Chapter 326 Through The Unknown Cave

As the malevolent shark that dwarfed any whale closed in with its mouth parted, planning on swallowing the two like plankton, he leapt up before cocking his fist back.

"---!"

WHAM

A [Dragon Strike] was slammed right against the colossal nose of the scarred shark, unleashing a shock wave that stopped it dead in its tracks.

"Damn! You actually stopped it! Ha-ha!" The elven man laughed.

Not wanting to simply wait around and watch, Blimpo ran around it, using the separated parts in his belt to quickly build a rune cannon before firing at the side of the massive shark's body.

Being repeatedly pelted by fiery blasts from the rune-firing cannon, the black-skinned behemoth flailed, slamming its tail and fins around as it spurred a great set of rumbles.

"Woah–!" Blimpo let out, nearly toppling over.

There was no doubt that if it continued the way that it was, the malignant leviathan would likely bring the entire cavern down. Recognizing this, Emilio changed his approach, analyzing the battlefield for a moment.

Its hide is incredibly tough; that Dragon Strike hurt it, but it didn't leave any lasting damage. Same with the blasts Blimpo has been hitting it with. The sort of firepower I'd need to actually bring something like this down would only run the risk of destroying this cave, too. In that case...I need something fast and contained, he realized.

"Get back!" He called out.

Blimpo looked over, "Huh? Okay, ya got it!"

As soon as the elven tinkerer was out of the way and the massive predator chased the elf down with an open mouth that carved up the rocky ground in its path, Emilio clenched his fist:

"Greater Water Binding!"

The invocation manifested itself through chains of solidified water increased in scale to be able to wrap around such an overwhelmingly large beast, gripping around it tightly.

Gotcha! Emilio thought.

It flailed violently, cracking the rock beneath it as its harrowing teeth were bared with nothing but savage intent.

Bring it down–plummet the temperature and embody the winds of winter; encase it forevermore as even in death, it remains stagnant in time, he invoked.

Perhaps his most unfamiliar form of magic, he had to focus intently, keeping his eyes closed as he summoned the frost from a distance, imbuing it through the very chains of aqua that held the great beast.

Blimpo witnessed it from not too far from the shark, watching the behemoth become frozen solid as frost stretched across its body, "...Ha...Ha-ha! Ya got 'im!"Vissit novelbin(.)c.om for updates

It required a lofty portion of mana and a tiring effort, but after a minute, the young Dragonheart exhaled before finishing the spell, looking towards the now frozen-solid, colossal shark.

"Phew," he breathed out a frosty breath.

After some consideration, he managed to bring himself to thinking rationally, realizing there was some truth to the words his friend gave him.

It'll be a downward spiral if I really do begin using this power at any given obstacle. Is that what Adam wanted? Did he know this path would force me into relying on it? I won't buy into it, he decided.

"I have an idea," he found himself speaking just as the idea popped into his mind.

Blimpo looked at him, "Oh yeah? I was just getting one myself, but if you have an idea, it's sure as hell better than mine."

"What's yours?"

"I was going to blow through these tunnels and turn 'em into one passage," Blimpo told him.

"Yeah...I think mine might be better," he wryly replied.

Explaining it to his elven companion, he got an exciting response from Blimpo who seemed to advocate for his plan heavily, though it was mostly because the man seemed eager to witness what was about to be deployed.

I've never activated this before...For some reason, there was a "fear" etched into me by the Faceless One when it came to this, as if trying to keep me from using it. I only realized it after that last meeting–I think Adam might've cleared that effect from me, he thought.

"I don't really know how this works, but come forth...Soulbound Spirit!" He invoked.

Raising his hand which had the six-pointed seal etched onto it, he finally gave light to the bond placed on his palm.

Mana flowed through the seal on his hand, taking a violet glow before a flash of light filled the multi-tunneled room.

"It's working!" Blimpo watched.

Standing there was a man in a lavish suit with long, well-kempt hair of a scarlet shade, placing his hand over his heart and subtly bowing, "Well met, Master. I was wondering when you'd finally rely on us."

"Gavill, right?" Emilio asked.

A small nod of confirmation from the spirit that was soulbound to the Dragonheart was a breath of relief for the young man who summoned him, not wanting to screw up his first impression.

"I'm in a bit of a bind right now, I–" He began to explain.

Gavill interjected, "I am familiar with the problem at hand. As are the other five of your Soulbound servants."

"Really? How?" He raised an eyebrow.

"We're always watching over you, of course–well, most of the time," the scarlet-haired spirit smiled.

"Always...watching?" Emilio repeated as a small flush came over his cheeks, "Hey! That's a breach of privacy!"

Of course, the young man was well-aware of what sort of sights would await those that would watch him day-and-night; he wasn't exactly the most innocent of souls when it came to his private time.

Gavill laughed, "Worry not, we do not intrude on such matters; you need help figuring which path is the correct one, is it?"

"Yeah, that's about it," he answered.

"You happened to summon the right man for the job then. Worry not, Master Emilio," Gavill assured him, turning to face the variety of tunnels.