CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: THE ANSWER OF CALLING

The moment Richard stepped aside and allowed Akumo to take control, a strange, electric silence filled the cave. The deep glow emanating from the ancient walls pulsed slowly, as if the chamber itself breathed. Richard felt it first, a gentle pull inside his chest as if by invisible threads connecting him to something far older, heavier, and infinitely stronger.

Akumo’s voice echoed from within him.

"Steady your breath, Richard. Our minds must align. This ritual cannot be forced."

Richard nodded, swallowing hard. This was the first time he had willingly offered his body to a spirit powerful enough to crush mountains. The shaking of his hands came not from fear, but a strange excitement burning beneath his skin.

The air shivered.

A faint mist of blue swirled around Richard’s torso, faster and faster, tightening like a vortex. His own consciousness slid backward, gently pushed aside. A new presence expanded inside him—sharp, commanding, ageless.

And then—

Akumo woke up.

Not the fragile old Akumo Richard had carried for days...

But the half-awakened form of the legendary Warrior of Time.

Immediately, Richard’s posture straightened. His back cracked once. Shoulders widened and veins started to glow faintly with a silver light. Eyes that had once seemed deep brown burst into a bright stormy blue. Every movement now seemed controlled yet overflowing with stored destruction.

Akumo stretched Richard’s arms like a man waking from centuries of sleep.

"Wow..."

His voice layered Richard’s, deeper, heavier, vibrating through the cave.

"This-this is unbelievable."

He clenched Richard’s fist, feeling the strength surge.

A grin spread across Richard’s lips—Akumo’s grin.

"Awakened even half of my form inside this boy. I feel like I am back in my prime again.

The cavern shook faintly from the aura he released. Dust fell from the jagged ceiling. Richard’s body glowed brighter, energy leaking out like a leaking sun.

"Such youth... such raw vitality..." Akumo said, rotating his shoulders.

"This body holds power I haven’t tasted in centuries. I could tear open mountains with just a thought."

Richard, pressed further into the mass mind, felt everything: Akumo’s pride, his confidence, his overpowering presence. It was terrifying-and incredible.

Akumo raised Richard’s hand, studying the veins of glowing light running under the skin.

"Good. Very good. Richard, your body is far more compatible with ancient spirit techniques than you imagine."

Richard could only think back:

Just don’t break me again.

Akumo chuckled.

"If you break, I’ll fix you. Don’t you worry, boy."

THE GROUND BEGINS TO SHIFT

Without wasting a breath, Akumo stepped forward and lowered Richard’s palm onto the stone floor. His fingers wove into rapid, intricate hand signs, the kind Richard had never seen; each left behind a trail of glowing symbols, hanging in the air before fading into the stone.

The temperature in the cave dropped.

The walls dimmed.

A heavy darkness gathered around them like a slow-moving fog.

Akumo’s voice deepened into ancient tones.

"Now watch closely, Richard."

He pressed Richard’s glowing palm onto the ground.

DUMM—DUMM—DUMM.

The stone pulsed.

Dark lines seemed to shoot across the cave floor, carving out an enormous circular formation. Strange runes rose like sparks, floating above the ground and spinning faster and faster.

It was then that Richard felt the weight of gravity shift around him.

It was like standing at the centre of a forming storm.

"These are summoning glyphs older than kingdoms," Akumo explained.

"Only a handful ever mastered them. And you, boy, are about to witness power beyond reason."

Richard’s heart pounded.

His breath caught in his throat.

Akumo lifted Richard’s other hand and pounded it to the ground with great force.

BOOOOM!

The runes turned black.

Black like shadow.

Black like death.

The floor of the cave opened into a swirling hole of darkness, like a door into a world where no sunlight existed.

Akumo shouted the ancient command:

"SUMMONING — DARKNESS KING RAVIEL!"

The darkness was alive in reply.

There was a sound, like the whispers of a thousand souls, quiet, echoing in the cave.

A sudden, sharp wind burst outwards, tearing dust off the ground.

Richard’s hair flew wildly as the shadows twisted upward into a towering pillar.

And then—

A shape emerged inside the swirling darkness.

Armor first.

Black, cracked armor with red lines of ancient script etched into it.

Then broad shoulders.

Then glowing crimson eyes.

A sound of metal scraping against stone echoed through the cavern.

A towering figure stepped onto the summoning circle—slowly, heavily, like a king arriving on a battlefield.

Raviel.

The Darkness King.

The Walking Catastrophe.

His presence alone froze Richard’s breath.

Raviel materialized into view, tall and terrifying with a sword of pure umbra flame in his grasp. His cape of shadows swirled around him, billowing though there was no wind.

