The moment Anaemia was caught by the golden ribbons, she struggled to break free. However, she quickly found that the more she fought, the tighter the golden ribbons became.
“It’s no use. Merdere’s Graceful Ribbons is not something that can be broken by the likes of you.” Solomon said coldly.
“Merdere…? Impossible. Then the rumors-” Orcus furrowed his brows at the mention of that name.
“Release her at once!” Leuko roared as several tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground beneath Solomon.
“Wait!” Orcus tried to warn Leuko; however, he was a step too slow as Leuko had already made his move.
Woosh! Woosh!
Two tendrils swirled around one another to create a single tendril with a sharpened point. The newly formed tendril lashed out at Solomon with a heavy penetrative force behind it!
Bang!
Just before the tendril of darkness could connect to Solomon, a pair of golden ribbons crossed over each other and intercepted the attack. The sound of the impact resembled a drill losing its momentum after coming into contact with a hard surface.
“Wha-” Leuko had an expression of disbelief written on his face, but he did not have time to react before he was swiftly restricted in the same fashion as Anaemia.
Orcus witnessed this and could not help but sigh. He understood that he had gravely underestimated Solomon, as well as their willingness to offend his Jestal family. Nevertheless, after assaulting two members of his family, how could he let Solomon off and throw aside the face of the Jestal family? They would become a laughingstock if news of this ever spread!
“Oh? That human’s a bit interesting. Forming a contract with two of the twelve daughters of the Queen of Spirits—his luck is quite good.” Satoras commented.
“The fairy on his shoulder is the Queen of Spirits’ daughter?” Izroth had no idea what type of power Solomon held outside of his Absolute Symmetry; however, there was a sense of mystery that constantly shrouded the General. But, if he was able to form a contract with someone directly related to the Queen of Spirits, then it was almost guaranteed that he was a powerful summoner.
Of course, after his experience with Selene, Izroth knew that having a strong spirit at your side did not mean you could automatically access their full strength. Though Izroth was curious about the rating and growth potential of a daughter of the Queen of Spirits.
“Yes. That little spirit seems young, but she is probably around the same age as this emperor. However, the way time passes is a bit tricky in the Spirit Realm.” Satoras noted.
He then continued, “If my memory serves me right, her name is Merdere. She is the third youngest among the Queen of Spirits’ daughters and one of the easiest, yet also one of the most difficult to form a contract with. That’s why I said—that human is a bit interesting.”
“Both the easiest and difficult to contract? Does it have something to do with the other spirit?” Izroth asked in an inquisitive tone.
“Hah, you catch on fast, kid. It’s just as you say. Merdere has always been meek compared to her sisters. Because of this, she never forms a contract alone. If things have not changed since my era, then that little fairy should still be following the fifth eldest daughter around like a lost puppy. If that is the case, then that General is both blessed and cursed. So much power at his fingertips, yet he probably won’t live another ten years. How pitiful. Ahahaha!” Satoras stated with a grin.
“Mind your words, demon! I will not sit back and allow you to badmouth General Solomon..!” Aurie said as her piercing gaze locked onto Satoras.
“The words I speak are merely the truth. Do you know why the fifth eldest daughter of the Queen of Spirits possesses one of the lowest contract rates among her sisters despite being one the most powerful? The reason’s simple. Celebrexa, the Harbinger of Desires—just as her title suggests, her presence means the fulfilling of one’s desires. Whether it is acquiring knowledge, for the sake of revenge, or destruction, it can be fulfilled. However, nothing in this world is free. In order to form a contract with her, one must first relinquish half of their total lifespan. After that, if one wishes to utilize her power, they have to offer up a portion of their life in exchange every time. The price varies, but it usually isn’t on the cheap side.”
He then stated, “Do you see now why that General of yours is so pitiful? You humans are already a short-lived species, yet he is foolish enough to sign away his life.”
“The way I see it, the only pitiful one here is you. If not for Captain Izroth, you would have slowly rotted to death in the Netherly Swathe—left alone to wallow in your defeat until the end of your miserable life. What right does someone like you have to call General Solomon pitiful?” Aurie spoke without mincing her words. She could tolerate many things; however, badmouthing General Solomon after everything he’s done… After all the sacrifices he has made—how could she remain silent? Even if Satoras was a legendary figure, Aurie did not fear speaking her mind freely.
“What did you say?” Satoras’ voice grew cold as his gaze fell upon Aurie with a strong killing intent. It was humiliating enough that he had to serve under some human kid for one hundred years, but now she dared to rub salt in his open wounds?!
“Enough. I’m sure your memory isn’t so poor that you have already forgotten what I said on our way out of the Minor Realm.” Izroth said calmly.
“Hmph, you don’t have to remind me..!” Satoras grit his teeth as he turned his attention back to the fight at hand.
‘It’s a good thing I took some precautions before we left the Minor Realm; otherwise, who knows what he would do if left to his own devices.’
Before leaving the Netherly Swathe, Izroth made sure to set several ground rules for Satoras to follow. One rule dictated that unless Izroth gave Satoras explicit permission, he could not harm any member who was a part of the war alliance. However, if their allegiance was unknown to him, then he could restrain them using non-lethal methods.
Although he was weakened, Izroth understood that Satoras’ combat potential was a kingdom-level threat. Izroth knew that if he did not apply some boundaries, it would not take long for the Death Emperor to find trouble in the Mortal Realm, given his character and pride.
‘Still, what he said is valuable. Twelve daughters of the Queen of Spirits… A few children’s books in the Amaharpe palace library told stories about her, but none of it is confirmed to be true. The information surrounding her daughters is also something not found on the first two floors of the palace library. Half of one’s lifespan is a steep price to pay. It would not mean much for players like myself, but the NPCs in RML are not immortal, nor do they respawn like in most games.’
Izroth observed Solomon and the small fairy on his shoulder, as well as the golden ribbons. He did not bother activating his Energy Vision Sense as he knew what would happen the moment he did so. The mana radiating from Merdere was so dense that it was beginning to manifest itself in a physical form without the use of a spell. Mana that potent and concentrated; if Izroth tried to examine it, his Energy Vision Sense would immediately be overloaded!
Meanwhile, Anaemia and Leuko were both captured by Solomon. Now, the only one that remained was Orcus. However, he was not as headstrong as the two before him and did not burst into a fit of rage.
“You are tying my hands, Solomon. I have to admit; I did not believe the rumors regarding your contracted spirits. If possible, I’d like to avoid crossing swords with you here. It is not too late. As long as you release those two and turn Dolos over into my custody, I am willing to overlook this matter.” Orcus said.
“Negotiations have already ended, Orcus Jestal,” Solomon answered without hesitation. With a single thought, a new wave of golden ribbons shot out from the existing bands and multiplied several times over!
