[Initializing First Summon...]
That was the last thing Nero saw before the entire world went absolutely nuclear.
His screen exploded in light brighter than his future.
"AHHHH MY EYES!!"
He got flash-banged harder than a Counter-Strike noob.
There was a damn good reason why light mode in any app was basically a war crime.
He nearly stumbled back like some reclusive vampire who just got dragged into sunlight.
White-hot brilliance consumed the room like he'd just triggered some forbidden gacha ritual that the developers never meant players to find.
Then...
Dead silence.
And in the calm after the blinding apocalypse, something gently floated down in front of him like a gift from the RNG gods themselves.
A single silver card, descending like a sacred scroll from weeb heaven, sparkled as it landed perfectly in his trembling palm.
No wind effects.
No dramatic music.
Just pure, unadulterated anime drama.
Nero's mouth hung open like a broken door.
His gamer brain couldn't process how absolutely premium this thing felt.
The card shimmered with this bluish-silver glow that made his eyes water in the best way possible. It was warm to the touch like it had its own internal heating system.
Golden border that screamed "expensive as hell."
Holographic details that shifted and moved.
The kind of card you'd find locked behind seventeen different paywalls and your firstborn child.
The artwork?
Absolutely chef's kiss material.
It was a full-body portrait of the most badass angelic warrior he'd ever seen in his degenerate life.
'Even triple-A game studios with unlimited budgets couldn't create something this gorgeous.'
She stood upright on what looked like a ruined icy battlefield while holding a mythical broadsword in front of her, and then paired with bluish silver-white armor gleaming with divine energy that made his gaming setup look like a toaster. Massive feathery wings spread behind her like she'd just finished kicking ass and was ready for round two.
Long flowing silver hair that probably cost more to animate than his entire apartment.
Piercing golden eyes that looked like they could judge your internet browsing history.
And her face?
Like she'd stab you for breathing wrong but would also hold you while you cried about your pathetic life choices.
It's completely stoic and emotionless, which means business.
It was a weird analogy, but her entire figure just screamed "divine badass warrior who could step on me and I'd thank her."
(PICTURE)
Nero was completely slack-jawed.
[Congratulations. You have successfully summoned "Aurelia, The First Star Valkyrie" (SR).]
His soul nearly left his body for the second time today.
"SR... I actually summoned an SR...!"
He clapped his hands together like he was praying to the gacha gods.
Tears of pure joy threatened to escape his crusty eyes.
"I thought I was gonna get some C-rank slime girl or maybe a talking weapon, but THIS?! This is straight-up DIVINE INTERVENTION!"
Considering his absolutely trash luck in every game he'd ever played, he was ready to kiss the ground in gratitude.
A waifu was a waifu, no matter the rarity.
That was especially true when it was an actual real-life waifu and not just pixels on a screen.
Nero kissed the silver card like it was the holy grail of his degenerate existence.
Because to his weeb soul?
It absolutely was.
Then he tilted the card slightly, and a new screen popped up with the most satisfying chime sound:
---
[Summon Card – Aurelia, The First Star Valkyrie]
Item Type: Divine Summon (SR)
Class: Valkyrie
Race: Angel
Origin: The Celestial Cradle, an upper realm forged in divine fire and bound by honor. Aurelia is said to be the first warrior born when the stars themselves declared war.
Description: A legendary Valkyrie known for leading celestial crusades against the Corrupted Legion. Fierce, noble, and feared on every battlefield she graces. One flap of her wings could level armies. Probably.
Warning: Handle with respect. She will end you.
---
Nero's eyes locked onto that one line: "One flap of her wings could level armies."
"...This waifu has FREAKING AREA OF EFFECT DAMAGE."
He was literally vibrating with excitement.
His gacha-addicted soul was fed, nourished, and completely reborn.
What better way to survive an apocalypse than with a reliable AoE character for farming levels and looking absolutely stunning while doing it?
Without wasting another second, he did what any self-respecting summoner would do.
"SUMMON!"
He raised the card above his head like it was Exodia and he was about to win the duel of his lifetime.
The card shattered into a thousand glowing shards that looked like stars having a seizure.
Then... absolutely nothing.
"...Huh?"
He blinked like his brain was buffering.
"...Did I just break my only waifu card?"
He waited with the patience of a saint (which lasted about three seconds).
And just as he was about to throw the biggest tantrum since his last gacha session...
A soft silver glow rippled around the room like reality was getting a software update.
A melodic chime filled the air, like cathedral bells and RPG soundtracks decided to have the most epic wedding ceremony in history.
The ground beneath his feet pulsed with divine light that made his cheap LED strips look pathetic.
The air shifted. Pressure built like the world was holding its breath.
And then...
She appeared.
A tall, absolutely glowing figure materialized, floating just above his destroyed carpet like gravity was just a suggestion to her. She was encased in this cocoon of divine light that made his eyes water from sheer beauty.
Long silver eyelashes framed closed eyes that probably held the secrets of the universe.
Her silver hair fell like the most expensive waterfall ever created.
Armor that looked like the gods themselves had crafted it specifically for her, somehow managing to look both terrifyingly practical and impossibly elegant.
Wings slowly unfolded behind her, each individual feather pulsing with enough divine power to make his electrical bill cry.
Nero just gawked.
His mouth refused to close like it was broken.
