Master Of Astral Summoner

Chapter 227: Prices of power

Shaan’s face drained of color. His eyes flew wide open as Fenrir suddenly appeared right in front of him. He had no idea where the beast came from. Fenrir lunged forward and caught Shaan’s blades between his razor-sharp fangs, stopping the attack cold. The clash made the masked woman turn around.

"Oh..." A smile curved beneath her mask. "So there you are."

She gently stroked Fenrir’s head as the giant wolf padded back to her side. "Excellent work, Fenrir."

’Damn it!’ Shaan clenched his fists, his jaw tightening.

’I never expected that beast to show up here.

’ I was so close...’

’Just a little closer, and I would’ve killed her.’

"Now..." The masked woman slowly raised both swords.

Dark energy surged across their blades, wrapping them in an ominous black aura. "Enough playing hide-and-seek. It’s time to end this fight."

She snapped her fingers once. Fenrir immediately understood the command. Without a moment’s hesitation, the giant wolf charged straight at Shaan. The beast sprang into the air, its massive jaws stretching wide enough to reveal rows of razor-sharp fangs. It lunged straight for his throat.

"Crash!"

Shaan rolled to the side, managing to dodge the ferocious wolf’s attack just in time. Fenrir’s jaws slammed into the thick trunk of a nearby tree instead. Its fangs sank deep into the wood, and the beast snarled in frustration as it struggled to pull itself free.

’Good... This is my chance.’ A confident smile spread across Shaan’s face as Fenrir struggled to free its fangs from the tree trunk.’Now it’s time to kill this beast.’

Without hesitation, Shaan burst forward and swung his twin short swords at the trapped wolf.

’CLANG!’

His blades never reached their target. The masked woman appeared in front of Fenrir and intercepted the strike.

’Cling!’

"I won’t let that happen."

She forced Shaan back with a powerful shove and immediately followed with a vicious counterattack. Shaan sprang backward and narrowly avoided her blades. Before his feet touched the ground, he twisted his body in midair and drove a spinning kick straight at her face, and her white mask flew from her face.

’THUD!’

"Not bad..." The woman slowly stood up and looked at him. Her green eyes glared sharply at Shaan. "I’ll make sure you regret what you’ve done."

In an instant, a mysterious dark aura spread rapidly, enveloping the woman’s body. Shaan fell silent. Every hair on his body stood on end as the overwhelming pressure washed over him. This is bad.... Shaan would have to give it his all if he wanted to defeat this woman.

’I’ll have to unleash Aspira Ignis at full power.’

He tightened his grip on his twin short swords. I have to match her strength and finish this damn woman.’

[WARNING]

Activating all remaining Aspira Ignis will:

Cause severe physical damage. Increase Insanity Level.

Do you wanna continue?

[Accept] [Cancel]

Shaan froze. His hand hovered over the Accept button for several long seconds. He knew exactly what would happen if he used every last drop of Aspira Ignis. He had experienced its consequences before, and the memory still haunted him. The power had pushed his body beyond its limits and left him barely able to stand.

’Ding!’

[Activating all remaining Aspira Ignis will cause side effects to the user’s body and affect their insanity level.]

Reading that warning, Shaan fell silent. His hand hovered for quite a while over the "Accept" button that appeared clearly on his screen. He was actually well aware of the side effects of using Aspira Ignis because he had used this power before, and it had certainly had a significant impact on his physical condition.

But this time... He had no other choice. The battle had cornered him. The crazy red-haired woman had already unleashed her full strength. Without releasing every ounce of Aspira Ignis, he couldn’t match her power. Much less defeat her.

’I must use it. I don’t have any choice. If I don’t use Aspira Ignis now... I’ll die.’

Shaan immediately pressed the "accept" button in front of him. A violent surge of mana exploded throughout his body.

Power flooded every muscle. Golden light erupted from his twin short swords as an overwhelming force coursed through his veins. His strength multiplied several times over, reigniting his determination.

"Good..." He tightened his grip on his weapons. "Now it’s my turn to bring that damn woman down."

Shaan launched himself forward at incredible speed and charged straight toward the masked woman, ready to unleash his counterattack. But just before he reached her...

The crimson moon emblem attached to his Ringlock suddenly began to glow.

’Ding!’

[Ringlock detected excessive power usage.]

[Emergency safety protocol activated.]

[Disabling all power immediately.]

"W-Wait... you can’t—"

An electric shock instantly surged through Shaan’s body, causing him to groan in pain. He desperately tried to pull the Ringlock off his finger, but the electric shock only grew stronger. Agony ripped through every nerve in his body. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Argh...!" Shaan curled into himself, clutching his body as unbearable pain spread through every muscle. "D-Damn it... Damn it!"

"Good." The red-haired woman smiled and slowly walked toward the helpless Shaan."This makes killing you much easier."

She raised both swords high above her head, preparing to finish him off. Shaan could only stare at her. The pain robbed him of every ounce of strength. He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t even lift his swords.

"Now, it’s time for you to—"

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion erupted right in front of the red-haired woman. The blast hurled her backward across the battlefield. Shaan blinked in disbelief. The attack had happened so fast that he couldn’t even tell where it came from

’What...?’ His eyes widened. ’Who did that...

’Weird? Who—’

[Shaan!] Robin Hood sprinted toward him with his bow already drawn.[Are you okay?]

"Yeah, I’m fine." Shaan let out a long sigh, trying to calm down. "That attack just now... it must have been the work of [Are you all right]

’Thwap!’

"Hey! What was that for, Robin Hood?" Shaan rubbed the top of his head and frowned at him. "Why did you suddenly smack me on the head?"

Robin Hood stayed silent for a moment. "[To knock some sense into you.]" He let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"[You know that stunt you pulled could’ve gotten you killed.]"

"...Yeah." Shaan scratched the back of his head with an awkward laugh. "I know."

"I’m sorry, Robin Hood."

"I was originally planning to use my Aspira Ignis power to defeat this woman," he said slowly, showing his Ringlock to Robin Hood. "It’s just... When I was about to attack her, the Ringlock’s effect suddenly activated and instantly locked away my power in an instant."

[Jeez, that thing really is a pain.]

"Yeah, really," Shaan rolled his eyes. "This device even gave me an electric shock that made me groan in pain. The longer I held it, the more it hurt."

Oh, wow. That device sounds terrible.] Robin Hood clicked his tongue. [Hmm... but luckily I showed up just in time, right?] Robin Hood smiled, puffing out his chest. [Never mind that. He narrowed his eyes toward the battlefield.]

"Relax. I think I’ve already come up with a plan, and I’ll need your help," Shaan said as he scanned their surroundings. "But first, we need to find a safe place to talk about it before that crazy woman shows up and attacks us again."