Rise of the Weakest Summoner

Before Asterios could react, the girls were already on it. Multiple silhouettes zipped past him like the wind, going right after a now seemingly small number of monsters. At first, they had appeared fairly numerous, but with a group of bloodthirsty and respect-craving ladies after their throats, the numerical advantage would quickly dwindle. And so would the chances of not coming last.

Honestly, this wasn’t even a fair fight. Most of his mates could wipe the entire room out with a single well-placed move. Only the presence of each other stopped them from doing so. And while some of the girls tried using more powerful techniques, they were hastily blocked by a sabotaging strike or two, suddenly flying into their path from out of sight.

This became more of a fight between them than with those fishy beasts.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Asterios jumped into the chaos too, holding his artifact greatsword firmly. As he had thought, he could burn everything to a crisp with his Dragon Breath, even shield his mates from the heat and flames, but that felt like cheating. If they played by the rules, so would he.

And he did feel a tiny bit curious about how they would all fare while disrupting each other’s flow. It was such a rare occurrence, not really possible after their initial few weeks or months together. Now, they always focused on as perfect teamwork as they could achieve. The connection they shared was such a huge boon for that.

But, in this particular scenario, it was a vulnerability.

Miria finished gutting a massive shark, her third prey already, and launched herself at the nearby seahorse with a predatory grin. Pushing herself off the ground, she dodged a stab from a swordfish and tilted her body into a horizontal position while spinning really fast. Her foot touched the ground and she aimed a dual strike at her opponent, utilizing all the centrifugal force she had gathered… when she slipped.

With a surprised yelp, she missed her target completely, her blades sinking deep into the inactive marble floor, tremors shooting up her furry arms from the impact. Glancing over her shoulder, she realized that she had never stepped on the ground, instead landing on top of the flat side of Ast’s greatsword, which he had pulled from underneath her right away. Smirking at her victoriously, he pierced her prey with his black-clawed hand and tore it to shreds.

“That’s so mean!” Miria pouted at him angrily but he only laughed.

“You have to expect the unexpected.” Asterios winked at her. “Now I’m at four.”

She gasped and jumped to her feet, pushing her face into his. “I’m going to beat you so hard!”

“Try your best.” He smiled and pecked her feline muzzle before disappearing with a flap of his wings.

Silvia was at her fifth kill now, choosing to rely on a ranged strategy. Too many people already wove between the enemies, disrupting the flow of the fight. She launched miniaturized discs of flames with simple swats of her hand, floating near the edge of the arena. Each one struck its target and caused a controlled explosion that enveloped it completely, burning it to cinders. It was a nice practice for her.

But then, one of her attacks was intercepted. An arc of water collided with her projectile, detonating it ahead of time. Another one then struck the bass she was aiming for. Silvia’s eyes snapped to the perpetrator of this heinous act and found Tina smiling at her in challenge.

Both girls squinted at each other for a second and jumped into action.

Dropping onto the ground, the fiery princess smashed her fists into the pavement. Amber magical circles appeared under three fish of her choosing. A moment later, a violent inferno shot upwards, bathing them in the swirling flames of hell.

However, only one had any effect.

Tina created miniature tornadoes above the circuits while borrowing power from Esil. The fire was pushed outwards, missing the monsters that paused to evaluate their scary situation. Two of them were hit by lances of merciless water, punching massive holes in their bodies. The third one unfortunately burnt to a crisp, as she had miscalculated the final tornado.

Rising from the floor, Silvia glared at her noble friend, as much as she could with most of her features not present on her flaming visage. The Summoner girl understood the meaning, though. A bow of flames mirroring her bow of water appeared in the princess’ hands. They pulled the spiritual strings at the same time, shaping an arrow each.

Taking aim, they began raining death on the battlefield, shooting each other’s projectiles out of the air in the process.

Selene shook her head while witnessing the competition between her sister-mates. Such petty squabbles. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about anyone bothering her, able to focus fully on securing the first place, and perhaps demanding a reward from their beloved master. 

She was already thinking of things she could request, like more tail fluffing while he kissed her ears for example. It was a done fact, pretty much. Her barriers not only prevented the others from messing with her but even protected her designated targets, catching them in multi-layered spiritual bubbles. All she had to do was cross the distance and mutilate her opponents with the gorgeous blade the elves had created for her. She loved using it so much.

