Chapter 663 Pentacle
663 Pentacle
The creation of the remainder of the defensive statues was much less profound of an experience for those doing the casting than those who were watching it, and it took nearly fifteen minutes after they finished for the last of the Nobles who had watched the process to finish processing what they had seen.
"Now that we have those out of the way, I will send them onward to the remainder of the Kingdoms so that they know we haven't been slacking during our time here. Wolfe, Risa, Millie, Chloe, would you like to accompany me to the sitting room?" Queen Jasmine asked.
"Ladies, you might as well accompany us as well. There will be issues coming up that will require your input." Wolfe informed the others.
Queen Jasmine looked a bit confused, but she didn't really question why as she led them all to her private sitting room. Only after the door was closed, and the soundproofing was in place, did she ask anything about it.
"Care to explain what the others have to do with the bond?" She asked.
"I intended to form a Pentacle. It's a power-sharing array that will bring them all to the same power level by using all of their cultivation, plus a share of mine, as well as that from the other Pentacles I have linked.
So, I need two more people than the guards to complete it, but there are four more options in total." Wolfe explained.
"There aren't, actually." Rail replied.
"No? Does someone object?"
Rail shook her head. "It's not a matter of objection, but Succubi can't gain power that way. There is only one option for us. So, both myself and Dana will have to take alternative measures to ensure that we can continue to grow."
"Well, that is both fortunate and unfortunate. But it also means that if Nimue and Carmine don't object, then we can complete the process right now. The spell isn't complex, but it does require willing consent from all parties, as the members can break off from the Pentacle in the future if they greatly desire it."
Risa looked intrigued. "What happens to the Pentacle if someone leaves or dies?"
"The rest of the members will feel the loss forever, but they can be replaced. One of the witches in the first pentacle that I formed was forcibly stripped of the link when she became Coven Leader, and we can still fell the spot where she should have been, though there is another in the bond now.
It is a bit like the whole spell shifts to accommodate a new person, instead of replacing the lost part."
That seemed to please the twins for some reason, likely the assurance that even if they were killed while doing their duties, they would never be forgotten. Wolfe was sure that none of them were actually familiar with the details, but they would find out soon how effective the Pentacle could be in forcing progress.
Wolfe himself had forgotten that all the Pentacles were linked, and that the other Witches were about to receive a very forceful influx of growth, he was only thinking of how fast the Demons would grow with the Princesses and their immense potential involved.
They weren't going to struggle much, if at all, to make it to Rank Six, and from there, a full pentacle at Rank six would make it to Rank Seven much faster than expected.
A whole group of linked Saints, or Overlords, as the Demons called their Rank Seven Nobles, would be a force more formidable than his world had seen since the Great War.
"So, how do we start?" Risa asked.
"All we need to do is have me cast the spell and everyone accept. Are we all fine with this bond?" Wolfe asked.
Dana had a soft smirk on her face, but she didn't say anything to Nimue and Carmine as they agreed, while the three bodyguards were bouncing on the balls of their feet in anticipation of the linking process being completed. Being able to contract with a lifelong sponsor was huge for them, especially one that was on par with the Royals.
"Let's go. I want to know what a Pentacle is like." Risa demanded.
"Alright, everyone link hands, the mana will flow between all of us to establish the link. Once it's complete, you will all be closer, like sisters, and as the bond grows, you will be able to communicate both with each other and me in your minds." Wolfe explained.
The five demons joined hands, forming a circle in the sitting room, and Wolfe began to form the Pentacle.
[Pentacle Formed] 3/4
[Members added] Carmine, Nimue, Risa, Millie, Chloe
[Balancing Power]
A surge of power flowed between the Demons, and the air shook as it tried to find the other Pentacles. Queen Jasmine opened a small portal to Forest Grove, and the power flowed through, a massive surge that made everyone gasp.
"You will want to sit down and meditate on gathering mana into yourselves. It will all have to pass through Wolfe for this process, since he can refine it most effectively, but it will first balance all of you, and then begin to fully flow to the others.
Risa was already on the high side of Rank Six, and Nimue was only at Rank Four, while Carmine was just preparing to break through Rank Two, as Wolfe had just repaired her mana veins a few days ago.
Wolfe caught her as the influx knocked her out, and her body began to remake itself using the condensed mana of the bond. It wasn't hurting her, but the sensation was too much for her mind to handle at her power level.
"Minor oversight on my end. Carmine was crippled until I fixed her, so she's way behind everyone else, and it's trying to bring her up to your standards." Wolfe explained as everyone took a seat.
"It is trying to force her to get on my level?" Risa chuckled.
"Not all at once, but the slightest of progress for you or me is an entire progression for her. Nimue won't be far behind, and she's got a lot of potential, so she won't struggle for a while."
