— — — — — —
"If you've taken on a request, there's naturally a reward. And my reward to you… is the recognition of me, the Celestial Spirit King."
"If you ever need me in the future, you may summon me at any time."
The Spirit King didn't actually have to appear. Even if someone used the ritual as Kazuma, nothing would happen unless he chose to respond.
He had never made a true contract with a human, and he had no corresponding key of his own.
Summoning him wasn't really a summoning at all, even if you broke a Gold key. It was more like pleading with the Spirit King for help.
If a celestial spirit didn't share a deep enough bond with its summoner, then even with a broken key and plenty of magic, the Spirit King would never be moved.
He simply wouldn't answer.
"Kazuma... You are also welcome to visit the Spirit World anytime."
Small fist met giant fist once more. This was the first contract the Spirit King had ever made with a human.
And for the first time, someone summoned the Spirit King without sacrificing a key, relying solely on his own will and magic.
"Tch... Kazuma, I may not be as strong as you, but if you ever need me, I'll show up. That's my thanks to you… and my oath."
Leo stepped forward next, bumping his fist against Kazuma's as well. Everything had started because of him, after all. He should share the responsibility.
"We asked you for help before, yet during your mission we were forced to stop you. We're truly sorry. And besides, the greatest treasures of the Celestial Spirit World… are us spirits ourselves. So count us in."
One by one, the Zodiac spirits stepped forward. Their payment for the request was their personal promise to Kazuma.
"And us too! Even though we already made contracts with you, you've never summoned us. Not even once!"
"We're extremely offended. But if you summon us more often from now on, we might forgive you."
The other eighty-eight constellations chimed in as well.
And not just them; the stars in the sky shimmered as if speaking too. Those were the spirits who had never been summoned and still remained in the Spirit World.
"My friend. We leave everything to you." The Spirit King spoke.
"Don't worry. I'll finish the task. I promise you all." Kazuma answered.
At that moment, countless starlights gathered. With the contract sealed, the power of the world swirled together.
Using the bodies of all eighty-eight constellations, and the Spirit King himself as the core, a full celestial star map unfolded before Kazuma. The instant it appeared, every spirit key shattered.
Starlight poured into the map, igniting star after star. All their power flowed to the center.
Lighting the enormous star belonging to the Spirit King.
"…So this is my key."
The Spirit King sensed it at once. As he stared at the map in front of Kazuma, he felt the mysterious connection tying it to himself.
"This is the unique key of the Spirit King!"
Crux of the Southern Cross, a scholar among spirits, immediately understood what he was seeing. He knew everything about celestial spirits and their summoners.
The moment he saw the complete star map, he understood its meaning.
"Crux, explain it properly." Leo rushed over. All of them were confused. Why did the keys shatter? Why did a map of all their constellations appear? Why did they feel a strange link to it?
"I can only guess…" Crux began.
"In the past and in the future, no key belonging to the Spirit King will ever exist. Because the Spirit King is the entire Spirit World."
"A single key could never contain him. Only the power of all eighty-eight constellations combined can open the door to summon him."
"That must be how this kid summoned him before."
Crux spoke slowly, unhurried as always.
"Crux, get to the point! We just want to know what that star map is!" Leo snapped, unable to bear the pace.
"Well, it all began a very, very long time ago…" Crux stroked his beard, preparing to start from the distant past.
"Skip it!" Leo cut him off immediately.
"Then let's begin with the purpose of the spirits' birth…"
"Cancer. Cut his mustache." Leo said flatly.
"Wait! I get it, I get it! Don't rush me. Fine, I'll keep it simple."
"You all know you can summon the Spirit King by sacrificing a Gold key. But that's not absolute."
"You can also sacrifice silver keys. You just need a lot more of them since silver holds less power."
He continued, "Adding that to what I said before… since the Spirit King represents all spirits, the combined total of all our keys becomes his key."
"In theory, anyway. But no one has ever collected all eighty-eight constellation keys."
"And even if they did, they could never form deep contracts with all of us at the same time."
"And even if they managed that, they'd still need the Spirit King's recognition."
"In short, that star map is an achievement unseen for countless eras, and likely never to be repeated."
"A miracle. A super-celestial miracle key, a world-level supreme magic."
"It contains the entire Celestial Spirit World!"
Crux grew so excited that he pulled out his notebook, ready to record this moment into the great legends of the Spirit World.
"..." x99
All the spirits exchanged looks and came to a shared conclusion.
"Get him."
They mobbed Crux at once.
"Talking in circles forever, and you didn't actually know anything important!"
"You call it a miracle! We know it's a miracle! We were asking what kind of miracle!"
While the spirits caused chaos behind him, Kazuma focused on the flood of information pouring into his mind from the completed treasure.
Its true name: CelestialStar Map.
[Celestial Star Map: The stars have watched over endless ages, witnessing history and miracles.Yet through an unprecedented event, a treasure that should never exist in this world was born. Whoever possesses it gains the recognition of the stars themselves, along with their power.]
[Effect 1: Summon all celestial spirits, including the Spirit King.]
[Effect 2: Directly channel and absorb starlight to attack foes.]
[Effect 3: Create a Reality Marble, a small Celestial Spirit World where starlight is infinitely amplified.]
[Note: All effects work in any world with stars.]
[Another Note: Effects vary depending on the world.]
