Chapter 468 – A Contest of Minds

Wrapping up the meeting, Asterios moved to the Nethernight Realm. Thanks to his connection with Umbra, he could easily transfer himself there through the shadows. It was much more taxing than jumping around one dimension, but he didn’t mind training himself in the ways of resisting interdimensional forces trying to suppress him. He needed every bit of practice he could get if he wanted to keep growing stronger.

Soon after he emerged in an empty wasteland, the girls stepped into Umbra’s kingdom, a small shiver passing through the spines of the two ladies who got to feel the oppressive ambience for the first time. Asterios made sure to make them feel safe by enveloping both Bryn and Grea in loving hugs and waiting for them to acclimate.

His other mates then took the duo into their capable hands while he turned his attention to the task ahead of him. According to Umbra, there was no one else in this region so they could do anything without any worries. The ground was almost perfectly flat too, which aligned with his intentions. It served as a decent, unobstructed battleground too.

Asterios already had a summoning circle design in his mind, coming up with it a long time ago. One lazy evening, he had simply let his thoughts wander and stumbled on a prospect of another attempt at calling forth a True Dragon linked to his other inheritance this time. The only thing left was to transfer this image onto the canvas that was the dark rock underneath his feet.

He was amidst his pondering when the ground shook and shifted. Everyone watched as the rough floor cracked in a peculiar pattern, forming a sizable circle with multiple rings inside. The fissures ran in lines that connected everything with a quite savage theme. When one looked closely, they would spot similarities to a True Dragon’s head from the front. It was detailed just enough to make out its horns, eyes, and fangs in between everything else.

Then, with one last tremor, the seismic sketch dropped down, creating thin trenches where the cracks previously ran. In a beat, an almost perfectly sculpted summoning formation lay before them. The edges of the patterns and their outlines were sharp and polished, no jagged ends in sight. It was almost as if a talented stone mason had spent countless hours on his masterpiece.

~No need to thank me.~ Umbra’s deep chuckle echoed in their heads. ~It was nothing.~

Shaking his head, Asterios expressed his thanks to his familiar anyway, and stepped forward. It was his turn to take action.

Closing his eyes, he focused solely on his dark source, guided by the time he had spent relying on it during their campaign in this realm. As soon as the menacing energy filled his body and circuits, he triggered his transformation.

Miria gasped when his clothes turned into black mist and his frame began growing. She and the others observed the phenomenon in fascination, Grea having a knowing smirk on her lips, being the sole person to witness it from up close and with no material obstructions before. In mere moments, he stood in front of them in his Battle Form, fully covered in black scales and with his human features replaced completely by that of a True Dragon in a humanoid shape.

Only a pair of gray short pants protected Ast’s modesty, which allowed his mates to admire his ferocious body. Intentionally, of course. There was no need to hide anything from them, and giving his beloved ladies a bit of a show was a given. Though, for the sake of a shred of professionalism, he did hide his draconic might from them as it would garner way too much attention.

As he stood in front of the array like that, a challenge made itself known.

With how durable his outer layer had become, it would be difficult to slice into his flesh, even if he managed to hold Tia’s regeneration back from closing up the wound immediately. Unless he targeted his extremely vulnerable parts, which the girls would definitely not appreciate.

“Miria. I would like your help,” he called over his shoulder.

The panthergirl jolted in surprise before hastily trotting up to him. She was going to ask what he needed, but one look at his extended arms made it obvious. Her dual blades were in her hands in an instant, though she frowned for a moment, and dismissed them, bringing forth the artifact blade Asterios had been using in the past.

Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and connected with the weapon. He saw her coat the edge with the usual sharpening, which had reached a scary level already. But then, the barely noticeable fluctuations disappeared and he felt her draw on both of his draconic energies. Their intimidating mix could be sensed all over the blade now.

When Miria opened her eyes again, one was red and the other black. They bore much more feral vertical pupils than her own. She directed them at the sword, bringing it up to her face. After a moment, she glanced to the side and swung it in an arc upwards. A thin streak suddenly appeared in the ground, running away for dozens of meters. The tip had never come close to the surface.

Turning back to him, she nodded decisively. “Be careful, Master.”

Nodding back, he brought his fists low, twisting his forearms to offer her their inner side. She placed her left palm against the back of the blade while guiding it to his scales in a horizontal position. Finding the right angle and distance, she yanked her right hand away, slicing his wrists open.

The depth of the cut took Asterios aback a bit, as with some real strength behind it, the motion would have literally disarmed him, but he recomposed himself right away. At his current level, his control over mana was precise enough to grasp the gushing blood using his aura and direct all the crimson liquid towards the incisions in the ground.

As the two crimson streaks bent and curved during the transfer, the ladies observed the show with an eerie kind of admiration. It looked both disturbing and fascinating. Their beloved just stood there while directing the precious streams of his lifeforce and churning through his vast pool of energy to replenish it. This time, he didn’t need supplementary pills and potions. His studies and training under his draconic mentor and her flowery friend had taught him better ways.

