Mount Chimera - Afternoon
The train rattled to a halt at Morio Station, the furthest settlement before the volcanic ranges began. Yume stepped onto the platform, feeling the temperature shift immediately—warmer, drier, with a faint sulfuric tang in the air.
The station master, an elderly man with sun-weathered skin, glanced at his destination ticket and whistled low.
"Mount Chimera? You're either very brave or very foolish, son. That volcano's been restless lately."
"I'm neither," Yume replied, adjusting his pack. "Just doing a job."
"Last mage who tried came back with half his equipment melted." The old man tapped his pipe thoughtfully. "You seem smarter than him, at least. Good luck. If you make it back, stop by for tea. I'd like to hear the story."
Yume nodded and walked toward the edge of town, where civilization gave way to scorched earth and twisted rock formations. Once he was out of sight, he called forth Mi.
The violet shikigami materialized in a shimmer of plasma and shadow, its Miraidon-inspired form humming with restrained energy. It lowered itself, engines purring.
"Mount Chimera. Normal speed—the terrain's going to be rough."
Mi's acknowledgment came as a pleased trill, and they launched forward.
***
Forty Minutes Later
What would have been days of hiking through hostile terrain passed in a blur of violet light. Mi navigated with instinctive grace—avoiding fissures that belched toxic gas, leaping chasms that dropped into darkness, adjusting its form to handle the increasingly unstable ground.
As they climbed higher, the landscape transformed.
Mount Chimera was technically dormant, but "dormant" was a generous term. The ground was cracked and blackened, threaded with veins of orange that pulsed like a living heartbeat. Jagged obsidian formations jutted from the earth at impossible angles, their surfaces mirror-smooth and razor-sharp.
The mountain groaned beneath them—deep, subterranean rumbles that suggested vast chambers of molten rock shifting in eternal darkness. Volcanic gases drifted in lazy clouds, and ash fell like gray snow. The heat was oppressive—not the dry heat of a desert, but thick and wet, clinging to skin and lungs.
Yet life persisted.
Yume slowed Mi to a halt near a cluster of strange trees—their bark was metallic grey, their leaves crystalline, reflecting light in prismatic patterns. Thermal vents dotted the area, and around them, bizarre flora had taken root. Flowers with petals like cooling magma. Moss that glowed faintly with bioluminescence. Fungi that released spores which sparkled before dissolving in the heat.
His zoologist training kicked in immediately.
Remarkable, he thought, dismounting to examine a plant more closely. Complete ecosystem adaptation. The root systems must tap into cooler substrata, while the surface structures reflect or absorb heat depending on time of day. And the fauna...
A creature skittered across a rock—something between a lizard and a salamander, its skin covered in plates that looked like volcanic glass. It paused, regarded Yume with one crystalline eye, then darted into a crevice.
Heat-resistant epidermis, probably endothermic to regulate core temperature. Fascinating.
But fascinating or not, he was here for a mission.
Yume called two Pandora Orbs. They rippled, reality distorting as they transformed—not into weapons this time, but into something entirely different.
The orbs expanded, liquid darkness flowing over his body like living material. Within seconds, he wore a full protective suit—sleek, form-fitting, made of solidified shadow that sealed completely around him. A helmet materialized last, the visor mirror-smooth, reflecting the volcanic landscape.
Inside, the temperature dropped to comfortable levels. The air was filtered, and the visor's enhanced vision cut through volcanic haze, highlighting heat signatures in faint blue outlines. The transformation held steady, drawing a constant but manageable trickle of MP. He could maintain this for hours if needed.
Batman's tactical gear design combined with Pandora's transformation ability. Practical.
"Swift, Jack—scout ahead. Look for signs of the target."
The falcon and rabbit materialized. Swift took to the air immediately, wings cutting through the hot wind. Jack split into a dozen clones that bounded in different directions, spreading across the mountainside.
Yume followed at a measured pace, Mi padding silently beside him in case quick extraction became necessary.
