CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 85: RANK LOST

With Raviel back, the cave had grown quieter—calmer, it would seem, as if the ancient stones finally settled after having witnessed a ritual not seen for centuries. Yet inside this silence, Richard felt the rustling of a deeper storm preparing to rise. The air around Akumo trembled faintly; threads of aura still swirled around his shoulders, a smoke forged from old memories.

Richard stood before him, still in shock from the sight of Raviel’s full-form summoning. He had seen monsters, spirits, and weapons called from other realms-but never a whole being fully awakened, fully armed, and fully alive. His own pulse had not yet steadied, his breath escaping in short, shaken clouds.

Akumo leaned against a stone pillar worn smooth by time. Yet seated in this young body of Richard’s, he felt far older, older than the very earth beneath their feet.

Finally, Richard stepped forward.

"Akumo," he began, voice slightly trembling, "tell me something. Why was your summoning before... so different? When you summoned Raviel in the past, he wasn’t like this. Today, he appeared in full form, in full strength. Why is there such a difference? What changes the summoning?"

Standing near the glowing summoning circle, Raviel let a deep, amused laugh out-a sound like thunder rolling through a canyon.

"Human boy," Raviel said, his voice echoing with layered tones of something not entirely mortal, "summoning has always been tied to one thing: the summoner’s rank, potential, and power. That is the law of all contracts across realms."

Akumo raised a hand.

"Let me explain it properly."

Richard nodded eagerly.

Akumo’s voice shifted; it was the tone of an elder teacher, the tone of one who had lived long enough to see systems rise and die.

"You already know the ranking system-C, B, A, S," he said. "But there is one more. The last one. The one people speak of only in stories-Master Rank. Few ever reach it. Even fewer survive long enough to use it."

Richard swallowed. All his life, he had trained to grasp S-rank, and yet even he knew how brutally difficult it was. The concept of a rank above it seemed almost unreal.

Akumo continued, "C and B Rank magicians... they cannot sign summoning contracts at all. Their bodies, their mana flow, their spiritual circuits—too weak. They would die before the contract finished imprinting."

Raviel nodded once. "Their souls would burn to ash."

Akumo then pointed a finger at Richard.

"A-Rank magicians can summon creatures in only a normal form. Not unique, not powerful, not fully awakened. A-Rank can only summon what their bodies can withstand."

Richard frowned slightly. "Then what I saw earlier—Raviel in his true form—"

"That," Akumo said, "is the realm of S-Rank and Master Rank.

He leaned his head back and sighed, and for a moment his age—centuries of age—showed through Richard’s youthful body.

"In my time," Akumo said quietly, "there lived a true Master Rank magician, the strongest warrior ever to have lived in our world’s history; a man whose power can rewrite reality itself. I was nowhere near his level, even when I reached S-Rank.

Richard’s breath caught. "You. reached Master Rank too, right? You said that.

Akumo’s face tightened.

"I reached it," he said. "But I never mastered it. I stepped into the doorway... and then everything fell apart."

A heavy silence fell.

Raviel’s glowing eyes lowered now, as if remembering the past, too.

Akumo continued, slower now:

"You asked earlier why my summoning was weaker before. Why Raviel could only come in his normal form... Now you will understand. I lost everything that supported my higher ranks—my energy, my aura, my spiritual balance."

He touched the area near his left eye.

"One of my eyes, my visual, was destroyed lifetimes ago. I used a forbidden technique to survive. Izanagi. A reality-bending ability that rewrites death, but at a terrible cost.

Raviel’s voice had gone low. "He used it only once... and even once was unbearable."

Richard’s heart pounded. "You changed reality itself...to stay alive?"

"Yes," Akumo admitted. "I rewrote a moment of fate. I reversed my own death. But in doing so... the eye that held that power burned out forever. The ability was lost. My S-Rank collapsed. My Master Rank fell. And I became what I am now-an A-Rank magician with nothing left but persistence and time.

He gestured around the cave.

"And this place... this time-loop chamber... it preserved my life but not my power.

