War between demonic factions was a frightening idea, powerful being, constellations, at war.
What would it entice? Where would they fight? And most importantly, how was this any of my business?
"Asmodeus, I don't get it. Why should I be concerned with your wars?"
The Demon king was speechless, it was clear this was never an outcome he'd envision.
"Dimitris, you may be Zeus' son, but you aren't exactly out of the picture in the demonic world."
"How so?"
How could I be involved with them, the contract I had made with Asmodeus had long finished and I stayed away from demons ever since.
"You are the Key of Solomon, Dimitris. Either way, the other factions will come for you. If we collaborate, at least, you might never be dragged into this mess directly. So? Can we summon a familiar for you now?"
The key of Solomon, the first king, someone who had allegedly disappeared from existence and those demonic factions were out for my blood.
Fuck.
"Fucking hell. What do I need to do? I know of zero rituals to summon a familiar."
Asmodeus smiled satisfacted, runes all over his body started to glow with a soft dark hue and a circle begun to form on the ground. All the elements I could thing of were represented on the circle, it was so busy I couldn't even think of understanding it.
"Well, sit in the middle of the circle, draw some blood and smear it all around, after that, repeat after me."
Coelum et abyssus me reperi,
ama me et cresce mecum.
dux daemoniorum spirituum.
I followed all his steps meticulously and suddenly the energy surrounding me started stirring with violence.
[the constellations of Heaven are watching you.]
[the constellations of the Abyss are watching you.]
What is happening? Why are the constellations looking at me?
"They need to pass judgment before the familiar can enter a contract with you."
I stayed silent and patiently waited. What for? I wasn't sure myself, but soon the energy around me calmed down. A sense of peace and serenity entered the scene engulfing Asmodeus and I in a loving embrace.
Asmodeus' eye widened in disbelief and a wilde smile stamped on his face.
"Hahahahaha, this is unexpected."
He mused and soon a flood of messages appeared.
[the angel of death, the angel of prophecy, the angel of mercy and the angel of judgment approve of you.]
[the constellations of Heaven approve your request.]
The messages I was receiving all came from constellations related to the heavens, especially from angels, I thought that asking for a demonic familiar I'd attract someone from the Abyss, but this was truly unexpected.
"Well, this has never happened, I'm actually curious of what demonic familiar will come out now."
Asmodeus, was clearly entertained, I understood it. How can a demonic familiar be approved of angels? But soon the awaited answer came.
The circle I was sitting on started to glow with ethereal light, my blood absorbed and the energy all around us took form.
A small form.
A form that left me confused.
But in the silence of my confusion, Amsodeus' laughter echoed vividly.
"It seems, Dimitris, that you will not give us cursed energy, but something we honestly have no experience with. It'll be fun."
______________________
-Odysseus' POV-
After everything that happened at Eëä, I started studying Elvish, but I'd never imagine I would be using it for such purposes.
In front of us, the masters of mana were radiating pure bloodlust. It was clear they knew what we had done, but this was only the beginning.
With Hali and the 4 members of the Damocles household, we were standing proud. Ready to declare war on the 10 elves in front of us.
We may have been outnumbered, but seeing how only one of them was a 4th circle mage and the others were at most 3rd circle, I was extremely relaxed.
"You? You were the ones to kill my apprentices?"
A scornful voice, latched with sarcasm echoed in the forest. The 4th circle Elf was looking at us mockingly, as if the fact that mere humans could kill elves was simply impossible.
"Do tell, where is the Demon? We sensed the demonic energy from here."
Demonic energy? The fuck is that bastard even speaking of?
"There's no Demon among us. And as you can see, we were the ones to kill your kin."
Hali spat venom to the elves and threw at them the heads of the elves we previously slaughtered.
A simple declaration that spoke volumes.
The bloodlust towards us intensified and the younger elves shook violently, ready to jump at us, but the elder stopped them.
"You vermin, you disgusting sacrifices dared to act against the laws of nature?"
His blood was boiling and I started to feel the situation was funny.
Laws of nature my ass, they couldn't even dare to compare themselves to Dimitris.
"Damocles, in formation. Hali, let's dispose of the trash."
As my sentence in broken elvish came to reality, our enemies released all their anger. I had already given orders: when you hear me speak in a different language, get behind me and ready your weapons.
The Damocles had a weapon similar to the mana gun Merlin had given me through Dimitris, but it didn't use mana and was way less efficient. Either way, it would be sufficiently dangerous for these creatures.
The spells from the elves came rushing at us. Fire balls, ice and earthen spears, wind blades, all aimed at our necks. Hali started to circulate her aura through her weapon as viciously as possible and just when the spells were about to reach us, I raised my hand.
"Aegis."
My stigma pulsed with Archana, an illusory shield formed before us and all the spells were immediately destroyed.
The stigma: Aegis, was truly impressive, but it had the limitation of one use daily, no more. We needed a strong entrance, we needed to make them believe they were nothing before us, shatter their morale before the fight even begun. That's why Hali threw the heads and why I used this overpowered card right at the beginning.