***
Thirty Minutes Later
Swift's call came first—a sharp cry that meant target located.
Through the falcon's eyes, Yume saw it: a dense thicket of heat-resistant vegetation clustered around what looked like a natural hot spring. The area was scorched beyond even the mountain's baseline, suggesting concentrated activity.
Jack's clones converged on the same location, hopping excitedly.
Yume approached carefully, using the jagged rock formations for cover. The thicket was bigger than it had looked from above—easily fifty meters across, with vegetation so dense it created a natural wall.
He found a vantage point behind a massive boulder, obsidian surface still warm from absorbed heat. From here, he saw into the clearing beyond the thicket.
And what he saw made him pause.
The clearing was a massacre site.
Bones littered the scorched earth—massive bones, from creatures far larger than any normal animal. Some were picked clean. Others still had charred meat clinging to them. The ground was stained dark, and the smell of death permeated even through his helmet's filters.
At the center of the clearing, surrounded by the carnage, lay the target.
That's not what the mission briefing described.
The creature was massive—easily twelve feet tall even while resting. Its body was vaguely humanoid but wrong in every proportion. Arms too long, ending in claws like obsidian daggers. Legs bent backward like a wolf's. Its torso was wrapped in what looked like volcanic chitin—natural armor formed from cooled magma and crystallized minerals. Magma veins glowed faintly orange through cracks in the dark plating, pulsing in rhythm with its breathing.
The head was the worst part. It had the brutal structure of an ogre—heavy brow, jutting jaw—but the muzzle and teeth of something lupine. Four eyes, arranged in two sets, all currently closed. Steam rose from its nostrils with each breath.
Dark lava crickets—each the size of a fist, their carapaces glowing with internal heat—swarmed around it. Hundreds of them, creating a living carpet of chittering, molten insects.
The mission listed this as B-rank. But this creature...
Yume assessed it with tactical analysis.
Size and build suggested incredible strength. The chitin armor would resist most physical attacks. Those claws could disembowel with minimal effort. The insect swarm provided both detection and defense. The glowing veins suggested potential heat-based abilities.
Stronger than the Alpha Vulcan. Probably low A-rank, but alone rather than leading a pack. That's why it's rated B—solo targets are easier to manage than coordinated groups.
He could handle this. The question was how much interference to provide.
This was supposed to be Caesar's test. His newest shikigami's first real combat scenario. A chance to see how the intelligent, aggressive fighter handled itself against a genuine threat.
But sending Caesar in blind would be stupid.
Yume pulled back from the boulder and moved to a more secure position—a natural alcove formed by two leaning rock formations. From here, he had clear line of sight but was concealed from multiple angles.
He called two more Pandora Orbs, and they rippled into a sleek sniper rifle—matte black, perfectly balanced, with a scope that could track targets through heat haze.
"Caesar. Come forth."
The shadows at his feet didn't just darken—they ignited.
Black flames shot through with violet and ghostly blue erupted from the ground, spreading in unnatural patterns that defied physics. The fire formed platforms, stairs, archways made of burning shadow.
And from the center of the conflagration, Caesar rose.
The shikigami stood maybe five and a half feet tall—compact compared to some of Yume's other summons, but radiating presence far beyond his size. Deep crimson fur covered his simian frame, with a blazing purple mane that seemed to move independent of wind. Gold-white armor plating protected his chest, forearms, and shins.
His eyes opened—brilliant violet, burning with intelligence and barely contained aggression.
He looked around, taking in the volcanic landscape, the scorched clearing, the massive creature sleeping among its insect guardians.
Then Caesar grinned, showing fangs, and his voice echoed with barely restrained excitement:
"FIGHT?"
Yume felt a smile tug at his own lips despite the situation. Caesar's enthusiasm was infectious.
Even now, weeks after Caesar's creation, the fact that he could speak still caught Yume off guard. None of his other shikigami had developed language—intelligence, yes, but not actual speech.
