Miracle Summoner

"Cor Tauri Succinum."

When lava erupted from the earth and transformed into a towering bull-headed giant god wielding a blazing battle axe, the three-headed dragon Beast Vassal charging toward it had already been pierced through its limbs by lava spikes controlled by the colossus, letting out a pained roar.

The giant's eyes suddenly lit up, and it let out a ferocious roar. Then, it swung down the burning battle axe in its hands and cleaved the three-headed dragon clean in two. A blast of scorching wind akin to a level-ten typhoon surged outward, sweeping across the surroundings.

Even though that dragon was formed by the fusion of three serpent Beast Vassals, it couldn't escape destruction under that single blow from the bull-headed giant.

That was proof of just how immense the mana Rozen was injecting into his Beast Vassals at this moment—so overwhelming that even a fusion of three Vassals into one draconic form couldn't withstand a single strike.

And then—

"Shaula Viola."

With a sweep of Rozen's hand and a burst of blood mist, a lion-bodied, human-faced, scorpion-tailed beast cloaked in violet flames roared into existence. It exuded a miasma of deadly poison, transforming the surrounding atmosphere into a cloud of virulent toxins.

"Gah...!"

Caught off guard while preparing to summon a new Vassal, Vatler was enveloped in the poison. Smoke, as if from corrosion, rose from his skin, and he vomited mouthfuls of fresh blood.

That blood—was violet, as if laced with the same lethal poison.

In an instant, Vatler had been infected with a toxin so vicious that even a vampire like him suffered excruciatingly. He dropped to his knees, coughing up endless streams of blood.

Despite using every ounce of his power to fight back, this was his result—a completely one-sided slaughter.

"Haha... hahaha…"

Even as he spat blood, Vatler continued to laugh.

"This miserable state... I haven't seen anything like this in who knows how many years... Not even during the Blazing Banquet did I fall this low...!"

Back then, during the Blazing Banquet, Vatler had been ambushed by Zaharias and defeated by six Matrices.

Even then, he had lost—but not this badly.

Moreover, that time, Vatler had been ambushed. Unlike this time, it hadn't been a direct confrontation from the start.

Zaharias had known how troublesome Vatler was. As someone closest to the power of the Primogenitors, stronger even than second-generation nobles, Vatler far surpassed the likes of Iblisveil Aziz of that time. Zaharias wasn't confident six Matrices could defeat him head-on—so he used a sneak attack, grievously wounding Vatler in the beginning to secure victory.

If it had been a direct confrontation, just six Matrices and six Beast Vassals wouldn't have stood a chance against Vatler—who could control nine Beast Vassals and even fuse them—and who wielded power nearest to a Primogenitor.

No, it would have definitely been impossible.

But this time, Vatler had been at full strength from the very beginning, and he still ended up in such a wretched state—far worse than before.

"This is bad…"

If this continued, he might really die here.

Vatler realized this.

The proof: behind Rozen, a new Beast Vassal had already appeared.

It was a water spirit with serpentine hair, formed from pristine streams of water.

"Sadalmelik Albus."

A vicious Beast Vassal capable of reverting all things in existence back to a state of nonexistence. Even an immortal vampire could be robbed of their very time and gradually erased into nothingness.

"I had to hold back a bit to avoid sinking Itogami Island, so it took a little time."

With that, Rozen stood with his Beast Vassal, glaring down at Vatler with an air of dominance.

"Don't blame me, Snake Charmer. You're the one who asked for death."

Saying so, Rozen unleashed the full power of the Beast Vassal he had summoned. It surged forward as a roaring torrent of water, crashing toward Vatler.

That torrent resembled the flow of time in reverse—dissolving the affected atmosphere into its primordial components, and causing the earth itself to crumble into sand, collapsing completely.

Though this Beast Vassal symbolized the healing abilities of vampires, its true power was far from gentle—it was utterly savage.

Vatler, like a helpless insect about to be swallowed by a tsunami, was still writhing in the poisonous miasma, his body smoking and convulsing, utterly incapable of escaping this deadly flood.

This was a death sentence.

And yet—Vatler still laughed.

It was as if he was making a declaration.

"The real show is about to begin."

In that moment, Vatler's presence changed.

It was as if some decisive force had been poured into his very existence, and his aura became something that seemed capable of eroding the world itself.

"…Hm?"

Rozen's Mind's Eye immediately detected the shift in Vatler's aura, and his expression subtly changed.

Then, a deep crimson radiance began to shine from Vatler's body.

It was a light of absolute silence.

Within that glow, there was no trace of mana, no heat, no vibrations—there wasn't even the slightest sound. There was only an overwhelming sense of silence, as if one were gazing into an unfathomable abyss.

Amidst that silent crimson glow, countless particles of light began to float around Vatler.

"That is…!?"

Even Rozen showed a stunned expression upon seeing those countless deep crimson particles.

His Wise Eye had already revealed the truth of those particles to him.

They were magical circles, each one inscribed with ancient arcane glyphs.

Yes.

Those particles were magic circles.

Each and every one of them.

Each one a miniature spell formation, packed with unimaginable mana, and covering Vatler's entire body.

Moreover, every single magic circle within those particles was both complex and intricate, and no two were alike. Their number was so vast it defied counting.

Rozen had never seen so many magic circles—nor any as small as these.

And despite their minuscule size, the construction of each one was so intricate that even Tartarus Lapse's Rose paled in comparison.

Such complicated spell formations, formed in such great numbers, with each one unique…

"Vatler, you—"

Rozen's gaze toward Vatler changed completely.

At the same time, the deep crimson glow surrounding Vatler began to take effect.

Bathed in that glow, all of Vatler's wounds were healed.

Bathed in that glow, the deadly poison within his body vanished.

It was as if time itself had reversed. The fierce battle that had just taken place seemed to have never happened. Vatler returned in an instant to his perfect condition—even his suit was fully restored.

As for the raging flood of Sadalmelik Albus, the vicious torrent that had been bearing down on Vatler—it disappeared without a trace the instant it made contact with that deep crimson light.

And this spectacle wasn't happening only to Vatler.

"Oooohhhhh…!"

In the distance, on another battlefield, the same deep crimson radiance began to shine.