The Flood Dragon King snarled and lunged forward, pounding my location and leaving multiple craters. However, I effortlessly weaved through them while sliding between his huge, pillar-like legs. He stomped futilely, but I was already leaping away before he could catch me between his talons. Spinning around in incredible speed, he whipped his tail out but I flipped myself over it and landed in a safe distance away.
Then my dungeon completed its upgrade.
-The dungeon has been upgraded. Previously locked regions are now open for construction. The firepower of the defensive siege towers has been increased by 500%. Five more defensive siege towers are available for construction. –
I watched as the four demolished siege towers were automatically repaired by some magic thing. I couldn't believe my eyes – a dungeon upgrade would automatically restore razed structures? That was pretty convenient.
Not only that, more notification windows were popping up.
-Summoned spirit beasts fighting within the territory of your dungeon will have their strength, speed and abilities enhanced by 50%. –
My summoned spirit beasts were all glowing now, their bodies filled with qi. It wasn't just them. Even I could feel power welling up inside me, wiping away my exhaustion. My injuries were still there, but qi was welling up inside me, augmenting my power further.
"Nice." This came from Long Wang. With a flick of his claws, he swatted the Flood Dragon champion he was fighting away. The enemy blocked his claws with his shield, but he was still sent flying, his armor cracked by the impact. Before he fully slid down, Long Wang was already upon his position, his claws pinning the struggling Flood Dragon champion to the cracked wall. My butler turned his currently draconic head toward me. "Congratulations, my lord. Seems like you've reached peak Mystic rank. Thanks to that, my strength has also been unlocked to peak Mystic rank. And with the new bonuses from the upgraded dungeon…"
It wasn't just him. All of my spirit beasts had been revitalized. They were fighting with renewed vigor and were actually pushing the enemy back now. Several Flood Dragon soldiers were trampled by the Colossal Crabs or mobbed by the Phantom Stumps and Ghost Pumpkins. The Siege Flood Dragons were being driven back from the siege towers by the reinvigorated Tree Revenants, Pumpkin Wraiths and Guardian Golems.
And that wasn't all.
-Density of qi in the dungeon has been increased 500%. All dungeon residents who train and live here will have their strength improve at a faster rate. –
At that moment, glowing lights erupted from several spirit beasts. I recognized the evolution lights and I could swear I heard Brave Heart by Miyazaki Ayumi play in the background. Hey, at least they weren't using the game background music for Pocket Monsters.
-Xiao Huo has evolved from a three-tailed fox to a six-tailed fox. –
-Xiao Huo Long has evolved from a Charred Salamander to a Charred Drake. –
-Da Hai has evolved from a War Turtle to a Blast Tortoise. –
-Hei Ba has evolved from an Abyssal Serpent to an Abyssal Hydra. –
And that wasn't all. Over fifty of my Little Anglers had evolved into Lantern Fishes, and five of my lantern Fishes had evolved into Lantern Sharks, which were Mystic ranked. With the exception of Hei Ba, who was now an Earth ranked Abyssal Hydra, Xiao Huo, Xiao Huo Long and Da Hai were all Mystic ranked. I also had six Phantom Stumps use Ascension to evolve into Tree Revenants, and five Ghost Pumpkins transform into Pumpkin Wraiths. A few more of my Construction Crabs had evolved into Colossal Crabs too, which greatly boosted my guys further.
And one of my Colossal Crabs had evolved into a King Crab, his bulk several times larger than his brethren and he now towered over them. King Crabs were Mystic ranked, which meant more help. He had a shell-like crown that extended above his head, and like the Colossal Crabs, possessed one pincer that was larger than the others. The top half of his shell was orange and bottom half was white, like his unevolved brethren, but there was a flowing layer at his back that almost seemed like a cape. His legs had thickened to better support his weight, and his beady eyes watched the battlefield carefully. He had taken command over the Colossal Crabs and were organizing them into a hardened phalanx to smash through the stunned Flood Dragon soldiers.
As impressive as these evolutions were, most of them had only evolved to Mystic rank, save for Hei Ba. But Hei Ba wasn't the only Earth ranked spirit beast I now possessed in my summoning repertoire.
A single Guardian Golem glowed before evolving into something much larger. An Earth ranked Titan Golem, he stood like a glowing volcano amidst his brethren, who seemed like magma-caked hills when gathered around him. His shoulders appeared to bear red-hot tips where lava gushed from, and he seemed more like a living humanoid volcano than a beast. His head blocky, still featureless save for the red and black streaks of molten rock that ran down his face.
