Rise of the Weakest Summoner

In a few minutes, a layer of bloody formations and arrays covered the area around the throne, creating one big circle. Right at the front lay the most complex cluster, extending slightly forward from Ast’s sitting position. The two women were just finishing the sections inside which they sat, already positioned in the correct places to start the ritual. After the last stroke was finished, they both turned to Asterios and he nodded at them approvingly.

“You have done well,” he said calmly and stood up, unhurriedly approaching them. “Do you understand your roles and tasks?”

Althea and Tia remained on their knees until he gestured at them to rise. They followed his order quickly, peering deep into his black eyes.

“Yes, My Lord,” the ladies answered as one.

“I shall use my vessel to funnel the sun’s energy into this place just like it was done before,” the Dryad added. “My task is to control its flow and prevent any of it from escaping your grasp.”

“I shall absorb that energy and store it within myself to ensure that she can continue her technique uninterrupted and without having to worry about overflowing her soul,” the Lesser Dragon explained too. “My task is then to transfer all this spiritual power right to you, My Lord, and aid you in its absorption.”

“Very well.” Asterios nodded regally. “I shall trust in you. This is going to leave me exposed to external influence, serving as a trial of your loyalty. After I assimilate enough of this mana, I’m going to start the real ritual and consume every bit of it, using the two of you as an extension of my will and might. It will undoubtedly cause you pain—”

“We will bear everything for your sake, My Lord,” the ladies once more spoke in unison, interrupting him before he was fully done.

A fierce smirk appeared on his face. They dared to cut him off. Through their intense gazes, he could infer that they felt not the faintest shred of remorse. Just as the females he’d chosen should.

Stepping closer, Asterios gently slid his palms over their cheeks. “And I will for you. Now, let us begin the ceremony. As soon as I show you my gratitude and acknowledgment.”

They watched him with anticipation and he slowly brought Althea’s lips to his, joining them in a passionate kiss. The Dragon lady savored his affection and answered with equal devotion, allowing his tongue to chase after hers like a tender but assertive lover. A whole minute passed before he slowly withdrew, continuing to caress her cheek with his thumb.

Without wasting any time, Asterios turned to Tia and the beautiful Dryad offered him her lips right away. She showed a more proactive side, trying to impress his inner Dragon with her courage and confidence. It made him sneer respectfully as they fought much rougher than he had with Althea. It ended with numerous wounds over their scratched mouths, which healed up in an instant.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at both of them. “I’m proud to call myself your mate.”

Charming smiles adorned their elegant faces and the duo skipped their heads courteously. In the next moment, Althea’s clothes dematerialized once more, and Tia’s modest vines retreated from her skin. As they stood naked in front of him, Asterios removed his garments too. They exchanged one last glance and went to work.

The women sat down inside their parts of the formation, positioned with their backs set against each other before the throne. Asterios returned to sit on the ominous slab of condensed darkness. They all closed their eyes and synchronized their thoughts.

With a quiet thrum, the crimson pathways lit up. Tia slowly began siphoning the natural mana, her figure starting to glow with a golden radiance. Bit by bit, she gathered more and more of it before Althea reached out and established a bridge between them. She too shone gently as the energy flooded into her core. Noticing that it was much less chaotic, she strived to further purify it before handing it to her beloved mate.

Soon after the ladies filled up with the remnant power of the fake sun, Asterios accepted the flow from his wise mentor, directing it briefly into his third source. Establishing a stable and controlled connection, he warned his companions that the real thing was going to start. Spreading his aura, he threw it at the onyx throne beneath his body.

He had already communed with it in the past, shortly after learning about their true purpose. The lineages had explored his potential and deemed him worthy. Both the crimson and the onyx bloodline had stopped limiting his growth and stood open before him, even convinced to work together and make him the strongest.

But, this would be the first time Asterios was going to give something back, enhancing either of the bloodlines instead of simply drawing upon them. And he had chosen his onyx ancestry first because while its might was comparable to that of his crimson inheritance, it clearly lacked the blood-related connection. It wasn’t until his visit to the Nethernight realm that it stepped more forward from its withdrawn position while it should have always been equal to its counterpart.

So, accepting its guidance on what to do, he plunged into his onyx Dragon’s Heart, letting it fill him up. The throne responded immediately and the blood used for the formation changed from red to black, starting to move. Slowly at first, the patterns slithered over the floor and the dark slab until they all moved onto Ast’s skin. With the last of them present, he switched the destination of the golden energy from his third source to his dark Heart.

