Chapter 175
Chapter 175
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Primal (1)
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The old spirit summoner's time, which had been frozen like death for quite a while, began to tick again.
"...that's why."
His voice dripped with such pitch-black emotion, it felt like it had been dredged straight from hell.
"Is that all your precious spirit— the one you boasted about so proudly— has got?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if that's the best your so-called masterful creation can do, crumbling so pathetically."
"Well, yeah, it's pretty weak."
Galen replied nonchalantly. After all, these were spirits he'd whipped up by sprinkling in just a dash of life force, like seasoning. They were weak and didn't last long, obviously.
Of course, even if he poured in every ounce of his golden-level life force, he still couldn't make anything stronger than Atma's spirits.
"Good, that's more like it."
Atma's voice, which had been chuckling sinisterly, suddenly boiled over in a explosive crescendo.
"Go ahead, pull out every trick in the book a hundred times over. That's your limit. The path to the pinnacle of spirit summoning won't pave itself so easily for the likes of you!"
His final words, verging on a outright shout, came to an end.
Whoosh!
With its reorganization complete, the spirit unfurled its wings of flame once more and soared into the air.
"Man, he's really fired up now."
The overall formation was similar to their initial clash, but the firepower seemed a notch higher somehow. Galen grumbled as he summoned his Water Flow Manipulation mana.
"You two really got under his skin. Of course he's lost it."
Michael spoke in a tone that wasn't quite a scolding but carried a hint of exasperation. Lilia tilted her head with an innocent expression.
"Me?"
"Who else?"
"I was just stating facts, though? Brother can do it, but Atma can't, right?"
"Well... true, but."
"Truth hurts, even if it doesn't leave bruises."
Lilia had always been a pro at hitting people with facts since they first met. She just didn't realize she was doing it. She was simply too purely honest.
Of course, whether Atma took mental damage or not was none of Galen's concern. If anything, a mental breakdown would work in his favor.
Sizzle!
Even as water and fire clashed once more, tearing into each other with deafening fury, the three continued their conversation.
"But I was genuinely curious, you know?"
"About the one-spirit thing? Didn't you just make two more? No idea how, but still."
"Like I said, they're temporary. Not the real deal. I've only got one true spirit."
As if responding to his words, a spirit slipped smoothly from Galen's hand, slithered up his arm, and settled on his shoulder in the shape of a cat.
Galen bounced his finger off the squishy spirit's body and continued.
"Setting aside the enemy, Atma's got way more experience than me. I was curious what the industry veteran would say... and his answer? Change the spirit's attribute. Yeah, right."
"Doesn't sound like an answer that suits you, Brother."
Lilia asked with pure sincerity.
"Atma's just twisting things because he doesn't like being stuck with fire spirits, right?"
"Well, you could say that."
"But you use all kinds of magic anyway, so no need for that. And you can even do spirit techniques Atma can't. So you could come up with a way better answer!"
The infinite trust in her words brought a smile to Galen's lips unbidden.
Not that he denied it was laced with her bias, of course.
But objectively speaking, it wasn't wrong.
Atma was stuck at gold rank, but even he couldn't whip up spirits on the spot like that.
So once Galen hit gem rank too, wouldn't he pull ahead without any catches?
Just because Atma couldn't do it didn't mean Galen couldn't.
Think the opposite. Atma couldn't, but Galen could.
His very existence already shattered conventional magic norms. What did spirit summoner common sense matter?
Even after Atma's negative response, Lilia had turned it into positive conviction.
Not some fleeting emotional shift.
An absolute confidence that he surpassed the world's greatest spirit summoner took firm root in his heart.
The wall blocking Galen's path crumbled away from what might seem a trivially small trigger to someone else.
The status window entry for Spirit Creation— stuck at level 69 for so long— had broken through. Now renamed Life.
"Brother!"
Lilia's voice snapped Galen out of his slight daze as he savored the afterglow of enlightenment.
Thud!
In the moment his magic control wavered, the Miracle of Selection sealed the breached defense. It let Galen's good mana stay while shoving out Atma's bad mana.
"You okay? Your magic suddenly weakened!"
"Ah, sorry. Got distracted for a sec."
"Be careful!"
Galen apologized with a wry smile and refocused. Meanwhile, he carefully reviewed his new realm.
It was a bit different from Water Flow Manipulation.
Though listed as level 70, it wasn't a full gem yet. The finishing touch was missing.
But that wasn't due to any lack of ability on Galen's part. It was like pondering the final stroke to perfect the dragon's eye in a painting— deliberately held back.
He just needed to decide the direction from here.
With his thoughts sorted, Galen expressed his gratitude first.
"Thanks, Lilia. You helped me clear a huge wall."
"Huh? What did I do?"
"You cheered me on."
"Enlightenment from that?"
Lilia blinked in disbelief but quickly regained her composure. She'd seen Galen gain insights and master magic in all sorts of crazy situations so many times, it was familiar now.
"Anyway, Brother. You're not going easy on him now, right?"
"Huh? On Atma?"
"You do that sometimes. When you've got a lot on your mind."
"I used to, but not now. I'm going all out!"
Galen put on an indignant face.
