Chapter 409: The New Hero Summon
Not long after, Ethan arrived at the basement. This too, was larger than the last one, although it had none of the decorative swords that used to be here. At the time, the new basement was still bare
He reached into his inventory and withdrew Dark Nova’s black cape before letting it fall onto the floor. But just as he was about to begin, a translucent screen suddenly appeared before him.
[Warning!]
[This catalyst belongs to the Blessed of another deity.]
Ethan’s movements paused as he read through the series of messages that continued.
[Should this catalyst be used for summoning, there exists a possibility that the summoned individual may attempt to establish communication with the deity to whom they were previously connected.]
[Although the connection itself can no longer be established, and no response from the deity can be received, the act of seeking that deity may still draw its attention.]
[The deity will recognize the one attempting to reach it, and by extension, your existence may also become known to that deity.]
Ethan stared at the screen for a moment before asking, "So all I have to do is issue a command preventing him from attempting to contact the deity."
[Affirmative. A direct command prohibiting such actions would sufficiently eliminate the risk.]
Ethan nodded. "Alright, that works."
[Host should also lower expectations regarding this catalyst.]
[The connection doesn’t exist any longer; As such,the summoned individual will not return possessing any blessings previously granted by external deities.]
Ethan shrugged. "Yeah, I pretty much expected that...Is that all?"
[Affirmative.]
With that, the screen disappeared.
Ethan bit into the palm of his hand before allowing several drops of blood to fall upon the black cape. The blood then spread unnaturally across the fabric, rapidly tracing the patterns that expanded outward into an enormous magic circle.
The formation first glowed a red light, then the colour gradually changed into a brilliant purple one as the summoning ritual successfully carried on.
The glow intensified as purple specks of light gathered and condensed into the outline of a human figure. Moments later, Dark Nova appeared within the circle.
He wore the same black uniform and flowing cape from before.
However, before the Hero could utter a word, Ethan spoke. "This is a command. You are forbidden from contacting, attempting to contact, thinking towards, speaking to, or performing any action intended to reach a deity in any form."
The command immediately took effect.
Dark Nova was silent for a brief moment as the order settled into his very being.
Then his gaze returned to Ethan. "I shall do as you have commanded," Norman said calmly. "Though it is to my greatest shame that I now serve you."
A smirk appeared on Ethan’s face. "Get comfortable with it. I’ve got a feeling you’ll be doing that for a very long time."
Norman said nothing further.
Ethan’s attention then towards the summon profile that had appeared before him.
It was immediately obvious that this version of Norman was nowhere near as powerful as the one Ethan had fought.
The overwhelming enhancements brought about by his Complete State of Resonance had disappeared alongside every other ability and skill tied directly to the gods.
However, the Hero was still an exceptionally powerful summon. Judging from the profile before him, Norman naturally belonged to the Tank Class during his lifetime.
Ethan’s eyes continued scanning through Norman’s profile until one particular skill caught his attention.
[Skill: Force Discharge]
[Description: Releases the force accumulated throughout the user’s body as a devastating omnidirectional shockwave. The greater the user’s physical power, the more destructive the resulting discharge.]
While reading it, a look of realization crossed his face. It reminded him of the omnidirectional shockwave Norman had repeatedly unleashed throughout their battle.
"So that’s how it worked..."
The skill itself was never related to the Wrath Of Anos or Strength Of Heracles blessing, but a Tank Class technique.
During their battle, Norman had only just incorporated the boost of both blessings into the activation, causing the omnidirectional burst to erupt alongside red lightning.
A smile formed on Ethan’s face. "Interesting..."
After satisfying his curiosity regarding Norman’s profile, Ethan dismissed the System interface and left the basement.
A few moments later, he returned to his room.
The sound of running water greeted him almost immediately. Then, bathroom door opened just slightly, allowing a little steam to drift into the bedroom.
"Babe..." Isabella’s voice came gently from within. "Join me."
A smile found its way onto Ethan’s face. Without another word, he made his way towards the bathroom and quietly stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind him.
What followed afterwards was an activity that had, throughout history, contributed tremendously to the world’s ever-growing population.
From the closed, one could see the silhouettes of two figures occasionally rocking into each other, accompanied by laughter that gradually faded into the peaceful silence of the night.
♡ ♡ ♡
———
The next morning...
Bettie was currently seated within the living room of the Stark Residence. Sitting across from her was Ethan, Isabella and Hayley as the young woman finished recounting everything that had happened three days ago.
From suddenly feeling Isabella’s scream, to seeing the Hero driving his hand through her chest; to somehow knowing exactly where Isabella had been, and finally, that overwhelming urge to immediately run to her aid.
Bettie finished her narration, and naturally, everyone’s attention turned towards Isabella.
Isabella herself frowned slightly.
"Did you go back on your word?" She silently asked the darkness within. "You promised to stop tormenting Bettie with those visions."
A familiar voice answered almost immediately. [That isn’t what’s happening to her.]
Isabella’s eyes seemed to have puzzled for a second, then suddenly, the two switched places.
A grin slowly formed across Isabella’s face as dark veins gradually spread around her eyes while sections of her amber irises darkened into black.
The atmosphere within the room subtly changed. Both Hayley and Bettie couldn’t hide the surprise on their faces.
Dark Bella noticed both expressions and rolled her eyes. "Oh, don’t give me that look."
She rose to her feet before turning her attention towards Bettie. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, young lady."