Various catalysts were often used to enhance rituals. Depending on the requirements, the items could vary greatly. From mercury and chicken carcasses to the bones of ancient heroes and artefacts created in ancient times. Sometimes alternatives were used in the form of thousands of sacrifices killed in the most horrific ways: from simple throat-slitting to various perversions. Speaking of specific examples, Castor can definitely mention the practices of guro, vivisection, burning people alive, and devouring them alive with various animals. And that's what he could remember off the top of his head, without digging too deep into his memory.
"Partner... I am a great and terrible dragon, but even in my youth I never did such things," Ddraig said warily, clearly grimacing. Brinel simply shrugged. Over the years of the Dark Dawn, the mage had simply grown accustomed to seeing such scenes almost every day, especially at the very beginning of the end of the world. That was before most of the people had turned into piles of grotesque flesh and the fields were flooded with the blood of those hanging on crosses. Later, when the fires of war had died down and few survivors remained, the horrors burned away, becoming part of the planet's flesh forever.And even amid death, decay, and rot, there were those who were willing to sacrifice a hundred people for a small piece of power that would not change the position of this fool in any way. The Ethereals were still stronger, the Chthonians were still more numerous, and Yogul would have devoured everyone anyway, leaving only the Great Nothingness. Therefore, the only correct solution was to destroy the planet and all the filth that had attached itself to it. And this turned out to be not as terrible a decision as the mage had initially thought.
But something led his mind astray and awakened the wrong memories. So, since he had access to the repository, obtaining powerful catalysts was no problem. Ancient hearts that still beat despite the death of their owners. The blood of H'ton that flowed through the veins of the most ancient demons. Ethereal brains overflowing with magical energy. Crystals containing the power of otherworldly invaders. Seals containing a pitiful fraction of the Dying God's power. Even a few of these components would be enough to create the most powerful magical rituals, but the methods of obtaining them are incredibly complex and dangerous.
"I don't think the backyard is a good place to summon the Lord," Ddraig expressed his healthy concerns when Brinel finished drawing a runic circle with the pentagram in the centre on a piece of paper. As the dragon explained to him, such pieces of paper were created to make it easier to spread information among people. The chances of anyone believing them were slim, but not zero. It was somewhat similar to the methods of the Cult of H'ton: recruiting new followers, although they were more cautious. The Cult of Bismiel had never stooped so low, instead weaving various webs of rumours and deception.
***
"So, the number of catalysts is ideal for sufficiently amplifying the ritual, while remaining within relatively safe limits. The risk of a breach into Chaos and summoning a demon with god-level power is extremely low.
"Hey, I don't understand, what's going on?!" roared Ddraig, causing Castor to wince, but his relaxed smile remained.
"Which demon summoned this incomprehensible crap that's not equal to zero?"
"Any powerful summoning ritual has the property of attracting powerful beings from the other side," Brinel began to explain to the dragon like a child, drawing additional runes to increase security. "And no matter what kind of isolating screens you put up here, they can see them from the other side.
"Then don't do anything!"
Castor sighed and rose from his knees, finishing the magic circle. His icy eyes looked sadly at the sky. Castor understood that his actions were meaningless and would only bring him trouble. But long-standing resentment towards the "almighty" gods, demons, and "wish granters" forced him to act this way. To prove to himself and to this Lord that there were no omnipotent beings except the gods. And even these creations had their limits, which they were afraid to cross. And Brinel had a scientific interest: what were the local creatures of chaos like? Their motives, morals, appearance. Ddraig said that they looked like humans, but it would be much more interesting to see them in reality for himself.
It was worth adding to this the fact that it was better to demonstrate one's abilities and draw boundaries than to later endure the creatures' attempts to cross any lines.
"It's illogical: you want peace, but you're going to expose yourself to the entire magical world," the dragon noted the illogicality of his behaviour, which made Brinel snort. It really didn't fit his behaviour pattern, but... For the first time in three years, he was genuinely interested in something. Even his project to destroy the planet didn't evoke such... childish and bright feelings, only cold calculation and revenge. Nothing more. But here he wanted to do something... something uncharacteristic for him. However, this could be explained logically.
"Oh, biblical god! I'm going to die of suffocation in here!" Ddraig roared in despair, but Castor paid no attention.
"Checking the power level of the local Lords and their abilities, as well as the possible reactions of the world to such complex rituals," Brinel carefully left the circle and stood nearby. His gaze fixed on the barely visible runes that hung in a dome around them. Protection and shielding.
"It is worth adding that the magic of two different worlds can differ and conflict greatly. But I have not detected any anomalies in the behaviour of either the runes or the verbal spells. This fact leads me to one theory, but without additional information, it's not worth even sketching out," Castor said slowly and deliberately, checking the structure of the circle and the runic spells for the tenth time. His smile filled with warmth, and his eyes glowed a little brighter with curiosity.
"Is it even possible to summon demons of H'ton or creatures of the Terrible World here? Perhaps chaos and horror are phenomena unique to my universe, but not to the great infinite as a whole, in which case the safety of this ritual would be 100%."Damn... I'd rather fuck the bearer of Albion than listen to this..."
"The main carriers of dragons are men, which leads us to the fact that your orientation is non-traditional," Castor said quickly in a cold tone, causing Ddraig to snort in dissatisfaction.
