Three shikigamis.
That's my soft summoning limit so far. Anything more than that will destabilize all of my shikigamis and may even forcefully dispel them. It also strains my body and saps my energy; in short, it's not worth going over the limit.
I carefully stood at the edges, and a quick, cold jolt went up my spine while looking down at the bottomless pit. I couldn't even see the bottom. I grabbed a random rabbit shikigami and threw it at the wide, gaping hole.
The rabbit descended for around nine seconds before I felt it dissipate. It really is deep. Piercing Ox wouldn't survive this kind of fall.
I took a deep sigh and walked away from the pit's edges and stood by the doorway. This strange room has several circular-shaped pits. I don't see the function of these pits, nor this room, but whatever.
I summoned Max Elephant by making the proper hand gesture. The plan is relatively straightforward: the elephant will release a powerful stream of water from its snout to push the ox over, then wait for the ox to splat at the bottom.
The deer and the rabbits will stand by. I'll only order them to intervene if the water blast isn't enough to topple the ox over.
I took out a can of cola from the makeshift bag and gulped it down, squished it, then threw it away behind me.
"Piercing Ox!" I shouted, doing the proper hand gesture. A shadow swirled in front of me as the ox's figure slowly formed.
"Moo!" The ox bellowed; its moo was similar to a cow's but more aggressive, a low, predatory growl.
Piercing Ox...
This is my third time seeing this shikigami in person. The first one was from gauging its strength, the second was letting Gojo see it, and now the third time. Piercing Ox had black skin, and there was a patch on its head.
It had a white fur dangling from its nose, like a wise sage mustache.
"Go!" Max Elephant released a powerful, focused stream of water, but Piercing Ox held firm; its hooves were firmly embedded in the carpeted floor.
"Rabbits, go!" The rabbit army charged forward and tried to push over the ox; the rabbits kicked, punched, gnawed, and even tried to dislodge the ox's hoofs from the floor.
"Deer, go!" Max Elephant stopped firing its focused water stream as the Round Deer charged forward. Its antlers struck the ox's horns, and the force was enough to dislodge the ox from the floor and topple it over.
Max Elephant then followed it up with a water blast, knocking back Piercing Ox and causing it to fall into the bottomless pit. It let out a heavy and loud moo as it fell, slowly fading as it descended deeper.
I fell to the floor, catching my breath. Summoning four shikigamis was really a strain. If Piercing Ox held out for even a few seconds longer, one of my shikigamis would've been forcefully dispelled.
I need a rest.
I saw a bed earlier, two hallways down. I could rest there, gather some of my energy before I continue the exploration. I slowly made my way in there, accompanied by Round Deer and the rabbit army.
I couldn't help but raise my hopes. I knew that I'd be disappointed in the end, but I couldn't really help it. I hate this god-forsaken place. I don't want to spend a minute or a day longer here anymore.
Hmm... Wait a minute.
I could summon the rest of the untamed shikigamis and then have Max Elephant push them towards that pit. That's a good idea, but I'll have to hold off on that. I have to test out my forced-exit theory ASAP.
...
...
...
I woke up to the loud, several dozen thumps of my rabbit army. My chest instantly felt heavy if this desperate plan of mine fails. I don't know what else to do.
With haste, I rose from the bed and did some minor stretching. I then summoned Piercing Ox, providing the correct gesture.
Piercing Ox appeared in front of me; it no longer had that bullish frown. Its face was neutral, looking at me with serene calm. I placed my right hand on its horns and patted its head; it was oddly receptive to my petting.
Quite odd and cute...
Anyways, this shikigami can pierce and destroy anything so long as it can build a sufficient amount of speed. That's what Gojo told me.
I could go back to that place where that big, locked, heavy, metallic entrance resided, but I run the risk of meeting that damned woman again.
Or worse, Mahoraga...
No, not yet.
It's a last resort for now.
For now, I'll have to force an exit.
I mounted Piercing Ox. I then ordered it to follow the rabbits. There was that spacious room we've come across hours earlier. It could run around and build some speed there.
I ordered one of the rabbits to take out that beef jerky packet from the makeshift bag. The chocolates and the other candy treats were too sweet. The rabbit then gave it to me, and I opened it with concealed excitement.
Finally, some proper food.
Round Deer, the rabbit army, and even Piercing Ox looked at me. Like they want some of it. "No, none for you guys." They looked away and nodded.
If only there were more vending machines here. Especially the ones with those cup noodles, I'd happily sort through all the mocks and fakes just to get a real cup.
My rabbits opened the door, revealing a spacious room with a single foundation pillar in the middle of the room. Let's test this ox out.
I dismounted from Piercing Ox and then ordered it to run around and let it build some speed. It circled the foundation over and over. I could feel the power building inside the ox. Slowly growing stronger with each step.
"Now!"
Piercing Ox quickly changed direction and faced the pillar, charging straight towards it. "Moo!"
It struck the pillar, completely obliterating it. The debris hurtled forward, obliterating the wall and exposing a hallway beyond. I grinned, showing my teeth and simmering hope.