Richard finally grasped the extent of the suffering of the old man. Centuries spent alive... but weakened. Chained to a cave not by choice, but because he failed. His heart ached, even though the story felt too large, too ancient for him to really fathom.

"So," Richard softly said, "that is why you could only summon Raviel in normal form before. Because your power fell."

"Yes." Akumo exhaled. "My aura became too weak. My rank dropped. Even my body could barely handle the contract anymore. But when I awakened myself into your body... everything changed.

Raviel stepped forward. Though his presence darkened the air, his voice was calm.

"The boy’s body," he said, "is compatible with Akumo’s spirit. His circuits are wide, adaptable. His S-Rank potential is untouched. Through him. Akumo can reach his former heights again."

Akumo nodded. "Your body allowed me to use what I lost long ago. That is why I summoned Raviel in full form today. Not because of my rank, but because of yours.

Richard felt his stomach twist.

"But I haven’t mastered S-Rank completely," he mentioned, almost with shame. "I died before I could."

Akumo’s lips tugged into a small half-hidden smile.

"Yes. You died far too early... right when your real trials had only begun. If fate had not dragged you into my world, your journey would have ended before it started."

Richard’s fists clenched. The memory of his death, of shock and cold, flashed through his mind.

"But you are alive now," Akumo said firmly. "Alive and carrying a power that can rise far beyond what you once trained for."

He folded his arms.

"And because your body holds the potential, I am again allowed to use my full summoning technique. Raviel, through you, takes on his unique form, his true beast form, his rightful form.

Raviel flipped his large weapon over his shoulder and smiled wick-edly.

"Indeed. The boy’s body suits you well, old man."

Akumo huffed in a nearly offended manner, "Do not call me old when I am inside a young vessel."

Richard finally let out a short laugh, unable to stop himself. But his laughter faded as one thought struck him.

"So now... present time Akumo is A-Rank. But inside me... he becomes S-Rank again?"

"No," Akumo gently corrected. "Inside you... I become something very close to Master Rank once more."

Richard froze.

Master Rank?

The rank of legends?

He felt breathless.

Akumo placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That is why I need you, Richard. Why you must train again. Why you must master the spirit-aura connection between us. Because together... we can surpass any limit that once bound us."

Raviel crossed his arms. "And because the enemies ahead will not be defeated by weaklings."

Akumo shot him a glare but didn’t deny it.

Richard stared at both of them, the resurrected king-spirit and the ancient magician sharing his body.

All this power.

All of this burden...

All this destiny...

He breathed in deeply and nodded. "Then teach me everything. No more hesitation. No more fear."

Akumo’s smile widened, proud and fierce. "That is the spirit." The cave lights flickered-in response to Richard’s resolution, to Akumo’s awakening, to the millennium summoning contract binding all into one. Though there was no cliffhanger afterwards, the world itself seemed to exhale, preparing for the next great Chapter of their journey.

Richard understood most of what Akumo explained—the ranks, the contracts, the collapse of power—but there was one thing his mind simply could not settle. How could someone as strong as Akumo... fall so low? How could a man who once touched Master Rank lose everything, even his own eye, even his own reality?

The logic didn’t feel complete. The pieces didn’t fit. Even with Akumo’s calm explanations, Richard sensed a deeper layer buried beneath the words... a wound too old and too heavy to reveal so easily.

As confusion lingered in his eyes, Raviel noticed.

The towering spirit-king let out a low, rumbling sound—half amusement, half pity.

"Richard," he said, voice echoing like distant thunder, "the story of Akumo’s fall is long... too long for you to swallow in one day."

He stepped closer, placing a heavy yet reassuring hand on Richard’s shoulder.

"You will understand slowly—after you live with us, train with us, and walk the path we choose. We will never betray you. We will never abandon you. Akumo still has a dream... and we intend to fulfill it."

Akumo nodded, his expression tightening with determination.

"Raviel speaks the truth. And now—since you carry my power in your body—it’s time you see something special."

His aura flared lightly around Richard’s limbs, a whisper of ancient power awakening.

"I will show you the warrior techniques I once used in my prime. Techniques from an era long buried—techniques only I remember."

He smiled faintly.

"And I will use your body to perform them. Listen..