Chapter 41: Another Familiar
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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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The system’s red-highlighted notifications glowed brightly in front of Minato’s eyes, the letters beeping like they were police sirens.
The cave was still shaking due to the fact that the gateway was opening, the sound of rushing water echoing all around them.
As he quietly read the notification, the elf girl’s body in his arms stopped struggling under his grip... her breathing was now shallow, her face covered in blood and bruises.
Minato froze, staring up at the notification. The words "WOULD YOU LIKE TO FORM A FAMILIAR CONTRACT WITH THE ELF?" repeated over and over in his vision.
He looked down at her... the elf. Her blue eyes were still open, weak yet defiant. Even now, through the blood and bruises on her face, she managed a smirk.
"I am going to enjoy watching your realm burn... your people will become our everlasting slaves."
With his right hand, Minato slapped her across the mouth; more blood welled up and spilled from her teeth and lips.
Amelia stood beside him, watching quietly, her eyes shifting between Minato and the elf. The cave atmosphere, glowing from the opening gateway behind them, dark green light reflecting on all three of them.
The system notifications stayed on display, the glowing text floating in front of Minato’s eyes, waiting for his final decision.
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[AWAITING RESPONSE... 5 SECONDS UNTIL AUTOMATIC TERMINATION OF DOMINANCE BOND]
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"Five seconds... huh?" Minato muttered under his breath, almost smiling.
[4... 3... 2... 1...]
"YES!" Minato shouted, his voice echoing throughout the cave. He stared directly into the elf’s eyes, a wide grin appearing on his face as the system’s notifications, disappeared and appeared again, but this time with a confirmation of his request.
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[DING]
[FAMILIAR CONTRACT: CONFIRMED] [INITIATING SOUL LINK BETWEEN HOST AND ELF SUBJECT...]
[SYSTEM WARNING: EXTREME PAIN DETECTED — FAMILIAR WILL EXPERIENCE SEVERE DISTRESS DURING INITIAL BONDING PHASE.]
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The elf’s confident expression vanished as she saw Minato laughing.
Minato released her briefly, her body stiffened up, and she fell to her knees. Her hands clutched her chest, as a bright red symbol formed across her cleavage’s skin, spreading rapidly from her neck to her shoulders. Her breathing grew uneven, and her body was trembling intensely.
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[SYNCHRONIZATION LEVEL: 42%... 68%... 95%... 100%]
[CONTRACT COMPLETE — ELF FAMILIAR SUCCESSFULLY LINKED TO HOST]
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The red glow faded completely. The elf girl started gasping for air, sweat dripping down her face. She looked up weakly at Minato. "What... did you do to me... human..."
Minato’s eyes were ice cold. He grabbed her by the hair and forced her to look at the swirling gateway behind them. "I’ll ask again. Close the portal."
The elf spat at him, blood mixed with saliva hitting his cheek. Minato proceeded to wipe it away with the back of his hand, his face expressionless.
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[DING]
[SYSTEM WARNING: FAMILIAR SHOWING SIGNS OF REBELLION] [FAMILIAR IS IGNORING HOST’S DIRECT COMMAND]
[ACTIVATING ANTI-DISOBEDIENCE PROTOCOL...]
[PLEASE SELECT A METHOD TO DISCIPLINE FAMILIAR]
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↓↓
A — CONTROL BODY (Forcefully override the familiar’s motor functions for a limited time. May cause internal strain to familiar.)
B — MENTAL CORRECTION (Send neural pain feedback directly through the soul link. Recommended for moderate disobedience.)
C — MEMORY STRIKE (Erase the last 10 minutes of the familiar’s consciousness. Risk of emotional instability and loyalty loss.)
D — ABSOLUTE ORDER (Whatever the host commands, the familiar must obey, regardless of affection or mood. Reserved for highly disobedient familiars. Extreme caution advised.)
_______________________________
Minato’s jaw tightened a bit. "System," he exclaimed, squeezing her hair, "select option D... Absolute order."
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[DING]
[OPTION SELECTED: ABSOLUTE ORDER] [ESTABLISHING TEMPORARY CONTROL LINK BETWEEN HOST AND FAMILIAR]
==========================
The elf girl’s body went still. Her eyes widened, and she tried to move, but her limbs froze. Her arms dropped to her sides, and her breathing became faster than usual. The little sound of her teeth grinding could be heard as she tried to fight the control.
Her head slowly lifted against her will, facing Minato directly.
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[CONTROL LINK: ACTIVE]
[COMMAND AWAITING INPUT]
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Minato stepped closer. "Close the gateway."
The system responded immediately.
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[ORDER REGISTERED]
[EXECUTING ABSOLUTE ORDER THROUGH FAMILIAR LINK]
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The elf’s hands started to move without her consent or control. Her eyes showed clear resistance, but her fingers began to trace a circular pattern in the atmosphere. Dark green light gathered around her palms, and the gateway in front of her started to break.
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[ENERGY FLUCTUATION DETECTED IN PORTAL 3 CORE]
[FORCE DIMENSIONAL LINK DESTABILIZING]
[ESTIMATED COLLAPSE: 3 MINUTES]
=======================
She gritted her teeth, blood dripping from the side of her mouth as she resisted the system’s control. "You... bastard..." she managed to say weakly.
Minato didn’t reply. He simply stood there watching her finish the process. Amelia stepped forward beside him, glancing at the collapsing gateway.
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[PORTAL 3 CORE STABILITY: 40%... 19%... 5%... 0%]
[EXTERNAL GATEWAYS TERMINATED SUCCESSFULLY]
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The green light vanished completely, leaving behind a semi-dark cave and the sound of dripping water. The elf girl collapsed forward, her knee grinding against the rocky ground of the cave.
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[FAMILIAR CONTROL LINK TERMINATED]
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Her body twitched slightly as control returned back to her. She lay there, coughing weakly, glaring up at Minato.
"You think... this changes anything?" she said in a strained voice.
Minato looked down at her and said in a nonchalant tone, "It’s a start."
Slowly, the main core of Portal 3 that was powering the gateway became visible.
Minato walked past the elf girl and stopped in front of the core. Without hesitation, he lifted his blood axe and brought it down hard. The core split into three pieces, releasing a burst of energy that shook the ground around his feet.
Immediately, the light from the core faded, and a new exit portal appeared right in front of them.
"Looks like we’re done." Amelia walked up beside Minato. She reached out and patted his hair with one hand; the touch was really quick. Minato felt the small pressure of the gesture and smoothed his hair back with the other hand. Amelia’s cheeks went a bit pink.
She straightened and looked at the elf on the ground. "What are we going to do with her?" she asked. Her voice was loud, making sure the elf could hear her. "If you want, I can kill her right now."