บท 23: Mission Alert; Kyon—Wind Ratatoskr Squirrel
Wilhelm chuckled in response to Rentaro's firm attitude, his voice filled with approval despite trying to dissuade Rentaro's decision previously, [Hehe, Alright, alright. Go ahead with whatever you've decided. I'll support your decision 99.99% of the time!]
'Oh? Not 100% of the time?' Rentaro slanted his head questioningly.
[There may be times where I need to knock some sense into you. If I sit around and watch you do anything stupid that would end up harming you or our companions, I'd regret not stepping in!]
Smiling, Rentaro resumed his mental link with Kyon. 'Kyon, actually-'
Before Rentaro could finish speaking, his heartbeat sped up as a strong sense of unease crept up within him. His eardrums were abuzz as the ground below him vibrated heavily; losing his footing, he stumbled to the ground.
The animals in the surroundings squealed in panic, fleeing onto trees and into the sky—anywhere but the ground—in search of safety.
Chrick! Bang!
Amidst the panic, a crackling sound bellowed out as a large tree snapped in half, crashing down onto other trees as it collapsed to the earth with a booming sound. Panicked and at a loss, Rentaro's eyes followed the fallen tree to its origin which was far to the east, where he made out a large beast-like figure.
A sudden system notification resounded in his mind, forcing Rentaro to try and split his attention between both sudden occurrences.
[Automated System Alert] [System has detected a beast at Foundation Establishment Stage 4 in close proximity to host's current location. Best course of action is to flee, followed by—]
'Huh? Stage four, damn! Not to mention, such a notification is a bit late.' Before Rentaro could finish listening to the system notification, the figure of the beast slowly approached, revealing a panther upon closer inspection. Disregarding the notification, Rentaro grit his teeth as he forced all of his attention on maintaining his cool.
The panther's fur was a dark brown color, its body shrouded in a dark aura. It had vacant green eyes, glowing with a murderous intent; the murderous intent seemed to be without any specific target, directed towards any living beings weaker than itself for the sake of releasing its bloodlust.
The panther locked its hollow gaze on Rentaro and Kyon as it noticed them, releasing a loud roar, one which reverberated in Rentaro's mind as it seemed to pierce his eardrums until they popped, a ringing sound submerging his thoughts.
Rentaro knelt on the ground from his initial fall, his weight seemed to triple as the panther moved closer. He collapsed as the pace of his breathing quickened, an even heavier intake of oxygen per breath than before. His vision was a blur before it ultimately faded away, with only the ringing sound as a confirmation that he was still awake, consciously at least.
The constant ringing brought with it a nauseous feeling, pervading the depths of his stomach and traveling up his esophagus as he vomited; his face now overcast with a deathly pale color and his condition seemed to only worsen as the pressure continued.
If the pressure were any stronger, it wouldn't be surprising if Rentaro started bleeding from his pores and the seven orifices.
Off to the side, Kyon was holding up much better. After all, he was in the form of a spirit with his body sealed protectively within the crystal. Furthermore, his cultivation level before he was sealed was surely anything but weak.
Currently, Kyon's hazel eyes seemed to carry an ever growing intent of wrath as he focused his gaze on the panther. His current phantom-like figure suffused an even brighter aura, as the natural green and sky blue colors seemed to mix, forming a cyan color.
Kyon reached his pudgy arm outwards, the cyan aura flowing from his body and forming into a barrier which obstructed the panther's aura from pressuring Rentaro.
"Hmph! Some lousy cat who doesn't know his place dares to invade my territory! Just when I thought it was going to be a peaceful night as well!" Kyon's voice echoed out—this time into the world rather than a mental transmission.
Kyon's current aura was surely daunting, but strangely enough, the panther didn't pay any heed towards it whatsoever. Instead, it increased its speed as it moved in Kyon's direction, with five silver metallic claws extending from its paws.
Seeing the panther continue in his direction, Kyon raised his hands as he concentrated the cyan aura along his hand. The aura seemed gathered, condensing on his fingertips.
"Oh? To ignore my aura so easily, you're definitely no beast. In fact, you don't even seem to be living anymore. Must be the work of some sort of necromancy spell... has that evil cult returned? Hmph! Very well! I shall return balance to this soulless body. Hear my cry! With the soul in the underworld, the body shall return to the grave!" Kyon clamored righteously.
Kyon pointed his pudgy arms to the sky, "Looks like it's time for me to brew a storm, just like my clan does best, huh? Tempest!"
Storm clouds formed above the trees, turning the once picture-perfect scenery of beauty into a frightening maw of horror as the clouds emitted a bright yellow light and lightning crackled through the sky. Thunder boomed as a lightning bolt struck towards the panther.
