Manifestation — The Storm King

It was the second day of the long weekend. After being rattled around on a train for a while, we found ourselves deep in the heart of a sprawling mountain range owned by Tsubaki’s family. Our plan: a barbecue.

"Behold the mountains, my friend!" Kaiser shouted, his voice echoing through the trees.

"Yeah, I see them. You’re a little too hyped up, don’t you think?" I replied.

"And why wouldn't I be?! Mountains mean training! They mean bug-catching! They mean fishing in the river!"

"True enough. That does sound fun. Let's do it later, Kaiser."

Ah, youth... or something like that. Just having a barbecue in a place like this did seem like a waste. If we were going to play, we might as well go all out. Bug-catching, fishing... and then training, I guess?

"You’re both idiots," Shiki chimed in.

"Hey, you like bug-catching too," I countered. "I saw you raising those rhinoceros beetles at your place."

"That’s called romance, Reima. And the redder the shell, the better."

"You red-obsessed junkie. Why don't you try wearing a different colored bandana for once?"

"Are you trying to strip me of my identity, best friend!?"

"No, your personality is plenty loud enough without the color-coding..."

While we were killing time with our pointless bickering, Ayane and Laura approached. Both were wearing dresses—likely for ease of movement—and looked ready for the hike.

"It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so animated," Laura remarked. "You’re as childish as ever."

"He’s been like this for as long as I can remember," Ayane added. She was wearing a light blue dress and a straw hat. "Whenever Reima and Shiki get into the mountains, their spirits just... spike. My family brought me along once, and I had to spend the entire day watching them fish. It brings back memories."

"Well, it’s the mountains! What do you expect?" I defended myself. "By the way, where exactly are we going?"

Laura, who was still wearing her signature black, and Tsubaki, our host, were leading us deeper into the wilderness. Tsubaki was dressed in her usual traditional Japanese attire, moving through the brush with practiced ease.

"Alright, everyone! We’ve arrived!" Tsubaki called out, stopping in a clearing. "This is our training ground for the day!"

"I figured your idea of fun would involve training," I said, eyeing the area. "But are we the ones fighting?"

"Well, that would be fun too," Tsubaki admitted, "but I was hoping to borrow the strength of one of your Summoned Beasts, Reima-dono. I’ve been wanting to test myself against an S-Rank at least once."

"I mean, I don't mind, but why the sudden interest?"

"Whatever the reason, seeing Laura and Luna-dono fight made me realize how much I still lack. I’ve continued my training, but I'm just not satisfied with the results. I thought that having one of your summons as an opponent might be exactly what I need."

I could follow her logic, but... finding a suitable training partner for her was the hard part. I have plenty of summons, but most of the ones who'd be good for sword training are a nightmare to deal with. The ones I’d befriended in the Wakuni region of Mythologia were mostly figures from Japanese myth. They’d be helpful, sure, but their personalities—and their sheer scale—were a disaster waiting to happen.

I closed my eyes, focusing inward to see if anyone was free. The moment I "asked," my mind was flooded with a cacophony of voices all screaming "Call me!" at once.

I was at a loss until I noticed one voice that was significantly louder than the rest. Since he was technically one of the few who possessed a modicum of common sense, I decided to go with him.

"...Alright. [Summon] Baal Wild Hunt."

I called his name without much thought, and the atmosphere shifted instantly. A gale began to howl.

A chill—or perhaps it was that primal, instinctive fear all living things feel in the presence of a predator—dominated the clearing. He was manifesting.

The neighing of a horse echoed through the trees, followed by the distant, haunting blast of a horn. The sound grew louder and more majestic, as if the world itself were heralding his arrival.

The trees shook violently. Shadows stretched and deepened as the clearing was plunged into an artificial night. Then, a voice boomed from the void.

"I am the storm. I am death. I am the calamity. Challenger, do you possess the resolve to face the disaster that is I?"

The world around us was overwritten by a stormy night.

At least he’s being considerate, I thought. He had deployed a barrier to contain the fallout, effectively transporting us to an isolated, unfamiliar space.

"The name bestowed upon me by my Lord is Baal! Master of the storm and the life-giving rain, leader of the host of death—I am Baal Wild Hunt!"

The Great King of Death appeared, wreathed in flickering blue flames and raging winds.

He’s one of the few summons I have with two distinct mythological origins. And the idiot just burned through thirty percent of my total mana just to make an entrance.