With the entire circle filled to the brim, Asterios stopped holding Tia’s recovery powers back and his wounds sealed in just a second. His scales needed a few more to fully mend together. The barely perceptible white line over them would scar the tough plates for days to come. Miria’s slash was a serious thing. It further set his heart at ease, making it clear that she wouldn’t be helpless in front of a formidable True Dragon.

“Thank you.” He fluffed her ear lovingly. “Now, get back. I’m going to start. Keep yourselves close together and try to leave this fully to me this time.”

She flushed a little at his reference to their other attempt and leaned in to offer him a good luck peck right on the side of his powerful snout. When the cute feline hopped away to rejoin her sister-mates, he let himself return to his usual appearance. Save for a few details. He retained his sharp horns, sleek wings, and deadly tail. He had heard that appearing in front of someone in his Battle Form was close enough to conveying his intentions to draw blood right from the start.

Technically, his blood would be enough for what they were intending to do, but Asterios thought to further emphasize the connection. He had picked out a few scales from his fully transformed form, choosing the area over the chest, close to his heart. It wasn’t anything more than just a purely symbolic conduit, but sometimes that aspect did help in directing the call towards more compatible beasts.

Perhaps this helped him attract a True Dragon that shared his kind heart.

Throwing the handful of scales forward, he initiated the ritual. The conduit was accepted and the blood suddenly glowed bright crimson, bathing the surroundings in a red light. However, black lightning bolts jumped all over the formation as the scarlet liquid turned pitch black. Misty shadows shot forward like fumes and coiled around the offering.

Things were becoming more ominous than usual.

As for Asterios, he already had his eyes closed, focusing on his job. His mind was probing the universe, sending the Echoes everywhere. Their number, speed, and range seemed impossible to him, but he had to acknowledge that many things were different from back when he had been starting out. He couldn’t doubt his own power and prowess. A True Dragon had to be confident in his abilities, as Venuzathor had taught him before.

His consciousness licked a few other ones that definitely felt draconic, but as expected, they didn’t even entertain the idea of being summoned. The female from the past was a lucky encounter, having in mind how unlucky it had been. Plus, this ritual was controlled much more tightly instead of just testing out a theory related to blood.

One by one, Ast’s offers were rejected. He didn’t exactly promise a lot at first. Just a meeting to discuss possible cooperation. At the very least, he could offer comfort inside the domain he ruled over, and lots of adventuring into the unknown that would be his world for the visitor. That kind of felt like he was fishing for another Miria, but it would be a miracle to catch her draconic version that would be such a friendly girl.

Yet, his fishing rod did finally tingle. Someone had grasped the line, giving it a testing tug. As always, he could partially view the other person through lots of blur, recognizing a feminine shape for sure. The woman’s surroundings appeared quite obscured, but he could note the perfectly chiseled obsidian that made up the massive, arched hallways she had been walking through. If that was a castle, it had to be multiple times bigger than theirs.

Shoving any thoughts about it aside, he formed the passage. It came to him much easier and he could open his eyes while the gate was forming. Signaling to his beautiful mates to get ready, he faced the deep black surface of the portal as it expanded. A sliver of relief washed over him as this time their guest didn’t seem to travel in their sizable shape.

Soon enough, from the person-shaped breach, a woman stepped out.

The female appeared in front of them in her mostly human appearance. They could spot a lean black-scaled tail extending from behind her, and a smattering of those sturdy plates over a few spots of her visible skin, like her collarbone, the sides of her neck, and a little bit emphasizing the edge of her jaw. She had fairly short but wild raven black hair, falling past her chin. The style relied on it being equally split through the middle, resting on its respective sides. That included her fringe, of which the rightmost part was actually white.

Surprisingly, her face wasn’t exactly that aggressive, though the fierce touch to it was clear. The sharp brows and angles made her into a seemingly serious girl with an edge, but if she smiled, she could easily charm plenty of men. Not that her resting expression didn’t do that already. Simply not everyone was attracted to a woman who looked like she wouldn’t take any shit from others, no matter who they were.

Naturally, her draconic eyes were of a deeply dark shade, though not as strong to hide her vertical pupils, which still stood out on the savage background.

As for her choice of attire, it was quite simple, but it did send a message.

From the bottom, she wore full heavy boots with thick clasps. Black, of course. Her slender though visibly athletic legs were covered by tight leather pants of the same color, emphasizing her defined calves and thighs.

Above her belt, she had donned a dark gray top that fully exposed her powerful midriff and hid away her taut breasts. Forgetting the fact that her nipples were not detained and made themselves known through the material, her chest could be called fair. Not too big, not too small. Quite suitable for her build. One would definitely have some trouble fully grasping them in their palms, but that certainly wasn’t a bad thing.

To wrap it up, her upper body and arms were shielded by a small open black leather jacket that completed the badass look she was clearly going for. It didn’t exactly reach her hips, ending somewhere ahead at about the height of her belly button. The sleeves were rolled up a bit to uncover her wrists, which sported a few sporadic scales too, undoubtedly crawling up her limbs. From what Asterios knew, she didn’t have to display them like that. It was a purely stylistic choice.

