "They’re incredibly powerful, so we’ll win for sure. But depending on which one he uses, he’s going to need a few days to recover."

The priest pulled the cross from his black robes and began to murmur incantations. As the grotesque monkeys closed the distance, a golden energy began to coalesce around him. It was identical to the magic paladins had used against William, yet far more potent.

His hair and robes began to flutter, and a symbol materialized around his body. William watched closely. A beam of golden light pierced the sky, and a woman descended. She was tall, divine, unmistakably not human. Two wings sprouted from her back, and in her hand, she wielded a spear of silver, nearly eight meters in length.

The angel looked down at the horde and dove. With a single motion, she skewered every single beast. There were no flashy long-range spells or pretty fireworks—just brutal impalement. Thick blood coated the ground, and chunks of flesh were scattered everywhere.

The slaughter looked anything but divine. The priest was being drained with every second the invocation remained active. As soon as the fight ended, he began to dispel the summon.

But before she vanished, the angel looked toward the window where William stood. She locked eyes with him, sensing the unique energy radiating from his body.

William froze. That invocation was far stronger than his own.

"Did she see me?" he thought.

Nilse, standing beside him, caught the angel’s gaze. The others didn’t seem to notice, but she did. Being so close, it felt as though the angel had looked right at them.

She glanced sideways at William, searching for any sign of reaction. Then, the angel vanished, retreating into the divine circle she had been summoned from.

One of the nuns raised her voice to announce, "The priest has slain all the beasts. We are safe."

A cheer went up. The monsters had been stronger than usual, causing tension, but seeing the fight end brought peace. The sacred guards worked together to clear the area, gathering the corpses to be stored for later sale. It was a good way to make extra money to keep the monastery running.

The priest, looking visibly pale, spoke up. "Someone needs to go to the city and contract an earth mage. We need magic to restore this destroyed forest."

"Yes, sir!" the guards replied in unison.

The priest returned to his quarters to rest, and everyone on the second floor returned to their previous activities.

William and Nilse walked out together.

"Was it just me, or did that angel look right at us? Am I losing my mind?" Nilse asked with a nervous giggle.

"Maybe she did," William replied. "It makes sense. There were plenty of nuns on the second floor, after all. The divine energy probably just drew her attention."

That was his first thought, and it seemed plausible enough. Nilse bought it—or at least pretended to.

"Now that everything is settled, you need to rest. Go back to your bed. I can bring you water and maybe some books to read," Nilse commanded.

Without blinking, William obeyed. Days passed in a blur; his only activities were eating and sleeping.

The beast attacks continued, though they became a daily occurrence. The creatures, however, were weaker than the mutant monkeys from the first attack.

During this time, William’s demonic energy began to seep back in. By a certain point, he started to feel uncomfortable, almost sick, just being in the monastery.

The priest, too, began to notice something was off.