His gaze locked onto Richard’s—onto Akumo within him.

And shock crossed Raviel’s face.

For a moment, the titan of darkness actually... hesitated.

"This aura..." Raviel growled, voice deep enough to rattle the cave.

"This summoning signature... Impossible."

He took one heavy step closer.

"Akumo?!"

Akumo lifted Richard’s chin proudly.

"Long time no see, Raviel."

Raviel’s face contorted with incredulity.

His usually calm face cracked with genuine confusion.

"How? You should not have the strength left to summon me—especially not in my full form."

Richard blinked, in his mind.

Full form...? You mean he never appeared like this before?

Akumo replied loudly:

"When I summoned you in the past... yes, I was old, weakened, and fading.

A faint smirk crossed Richard’s—Akumo’s—mouth.

"But now I stand in this body of a young warrior, full of possibilities.

Raviel’s eyes went wider.

His demonic aura flared.

"So you used a human vessel..."

Akumo nodded.

"This boy saved my life. He’s earned the right to witness what true power looks like."

Richard’s heart slammed against his ribcage.

He had never felt so small, yet so important.

Raviel looked Richard up and down slowly, scanning every inch with his crimson gaze.

Finally, he spoke:

"Your compatibility with Akumo is. unprecedented. A normal human would have turned to ash by now.

Richard swallowed nervously.

Akumo burst into loud laughter inside his body.

"He’s not a normal human. He’s one I chose."

Raviel crossed his arms, still analyzing him.

"I can feel it... Your aura isn’t dormant. You’re evolving. Piece by piece."

A jolt ran inside of Richard.

Evolving?

Before he could think further, Raviel’s attention snapped back to Akumo.

"But why summon me now? After centuries-after everything?"

Akumo released a slow breath through Richard’s lungs.

"Because the seal is weakening."

Raviel’s face hardened instantly.

The darkness in the cave thickened.

"You mean... that seal."

Akumo nodded once.

"Yes. The seal that should never break."

Raviel’s hand tightened on his sword. Even Richard felt the fear ripple through him. Akumo lowered Richard’s hand slowly and calmly. "Raviel... I need your power. And he"—Richard’s body jerked slightly—"needs your guidance." Raviel stared into Richard’s glowing blue eyes. "If you seek my power... then you seek war." Akumo’s voice turned colder. "War is already coming." Silence filled the cave. For a long moment neither spoke. The weight of their combined aura crushed the air itself. Then Raviel stepped forward, the shadows at his feet churning. He extended one massive hand—not toward Akumo... ...but toward Richard. "Then let us begin. Richard’s breath froze. Akumo inside him whispered: "Brace yourself, Richard. This is where your true journey begins—" And before he could finish, Raviel reached out— while the whole grotto vibrated with blinding darkness.

Richard’s heartbeat slowly returned to normal as the darkness faded from the summoning circle. Raviel’s enormous presence still pressed against the cave walls, but now Richard’s curiosity burned stronger than his fear. He swallowed, tightening his grip on his own trembling fingers.

"Akumo..." he finally asked, "why is there such a huge difference? Before... Raviel didn’t appear like this. But today he came in full form, full power. What changed?"

Before Akumo could answer, Raviel let out a deep, echoing laugh—one that made the stone floor vibrate.

"Hah! That’s a good question, boy."

He pointed his massive sword downward, letting the blade sink slightly into the stone. "Summoning isn’t a simple trick. To call someone like me, in my complete form, depends entirely on the summoner’s rank, potential, and power."

Richard blinked.

"Rank? Potential?"

Raviel nodded slowly, shadows swirling at his feet.

"A weak magician can only summon a shadow of me. A projection. A fraction. When Akumo was at the end of his lifespan—old, exhausted, practically surviving on thin breath—how could he summon a king in full might?"

Akumo sighed inside Richard’s mind.

"He’s right. Back then, I was nearly dust. I could barely hold myself together, much less awaken Raviel properly."

Raviel crossed his arms, smirking.

"But now, you—" he jabbed a finger toward Richard’s chest, "—you are overflowing with raw energy. Fresh blood. Untouched potential. Your body boosts Akumo’s aura to a level he hasn’t touched in centuries."

Richard’s eyes widened.

Akumo chuckled proudly.

"Half of my spirit... in a strong young vessel... gives us power close to what I had in my prime."

Raviel leaned closer, crimson eyes gleaming.

"Remember this, human. A summoner’s strength decides the form of the summoned. And you... might one day call beings even I would fear."

A cold shiver ran down Richard’s spine as the truth settled into him—

this was only the beginning of something