The Third Summoning Circle
Even so, it didn’t matter. No matter how exceptional a teacher might be, they could never truly be harsh toward a cherished disciple. That role belonged not to a mentor, but to an enemy.
“Or perhaps Lord Kainaknus is simply not accustomed to instructing the next generation, despite his reputation.”
“How dare you…!”
A predictable provocation met with a predictable reaction. He dropped the broken sword he had been holding and soon conjured runes into the air. I had expected him to charge forward recklessly in his agitation, but to my surprise, only two appeared.
Whether this was due to mere pride or something else was unclear, but it was at least not a bad choice. The red and green runes, their arrangement and form, constituted a high-level summoning circle. Considering Duran was already summoned, it was clearly the appropriate selection for maintenance and control.
Following the red runes, a giant wreathed in flames appeared, gripping two swords in each hand. It had three faces upon a single head, and its body—easily twice the size of an adult man—was densely inscribed with ancient script.
“Anibolka. One of the elite soldiers who serve the fire god Agno.”
Those who guarded Agno’s temple embodied the god’s wrath. The countless ancient words carved into their bodies were proof of Agno’s blessing—an oath that no curse would ever touch them, and that even if they met death countless times, they would always rise again from the lava.
Confidence of victory gleamed in Geil’s eyes. The surroundings had already grown bright from the flames Anibolka radiated. It was certainly a powerful summon that Aproth’s Sword could not hope to match. And following behind it, emerging from the green runes, came an even larger green giant. Its body was composed of vines and leaves, and the aura flowing from it caused the surrounding plants to grow rapidly.
“And Hishipaven as well.”
Hishipaven, known as the one who creates forests, was a leader among the high-ranking ents. Wherever they stood, forests would bloom, and with but a thought they could make all plants grow and obey their will.
Given the terrain, it was clear that even Dede Samudi would find this opponent troublesome.
“I shall give you one last chance to retract that insolent remark.”
—Geil…
Even if Duran was reluctant, the quality of the summons themselves clearly favored the other side when his presence was taken into account. Yes—quality alone, that is.
“That is precisely why I called you inexperienced.”
I raised the soul synchronization rate with Dede Samudi. Through our connected souls, the emotions and consciousness of this ancient creature of darkness flowed directly into me. Most of it was dominated by a desire for control, arrogance, and the ambition to break free of this bond at any moment. Yet no matter how powerful, it remained an existence born of sorcery.
Compared to a huanma, breaking its will was far too easy.
—Gikra Log Kakel!
Following my will, an ancient incantation poured from Dede Samudi’s mouth, and with it, the sorcery of the ancient witches activated. The stars in the night sky seemed to vanish, and darkness descended upon the earth as though the heavens themselves had fallen. Even Anibolka’s flames could not pierce that darkness, and the plants that had been growing in response to Hishipaven trembled in fear and ceased their growth.
Then the darkness was drawn into the sword of Aproth standing before me. The simple doll—its silver body and round, featureless head—quickly turned pitch black. The smooth blades that served as its arms began to swell as though boiling over.
The doll’s form changed. When the darkness finally cleared and Anibolka’s flames once again illuminated the surroundings, Aproth’s Sword was gone. In its place stood a massive black beast. Its glossy body evoked the depths of an abyss, and its nonexistent eyes seemed to gaze upon everything else from every direction at once.
I could feel Geil and Duran’s expressions shift—especially Duran’s. They could not possibly know what had just occurred before their eyes, but reacting to the ominous presence was an instinct shared by all living things.
Responding to my will, the black beast lunged at Anibolka. Anibolka raised both swords, its three faces filled with solemn fury and pure battle lust. The flames enveloping its body burned even more fiercely as the beast’s claws and the swords clashed, rapidly repelling one another.
Geil’s expression hardened. Though they had clashed several times, the unidentified beast was parrying Anibolka’s swords with ease, while Anibolka itself was being slightly overpowered. That was what shocked him.
“Did you forget that I have other summons as well?”
Dede Samudi’s two arms moved, and a dark, overwhelming surge of black mana rippled through our connected souls. Following that mana, black mist in the shapes of snakes and crows spread toward Hishipaven and Duran alongside an ancient spell.
—……!
A green aura burst from around Duran’s body, but it could not dispel all of the mist. The black fog completely enveloped Hishipaven. Even as Hishipaven frantically swung its long arms, the mist refused to scatter. Branches extending from the trees at Hishipaven’s command lashed out late, attempting to impale Dede Samudi, but they soon withered and fell to the ground, halted mid-motion.
The spell Dede Samudi had cast was one of the ancient curses, designed to seize the target’s consciousness and strip away its freedom. Even a high-ranking ent like Hishipaven would not escape it easily.
“……!”
Though Geil struggled to maintain his composure, I could see the bewilderment clouding his eyes and consciousness.
“It is not merely a matter of which summons you call forth. How you use them is far more important.”