Queen Jasmine made notes as the bond settled in over the group. The Pentacle wasn't Demon Magic, and she had never seen it before. It had a lot in common with her Vassal Bond though, and functioned in the same way, except that the Vassal bond only granted her a portion of their power gains, and didn't share anything between the subordinates. It was a fascinating spell, worthy of Royalty.
664 Powerful Bond
Carmine was obviously the first to break through, moving quickly to Rank Two and then Rank Three as Wolfe held her in his arms. Rank Four took half an hour, and an hour into their bonding, Nimue made it to Rank Five.
"That is brilliant. I don't even know if the old man's Time Magic can advance someone that quickly. But I see how it's working, the purified and Condensed mana of a Rank Six Demon can force the progress much more quickly than they could hope to do on their own." Queen Jasmine mumbled to herself as she took notes.
Then she reached a tendril of mana out to Wolfe, wondering if he could use it to infuse into his link.
Wolfe gathered the tendril of mana and let it flow through them, causing an instant reaction that took Carmine to Rank Five, and which was rapidly moving both of the other bodyguards toward Rank Six.
On the other hand, Risa seemed to have stalled at what felt like the peak of Rank Six, even with the influence of the Queen's mana.
"I see, it's not so easy to force the breakthrough to Saint. It's a qualitative change that can't be influenced by outside forces, but I had hoped that would work." Jasmine mumbled.
If you could force someone to become a saint so easily, the Monarchs would be true monsters in their home nations.
The process slowed once everyone was at Rank Five, until the twins broke through to Rank Six and another surge of mana poured through them and the link to the other Pentacles.
Wolfe tried to sense what was going on with them, but all he could sense was shock and confusion. They were getting a lot of feedback, even if the vast majority of the energy was still flowing between the members of this Pentacle. He briefly wondered if they had managed to break through to Rank Four, as he had been told they were close to, but then the Pentacle settled, and the Queen cut off the Portal, keeping the mana circulation confined to just the ones currently in her Kingdom.
They were all exhausted, and Carmine was sleeping in Wolfe's arms when the bond settled. Nimue smiled at them and slid her chair over to lean against his arm.
"Well, it's a good thing we took a nap, but I need another one. That was surprisingly exhausting." She declared.
"You're close to Rank Six now, though, Princess Nimue. That's quite impressive. But three Rank Six guards, including a Peak Rank Six guard, is very impressive by any standard. Even some of the smaller nations that don't have a true Demon Monarch would struggle to field that sort of protective force." Queen Jasmine reminded her.
"You know, I sort of forgot that there were likely other nations in this place. The dozen of you are so powerful that you could take them over if you really wanted, but I imagine that would be more trouble than it's worth." Wolfe added.
"Much more trouble. You see, we're all Clan Leaders, and the various groups of Demons do much better when they self rule. It gives them a safe spot to fall back to if they're unhappy where they are, and allows each group to have somewhere with rules that suit their nature.
Not all of them are good places, and most of them you wouldn't want to visit, but allowing them to exist is in the best interests of everyone. Changing the balance in the Demon Realms causes far-reaching imbalance issues in the attached planes."
Dana wrapped her arms around Wolfe from behind, basking in the leftover mana from the cultivation session. "It's a shame that we don't have a chance to explore more. I think that you would have enjoyed a long vacation in my Kingdom. Everyone is friendly, we've got all sorts of entertainment and wonderful magical attractions."
Nimue sleepily nodded. "Yeah, the Incubus King's territory is known for gaming and entertainment of all sorts. When the caravan wanted to take time off, they always tried to get a route that would take them there."
The Mana exhaustion faded within the hour, and it was time to rejoin the gathering in the other room for dinner.
"You know, it seems like all that I am doing these days is working until I pass out, eat and repeat." Wolfe joked.
"The food is good, though." Nimue agreed.
"You're through the hard part now. There's no more hard work to do here, so you can relax for the rest of the day, and the old Magic King will come for you in the morning. I would like to give you a tour of the Kingdom here as well, so if you get a chance to come back, just let us know and my Nobles will happily welcome you back.
I know that they all wanted the luxury items that you were producing for Elizabeth's lot, but they can wait. David has some Magi in his Kingdom, and once they see your spells, I'm sure that they'll be able to do something to recreate the most popular features."
Wolfe nodded. "We can't have one man completely messing up the economy."
Jasmine led them out to the garden, where a small group of Wrath Demons had gathered to congratulate those who had been chosen to go with Wolfe, and to see the rumoured Magi Patriarch with their own eyes.
The three bodyguards kept a discreet eye on him, even when they were being pulled between their relatives to celebrate their promotion to a Royal Bodyguard, and the advancement to Rank Six for the twins. Such a promotion and bond was known to give some benefits, but an immediate breakthrough was completely unexpected, and it would improve their family's status even more now that everyone knew they had raised more powerful members with ranked jobs.
In a way, it was like their college graduation, Wolfe thought. Everyone was here to send them off to work, and celebrate the fact that they had landed the best job possible in the field that they were training for.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