Before me stood the formidable Beast Princess, Eris, radiating an immense amount of mana that made me feel like a weakling.
I instantly regretted complaining about being overpowered.
More importantly, I needed to find the perfect way to attack her.
As I contemplated my options, Eris yawned and taunted me. "Do you plan on staring at me all day? I mean the only reason I'm even giving you all a chance to attack is because I like Lumi," she pouted.
"Heh~Heh, if you like me you'd let me live..." I replied.
"Now why would I do that?" she asked, rhetorically.
I heaved a sigh, it was time to make a move, so I extended my hand and channeled my spirit particles and mana, conjuring the mighty 「Spirit Cannon Frenzy!」
"Uooooohhh!" (Eris)
Eris was impressed watching as the orb of energy grew in my hand, eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Alright!" (Lumiere)
I fired the orb, and it soared into the sky without a moment's hesitation. The hundreds of smaller spheres teased the air like stars as my subordinates looked on in wonder.
As I swiped my hand down, the hundreds of spheres gathered speed, falling with the force of a meteorite towards Eris. The Rank B spell was sure to cause a high level of damage.
Well, until...
Eris lifted her hand, surprisingly causing all the spheres to pause in mid-air.
We were all in shock.
"That's impossible!" (Fasit)
"It's not even— how did she?!" (Sangria)
Skarz could barely believe his eyes.
"Well that was boring," said Eris, exasperated.
Waving her hand with ease, Eris destroyed the spirit spheres with minimal effort.
"Well then, I hope you're ready to face me," she said coolly, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
I gulped, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down my temple.
Before Eris launched her attack, she paused and killed off some of the tension. She rubbed her chin curiously "That spell you just used now.."
"Huh? You mean [Spirit Magic]?" I replied.
"Yeah that one! How'd you use it?" she demanded.
I was confused and raised an eyebrow, to which she impatiently replied "I mean like... you shouldn't be able to use it!"
I looked at Sangria, Fasit, and Skarz, who were equally confused.
Eris explained, "My Unique Skill - 『Immortal Beast Eye』- can analyze mana particles and properties and view the status windows of other people."
"(So it's basically a buffed-up version of the Additional Skill - [Appraisal].. that's pretty neat)" (Lumiere)
"But I mean, does it really matter if I can use it?" I asked.
She pouted and shouted, "Of course, it totally matters!"
However, she she did figure it out and said: "Oh now I get it... you have the [Status Modification] skill."
Well, damn it? I'd have cared if I wasn't fighting for my life.
I shrugged nonchalantly and replied, "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."
Eris smiled triumphantly, "I guess it doesn't really matter does it... you'll be dead soon! Muhahahah!"
I narrowed my eyes and retorted, "I won't make it easy for you."
The ferocious Beast Princess chuckled, "Good! I hate it when it's easy. Let's see what you're made of!"
Eris let out a deafening scream as she threatened, "You should be honored Lumiere! You'll get to have a taste of my [Meteor Magic]!"
With immense potency, she formed a striking golden sphere in her hands and screeched, "Beast Thrasher!"
She fired several beams of light that homed in at a rapid speed, precisely aimed at me, intending to engulf me in a monstrous explosion. In that moment, my impending doom seemed certain, and I automatically braced myself for the worst outcome.
"Come on, 『Beginner's Luck!』, give me something good!" (Lumiere)
Fasit, Skarz, and Sangria cried out my name and expressed their fear, believing that my end was imminent.
However, Umbra, my dark spirit came to aid me. He emerged from a seed of darkness with his notable black hair and suit.
As the beams hurtled towards us, Umbra reassured me with his glowing red eyes "Please, let me handle this, master."
He extended his hands and executed something he called 『Black Hole』. Suddenly, all the destructive energy beams were distorted and whisked into a turbulent black hole that materialized out of nowhere.
"What?!" Fasit exclaimed.
The energy from the black hole was so intense that it made the entire place shake, forcing us all to the ground, except Eris, who seemed unshaken, which didn't surprise me.
After a short while, the black hole vanished, and everyone arose to their feet, still recovering from the potent impact.
Umbra looked towards me with concern and extended, "Are you alright, master?"
As Umbra offered me a hand up, I flashed him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Umbra," I said. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Umbra just smiled back at me. "It's my pleasure, Master," he replied. "I am honored to be of service to you."
But before I could say anything else, Fasit piped up. "Uh, guys?" she said, gesturing towards Eris.
I turned to see Eris, standing there with a look of pure innocence on her face. Yeah, right. She was like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment.
Suddenly, Eris screamed and charged at us with lightning-fast speed. The ground shook beneath us as she came to an abrupt stop in front of us, sending a shockwave rippling across the earth.