"But it's not for me to judge you. In ancient times, incest was the royal norm and a way of preserving so-called 'purity of blood'. Well...
How are the rituals activated? It is enough to send an energy pulse, which will trigger a chain reaction that will send the necessary request, using the printed pentagram as a fulcrum. Of course, you can try to activate the entire structure without a reference point, but then there is a high chance of summoning not a specific creature, but... Some kind of spawn of horror or chaos. The former will begin to distort reality, and the latter will slowly devour it, leaving only ashes.
"Let me be clear: I warned you!"
Castor's smile grew colder as he directed the flow of energy to activate the circle. Such a "fearsome" dragon from legends, yet afraid of experiments and entities from other dimensions. Perhaps his fears were justified, but from Brinel's point of view, this experiment posed no threat. The mage was capable of dealing with any creature except the Dying God himself. This confidence did not stem from stupidity or arrogance, but from objective facts and events. At least one forerunner, about a dozen deities, a hundred demigods, and countless enemies of lesser rank had perished at Castor's hands and spells.
"Hmm, the energy flow is reacting as it should," the archmage's abstract thoughts did not prevent him from analysing the ritual. "The signal is being sent, but not to the Terrible World, Chaos or the Great Nothing. In the latter case, prayers, humility and a willingness to die would help.
"Damn you!"
When the call was answered from the other side, the runic circle lit up with a bright blue light, and a gust of wind began to flap Brinel's shirt and sweatpants, who frowned slightly. The energy was being used to create a passageway, as well as a gift for the Lord, judging by his own feelings. But this demon was unlike anything the mage had felt before. Unlike the chaotic, wild, aggressive, and corrosive emanations of H'ton's spawn, here Castor felt... Normality? It's hard to describe the feeling when you realise that a demon is about to appear, but its emanations carry no aggression.
"The sorceress girl Levi-chan has come to the rescue!
When the circle faded, the wind died down, and the energy in the atmosphere returned to normal, the archmage saw... A woman. A girl, even. She was shorter than him (the young man himself was one metre and seventy-nine centimetres tall) by a head, maybe more, and had an impressive bust and waistline for her height. It was... A strange feeling. The image was completed by eyes as blue as the ocean and black silky hair tied back in two ponytails with pink ribbons. She was also wearing a short pink skirt with a black belt and white trim, and a pink short-sleeved shirt that did not cover her stomach. Black fingerless gloves, some kind of strange magical staff and... A hat? A helmet? Castor didn't have enough information to answer that question.
"What a costume! And what shapes! Look at those unbuttoned buttons! Ah, Serafall always pleases my weary eyes..." Ddraig chuckled cheerfully while Castor stared blankly at this wonder of nature. At the same time, the mage noticed a hint of malice and mockery in the lizard's voice. At him.
"And this is the Lord of Demons?" That was the only question that came to his mind.
***
Serapholl looked with interest at the mage who had summoned her. The woman had expected either a place of bloody sacrifice and a bunch of fanatics, or a huge number of old, experienced mages using various artefacts. Perhaps even Longinus. But here! Standing before her was a young, not very tall blond man with a barely noticeable stubble, dressed in a simple shirt and dark blue, almost black trousers. However, the Lord's interest was fixed on the eyes that were looking straight at her. They were icy, emitting a faint cold light. Such eyes were uncharacteristic of ordinary human mages and even of the converted! Heck, even demigods did not possess such a trait! At least not when they were calm.
"Are you the Lord of Demons?" Despite his calm voice and slight smile, Leviathan heard a note of doubt. She reacted as she should have: she puffed herself up and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What, I don't look like one? Should I have burst in here, blazing with fire, with horns sticking out of my head?" The woman threw down her staff, which disappeared in a flash of light, and pointed to the horns on her head, glaring at the mage. "Do I have huge leathery wings? No, I do have wings, but they're not huge, they're actually quite cute," she said with feigned modesty, revealing her small demonic wings. "Well?"
"Judging by my senses, you can indeed be classified as a Demon Lord..." said the guy, his smile turning colder. "And yes, I expected something like that from you. All my encounters with your kind have ended with them wanting to devour me, spill my blood, or rip out my soul for energy.
"I'm sorry, really," Serafall grimaced. There are still a lot of followers of the old order in their ranks who are not averse to such things, and there are also renegades... Ugh, disgusting! The woman now looked at the mage with interest. To say something like that with such calmness and even encyclopaedic knowledge while remaining so cool... A smile appeared on her face. In-ter-es-ting! Very interesting indeed!
"Although he shouldn't be so stuffy at his age," Serafall noted while the young man was clearly thinking.
"I have a certain desire. And, as it says on the leaflet, demons can grant any wish, right?"
"For a price, yes," Leviathan nodded. She was curious what a mage of such power could possibly want. Hmm... Could she make him her figure? No! Sonochka's figure! She would definitely need powerful servants!
"I sense a lot of magical energy around me, but I don't see any constructs... Skilful work!"
"In exchange for my soul and a lot of energy-intensive reagents, I want you to create a separate planet with a self-sustaining ecosystem somewhere near Earth. I want to spend the rest of my life in sacred solitude, contemplation, and scientific research.
Serafall's smile froze. The woman tried to comprehend what the powerful mage had said. Her brain simply refused to process such absurdity. A planet? With its own ecosystem? Not far from Earth?
"Eh?" was all she could say.
***
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