Snorting to herself at the sight of Miria tripping over tree roots brought forth by Althea, Selene rolled her eyes, which then locked on the prize. It was as easy as stealing candy from—

“Ahn~”

A blissful moan escaped her throat and she froze in place, her hand clamping over her mouth. Her gaze flicking over her shoulder as she shuddered in pleasure at the sudden delicate grazing she had experienced over her lower back, she found Asterios with his fingers sunk in the cloudy base of her tails, looking at her with a raised brow.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He threaded his fingers through the delicate fur, bringing more quivers to her core. “You should try keeping your thoughts a bit more private next time, my love.”

“Nhhhnnnn~”

She couldn’t do anything else besides uttering those shameless noises as he caressed her tails just so skillfully, cursing herself in her mind for underestimating her clever lord. Thinking about it now, it was obvious he would find a loophole in her plan, and judging by the shadowy mist licking at his boots, he had snuck into her safe zone through her shadow.

“Now, would you be so kind as to…” He grinned roguishly, an impish glint in his currently black eyes as his face moved closer to her hair.

“Ohhhhh~!” Selene shuddered and almost dropped her sword as his lips closed around her soft ear.

All the barriers she had raised around the fish popped like soap bubbles when he stroked her tails while nibbling on her ear. It was an abominable tactic, but one she wished to never end. Maybe it would even be worth it to lose the contest if he stayed right there behind her and continued to—

But no, the delightful sensation faded as quickly as it appeared, her eyes catching him already making short work of the prey she had amassed. Throwing one more playful smile her way, Asterios rejoined the chaos of the battlefield, leaving Selene quite hot and bothered. 

She huffed at herself for falling for such an easy ploy. But, she couldn’t help it. No matter how many times, she would gladly make the same mistake over and over, losing herself in Ast’s kind and affectionate touch. His tenderness was to die for.

And so, the rivalry continued, the girls switching their sparring partners from time to time while Asterios messed with them all whenever he spotted a weakness to abuse. When they realized that Althea had been left to her own devices for much longer than any of them, they ganged up on the poor Lesser Dragon and prevented the wise lady from getting any kills. Tia laughed repeatedly as her best friend let out frustrated noises with all her attempts thwarted, sometimes before they even fully formed in her mind, courtesy of one gossiping Dryad.

Soon enough, the last eel fell under Miria’s combined staff-blades and peace finally descended onto the room. Chunks of various flesh-like matter and substances riddled the floor, walls, and even the ceiling. Most of it was of dark shade while the blood, if it existed within the monsters, was pure black. Spots of charred, wet, and wind-grazed damage could be discerned over all the surfaces. Thankfully, the general structure of the room hadn’t been affected.

“That was… horrible…” Miria took a deep breath to relax her body. “I’m so grateful we aren’t actually like that…”

“Are you sure we aren’t?” Selene smirked.

“I have to agree with Miria.” Tina sighed softly. “Just imagine if we were so competitive every day and with everything. Like Asterios.”

“That sounds like an interesting experiment,” Silvia added, the corner of her gorgeous lips curling up a tiny bit.

Asterios groaned, swiping down his face. “Please, no. It’s already chaotic enough with one overly jealous woman around.”

The ladies chuckled together, agreeing that Grea was quite a lot to handle at times.

“Our princess isn’t wrong, though,” Althea joined in, moving to stand by Ast’s side. “It would be good practice for you. This family is blessed with understanding females who are willing to cooperate almost all the time, but you’ll need to know how to handle more… lively individuals for when you finally conquer a True Dragon.”

He rubbed his eyes. “I’m not planning to.”

“Did you plan any of this?” She gestured at the girls looking at them with charming smiles.

Asterios could only groan again, evoking more sweet laughs from them.

~Well, it’s not like you have much of a choice in this regard,~ Tia chipped in with her musical voice. ~The moment Grea catches a whiff of this idea from any of your minds, she won’t let it go.~

“Oh, that’s so true.” Tina giggled amusedly. “We better start coming up with ways to get a leg up on her. Professor is a master of acting all seductive and sulky. We can’t waste this advantage or she will hog Asterios all for herself during that period.”

“She can certainly try!” Miria puffed out her chest. “Master can never resist my cuteness! Unless she figures out how to grow adorable ears and a tail like mine, she has no chance!”