Before I knew it, Eris had grabbed my face, staring at me with her eyes sparkling like diamonds. "You can summon spirits?" she said, a manic look in her eyes. "Teach me!"
And then, just like that, she pushed me to the ground, causing me to hit my butt pretty hard. As she circled Umbra, she praised his good looks and long black hair. "You look so pretty," she said.
Umbra just adjusted his hair and smiled. "Thank you, Eris," he said. "I take after my Master."
Well, we both had pitch black hair and amethyst eyes. So you could say he took after me.
I couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange. It was all so ridiculous. Skarz rushed over to check on me, while Fasit and Sangria stood nearby with their guards up.
"What's going on?" I said, feeling more than a little confused.
Fasit just shook her head. "I have no idea," she said. "But one thing's for sure. Eris is definitely strong, but she's also a bit of an idiot."
I couldn't help but agree. Eris was powerful, no doubt about it. But she was also totally unpredictable. With her around, you never knew what was going to happen next.
That was the nicest way of saying she was an unpredictable idiot.
Or well, idiot for short.
As Eris turned back to me, a look of surprise on her face, I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know I could summon spirits?" I asked knowingly.
Eris twiddled her fingers, looking a tad embarrassed. "Well, I didn't exactly take you for the type of person who would be much interested in spirits," she admitted.
I smirked. "And what type of person did you take me for?"
Eris averted her gaze. "It's not that I haven't seen spirits before," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Fasit let out a cute little scream at Eris' embarrassment. This only made Eris cave even more as she purposely fell onto the ground, sitting there and whining a bit before confessing that she had never actually seen a spirit before.
"I see," I said, standing up from where I was. Skarz looked at me, concerned. "Are you alright, Master?"
"I'm fine," I assured him before turning to face Eris. "Would you like to see more spirits?"
Eris's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Can you really summon more?" she asked, clapping her hands like a child. "Do more! Do more!"
I turned to my subordinates, who all gave me a thumbs up (with the exception of Sangria, who bowed respectfully). I then faced Eris again. "I'll summon another spirit, but only if you promise not to kill me and leave my domain," I said sternly.
Eris pouted and crossed her arms, looking away from me. "No, I am the Beast Princess and... I have a duty to the Feral Dominion," she said stubbornly.
I couldn't help but wear a sly smile. "Well, I guess you'll just have to miss out, then," I said teasingly.
Eris's eyes widened, and she quickly changed her tune. "No, wait! I promise! No, no, I don't... I-" she exclaimed, confused in-between her emphatic utterances.
I nodded and summoned Fulgur, who appeared in a flash of lightning from a yellow magic circle. Eris looked like her eyes were about to explode with excitement as she shouted, "That's awesome!" before hugging me tightly and urging me to summon more.
Fasit just shook her head with a smile. "Great Lumiere sure knows how to handle that one," she said.
Fulgur hovered around Eris, leaving gentle streaks of lightning, dancing in the air. Eris watched in amazement, her eyes glued to the spectacle before her. "This is amazing!" she exclaimed. Fulgur responded with a gentle hum, and Eris giggled like a child.
While Eris continued to have fun with the spirits, Sangria approached me. "My lord, while your plan is a smart one, we cannot base the safety of your life and this domain solely on a promise made by the Beast Princess," she said.
Umbra approached me from behind and proposed the idea of making a Sacrytis contract spell to seal the deal. "That's a great idea," I agreed, nodding my head.
I summoned my courage and approached Eris. "Hey, Eris, I was just thinking... if you want to see more spirits, well, I could summon, like, five more," I said, pausing dramatically.
Eris's eyes widened in excitement, and she let out a shriek so loud that the birds in the area took flight. "FIVE more?! You must be kidding me!" she exclaimed.
I shrugged. "Hey, I aim to please," I said with a smirk.
Eris then expressed her distrust towards the rest of the Feral Dominion. "Okay, fair enough," I said, "but all I have to worry about is powder kegs like you."
We sealed the agreement with a Sacrytis contract spell. As soon as the spell was complete, I summoned all the other spirits - Flora, Ignis, Aquarius, Gaia, and Sylph. They all appeared and hovered around Eris, who exploded with even more emotions. She was excited and almost convulsed with excitement when she saw them. Eris continued to foam at the mouth, but technically, that was how we won over the strongest warrior from the Feral Dominion.
"Wow, you guys are amazing," Eris said, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Yeah, they are pretty cool, aren't they?" I replied.
Fasit and Skarz approached us, and Fasit couldn't help but snicker. "Looks like the Beast Princess isn't so tough after all," she said, smirking.
Eris shot her a fierce look. "Hey, watch it! I can still kick your ass."
"Ah, we haven't forgotten.." I gave a light chuckle.