One of my Tree Revenants evolved into an Elder Tree Revenant, also towering over the others. Though he bore huge similarities to the smaller Tree Revenants, he now had wizened features, leaves and shrubs forming a mustache on his face. He also exuded a sagely aura, which buffed the ghost and wood type spirit beasts in the vicinity, whether they were trees or pumpkins. They rallied around him, their ghostly auras more menacing and dreadful than before. With a single swing of his gigantic branch, he hammered a Siege Flood Dragon to the ground, crushing the behemoth almost effortlessly before trampling it under his roots.
"The Forest Flourishing spirit array finally bore fruit, huh?" I smiled and shook my head. I had always wanted to obtain an Earth ranked Elder Tree Revenant, and employing the Forest Flourishing spirit array that Ling Zhen had taught me finally paid off. Or perhaps it was a combination of the ghost and wood type spirit beasts benefiting from the Forest Flourishing spirit array and the completion of the dungeon upgrade that eventually gave rise to an Elder Tree Revenant.
Raising my sword, I pointed my blade at the Flood Dragon King in a challenging posture.
"Bring him down!"
Hei Ba didn't hesitate, lunging immediately the moment I gave the order. His multiple heads hissed. He now had about nine heads, their serpentine features not dissimilar to a regular Abyssal Serpent, with webbed ears and gills stretching over onyx scales. The snaking necks all converged into a massive body that had sported two pairs of clawed limbs, each of them muscular and bulging. At the end of the body was a gargantuan tail that lashed out. Even though the Flood Dragon King caught hold of the tail whip attack, he was still pushed back several paces. His talons dug firmly into the ground as he struggled to hold his position, but he was no longer able to effortlessly swat away Hei Ba like he did before.
"It doesn't matter even if you now have an Earth ranked spirit beast!" He growled. "The evolution is only recent, and he still doesn't have time to get used to his new body and strength! This changes nothing!"
"Really?" Myria sounded amused, even as she carved apart a Flood Dragon Behemoth. It survived her blows, blood spurting from its many wounds, before one of my Tree Revenants joined her to hammer it with wood or unleash a phantom force that penetrated its defenses. Shadow claws raked it apart from the already exposed wounds, finally killing it off. With the sudden increase in Mystic ranked spirit beasts on my side, the Flood Dragons were being routed.
Already, the Flood Dragon soldiers and Flood Dragon priests were being electrocuted by the electric currents from my aquatic armada. The Lantern Sharks were surging forward, their jaws clamping down on fleeing Flood Dragons and crushing them with impunity. Without the Flood Dragon Behemoths and Siege Flood Dragon to reinforce them, they were being massacred by the sudden appearance of Mystic ranked spirit beasts in their ranks.
Xiao Huo, Xiao Huo Long and Da Hai were charging forward to engage the Flood Dragon Behemoths and Siege Flood Dragons, their newly evolved forms allowing them to stand up to the Mystic ranked spirit beasts. Xiao Ke, who remained as a Shell Loch, remained with the Little Anglers and Lantern Fishes, supporting them with freezing beams.
Xiao Huo was bigger now, two meters in height and three times that in length, her red tails having increased from three to six. Her fur was still the same crimson, but she was unleashing far more powerful fireballs than before, in volleys of six. A Flood Dragon Behemoth staggered under the relentless, blazing barrage, only for Xiao Huo Long to descend upon it and carve it apart with his claws.
As a Charred Drake, Xiao Huo Long currently had wings, his tail having lengthened. He had also grown several times in size, with a height of a meter and a half, but a wingspan of six meters. Spreading them out, he soared across the vast cavernous space, his ruby scaled jaws opening to release torrents of superheated fire upon his foes. He reinforced Xiao Huo's position, engulfing her target in flames, and together, the both of them incinerated the unfortunate Flood Dragon Behemoth.
Similar to Xiao Huo and Xiao Huo Long, Da Hai had increased significantly in size, also standing up at two meters when he reared up on his hind legs. His shell was bigger and appeared tougher, though his legs no longer had the claws. His speed had been clearly reduced, but his defense was a lot sturdier, especially when I sensed the potent protective qi that layered his shell. I was half expecting two gun-like hoses to protrude from his shoulders, but I supposed that would be breaking copyright laws. A Blast Tortoise wasn't a pocket monster (though I suspected the people who named the spirit beasts weren't exactly creative or original).