His brain rebooted twice and was still struggling to process what he was seeing.
"...Okay, that's hot as hell," he admitted to absolutely no one.
Her feet touched down with the softest thud as the angelic light show finally dimmed to reasonable levels.
She opened her eyes.
Golden as molten treasure.
Sharp enough to cut through his soul.
So intense he felt like his entire life was being judged and found wanting.
Her gaze seemed capable of reading every embarrassing thought he'd ever had.
With a voice that commanded respect, deep and smooth like a general who moonlighted as an opera singer, she spoke:
"I sense that you are my summoner."
She gracefully dropped to one knee in front of him with the kind of perfect form that made his terrible posture feel even worse.
"I am Aurelia. First Star Valkyrie of the Celestial Cradle. I offer you my sword, my wings, and my undying loyalty... My Lord."
Nero.exe has stopped working and needed to restart.
"I—uh—you don't need to be so formal and stuff. Just call me Nero. I mean, yeah, I summoned you and all, but like, we're cool. Casual. Y'know?"
She looked up at him with that same perfectly composed expression.
"Understood, Lord Nero."
"...Close enough." He scratched his cheek awkwardly like the socially incompetent weeb he was.
'I wonder if I can check out her stats...? Oh right, the system.'
He opened his system interface again, hoping to see what kind of absolute unit he'd just summoned.
And holy crap, there it was:
---
[Summon: Aurelia (First Star Valkyrie) (SR)]
Level: 1
Race: Angel
Class: Valkyrie
Stats:
STR: 3.25/10
DEX: 3.5/10
INT: 2.7/10
VIT: 3.25/10
LUCK: 2.2/10
CHA: 8.5/10
Summoned Abilities:
– [Divine Slash, Lv: 2] – Channel divine energy into a sword, dealing radiant AoE damage.
– [Star Barrier, Lv: 2] – Temporary shield that nullifies 1 incoming attack.
– [Light's Wrath, Lv: 3] – Unleashes a burst of holy light. Good luck surviving.
---
'Bro... She could fold like five of me in half without breaking a sweat.'
Nero was completely speechless.
The stat difference was so massive it felt downright humiliating that such an incredible woman was serving a complete disaster like him.
And this was just her at level 1...
'No, focus, you pathetic weeb.'
Nero shook his head like an Etch A Sketch.
'This is just the beginning. No point getting all depressed about being trash when I have an angel waifu now.'
It was either genuine optimism or the world's most desperate pep talk.
While Nero was trying to convince himself he wasn't completely worthless, Aurelia stood up and began scanning the room with professional efficiency.
"Your dwelling has sustained significant damage, Lord Nero."
"Yeah, well, we had an uninvited guest. Very stabby. Absolutely zero manners. Definitely not house-trained."
Suddenly...
*BOOOOM!*
An explosion outside rattled what was left of his poor walls like the world was having a seizure.
The windows lit up with an ominous orange glow.
Screams echoed through the night.
Inhuman screeches that sounded like nightmares learning to speak.
This hellish night was nowhere near finished with them.
Nero bolted to the window with Aurelia following gracefully behind.
What they saw hit him like a truck full of pure dread.
The neighborhood was in absolute chaos.
No wait, "chaos" was too kind. It looked like someone had taken a giant blender to reality itself.
Fires burned in the streets like the world's worst block party.
Cars were flipped over like toys thrown by an angry toddler.
Bodies. Blood. Monsters slithering and climbing buildings like that spider guy from the comics, except these were on some serious drugs.
People screaming in pure terror and despair.
Running for their lives.
Dying in ways that would give him nightmares for years.
Nero swallowed hard enough to hurt his throat.
"Okay. That's really, really bad."
The two immediately headed for the stairs.
This apartment building was about as structurally sound as his life choices, which meant they needed to get the hell out.
But just as they were about to make their escape...
"..."
Aurelia suddenly stepped forward, her hand moving to rest on the hilt of her sword with practiced ease.
"I sense multiple hostile entities approaching our position, Lord Nero."
Nero spun around like his head was on a swivel.
"Wait... where the hell are they?"
Before she could answer, three massive shadows leaped over a burning fence like demonic Olympic athletes going for the gold medal in terrorizing innocent people.
Four-legged nightmare creatures with jagged limbs and pulsating pustules that made his skin crawl just looking at them. Their glowing eyes locked onto them with the kind of focus that meant "you're about to become dinner."
Aurelia didn't even flinch.
Instead, she continued walking forward with the calm confidence of someone who'd done this a thousand times before.
Her delicate but deadly hand gripped the handle of the broadsword at her waist.
She drew it slowly, and the sound it made was like music to his ears.
Bluish-silver metal gleamed with an edge that looked like it could cut through reality itself.
The blade actually hummed with power.
She raised it into a perfect battle stance.
Then she glanced back at him with those golden eyes.
"Stay behind me, Lord Nero."
He nodded immediately.
Not because he agreed with the plan.
But because 'holy shit, she's fucking cool.'
The angel was straight-up aura farming in real life.
The monsters howled like they were announcing the start of the world's deadliest dinner party.
Aurelia took her battle stance.
Her blade glowed with cold, divine light that made the enemies look like amateurs.
Her pure white wings spread wide like she was about to deliver judgment from heaven itself.
The first battle for his summoned waifu... was about to begin.