BOOM!
The lightning crashed into the beast, a nearby tree crackling as it exploded into countless splinters. Rentaro managed to open his eyes ever so slightly, only to feel sick in the stomach as he saw the panther's current state.
The panther's body was severely burnt, with sections of its fur and skin succumbing to the lightning, turning to ash and dust. Its body was brutally impaled by several wooden splinters, painting a gruesome scene. Oblivious to the pain, the panther—or rather the reanimated corpse—continued trudging its way towards Kyon with what was left of its corpse.
Kyon clenched his teeth, staring at the panther with a gaze that could kill, "Hmph! How annoying! My energy reserves have already emptied out long ago, otherwise that attack would've been more than enough to incinerate you. Not to mention, my cultivation stage is only falling further apart, regressing to the beginning stages, as I continue to use these abilities; pretty soon I'll be back in the early stages of Foundation Establishment."
"So be it! I'm getting really angry now! Disrespect I, the big boss around here, and you pay the price. Aero Conglomeration! Blade!" Kyon shouted as a cyan-colored aura slowly gathered in front of him, taking on the form of a long blade.
He reached his pudgy arms out, grabbing a light-grey hilt as the sword finally took its complete form, revealing a smooth, cyan blade, "Now I'm serious. Even the simplest of attacks with this blade will end you. Whirlwind Slash!"
Raising the blade, the current of the wind suddenly changed, the wind submerging the blade, traveling around the sword in a constant cycle, with the blade acting as the eye of a cyclone
Shri!
The wind emitted a shrill screech as it reached an intense frequency and Kyon seemed to hold a glint of expectation in his eyes, steadily swinging the sword straight down with determination.
The panther was still out of Kyon's reach when he swung the blade down, yet a blade of wind seemed to extend from the sword, rushing in a straight line towards the panther who lacked the most basic of intelligence to dodge; bringing destruction to everything in its path.
Schwoo.
The wind cut straight through the panther, cleanly separating its head from its body as the corpse collapsed and lay drenched in a puddle of thick black blood.
Having unleashed such attacks, the surroundings were an absolute mess, with a storm still brewing above amidst the chaotic wind currents.
Kyon gently sighed amid all the destruction, "Zephyr, a soft breeze that brings peace."
A strange force seemed to flow throughout the surrounding, the storm clouds above dispersed, and the wind currents returned to their natural patterns. The blade in his hands dissipated to its initial state of wind elemental energy, before returning to nature itself.
Kyon's chant seemed to have the ability to control the nature of wind itself—or at the least guide its transformation.
"Hey, kid, you alright." Kyon voiced aloud, breathing heavily. His phantom-like figure was almost transparent, on the verge of vanishing altogether.
"Yeah, for the most part. What about you? You're not looking too good after that last attack...." Rentaro worried, averting his gaze from the panther's beheaded corpse.
"Ahaha. I'm alright. I just used up too much energy with that last attack. I'm afraid my cultivation stage has fallen all the way down to the middle of Foundation Establish by this point. I'll have to return to the crystal, otherwise I fear my soul will dissipate altogether soon enough." Kyon bitterly laughed.
'Wilhelm, is there anything I can do to help him?' Rentaro worriedly asked as Kyon's appearance worsened.
[Making a contract with him will help him stabilize his cultivation, though he won't be able to recover his cultivation in the short term. He'll have to work his way back up.]
Rentaro spoke hurriedly, "Kyon—"
"Don't worry, kid! I'll be alright."
"No, Kyon—" Rentaro tried again.
Kyon shook his head in a 'noble' fashion, "Kid, it's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself! I, the Wind Ratatoskr Squirrel, am a Mighty Spirit who doesn't fear anything!"
"No! I have a method to unseal you!" Rentaro couldn't help but burst with irritation after repeated interruptions.
Kyon shook his head pridefully, "Huh? Hehe. Kid, I appreciate your goodwill, but don't pressure yourself into swearing any sort of oath. I've already accepted my situation. In fact, it's not that bad here—even if I must seal myself back in the crystal. Every night, these little animals come and pay their respects to me, as if I am their ancestor."
"No, I really do! We can make a contract together!"
"Welp, It's not that I didn't consider that, but the only way contracts would be capable of overriding the seal would be through someone with sufficient grasp of the World Laws."
"Just trust me on this one, will you?" Rentaro pouted.
Kyon shook his head before encouraging rambunctiously, "Well, I don't really have any other options here. Haha, Knock yourself out, kiddo. Not literally though, bahaha."
Rentaro opened the spatial pocket, the Sacrificial Knife appearing in his hands.