A groan escaped his lips as spiritual shadows surged out of his very existence and latched onto his mates, evoking stifled screams of pain from both of them. They didn’t let those cries distract him for long and tensed considerably, further muffling them out. It hurt, but it was nothing in the face of growth. And both of them knew well that what they were experiencing could not hold a candle to what their feline sister-mate had forced herself through.

With his power locked on the ladies, Asterios sent it through the stream of spiritual energy Tia was funneling into herself, launching the darkness outside. It rushed eagerly toward the source of the bright mana, ravenously consuming everything on its path. The desire to devour the last of it stimulated its very purpose.

In their deep focus and commendable effort, Asterios, Althea, and Tia couldn’t see and feel the intense tremors that took over the dark volcano. Its onyx lava bubbled at the edges of the throne chamber, exploding higher and higher. It seemed eager to erupt, switching from its usually dormant mood into one full of emotion.

But those weren’t the only changes…

 

※ ※ ※ 

 

“Who wants to bet how much quicker Althea will finish absorbing the cluster than I did?” Miria asked with a cheeky grin while sitting upside down and swaying from side to side.

“With her and Tia in one place, it might actually take Asterios much longer to wrap up all the rituals.” Tina chuckled at her, a tinge of rosiness decorating her soft cheeks.

“They should take as much time as they need,” Silvia chimed in as the calm voice of reason. “We shouldn’t rush them, no matter if they are working hard or working hard.”

Selene hid her ladylike smile behind her slender hand. “Even our sweet princess is starting to get corrupted, oh no~”

The girls laughed in amusement while the fiery lady let out a delicate snort. They knew very well she’d never been pure. Not with how much she relished in the physical love their man showered her with. And the places they had shared such moments couldn’t ever be called proper. Just thinking about the mirror made her feel tingly inside.

As Silvia was going to respond to her sister-mate’s tease, the facility experienced a light shiver. Their heads snapped towards the opening just as the first specks of golden light escaped through it. In a flash, literally, a pillar of blinding radiance shot outside, partially striking a section of the white structure while the rest of it continued racing towards the bottom of the chasm, slipping through the gaps between the corridors and chambers.

“Uh oh.” Tina showed a worried smile. “I think we should have covered that hole after Asterios and Althea jumped in.”

As if on cue, numerous unrecognizable noises reached their ears from every angle.

“The entities living in the crater are not happy with this invasion of their darkness,” Umbra reported. “Brace for an assault.”

Everyone got ready for battle in a blink, entering their transformations and bringing forth their usual techniques. It was too late for regrets, all they could do was protect Asterios and Althea as the pair conducted whatever it was that the duo or trio conducted in his Ancestral Plane. 

At least he most likely wasn’t aware of their situation so he wouldn’t feel guilty about spending time with his current partners.

“I can’t turn too big here so I will guard the hole!” Miria announced, her humanoid figure exploding in crimson flames.

Selene tried placing a barrier atop it but the flow of spiritual energy was too immense and interfered with her techniques. Instead, she brought forth her great katana and focused on supporting her feline friend. They smiled at each other fiercely and condensed their mana for the upcoming action.

The first monster reared its ugly head from the side, quickly beheaded by Tina’s scythe. It was long and sharp like that of some sea bird. Soon after, more of them squeezed into the view and Silvia released two scorching streams of amber shade from her hands, incinerating everything hiding between the facility’s components.

For a while, the situation was completely under their control. Miria and Selene rarely had to step forward and kill something themselves. Then, the number and variety of enraged beasts increased as those from further away joined the fray. Everyone was engaged in their own battle as dark entities fell in droves. 

Their individual strength was a joke compared to Ast’s mates, but the quantity of enemy forces and the limited fighting space were beginning to become troublesome. Due to being located somewhere in the middle of the complex, the ladies had to keep an eye on multiple gaps and narrow passages between the chambers, through which a sneaky beast could easily slip into their formation.

“I’m starting to get bored of having to fight off a limitless swarm every time we make some progress,” Miria complained with a vicious growl at her current opponent. “And I sure do love fighting.”

“You knew what you were getting into when you volunteered for this expedition.” Selene snickered and sent a cyan arc of spiritual energy to clear the path in front of them. “We are not here to have fun but to help our dear friend.”

