In the park just some distances away from the barricaded apartment complex, Zen and Xi stood beside each other as they stared at the car sized beasts.
The pale skinned girl who Zen had decided to name Venus was sitting on his shoulder as she snoozed using his head as a pillow. Xi kept throwing glares at her.
The three beasts stood there as they looked at the humans, especially the human male, having been a witness to what he can do, they decided to just stay put. What they alsk noticed is the fact that, the male seem to have gotten much more stronger than he had been.
What they did not know was that, Zen's time of weakness had passed. He had decided to bring Xi to contract with the beasts and make them her summons.
"Big brother, what are we doing here?" Xi asked as she hid behind Zen. She looked at the tiger like beasts in front of her and she felt scared.
Zen looked down at her before patting her hair, "you remember your class, right?"
Xi nodded, so he continued, "... So I got them so that they would be your first summons, that way, you can help me whenever we want to fight aberrants and other evil people, hmm?"
"My first summons?" Xi asked as she looked up at Zen.
"Yes, in order to open your summon gate, you need to contract a beast... which would allow you to keep your tamed and summoned beasts" Zen said.
This knowledge had been provided to him by the summoner soldier who had accompanied the general who didn't delay in letting him know it. General Daichi had even been the one to offer the three beasts as compensation.
Zen encouraged Xi to try, when she saw the belief Zen had in her, she steadied her gaze and stepped forward, when she was 50 meters away from the beasts, she panicked as she noticed how huge they were. She looked like a monkey in front of an elephant.
Xi turned her head to look at Zen who tightened his fists in front of him as he looked at her with an expectant gaze.
'I can't betray big brother's expectations' Xi thought inwardly as she released a breath and looked at the beasts with a determined gaze.
She closed her eyes as a white magic circle under her feet and under paws of the beasts. The beasts' eyes went into a daze.
Zen hoped that Xi would be alright, he did not care whether she succeeded or not. Right now, Xi was in her summoner's plane facing the three beasts alone, in order to contract them, she had to show them that she was worthy.
Meanwhile in Xi's summoner's plane, she was being attacked on all sides by the beasts, and she was doing quite well. She dodged the attacks consecutively, and sent her own attacks.
"Young lady, give up... We only gave you a chance because of the young man" the beast with a white patch on its head said with a growl, it's voice was male.
"Just give up, kid... You can't win against us" the second said, it had a smaller white patch on its head.
"Girl, you can contact with me... Let's not fight" the last beast said, the voice was female.
"I have to contract the three of you!" Xi said as she looked determined at the three beasts.
"Okay, contract with me first, then you can take your time contracting with the others" the female beast said.
The beasts may look like tigers but they weren't from the same specie, the two first beasts were swamp tigers, which had normal tiger fur but had become black and white due to mutation cause by mana, the female was a mountain tiger, whose fur was faded orange and faded black stripes before the apocalypse, but it was indigo with black stripes.
Despite being beasts, they had gained sentience but can't talk in reality only in the summoner's plane.
Zen who was watching Xi as she stood there facing the beasts saw a blue magic circle appear on the forehead of the indigi furred tiger which faded before it was replaced by a white magic circle. The magic circle under Xi and the other beasts disappeared and Zen understood that Xi had failed to contract them.
The indigo furred tiger walked up to Xi and nudged her seeing the little girl looking dejectedly at the floor. Zen noticed this and smiled, he approached Xi and patted her head causing her to look up at him.
"Big brother... I only contracted one" Xi said with an apologetic tone.
Zen just shook his head with a smile, "there's no need to feel bad, one is more than enough... The others can serve as dinner"
"You're lucky..." Zen said as he looked at the indigo furred tiger who purred as she lowered her head while still nudging Xi.
"Big brother, don't scare, Erza" Xi pouted as she caressed the tiger.
"Erza, that's what you decide to call her, hmm?" Zen chuckled as he saw Xi caressing the tiger with a smile on her face, her dejection had disappeared, he could even see that the tiger liked the name.
Meanwhile, General Daichi and three other people sat in a office, the atmosphere was heated as the three kept barraging General Daichi.
"If I should be clear, Dr. Teppei is dead?" The huge man asks, he had two big stars on his chest which showed he was of a higher status than general.
"Yes, he died due to his own devices, it was an act of self defence" General Daichi replied defiantly.
"What act of self-defense?..." A robust man spat, he had no stars on his chest but him being here means he had some position. "...the only reason Dr. Teppei would do something drastic is if what he found has been claimed and the person refused to hand it over"
General Daichi just stayed silent.
"I'm right then, when we want something that can benefit the military we take it ... We do not compromise" the robust man continued.
"Councilor Yamada, I can't place the life of my soldiers at risk just because we want to take something... We do not even have anything to offer in exchange if we want to take it " General Daichi said.
"How do you mean?" The blonde woman with tanned skinned asked with a frown. The huge man too also had a frown because he had inferred something from what General Daichi had said.
"I rather you experience what I mean yourselves, we have a horde of aberrants coming our way, right?" General Daichi said.
"Yes, but what has that got to do with this?" Councilor Yamada asked.
"I'll invite the guy that killed Dr. Teppei to come and aid us in the subjugation, by then you'll understand what I mean" General Daichi said.
"Daichi, are you sure you're not exaggerating his prowess?" The bulky man asked with a frown on his face.
"Whether I'm doubting him, you should know from the rumors the soldiers who came back with me had spread... He had killed Dr. Teppei before we could do anything "General Daichi said before he shifted his gaze to the robust man.
"If he agrees to come, Yamada... "General Daichi's tone dipped low as he gazed at the councilor.
"... You better move with your head above not the one below or you wouldn't know how you died"
General Daichi stood up from his seat and walked out, leaving the three people in their own worlds. Councilor Yamada's eyes glinted as he understood the general's words.
'there are women, I would be crazy for'
What do you think of this Chapter?