The power that had created the beast now facing Anibolka was the very reason Dede Samudi—born of the witches—had been able to dominate weaker witches despite its own inferior strength. This ability to infuse power into another being and temporarily elevate it to a far higher existence had been an object of worship among the weaker witches.
Of course, an ordinary living creature would have been crushed by the burden, but because Aproth’s Sword was an artificial lifeform crafted by the skilled mages of Aproth, it had been possible.
Well, it would inevitably break once the spell ended, but that could not be helped.
“Now then, what will you do?”
Anibolka was still locked in combat with the beast, Hishipaven remained bound by the curse, and even Duran—who was relatively free—could do little while resisting Dede Samudi’s spells.
At a glance, it seemed Geil had no options left.
“…….”
His eyes wavered. Was this the end? Was this truly all he amounted to? Just as disappointment began to surface, the surrounding plants suddenly trembled violently. At Hishipaven’s gesture, branches and roots began to surge forward.
Without realizing it, a smile formed on my lips.
“Yes. That is how it should be.”
Dede Samudi’s curse had seized Hishipaven’s consciousness, but its power and movements themselves remained unbound. In that case, the summoner could simply use that power through soul synchronization.
Though his inexperience had delayed his realization, he had ultimately succeeded in finding the correct solution.
Watching the sharp branches and roots approach, Dede Samudi extended a hand and unleashed the black flames cloaking its body. The plants withered and rotted upon contact with the flames, unable to advance any further.
However, in doing so, the spell restraining Duran weakened. Green flashes soon erupted from Duran’s horns toward Dede Samudi. The green light pierced through Dede Samudi’s black flames, but Dede Samudi blocked it by forming a barrier.
Yet that was not the end. While Dede Samudi’s mana was occupied maintaining the barrier, Duran fired another beam toward Hishipaven, and the curse lost its power. Immediately, even more branches, roots, and vines surged forth, targeting both Dede Samudi and the beast that had been fighting Anibolka.
Dede Samudi and I were able to defend ourselves with the barrier, but the beast was in a different situation. As it swung its claws at the approaching plants trying to bind it, Anibolka’s two swords mercilessly struck. With all its strength, the two blades severed one of the beast’s arms.
The beast reflexively tried to move its remaining arm, but it was soon entangled by vines and thick roots. It was then cleaved in two by Anibolka’s swords. Unable to contain the power any longer, the black energy granted to the beast burst forth and scattered into the air. Its body returned to silver before melting away without a trace.
Now standing before me were Anibolka, Hishipaven, and Duran. Their eyes burned with the clear intent not to give Dede Samudi time to cast another spell.
Clap, clap, clap.
I raised my hands and applauded him. He had used Hishipaven’s power through the summoner’s own will while it was bound by the curse, thereby freeing Duran. Duran had then dispelled the curse itself, allowing the restored Hishipaven to attack all enemies simultaneously.
Though the barrier could not be broken, Dede Samudi had been unable to cast other spells while defending, causing the balance of power between the beast and Anibolka to collapse rapidly until the beast was eliminated. It had been a perfectly natural flow of battle.
“Correct. Though you were a little slow to realize it, and using Hishipaven’s power through your own will felt somewhat awkward, this is the most appropriate answer for the situation.”
Yet despite my praise, Geil’s expression only grew more twisted.
“Are you still insisting that this counts as instruction?”
Yes. I had never expected something like this to break his arrogance. This had merely been a problem I created to teach him combat sense, and he had ultimately solved it. At least in terms of method, he had done so perfectly. Far from crushing his pride or arrogance, this was something that might even warrant more of it.
“If your intention is to feign composure like that title of yours and refuse to admit defeat through deception, then you are sorely mistaken! You have insulted not only me, but my master as well!”
Affection, loyalty, and the all-too-predictable reaction when someone dear to him was insulted. Just as I was about to give him a slightly lower score and mock him for it, I recalled Rowell and the other companions, along with everything I had done, and simply closed my mouth.
“If you kneel and apologize even now, I shall forgive you in light of your achievements during the last great war. Though those achievements were rather lacking in any noteworthy tales of valor.”
—Geil! There is no need to be rude any further…!
Watching Duran, who had relaxed his guard to caution Geil once more, I found myself smiling without realizing it.
“…Heh.”
They looked puzzled, as though they had sensed some kind of leisure in my laughter. Yes, they certainly could. They had written the correct answer to my problem and were now waving the test paper triumphantly. A perfect answer, they claimed.
Yes, it was indeed a perfect answer—within the scope I had intended.
“Well, that concludes my kind advice.”
I raised a finger and pointed toward the sky.
“But haven’t you forgotten something?”
They sensed something amiss in my question and slowly raised their heads to follow my finger. Their expressions turned to shock, their faces draining of color. Seeing that, I wore a smile that was undoubtedly cruel.
“I created three summoning circles from the very beginning.”