Chapter 439: Summoning
Back in the ancient forest, Arthur felt the summoning slot become available, the mystical space within his consciousness clearing like a room being prepared for a new occupant.
With the superior-ranked demon removed from his summoning roster, Arthur turned his attention back to the fallen Golden Beetle. He placed both hands on the creature’s carapace, feeling the residual warmth that still radiated from its massive frame.
"Awaken," Arthur murmured.
The familiar dark energy of his Primordial Summoner talent responded immediately to his call. A portal of absolute darkness began to form beneath the beetle’s body, its edges crackling with dimensional energy that made the air itself seem to bend and warp. The portal expanded rapidly, growing large enough to accommodate the creature’s impressive bulk.
Dark tendrils of energy, visible as streams of liquid shadow, began to flow upward from the portal’s depths. They wrapped around the beetle’s limbs and carapace like gentle hands, lifting the massive creature with surprising delicacy. The body rose slowly, suspended in the embrace of otherworldly forces as it was drawn inexorably toward the swirling vortex below.
The portal shimmered and pulsed as it accepted its offering, the beetle’s form disappearing completely into the dimensional space where Arthur’s summoned creatures resided when not actively manifested. For several seconds, the portal continued to emit waves of dark energy, the summoning process reaching its critical phase.
Then, with a sound like reality itself sighing, the portal began to reshape itself. Instead of closing, it transformed, becoming a gateway for the beetle’s return rather than its departure. The darkness within began to stir, something massive moving in the depths of dimensional space.
A golden gleam appeared first, followed by the distinctive clicking of mandibles that Arthur remembered from their recent battle.
The Golden Beetle rose from the dark portal, its form exactly as it had been in life. Its golden carapace, which Arthur had destroyed during their fight, was now perfectly restored, gleaming with an inner light that spoke of supernatural resilience. Its compound eyes, previously filled with rage and confusion, now held an unmistakable intelligence and loyalty.
The portal closed beneath the beetle’s feet as it settled onto the forest floor, its massive frame causing the ground to tremble slightly. The creature turned its great head toward Arthur, fixing him with a gaze that held depths of understanding that hadn’t existed in its original incarnation.
Arthur smiled with satisfaction as he felt the mental connection establish itself between them. The Golden Beetle was now his to command, its powerful defensive capabilities and superior rank adding another powerful piece to his ever-growing collection of supernatural allies
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