“I guess we are going to exclude you from our joint consultation then.” Selene snorted. “No need to assist the strongest enemy.”

“Hey!” The panthergirl pouted.

“Alright, you can scheme all you want after we are back home.” Asterios clasped his hands to catch their attention. “Let’s focus on our main objective for now.”

“Does that mean you agree to it?” Silvia tilted her flaming head at him.

“It’s inevitable.” He spread his arms with a faint shrug. “Besides, I can’t deny that it’s going to be… an experience. It also sounds like a lot of fun for you.”

“Yay! You are the best, Master!” Miria jumped at him and peppered his face with fluffy kisses.

“Might also help Bryn become a bit bolder,” Tina pointed out. “See? There are always some benefits.”

Rolling his eyes, he reached out and messed with her hair a little, ignoring the whimpers of protest.

“So, who won?” Umbra asked curiously.

“Ah! Right!” The panthergirl jumped in place.

“Allow me to announce the results, then,” Abyss said nonchalantly. “Althea, four. Selene and Tina, seven each. Silvia, eight. Miria, ten. And Asterios, thirteen. Congratulations.”

“No way!” Miria whined. “You were just going around stealing our kills, Master!”

“Shouldn’t have fought amongst yourselves so much.” He laughed. “Maybe this will teach you not to challenge a Dragon.”

Asterios directed a little growl her way, causing Miria’s fur to stand up all at once. She knew it was a playful growl and giggled timidly, thankfully hiding the blush on her cheeks underneath her fluffy black coat. Her tail swayed enchantingly as she nibbled on her lip.

“Then, if Asterios won, is he going to get a reward from each of us?” Tina queried, making it clear that they had all expected one from him.

~I have a better idea.~ Tia’s impish voice echoed in their heads again. ~Why not have him think of a single punishment for each of you instead? In the end, you all lost.~

The girls exchanged glances, and those who were able to, sported a fair blush over her charming cheeks. Asterios just shook his head, wondering how exactly they perceived a punishment.

“I’ll think about it,” he promised. “Now, are we ready to continue?”

Everyone nodded in confirmation and they slowly gathered themselves to leave. Abyss took the lead once more as they headed for the core of the facility. According to her, it was not that far away. They still had to travel much further than the last time, but they had dropped into the middle of the underground base back then while they had started right at the entrance today.

A few insignificant critters and weak shadow creatures tried to ambush them, but they were of no issue to the group. If there were more powerful monsters lurking around, they had to claim their lairs in different parts of the structure. Or they were located closer to the cluster.

“We are nearing the main hall,” Abyss announced after some time.

“Be careful,” Asterios reminded the group.

Everyone on high alert, they peeked into the massive chamber. Just like the last time, a bright sphere floated in the middle of the room. It thrummed with power but at much longer intervals. It was definitely not as bright as the other one. It dimmed greatly before lighting up again, repeating this cycle infinitely.

“Really? No big monsters around it?” Miria frowned suspiciously. “I would assume this is the coziest spot with all that mana.”

Althea pointed at the floor ahead of them. “Some tried. It looks like this orb can use the same defensive technique that took us by surprise the last time.”

Outlines and silhouettes of different monsters were burned into the ground and the walls, deformed from the angle of the attack. Whatever had attempted to come closer had been disintegrated.

“At least we know what to expect,” Tina commented. “It looks much weaker, though.”

“I have a theory,” Abyss stated. “It’s extremely possible that Umbra slowly siphoned its spiritual energy off through the spire. It would take a long time, but he had lots of it. Keep in mind that while weakened, this is still a highly dangerous cluster.”

“Talk about being born under a lucky star,” Selene teased. “What do we do now? I assume we aren’t going to use the same… strategy.”

~Even if we wanted to, it’s too early,~ Tia said. ~Ast’s natural source is still assimilating the energy I directed into it.~

“Can we direct it all to you this time? Would it help you in any way?” Asterios wondered out loud.

~I’m linked with your source so not really,~ she replied thoughtfully. ~But, the two of us are not the only ones who can benefit from this. It won’t be easy and painless, but we can force this cluster to assimilate with a person of your choosing.~

“Now, that’s interesting.” He rubbed his chin. “If we went with affinity, then Althea would be next in line. But, instead of picking, I think I’m going to leave the choice to you, girls. Any volunteers?”

