Teo nodded, acknowledging Testudo Aegis and Yuurei No Chi with a glance before turning to the remaining familiars still bowing. His gaze swept over them, sizing each one up, until he pointed decisively at two.
"You two—step forward," he commanded, his voice firm but curious. "Introduce yourselves, then prepare for a 2v2 battle."
Slowly, the first figure rose; it was a huge moth with huge black eyes, and a pure white coating covered its body together with mist surrounding it; it gave it an ethereal appearance.
"I am Yōulíng É. I specialize in evasion and can transform physical objects into mist."
"Interesting, ok, now it's your turn," Teo said, pointing to the other familiar standing next to Yōulíng É.
A celestial dragon made of starlight and cosmic energy, with deep blue scales that glowed like a starry night. Its snow-white wings shimmered as it spoke, "I am Somniroth. I specialize in shadow manipulation and powers related to the dream realm."
Teo gestured toward the spot where Ember Tyrant and Atlas had fought before, saying, "You know the drill. It's Yōulíng É and Somniroth against Testudo Aegis and Yuurei No Chi. And don't bother holding back; I can just heal you up anyway."
Without a word, Yōulíng and Somniroth moved to their positions, ready for battle.
"Yes, master," they responded in unison.
"Ready?" Teo asked, his excitement palpable as he looked at the four familiars standing poised for combat.
They all nodded.
With a swift motion, he raised his hand. "Begin!" he shouted.
Following that, the air crackled with energy. Yōulíng, dissolved into a fog, vanishing from sight. Sonmiroth, its huge starry body, fused with the shadows and disappeared.
Across from them, Testudo Aegis tensed, letting out a low, rumbling growl. A wall of metal rose around it, shielding both itself and Yuurei No Chi. Testudo settled its weight into the ground, bracing for whatever might come.
Yuurei floated beside it, long, bloody claws forming on her hands, ready to counterattack at the slightest sign of danger.
Then, suddenly, the metal wall shimmered, its solid form wavering like a mirage. In an instant, it lost its density, fading into a translucent, ghostly barrier. Both Testudo and Yuurei were so taken aback by the wall's sudden shift that they didn't notice the celestial dragon appearing above them.
Somniroth descended from the shadows above, its massive form cloaked in shadows. With dark claws, it slashed downward, striking heavily at Testudo and leaving it injured. But to its surprise, the attack passed right through Yuurei.
Somniroth's claws passed through Yuurei. For a split second, she remained still. Then, with startling speed, she twisted to face Somniroth.
In one fluid motion, Yuurei turned sharply, seizing on Somniroth's moment of shock. Her bloody claws lashed out, aimed precisely at the exposed gaps in Somniroth's guard.
But her claws sliced through the massive dragon as if he were an illusion. Somniroth's form shimmered, then dissolved into mist, vanishing from sight.
"Hoh, those are some handy abilities they have," Teo remarked, watching the match with a satisfied grin. "Alright, that's enough. I still need to clear the dungeon today."
With that, Testudo's injury vanished, and Somniroth and Yōulíng reappeared, restored to their original forms.
"I am Sorazaki Keñ," the katana said, its elegant hilt gleaming blue. The blade itself was silver on the outside, with a glowing blue core "I specialize in cutting space and distance."
"I am Wéidù Māo," a small dark blue cat spoke, its light blue eyes glowing brightly and its long tail swishing behind it. "I specialize in time and space and possess a subspace."
Teo couldn't help but be impressed. "Impressive," he remarked.
Next, the final two familiars stepped forward. The first was a massive crow, its eyes glowing purple. Its feathers matched, dark purple with branch-like protrusions sprouting from its head. "I am Atrum Spectre, and I specialize in curses and poison."
Behind it, a creature resembling a lion emerged. Its pelt burned with blue flames, and a scorpion's tail curled menacingly behind it. "I am Yǐngzhào Màntí," it growled, its voice deep and resonant. "I specialize in reflection and decay."
Teo nodded, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Now, we will head to the next floor. I'll first test you out, Sorazaki, then the other three I haven't seen in action yet."
With a casual motion, Teo held Sorazaki comfortably on his shoulder, treating it like a seasoned weapon. The other familiars followed behind, their footsteps soft but steady as they descended the stairs with him.
"Yōulíng," Teo said, glancing over his shoulder. "Turn everyone except me and Sorazaki into mist. I don't want the monsters distracted. That would be boring boring."
With a flick of his wings, Yōulíng complied. Everyone except Teo and the katana turned into mist, floating silently behind him. Teo looked over his shoulder, impressed. He could see them, but their presence felt... absent, as though they were only shadows.
"How long can you keep this up, Yōulíng?" he inquired, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"I should be able to hold it for a week if it's just this. The more I need to turn into mist, the shorter the duration," Yōulíng replied calmly.
Teo nodded, then paused as a thought crossed his mind. "How do you familiars get stronger, by the way? I never learned much about it... I was expelled from the family when I was young," he said, his tone suddenly turning distant. A sigh escaped his lips, his expression briefly darkening with the memory, a memory that lingered uncomfortably, far from pleasant.
The thought of that event soured Teo's mood. "Never mind; tell me later. I'm not in the mood anymore." With that, he quickened his pace.
Teo pushed the thought aside, focusing on the task at hand. Clearing the dungeon was no longer something he cared for, but it was something he needed to finish, even if only to distract himself from that memory.