“Don’t worry, Miria.” Tina showed up next to them while floating through the air. “We’ll have lots of fun adventures in the Rubytongs’ lands.”

She was gone in the next moment, shooting out crackling lightning from her palms.

“I’m sorry that you find my homeworld dull.” Umbra chuckled deeply, helping out wherever he needed to. “I agree that diversity isn’t the strongest of its tourism points.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” The panthergirl let out an apologetic whine, evoking some more laughs from her companions.

Then, the facility lurched, throwing them all off balance. Thankfully, they hadn’t cut off the vine yet, knowing that without Althea they would need something else to replace it, so no one fell into the gaps in the floor. They exchanged confused glances as the structure continued trembling and their eyes locked on the hole.

“Are they don—”

Silvia’s question was interrupted by an even stronger wobble, but that wasn’t what surprised them the most. The radiance suddenly disappeared as if snuffed out. They had noticed it growing somewhat weaker, but it should have taken a while longer for their friends to finish up. But, the light was gone, and in its place, the deepest, darkest black shadow seeped into the outside world, even stronger than anything in the realm. A second later, it surged through the hole with tremendous power.

Like an eruption of thick smoke, it dropped onto everyone, giving the girls enough time only to cover their eyes. But, they quickly realized that this darkness didn’t hurt them. Instead, as it licked at their frames, it felt kind of… tender. Like the touch of an affectionate lover.

For everyone else, though, it was death incarnate. The light-and-joy-devouring darkness latched onto every creature and devoured them completely, their screeches and shrieks of agony filling the air. It seemed to consume everything on its path and even the facility’s golden circuits disappeared from their grooves as it passed over them. The dark power swallowed the entire sacred sanctuary.

Then, cracks began showing up on its surface. Bigger and longer fissures spread around like a web of destruction, leaking more of the ominous shadow from within. Expecting what was coming next, Selene pulled everyone closer and raised a multi-layered barrier around them just in time with a massive explosion that blew the cluster’s vault to oblivion.

A chorus of yelps escaped the ladies as they were sent hurtling into the chasm. Before they stopped due to the pressure pushing them upwards, they witnessed the source of the earlier explosion, their eyes widening in shock and awe.

In the place of the main chamber was now the figure of a True Dragon, which they inherently knew was Asterios. But, while his body was black as they might have expected, it was not covered in scales. Instead, his frame was made of the same seeping darkness that had attacked the light and the monsters, currently flowing back into him. That darkness behaved like violent fire, creating an image of an onyx flaming winged beast. Similar to Umbra’s, Ast’s eyes were misty spots too, but of a pure white shade instead.

As he absorbed the darkness from between the crumbs and pieces of the destroyed facility, his frame grew over what they had remembered. Releasing a resonant roar, Asterios spread his misty wings and dove towards them. His impressive jaws chomped on the remaining monsters as the ladies began soaring to the entrance of the endless ravine. 

Finishing a lap around their position, he flapped his smoking wings and rushed after them. Selene was still so taken aback she forgot to deactivate her barriers, realizing her mistake the moment he opened his terrifying jaws and bit into the teal sphere, his fangs piercing through all layers with completely no resistance. Yet, they didn’t break as his hold on them was unexpectedly gentle.

Miria cheered while Tina and Silvia laughed softly. Selene was the only one too stunned to let out any noises, simply staring at the outside of the barrier while pushed into its back wall with all the other girls as they rushed to the opening. They flew at quite the speed and passed the edge in no time. Asterios then stopped in the air and turned around so they faced the ground and the bottomless pit. Slowly descending to the surface, he placed them down as delicately as he could.

Recalling her technique, the fox lady helped the others get up. They watched together as their beloved master stepped back and loomed over them in his new Shadowflame form. For a moment, no one moved as they awaited his greeting or any other words. But, when those didn’t come and he just kept gazing at them, Miria finally spotted a small issue.

“What happened to Althea?” She gasped and her brows pinched with worry.

“Look there.” Tina pointed at Ast’s chest.

They focused on it and noticed that the darkness over that area seemed a bit less ominous and foreboding. Then, everyone noticed why. It was slightly see-through and they could spot the figure of their draconic sister-mate curled into herself in a fetal position, held affectionately inside the oval bubble by the shadowy tendrils. Miria cooed adorably, feeling the same as the other women.