Hali's waterways erupted as soon as my shield made contact, and running swiftly through the battlefield, with her sword in hand and aura overflowing, 2 heads went flying in a matter of seconds.
The shock painted on the elves faces was nectar for my soul.
With their morale broken, the Damocles took out their weapons and started attacking the remaining elves while Hali proceeded to hack at the enemies spells. The elder however still hadn't made a move.
I could feel the mana swirling around him, but I was not able to discern any magic circle.
With the state of the battle field I decided to activate my second stigma: owl vision, with this I was able to see the ground from above and below at the same time, one needed extreme focus to not fall to the migraine this could bring up, but I was now used to it.
Every time I saw an elf casting a spell I'd use [thunderclap] right next to their faces, with distrusted concentration the enemies' spell casting was reduced and Hali could shine in close combat.
With her sword dancing like flowing water all around the enemies, small injuries started to appear everywhere, but we lacked a strong offensive.
Sure I could join Hali and that would fasten the battle that was slowly turning into a war of attrition, but without my support Dimitris' family would be in greater risk.
Then something brought shivers down my spine. The mana that was swirling around the elder elf stilled. It concentrated and a jade longbow took form. It was purely made of mana and its power was clear to all of us. Hali halted her tracks and fell back to cover near me. The Damocles rushing on their own.
Our enemies, seeing the bow had taken form, exhaled with relief and my heart started beating faster and faster.
The elder smiled.
"Let's see if you walking sacrifices can stand this spell."
His laughter echoed deeply inside the forest.
Taking aim directly up in the sky he released the empty string and the mana bow shattered in a myriad of arrows flying up in the sky illuminating it with a brilliance that I would consider beautiful if it wasn't for the terrifying pressure those arrows emitted.
"HALI!"
"ON IT!"
The water ways previously dispersed throughout the battlefield coiled around us. Concentrating in layers, I too casted my protective spell and created a vacuum dome right above Hali's shield, a shield that she was trying to freeze the fasted she could. But it was already too late.
The arrows started their descent. Everything around us was destroyed beyond comprehension, our shield barely able to hold, but not completely protect. At least a couple of arrows had pierced each of us, sure I was able to divert from vitals with my manipulation of wind, which after receiving Circe'a circuits had increased by leaps and bounds, but it was still a desperate situation in front of that spell.
Fuck, I need to learn or make a healing spell.
As my mind was running calculating how to turn the tides of this death match, the bastard responsible for all of this was laughing his ass off.
Fucking bastard.
"Well, at least you survived! Hahahah, only to be killed a little later!"
Fuck I should have considered incantations.
That's why there was no circle whatsoever. Incantations were a peculiarity of elves, it took a long time to cast, but the effects were atrocious and of you didn't have enough mana sensitivity you wouldn't even be able to see it coming.
Without even considering…
"Let's see if you can survive the next shot!"
Yes, incantations usually came in sets.
"Fuck."
"Odysseus that must be bullshit right?"
"Fuck! We can't die just after being freed from those spirits!"
The cacophony of voices rung around me until the elder took aim with the jade bow again.
The sadistic bastard took aim again and a plan started to form in my head.
Why don't we use incantations as well? Those shits are stupidly strong.
But that was a faulty belief. Incantations were strong, there was no denying it, but the issue ran with the numerous conditions that needed to be met for it to work.
Also, seeing how Dimitris had not stepped up, it was a sign I could make it on my own.
"My apprentices, let's count to 10, rejoice for their despair! Hahahahaha!"
My brain running, but there was a nudge I couldn't shake off.
Why hadn't he intervened? I knew he was near.
"1!"
Hold on, they talked about a demonic presence… could this be why Dimitris isn't coming?
"2!"
If that was the case, it meant that he simply could not reach us. We have been too reliant on him.
"3!"
Every time something was going wrong, he was there to protect us. Even Hali was getting upset about this.
"4!"
We needed to break this habit. I needed to break it.
"5!"
I'm the one who should protect him. Not the other way around.
"6!"
"Hali! When they are about to attack, release all the water you can my way!"
"7!"
My Archana started to run rampant in my body. My divine blood boiling. For how much I hated that constellation, her domain was wisdom and war.
I will not be defeated.
"8!"
A model of the battlefield was created in my mind, every detail clear. Every leaf, every movement, down to even specks of dust moved like time was slowing down.
And in the fraction of a second, I bent the wind currents to my will. Everything was a pawn to me.
"9!"
"NOW!"
Hali released all the water she could my way, an untameable current, the purest representation of destruction was about to connect with me.
"10!"
The bowstring was released and just like before a myriad of arrows were about to reach the sky when the water hit the vacuum in front of me and started to spread in calculated jets. The wind guiding the torrential waters, sharp currents reaching the sky with a speed that could not be emulated if not with the help of my wind.
This war was a game and I just made my move.
Beams of water surrounded by wind reached each and every arrow with calculated trajectory. Knocking them down or straight up destroying them.
The faces of the elves went from exited perverts to shattered fools in the blink of an eye.
I had found the main condition of that bastards incantation.
"Altitude."