Chapter 420: Three Tailed Abomination
Lyrate started pondering over my question, her brows furrowing slightly as if weighing something far heavier than a simple choice. While she thought, I quietly shifted my focus inward. My Essence storage shimmered faintly before I funneled the entire reserve into the null core.
Null Heart Charge: 470 / 1000.
The numbers appeared in my vision, and I felt the familiar thrum of the null core revolving faster and faster.
"I don’t think you need anything specifically," Lyrate finally said, her voice steady. "There is hardly anything we can do that you cannot already."
I gave a small nod. "That’s true, but I need strong summons regardless. Before someone dares to reach me, I want them to go through my guardians first."
Her eyes narrowed in thought. "If that’s the case, then I want a strong one. Someone not from the beast race."
My lips curved faintly. "Ohh? You want someone from another race, is it?"
"Yeah," she replied simply, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
I shook my head. "Unfortunately, that isn’t possible yet. I can only bind abominations. You were a unique case in that regard."
She let out a small sigh, disappointed. "That’s unfortunate. Then I want a small, beautiful-looking abomination."
A laugh escaped me, quiet but genuine. "Can you make up your mind? Do you want a beautiful one or a strong one?"
"Why can’t it be both?" she asked, tilting her head with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"It can be," I admitted, "but the chances are low."
"Then let’s explore all twenty-three of them," she said firmly.
"Alright," I replied, raising my hand. "But there’s no need to go through them one by one. I can just check what they look like and what their laws are."
With that, I closed my eyes and expanded my senses. My Perception spread outward like ripples across still water, blanketing the Gold Zone and touching each of the twenty-three domains.
The sensations hit me all at once.
Each domain was like a world of its own, molded to suit the abomination imprisoned within. I saw jagged peaks of a volcano spitting molten fire, the searing heat pressing against my mind.
I drifted into a frozen wasteland next, where the air itself cut like shards of glass and frost howled endlessly.
Then came a swamp that bubbled and festered, its green mists rising thick and suffocating, filled with unseen movements below.
Within each of these environments, the abominations waited. They were chained by runes etched into their bodies. No matter how much strength they held, the bindings denied them freedom. They could not cross the edges of their domains, nor could they summon the full fury of their laws.
In the frost domain, a massive white bear sat hunched against the frozen ground. Its fur shimmered like snow under moonlight, and each breath it released spread a mist that froze the air itself.
The runes binding it glowed faint blue, suppressing the cold that wanted to spread further.
The way Essence reacted around the beast was clear enough—law of ice, cold, and suppression.
A natural predator that could halt momentum itself. Its roar alone would likely freeze soldiers in place. Impressive, but predictable.
I moved on.
The next domain was a blistering canyon with rivers of magma running through it. Perched on a ledge above the molten streams was something that looked like a lizard twisted with stone.
Its scales were jagged, almost like plates of blackened rock, and every twitch sent sparks and ash into the air.
The bindings here pulsed with fiery glyphs, suppressing the pressure of the heat waves it gave off.
A hybrid abomination—fire and earth, with a touch of molten resilience.
I imagined it tunneling through walls of stone, erupting in molten flame when cornered. A walking disaster in the right terrain, yet still not what I was looking for.
I scanned further, noting each one’s law and strength. Some were dangerous, others were little more than enhanced beasts given too much Essence. Useful, yes. But unique? Hardly.
Finally, I narrowed it down to three abominations that caught my attention. Each of them stood out—strong, distinct, and carrying unique laws that made them worth considering.
I opened my eyes, the visions of their chained forms still lingering in my mind, and turned toward Lyrate.
"Let’s go."
First, I decided to take Lyrate to the volcano, to meet an old enemy of mine.
We soared through the sky and plunged straight into the bubbling crater. The heat was intense, the air thick with smoke and burning ash. Lava boiled and splashed around us as we darted into one of the tunnels.
The path brought back memories. I remembered the first time I had leapt into this place, reckless and desperate, only to meet Arkas deep within the volcanic depths. Those battles, those moments, they still were one of my best memories.
We pushed through chamber after chamber until we entered the cavern where I had once fought the demon Guro. That fight had ended with her death.
My perception picked up another tunnel ahead, one I hadn’t noticed before.
Without hesitation, we flew down into it. The heat only grew harsher as the path narrowed, until it finally opened into a vast chamber.
A pool of lava spread out beneath us, and in the center floated a landmass. We landed on its scorched surface, the ground trembling faintly beneath our boots.
And there it was.
The abomination that had created the fiery constructs Unit 02 once faced.
It was a fox or at least, it resembled one. Barely three feet tall, more the size of a large cat than a predator.
Yet its presence was anything but small. Its body was crisscrossed with glowing veins of molten lava, pulsing with heat and power.
Its three tails dripped burning droplets of magma, hissing as they hit the stone. The creature’s fur was a strange blend of white, red, and orange, flickering like fire itself.
"Well," I muttered, my gaze locked on it, "this one has the law of creation, same as you. But it looks like it’s naturally attuned to fire too. That explains the constructs, armies made of fire and stone."
Lyrate’s brows furrowed, her sharp voice cutting through the heat.
"The law of creation is rare. How could such a low-level abomination touch it at all?"
I nodded slowly, scanning the creature as the system window flickered before my eyes.
[Three-Tailed Kitsune – Level 247]
"Maybe," I said, my voice low, "it was born with a unique race... something that gave it this edge."