"Whoa, Kiddo, how'd you do that. No-No-No, don't tell me. I think I know! That's the ability to open a spatial pocket, surely it is. You could pull off some cool magician tricks with that, just open a smaller spatial pocket and hide it in your sleeves." Kyon complimented with a small wink.
[Ooh! Good idea. Very good idea. Try minimizing your spatial pocket; you wouldn't have to hide when using it or worry about others seeing it. And a job as a magician! You could even go to a royal court as a jester or a circus act, maybe make a jackpot! Or you could fight as a trickster, like Icrin!] Wilhelm's nonexistent eyes shined as tiny crescents.
Ignoring Kyon and Wilhelm's rambling, Rentaro took the knife against the tip of his finger, a small drop of blood oozing from his wound. He placed his hand above Kyon, who turned his head curiously, as the drop of blood merged into his forehead even though his soul's phantom-like body appeared to be rapidly dematerializing by the second.
"Let us... Make a Soul Contract?" Rentaro smiled brightly.
Kyon smiled back, "Heh! Very well, kiddo. You're the first to experience such treatment from a Ratatoskr Clan member, much less from the one blessed by wind! By the one who will soar through the sky above, even beyond the Heavens!"
As they agreed on a Soul Contract, the golden runic symbols from when Rentaro and Roy made a contract together made an appearance once again. They surrounded Rentaro and Kyon, perfectly merging into Rentaro, while slightly pausing in front of Kyon.
A dark grey aura took form around Kyon, it being the barrier that had not only sealed Kyon's body in the crystal, but also attached his soul to it. The runic symbols paused, but only for a brief moment before they plunged into the seal itself, tearing it apart.
Soon enough, the seal completely fell apart as the soul contract continued to form. The runic symbols successfully merged into Kyon's soul—proof that they had binded the Soul Contract.
Behind them, the purple crystal (Twinkling Lanaoite) crackled before shattering into bits of pieces, with the remnants ultimately losing their physical form.
Rentaro, opening his eyes, was rather worried by the effects. Looking over, he saw Kyon's soul merge with his original body, which had been hidden within the crystal.
"Hey, kiddo. Looks like my cultivation has finally stabilized. Bahaha." Kyon laughed.
"Yeah, but what about the crystal? And the memories stored within?"
"Eh? Worried about something so small? Don't worry, it won't have any negative effect. In fact, the memories will be spread among the entire forest, blessing the animals within with intelligence!"
"Um, What if they're violent animals?" Rentaro asked in concern.
Kyon shook his head, "There are plenty of bad humans as well! That's just a part of life. Speaking of which, there's a group of weaklings we'll need to deal with, a cult that commits some taboo acts, you could say. Though their previous acts are rather—complicated—to say the least."
[You say they're weak, but don't forget your own cultivation level has fallen to Foundation Establishment Stage 5.] Wilhelm suddenly spoke.
"Huh? Who are you? Show yourself!" Kyon looked around in paranoia, acting on full alert.
"Kyon, don't worry. That's just Wilhelm. In short, I was given a system and Wilhelm was initially set by the creator to be a system guide of sorts. Just speak to him as you speak to me."
"A SYSTEM?! Let me tell you this, I saw a system user in my younger days when I was still traveling among the World Trees. Real punk, I'll tell you that. I think his system was related to dragons or something. Anyway, what's your system called, kid?" Momentarily, Kyon was rather surprised.
With his origins from the World Trees however, he shook it off while recalling the information he had on the subject of systems.
"My system is known as the Summoning and Contracting System. Doesn't a soul contract let you peek into some of my memories, though?'" Rentaro questioned.
"Theoretically, yes. In fact, I have the ability to look into your memories at any time. It's best that I recuperate for a bit first. Otherwise, the memories could damage my mind in my weakened state." Kyon explained briefly as Rentaro noted down another 'feature' of soul contracts, one which he considered a bit complicated.
Rentaro decided that he might have to lay down some ground rules when it comes to looking into his memories. And that posed another question, could he look into their memories as well?
Rentaro started, 'That means I can peek into my summons' minds as well? In doing so, could we learn from each others' experiences?'
[Yes! Cross-referencing, you could label it as. Your summons can also cross-reference with one another, though since they aren't in Soul Contracts directly with one another, they'll have to initiate a mental link together each time.]
Rentaro's train of thought was interrupted as he heard movement and a panicked voice calling his name from the distance.
"Rentaro! Rentaro! What's going on here?!" The figure revealed itself to be Haz, approaching with a questioning glance towards Kyon.
Following behind him were the rest of the group, including Roy and Icrin, who were stunned by the destruction that replaced the earlier peaceful scenery.
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