The ladies turned to the only other Dragon in the room and Althea smiled warmly. “Personally, I think Miria deserves a little treat.”

“Me?” The panthergirl gaped at her with wide eyes while the others nodded.

“As the first mate, it’s your privilege.” Selene patted her on the shoulder. “Plus, you always strive to get stronger for Master’s sake, no?”

“But I have no affinity with this energy.” Miria looked down. “Wouldn’t it be a waste?”

~It’s always going to be a waste, no matter who we pick. There should be more of these too, so it’s more about the order. Only a small portion of the cluster’s power will be transferred to anyone other than Asterios or Althea, but it’s still significant in the grand scope of things,~ their Dryad friend explained.

Asterios walked up to her and lifted Miria’s chin. “Just tell me one thing. Do you want it?”

She searched his eyes for a moment, before nodding lightly. “Yes. I want to catch up to you as much as I can, Master.”

“Then that’s all that’s important.” He nuzzled his cheek against hers. “What do we have to do?”

~It’s time for you to try to bring someone over.~ Tia giggled joyfully. ~Move as close to the cluster as you can without triggering it and I’ll guide you the rest of the way.~

The pair separated from the group, which waited at the entrance to the chamber, and slowly approached the sphere. At the first warning pulse, they stopped. Following instructions, they sat down while facing each other and held hands. What took place next could be described as a set of breathing exercises and practice over controlling the flow of spiritual energy between them. It was very similar to what Asterios had used to awaken Selene’s circuits in the past.

Miria struggled with it a bit more due to her more physical nature, but being the quick and dedicated learner that she was, the panthergirl managed to catch on in fifteen minutes or so. Amidst the exercises, they linked their minds and deepened their bond, soon tuning out everything else around them.

 

※ ※ ※

 

“You can open your eyes now.” Tia’s voice reached their ears from the side.

They followed her guidance and their eyelashes fluttered open. Miria immediately gasped in wonder, her gaze snapping from one place to another. Asterios noted that they had woken up inside Tia’s tree, a short distance from the throne. It was as full of life and grass as he remembered it from his last visit.

“What’s this place?” the panthergirl asked, jumping to her feet.

“Welcome to your beloved Master’s Ancestral Plane.” The Dryad grinned proudly. “Specifically, my home in these spiritual lands. If you go that way, you’ll be able to witness all the volcanoes you’ve been hearing about so much. But, for today, we have to focus on this place.”

“It’s okay. Your home is super pretty anyway.” Miria grinned happily, her gaze stopping at the throne. “So this is where you conducted your… uhhh… ritual?”

“Correct.” Tia let out a tinkling laugh.

“And since I’m here… I’m going to partake in it too?” The feline girl shot a shy but expectant glance at Asterios.

“That would be interesting to watch, but not completely necessary.” The caramel-skinned lady caressed her fur affectionately.

“Why not?” Miria turned to her questioningly.

“Because I simply had no other choice, while you don’t need to rely on your spiritual projection to experience the blissful intimacy of your beloved mate,” Tia replied with a smirk.

“Oh. I’m sorry,” the panthergirl apologized, realizing that she was the lucky one to still have a real body.

“Don’t be. We shouldn’t worry about things out of our reach right now. And I’m not saying you can’t use my sanctuary to make love, but for someone a little inexperienced with spiritual transfers like this, it will be easier when we do it without you losing your mind to the overwhelming pleasure Asterios can shower you with.” The other lady giggled sensually.

Miria’s tail flicked to the sides faster in embarrassment. And since they both appeared in this space in their default forms, the cute blush was perfectly visible on her gorgeous cheeks.

“Alright. Let’s get to work.” Tia hopped away. “Get those clothes off, please.”

“What? Why?” Miria frowned. “I thought we weren’t…”

“You aren’t. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get a nice view out of this, does it?” Their mischievous friend roamed her gaze over their figures hungrily while the panthergirl blinked at her blankly. “Just messing with you a little. It will be easier like that, trust me. And if you haven’t noticed, I’m already fully naked.”

She hadn’t, only now realizing that nothing was hiding Tia’s womanly charms, both upper and lower, from their sight. Asterios smiled wryly and ruffled through Miria’s hair reassuringly. At least he wasn’t alone against the Dryad’s teasing this time.