For some reason, they couldn’t shake off the impression that it meant to symbolize his heart.

She was his heart.

That was how much he cared for her.

And for all of them.

Because they knew, that if any of them were in their sister-mate’s place at that time, it would be them cautiously upheld by the dark threads.

As they admired such romantic subconscious development, the shadowy flames flickered and began dissipating. Ast’s draconic frame lowered until he lay on the ground, resting his head underneath his wing, bringing it closer to his heart. With the final traces of the overbearing darkness fading away, they revealed both him and his mentor prone on the slippery crystal floor.

The ladies ran up to them and found both unconscious. Miria and Selene peeled Asterios off Althea as he was resting over her protectively, while Tina and Silvia took the Dragon lady into their arms. As the duo slowly roused from their deep sleep, Umbra and Abyss emerged beside the group, watching the scene from the sidelines.

“Take it slow, my Lord.” Selene grazed Ast’s cheek lovingly. “We are all safe and sound.”

He grunted in affirmation and unhurriedly sat up. Althea managed to do the same at a similar time and their eyes met. They both smiled softly and a light chuckle escaped their lips.

“That was a little bit intense, wasn’t it?” he said amusedly.

“I hope my deference hasn’t made you uncomfortable,” she replied with a tiny smirk. “I feel like I should assure you that it wasn’t by compulsion.”

“I know.” Asterios nodded softly. “I could tell. Thank you nevertheless.”

“What happened?” Tina glanced between the two.

Althea met her gaze with a graceful smile. “I think we’ve just made our dear mate quite a bit stronger.”

The ladies shared excited grins before turning back to the pair.

“That was one impressive display,” Silvia commented. “It got slightly scary near the end, but I’m glad you are both okay.”

He reached out to squeeze her hand affectionately. “Sorry about that. The truth is, the three of us were still in the middle of the ritual until the Shadowflame dispersed. You could say that you were standing before my draconic subconsciousness. I’m happy it seems aligned with my consciousness and didn’t give you too much trouble.”

“No wonder it felt so regal and imposing,” Selene noted with a pleased smile. “I did have a slight urge to kneel but when do we not in front of you?”

A few laughs escaped the women and he shook his head.

“Master’s aura certainly underwent a noticeable change,” Umbra said, moving closer. “Even now the darkness seems to be seeping out of his core.”

They all turned to Asterios and noticed the shadowy tendrils wafting off his frame, giving him a menacing look.

“By the way, why did you two disappear and arrive so late?” Tina inquired curiously.

The Duke chuckled openly. “I was afraid that Master’s darkness would try to clash against mine and it honestly emanated rather dangerous vibes at that moment.”

“Similar reason,” Abyss added after him. “There was no need to disrupt his spiritual progression as things seemed under your control.”

“Thank you both.” Asterios lowered his head to the shadowy pair. “We managed to finalize the ceremony properly with your consideration. As Althea said, I managed to get a bit more in tune with my black lineage. And, while doing that, we might have discovered a way to strengthen both of them with this guy’s energy. I might actually want to seek out all of these clusters after we are done here.”

“Can’t ignore a good freebie.” Althea smiled at him slyly. “I’ll help you absorb them whenever you need my assistance.”

“Speaking of which, what happened to Tia?” Miria tilted her head at them.

“She’s resting. Her role in everything was substantial. Both she and Althea went quite far for me and it wasn’t exactly painless. I’ll need to repay them somehow,” he answered thoughtfully.

“After everything is finished, I’m pretty sure the three of us will be able to find a solution that shall satisfy all the sides.” His mentor peered deep into his eyes, hers brimming with love and something much more intense.

Asterios cleared his throat and got up. “Anyway, apologies for the scare. Thankfully, no one got hurt, so it seems. Are we ready to move on?”

“The way you destroyed that facility was quite frightening, I have to admit.” Tina giggled timidly. “Does this mean we will have no problems with them going forward?”

“I can’t promise that, but I will be exploring this side of me more so we shall see.” He winked at her. “But, before we decide to chase after more clusters, we should check one thing.”

“Which is?” Miria hopped in place giddily.

Ruffling through her hair, Asterios brought forth the damaged disc. “Let’s see if there’s any change after I have absorbed more light.”

As he held the broken token, one more segment fixed itself with a golden shape. Something was telling him that it was more important than just showing them the facilities.