He'd held back on purpose plenty of times to build status progress, so her suspicion was karma of sorts.
But not this time. He was talking, sure, but his mind was fully engaged.
"In this situation, Atma's basically my upgraded version."
"That good?"
"Every attribute he switches to is gem rank. I'm gold. If we go attribute-for-attribute, I lose."
Gem mages outclass gold ones even with basics. Add a personal realm, and they're way stronger.
Atma's personal realm skipped the "way" for "variety" instead. Spreading wide over digging deep.
So his fire beat Galen's Flame Burst, wind beat Spiral Eddy, earth beat Territory March, and so on.
For Galen, who thrived on mixing spells, it was a perfect counter.
"Flip it around: when limited to water, you're crushing him, right?"
"Yep. But he handles frost too, and the environment's tricky."
Against the Oceanis in naval battle, he'd dominated the whole sea area.
But this wasn't the ocean. Even if the spirit supplied water, swinging it like seawater would flood not just the mansion but the city.
With frost already limiting Water Flow Manipulation, Galen saw no need to waste mana on a personal realm.
"Ah, yeah... cleanup would be a pain."
Lilia nodded vigorously.
"Want me to take a shot?"
"If you want. But it won't be easy."
"Obviously! He's gem rank. But you'll back me up, right Brother?"
"Different kind of 'not easy,' but... give it a go. Might work."
Setting aside Galen's cryptic words, Lilia watched for an opening.
Atma's tactic hadn't changed: switch attributes nonstop, probing for gaps. Galen was handling it well.
Crack!
A massive water shield froze under an ice bird, only for wind-mixed flames to try melting it— a fierce tangle.
Lilia's eyes flashed. Her body shot forward.
Target: the shadowy doll. Specifically, Atma inside.
She'd pinpointed its location ages ago. He couldn't pull the clashing spirit away instantly.
Her only foe was the Nightmare. If she blasted it full power from the start—
Shing!
She closed the distance in a blink and swung her Radiant Sword. A crisp whoosh cut the air.
But she'd sliced only wind. Neither Atma nor Nightmare. Lilia skidded to an awkward halt.
"Huh?"
"Too slow."
Atma reappeared on the opposite side, scoffing.
"So that's his trick."
Michael, watching, let out a low groan. Galen asked.
"His trick?"
"Used it on me too. Mid-conversation in the drawing room, he vanished, and his spirit hit me with a massive explosion right after."
"That explains the missing weapon."
"Lost it then."
As they exchanged brief words, Lilia's assault pressed on.
Black spears suddenly jutted up, blocking her charge.
"Hmph!"
Expecting the counter, Lilia didn't falter. She summoned holy power instantly.
Thud!
The Miracle of Selection rippled out, sweeping the front.
The shadow spears crumbled and melted in seconds.
But their goal wasn't to wound— just stall.
While they dissolved under the miracle, Atma behind vanished again.
Even a miracle nullifying magic couldn't stop him slipping away preemptively.
Lilia returned to Galen, looking stumped.
"That's why you said it wouldn't be easy?"
"Knew it since he wrapped himself in darkness. If he was using the Nightmare as normal combat fodder, he wouldn't keep it plastered to him like that."
"Explains why he didn't bolt right away against three gems."
Not overconfidence or reckless bravery or suicidal resolve.
He could escape via darkness anytime, so he planned to harass to the end.
Michael clicked his tongue softly.
"Even at my speed, can't catch it. One-sided attacks from him get old. No counter, Lord Galen?"
"Wait for sunrise or play tag till the Nightmare's mana runs dry."
"Both sound impractical."
"Honestly, yeah."
"Um... isn't there one more?"
Lilia ventured carefully, mindful Atma might eavesdrop.
"Like in the warehouse."
"Right, that."
"...What'd you two do in the warehouse?"
"N-nothing weird!"
"It's our ace."
Like shutting down the warehouse Nightmare with Demonic Sound Suppression.
Neutralize the Nightmares clinging to Atma, and done.
"Used to be one, now two. Core principle's the same."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well, uh... Hold the spirits a sec? Need to focus."
"O-okay."
Seeing was believing.
Galen summoned mana instead of explaining. His freshly leveled life mana, amplified by star power.
The enlightenment etched in his mind at level 70.
The insights from clashing with Atma's spirits.
Built on Lilia's gift of absolute confidence.
It bloomed as one in his palm.
'Yes, like this.'
Realizing Spirit Creation and Demonic Sound Suppression shared roots let him group them under Life. Meaning he'd grasped life mana's essence.
Using that essence as blueprint, converge the twist inward instead of outward. Atma proved it possible.
And Galen could do what Atma couldn't. Because he was the superior spirit summoner. One spirit per person was convention, not law.
Why bother switching one spirit's attributes defensively?
Just make one of every attribute.
'Of course, my understanding limits me for now.'
But one he could definitely make.
That was Galen's second personal realm.
The moment he dotted the dragon's eye, Life truly ascended to gem rank.
Nearly all his star-amplified life mana sucked into a single point, compressing.
In Galen's palm appeared a golden fireball evoking the sun.
"What... what is that?"
"Allow me to introduce. My second... no."
Galen grinned at the stunned Lilia.
"My first 'true' spirit."