So, he had succeeded. The most important question was, how hostile would she be?

“Damn. From one pit of darkness into another.” The female sneered to the side as her eyes roved over the realm. “My fault for getting my hopes up. Now, this was supposed to be this great place to go discovering entertaining things? You are going to pay for making a joke out of me.”

Those ferocious gems locked right back on him.

Asterios didn’t raise his arms placatingly or anything like that. The situation called for a more self-assured approach. Perhaps even slightly bordering on arrogant, just like she was.

“Bold of you to assume I would bring you straight to my home,” he answered calmly, crossing his arms. “This is just an intermediary space for us to meet. I’m not inviting just anyone into my domain. You first need to prove to me that you are a good choice.”

She snorted, placing her hands on her hips, the tip of her tail whipping at the air wildly. “You want to test me?”

“That’s how it works.” Asterios tilted his head. “Or did you accept the call without knowing how Summoning Magic works?”

A faint growl escaped her lips. “Don’t make me into an idiot. I know well that both sides need to recognize the value of the contract. And so far I’m not seeing much.”

He chuckled roughly. “As they say, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. And that’s currently all that I’m willing to show you. Unless you start asking the right questions. I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

“Instead, you are making it more and more annoying, brat.” The woman’s face twisted in a snarl. “I’m losing my patience just by talking to you. And it’s starting to feel like listening to your cocky voice is not worth it.”

“Then nothing stops you from going back.” Asterios raised a brow at her. “I’ll just try again until I stumble on someone who doesn’t mind my voice as much.”

For a flash of a second, something changed. She wasn’t so sure of everything as she had shown to be before. The momentary pause was gone in an instant. But, Ast’s attentive gaze had caught it properly.

It wasn’t clear how much she truly wanted to, but there was a chance she was actually interested in staying.

“Are you not even aware who you stand before?” she called him out haughtily.

“Unfortunately, you didn’t introduce yourself.” His head shook in disappointment. “My name is Asterios. Yours?”

“Dream on.” The girl laughed, throwing her head back. “If you can’t even recognize my aura, you are some backwater hermit or perhaps an exile escaping for his life. You didn’t earn the right to know my name.”

“Have it your way.” Asterios shrugged. “I need it for the ritual anyway, so if you aren’t willing to reveal it, we have nothing more to discuss.”

Her pupils narrowed into thin needles as he struck a weak point. Yet, she didn’t lash out. This already proved how much different the specific True Dragon lineages were. Yes, she might have acted prideful and standoffish, but Asterios could tell that she was acting to some extent. All the while meticulously watching him. The cunning in her words and actions was positively dripping. That was one brilliant scheming mind at work trying to entrap him.

But, she might not have expected such an acute opponent.

Shot down by Ast’s accurate remark, she latched on something else to keep the conversation going.

“And who the hell are they?” The female frowned angrily at his mates on the sidelines, then she blinked as her eyes landed on Althea. “Wait… A worm?”

“They are none of your concern as of now,” he stated firmly. “Unless you are afraid of having your ass handed back to you in front of an audience.”

The rude taunt caused her head to snap back to him with another growl.

“Oh, so the talking part was just a sham, as expected?” The grin that twisted her cruel but gorgeous lips was anything but benevolent. “This was what you were after all the time, weren’t you?”

“If you find it in yourself to believe me, I was not.” Asterios smirked. “I simply can recognize when talking won’t lead anywhere. You don’t see me as equal. And you definitely won’t come under someone weaker than you.”

The corner of her mouth curled up a tiny bit. “At least you aren’t delusional, unlike most fools. Then, making use of this opportunity, why don’t we swap—”

“Unfortunately, you are either blind or too conceited for your own good,” he cut her off.

“You had to ruin it right away, hadn’t you?” She was back to growling vehemently. “You don’t want to do this.”

“Or do I? It seems like it’s you who is backing off from my challenge.” Asterios straightened up, standing at his full might.

“Last chance!” The woman lowered her stance.

“That it is.” He stared her down unflinchingly. “If you don’t take that portal back to where you came from, I’ll take it as your consent for this battle to see which one of us is stronger, and ultimately, for you to become my familiar after you inevitably lose.”

“Here’s your fucking consent!” she raged out, her muscles tensing up.

One blink later, she was gone, the ground where she had stood exploding in pieces and shards of rock and black blood splatters. That had to ruin the summoning circle, Asterios noted in that quick moment, sighing inwardly at the prospect of having to make a separate binding formation later.

The first explosion was followed by a heavy thump, the powerful thud echoing into the distance. Asterios remained where he had been, his palm brought ahead of his face, twisted around as it held onto a shaking fist, its aim more than obvious. The owner gazed up into his eyes from before him with both brows raised in mild surprise.

That allowed Asterios to note that she was about half a head shorter than him.

“Hoh? You saw that?” The female grinned even more murderously. “They usually have to dodge at the very last moment.”

He matched her smile. “As you are going to learn, my performance can’t be compared to your typical males. I hope you are ready for a good pounding.”