Chapter 40: WOULD YOU LIKE TO FORM A FAMILIAR CONTRACT WITH THE ELF?
"Really," he repeated.
She asked again, "Really?"
This time, Minato laughed... a very short, genuine laugh that broke the tension. Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug. She froze for a moment before relaxing in his arms.
He chuckled again, his voice muffled against her hair. "You’re so cute."
Amelia’s face turned red instantly. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, completely caught off guard. Their eyes met for a second longer than either expected.
Then the portal behind them rumbled violently, shaking the ground.
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[DING]
[12 MINUTES BEFORE PORTAL BREAK]
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The light from the portal shifted from dark green to a black green; the energy inside was flowing violently. Minato’s expression slightly hardened. He let go of Amelia’s hand and turned toward it.
He took a slow step forward, the aura from the portal pushing against his body like a strong wind. It burned slightly against his skin, but his regenerative ability kept him from collapsing.
He gestured for Amelia to follow him. "Come on. Let’s finish this."
She nodded and walked beside him. Together, they stepped into Portal 3... the light swallowing them both as the world around them faded...
"Minato," Amelia’s voice called out softly.
His eyes opened up, and for a moment, everything around him was white. The cold hit his face immediately... sharp and wet. When he looked down, he realized he was lying face-first in the snow. He pushed himself up quickly, brushing the frost off his face and clothes.
Amelia stood beside him; her breath was visible in the freezing air. In front of them stretched a massive cave entrance carved into the side of a different mountain from the one in Hokkaido.
Snow was falling steadily from above, coating the rocks and ground in a thick layer of whiteness. The wind howled through the narrow opening of the cave, echoing deep inside.
Then a familiar sound echoed in Minato’s ears.
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[DING]
[PORTAL 3 CORE LOCATED]
[TIPS: HOST TREAD CAREFULLY]
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Minato stared at the message hovering in front of him, his hands tightening into fists. "Amelia, the core is there..." he muttered.
But his expression didn’t relax at all. Deep down, he already knew... as long as that elf girl was still around and alive, this wasn’t going to be a simple task.
Amelia glanced at him, who was scanning the cave entrance carefully. "Minato, stay alert," she said quietly. "She’s here somewhere... I can feel an enormous amount of aura."
Minato nodded in agreement, and the two of them stepped cautiously into the cave. Their footsteps echoed as they went deeper. The atmosphere grew a lot colder; Their breathing became visible with every exhale.
Surprisingly, there were no monsters or signs of danger inside... just the sound of dripping water from the ceiling. After walking for a minute, the tunnel eventually opened into a wide chamber.
The room was surrounded by water, with a narrow strip of solid ground leading toward the center.
In the middle stood the petite elf. Her silver hair reflected in the water as she raised her hands, chanting in a strange, rhythmic language. A green aura pulsed around her... the same color as Portal 3... and the water rippled with every word she spoke.
Minato stopped walking, narrowing his eyes. He couldn’t understand a single word. "What is she saying?" he muttered.
He glanced at Amelia... but her expression said everything. Her eyes widened, her body was tensed up, as if she had just realized something terrible.
That reaction alone told Minato she understood every word.
Without hesitation, Amelia jumped forward, her boots splashing through the water. She raised her hand, and a massive blood spear formed instantly, the atmosphere vibrating from its sheer aura.
She threw it with full force... it broke the sound barrier, the shockwave was shaking the entire cave and sending fragments of ice falling from the ceiling.
The elf girl turned at the last possible moment. The blood spear sliced across her cheek, missing her head by inches before slamming into the far wall and exploding into shards of hardened blood.
The impact threw the elf off balance, and she stumbled backwards, hitting the ground hard. But before Amelia could reach her, the elf noticed her efforts and finished her chant, smiling.
A magic circle appeared beneath her, glowing a black green.
The elf looked up at Amelia, blood dripping from her cheek, and laughed. "You’re too late, vampire."
The cave began to rumble excessively. The water around them started spinning violently, forming a whirlpool that grew larger by the second.
A gateway was opening there, but this time, Minato saw through the forming gateway... There were hundreds, if not thousands, of elf soldiers on the other side, standing in formation and waiting.
He knew that if they entered through here, it was over for Earth, because this place was still inside Portal 3, and Portal 3 was connected directly to Earth. He had to stop it immediately.
Without wasting time, Minato rushed forward and grabbed the elf girl by her clothes, pulling her close. His eyes were dead serious.
"How do I stop the gateway?" he shouted at her, his saliva flying out in all directions.
Instead of answering, the elf girl started laughing... loud and dry, echoing throughout the cave.
Minato’s anger rose instantly. He lifted her up and slammed her body on the ground with full force. The sound echoed across the caved chamber as blood came out of her mouth.
She tried to raise her hand to attack him, but Amelia reacted immediately.
Streams of blood came out of Amelia’s palm and wrapped around the elf girl’s arms and legs, holding her tightly in place.
Minato’s breathing grew heavier. He couldn’t hold back his anger anymore. He pressed his hand on the elf girl’s face and started slamming her head into the ground again and again and again and again...
For a brief moment, his rage completely consumed him. He didn’t notice the growing noise from the gateway behind him.
Then...
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[DING]
[SYSTEM ALERT: THE PATH OF DOMINANCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED]
[INITIATING SOUL SYNCHRONIZATION SEQUENCE...] PROGRESS: 1%... 2%... 5%... 8%... 19%... 25%... 39%... 87%... 99%... 100%
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[HOST: MINATO KATANA — BLOODLINE VERIFIED]
[TARGET: ELF (CLASS: HIGH ELEMENTAL) — MAGIC SIGNATURE CONFIRMED]
[STATUS: SUBJUGATION SUCCESSFUL]
[NEW CONDITION UNLOCKED — "DOMINANCE BOND" AVAILABLE]
[THE ELF HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY SUBDUED]
[WOULD YOU LIKE TO FORM A FAMILIAR CONTRACT WITH THE ELF?]
[WARNING: ONCE ACCEPTED, THE CONNECTION IS PERMANENT AND CANNOT BE REVERSED]
[CONFIRM: YES / NO]
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