Instead, Da Hai opened his maw and unleashed an enhanced hydro torrent that smashed through rock and almost cut apart a Siege Flood Dragon, the incredibly pressurized jet piercing through its scales and causing it to double over. With each step, he actually brought about rain, water pouring down in his vicinity and slightly causing a flood. I could also feel tremors with each step, so heavy was his shell.
He traded speed for more defense and more firepower, huh? Not bad.
Not to be left out, Sylvie and Silvia resumed operating the spirit arrays. They were more efficient than before, their spells resolving faster and stronger.
"Big sis, I feel like our cultivation has improved by a minor stage. We're no longer intermediate Mystic rank…I think we're now advanced!"
"Yeah…I think it has something to do with the upgrade earlier. But don't let your guard down. The battle's not over yet!"
Sylvie narrowed her eyes as she focused on sending out more spells, bombarding the fleeing Flood Dragon soldiers and priests with her sword spirit array, their strikes being sharper and more precise than before. In contrast, Silvia was laughing in delight as she manipulated qi to send lightning bolts and wind blades at the enemy.
"Big sis, you really need to relax!"
"I'll only relax once this battle is over." Sylvie took a deep breath and cut down another Flood Dragon squad. I exhaled in relief and turned my gaze away from the fairy sisters and other spirit beasts to watch my real target.
"You have got to be kidding me," the Flood Dragon King hissed as he slashed at Hei Ba, keeping his multiple writhing heads away. "I can't lose! Not to an upstart like you! A newborn dungeon…how is it possible for you to have such a jump in strength all of a sudden? Did you plan this from the start? Lure me into attacking you, only to turn the tables around and corner me?!"
"No," I replied, joining Hei Ba in attacking him. "I never asked you to attack or invade my dungeon. If anything, I would prefer peace. You're the one who forced my hand."
"Shut up! This can't be happening!" The Flood Dragon King roared and lashed out. I was forced to jump away, spinning about in midair to fire a volley of azure arrows at him. Even if I had attained peak Mystic rank, I could still be killed outright by a direct hit. Or at the very least be severely injured.
The Flood Dragon King clamped his claws down on a couple of Hei Ba's necks and tore the Abyssal Hydra away from him. With a bellow, he flung the gargantuan spirit beast aside, buying himself a reprieve. Snarling, he turned to me, his tail gouging out stone as he whipped it at me.
Once again, I dove to the side to avoid getting squashed, but even as I rained azure arrows down on him, I knew despite going up a minor cultivation stage, I still didn't have the strength to deliver a decisive blow.
That was fine. I was a summoner. The title of my adventures was Super Summoning System. From the very beginning, it was stupid of me to expect victory through conventional warfare or a battle between kings.
As a summoner, my fighting style depended on my spirit beasts.
Before the claws could reach me, the Flood Dragon King suddenly found his face smashed to the side by a molten fist. The Titan Golem had finally reached our position, leaving flaming crated footsteps and dying Flood Dragons in his wake. The Flood Dragon King howled and spun about, his claws raking the glowing rock that formed the Titan Golem's body, but he knitted his hands and swung down a sledgehammer blow, almost driving the dragon dungeon master to the ground.
"It's over, Flood Dragon King."
Long Wang showed up and tossed the corpse of the sword and shield Flood Dragon champion at the kneeling dragon monarch. The poor thing had been eviscerated and almost torn into two, his midriffs leaking blood and viscera. Long Wang was still in his dragon form, rearing up to glare at his fellow dragon with gleaming eyes, his mane dancing about from the violently swirling black and blue qi that had coalesced around his serpentine figure. It didn't matter if his strength had been sealed at peak Mystic rank because of me, he still struck a potent force.
And now Hei Ba was also crawling back, more furious than hurt by the toss from earlier. Not only that, my Elder Tree Revenant had left the remaining Flood Dragon Behemoths and Siege Flood Dragons to the reinforced Tree Revenants, Pumpkin Wraiths and Guardian Golems along with Xiao Huo, Xiao Huo Long, Da Hai and Myria, lumbering forward to join me. Three Earth ranked spirit beasts and two peak Mystic ranked cultivators were surrounding a kneeling Flood Dragon King.
Even he knew he would have a hard time fighting his way out of this one.
However, the Flood Dragon King still had the dignity of a king and a dungeon master. Forcing himself back to his feet, his draconic maw curled to a sneer. With one defiant bellow, he lunged at me in one final attempt to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.