Perhaps it's the combination, Yume had theorized after many late-night observations. Caesar's base form was inspired by Infernape—a primate, already predisposed to higher cognitive function. And shikigami are magical constructs that adapt to their summoner's needs. The fusion of biological predisposition, magical adaptability, and my own subconscious desire for a tactical partner...
It created something unprecedented.
"Yes. Fight. But listen first."
Caesar's attention snapped to him, those intelligent eyes focusing with surprising intensity.
"Target is the large creature in the clearing. It's stronger than it looks—probably low A-rank despite the mission rating. The insect swarm will attack if you get close. The chitin armor is tough. Those claws are deadly. The glowing veins suggest heat manipulation."
Caesar nodded, his grin never fading. "CAESAR UNDERSTAND. WHAT YUME WANT?"
"Test yourself. See what you can do. I'll intervene if you're about to die, but otherwise, this is your fight."
"GOOD!" Caesar's eyes blazed brighter. "CAESAR SHOW YUME! CAESAR STRONG!"
"I know you are. Now show me how you fight when it matters."
Caesar's grin softened slightly, his eyes focusing with unusual intensity. "YUME TRUST CAESAR. CAESAR NOT DISAPPOINT."
Then the grin returned, full force. "NOW CAESAR GO!"
He cracked his knuckles, shadow-fire already beginning to swirl around his form. The flames didn't burn—they consumed, eating light and heat alike, turning the air around him into a pocket of absolute black.
He looked toward the clearing, his grin widening.
And without waiting for acknowledgment, the shikigami launched himself forward, trailing shadow-fire like a comet.
Yume settled into his alcove, sniper rifle ready. Swift circled overhead, maintaining aerial surveillance. Jack's clones spread around the perimeter, ready to intervene or provide distraction if needed.
This was Caesar's test.
Time to see what his newest creation could really do.
***
Caesar hit the ground at the edge of the thicket with enough force to crack stone. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, scattering ash and startling the cricket swarm.
The massive creature's four eyes snapped open.
For a heartbeat, predator and challenger stared at each other across the scorched earth.
Then Caesar raised both fists, shadow-fire exploding around him in a spiral of black and violet, and roared:
"CAESAR HERE! YOU FIGHT NOW!"
The creature rose, magma veins flaring brighter.
And Yume watched, analyzing every movement, ready to intervene if necessary but hoping—for Caesar's sake—that it wouldn't be.
His newest shikigami deserved a chance to prove himself.
The shadow-fire blazed brighter, and the trial by fire truly began.
***
The creature charged.
Despite its size, it moved with horrifying speed—claws extended, mandibles clicking, the cricket swarm boiling around it like a living wave.
Caesar didn't dodge.
Instead, he grinned wider, planted his feet, and punched.
Shadow-fire erupted from his fist in a spiral, meeting the creature's charge head-on. The impact shook the clearing, cracking the scorched earth beneath them.
The crickets shrieked as one, the ground vibrating with their alarm.
"GOOD!" Caesar's laugh was pure joy. "YOU STRONG!"
The creature's second claw came from the side—blindingly fast, aiming to disembowel.
Caesar twisted, the claw missing by inches, and drove an uppercut into the creature's jaw. Shadow-fire exploded on contact, and for the first time, the chitin armor showed cracks.
The creature roared—pain and rage mixed—and brought both claws down in a hammering blow.
This time Caesar did dodge, flowing backward like water, leaving platforms of shadow-fire hanging in the air where he'd been standing.
"CAESAR TURN NOW!"
He launched himself from one platform to another, building speed, building momentum, shadow-fire trailing behind him like wings as he closed the distance—
And drove both fists into the creature's chest with force that cracked chitin.
The Volcanic Ogre roared. Caesar laughed.
The real fight had begun.
***
From his alcove, Yume watched with analytical precision, already noting the distinct fighting patterns Caesar was employing.
This was going to be interesting.
[To Be Continued in Chapter 11]