"Celestial Star Map… basically it's like locking someone in a dark room, then calling in a whole group to beat them up."
Kazuma thought for a moment and summed it up in the most casual way he could. Not bad overall.
"My friend, the surprise you brought me today… it surpasses everything I've witnessed throughout countless ages. If possible, I'd like to keep chatting with you, but I'm afraid I have to go."
"I can't stay away from the Spirit World for too long, and I can't remain in the human world for long either. It affects both Worlds."
"My friend, drop by the Spirit World when you have time. I'll hold the grandest nightly banquet to welcome you."
Laughing heartily, the Spirit King's figure began to fade. As the ruler of the Spirit World, he simply couldn't remain here for long.
Even Kazuma's magic couldn't change that. His presence alone would distort the world.
"Alright. But… why does it have to be at night? Can't I visit in the morning? Are celestial spirits basically owls? Nocturnal or something?" Kazuma asked.
"Our Spirit World is always nighttime. We're stars, after all. Blame the sun. Hahaha!"
The Spirit King actually cracked a joke for once before vanishing completely. The moment he disappeared, the frozen time around them resumed its flow.
"We should head back too. Call us out to play sometimes."
"Even if we're not fighting, I can sing for you."
"Plue!" (I can be cute!)
The spirits waved goodbye. They also couldn't linger in the human world too long.
"Even though we made a contract, don't summon me unless you really need me. I'm very busy."
Aquarius said that as she left.
"Um… if possible, could you help me buy some magic firearms? I feel like it's time to upgrade from bows…" Sagittarius had been thoroughly beaten by Kazuma's modern weapons earlier, and now his own bow felt outdated. He really wanted to try shooting a gun.
"Next time you call us out, we hope it's not to get beaten again. Play games with us instead." The Gemini twins waved nervously. After the beating they took earlier, they were still traumatized.
"Kazuma, my friend… even if our worlds are different, I'll always remember our friendship. Goodbye."
Leo struck a dramatic pose and turned away, ready to make a graceful exit. The next second, Kazuma grabbed him by the collar.
"Where do you think you're going? The mess you caused isn't fixed yet. You don't get to run away. Get back here."
Kazuma hauled Leo straight back like he was dragging a bag of trouble.
"Your girlfriends are still blocking the guild doors waiting for you. Everyone in the guild has been looking for you. You're going to deal with them."
"Also, the master wants me to handle your resignation letter. You need to go explain yourself to the old man."
"So many problems waiting for you, and you think you can just walk away? Showing off like that? Quit the act. Go deal with your mess."
Kazuma's words fired out like rapid artillery, knocking Leo flat onto the ground emotionally and spiritually.
"Kazuma, please let me go..."
"No… no! Wait for me, everyone! I haven't even left yet! Why are you all going back?!"
Leo watched the spirits returning to their World one after another. He thought he could go home too, but instead he was stuck here facing disaster.
So after all that chaos… Kazuma gained an amazing treasure and the Spirit King's recognition, and Leo only got a mountain of problems.
"Let me go! Let me go home!"
"You don't know how terrifying those girls are! They'll tear me apart!"
"And the guild members—if they find out I disappeared without a word, they'll beat me senseless!"
"And the master… how am I supposed to explain this to him? Just let me go or just kill me now!"
Leo would rather die than deal with all of that.
"I don't care. It's not my headache. You're coming with me."
Kazuma dragged him away by one hand. There was no escape. It was time to face the music.
[Ding~]
[Achievement unlocked: Recognition of all 88 Constellations.]
[Reward: Sage Art Training Method (Naruto).]
[Ding~]
[Achievement unlocked: Contract with the Spirit King.]
[Reward: Spider-Sense. (Marvel)]
[Similar skill detected. Spider-Sense and Haki—Observation Haki: Future Vision are merging...]
[New skill formed: Spider Haki. In normal state, you can instinctively perceive incoming danger and react automatically. When activated intentionally, you can see oncoming threats with even greater clarity.]
[Gambare~ Gambare~]
...
"Huh? This haul's pretty big. It'll take a while to digest everything."
The notification made Kazuma pause for a step before he continued walking as usual.
Getting power was one thing. Mastering it was another. He still had to train, analyze, experiment. Nothing became unstoppable just by receiving it.
He realized this after he lost control of his magic before.
---
Meanwhile, outside where time had resumed—
"Hey… I think I saw a shooting star just now. Was I imagining it? Something feels like it happened…"
Looking up, Lucy replayed that star in her mind. She definitely saw it. But now it was gone, vanished without a trace. Instinct told her she wasn't wrong. Something had fallen from the sky.
She grabbed her celestial keys and summoned Aquarius at the nearest source of water.
"Aquarius, I saw a shooting star earlier. Did something happen in the Spirit World?"
Lucy had grown up studying Celestial Spirit magic, and to her, every sign in the sky reflected changes in the Spirit World.
"I can't believe you summoned me for this. Do you know how busy I am, brat?"
"How many times have I told you not to summon me unless it's important? Honestly, you're asking for a beating." Without hesitation, Aquarius's water whip lashed Lucy across the butt.
"Ow ow ow! I was just asking! You didn't need to get this mad!" Lucy clutched her butt, tearing up.
"Hmph. Maybe now you'll think twice next time."
"Alright, I'm leaving. Summon me again for nonsense and it won't be just two whips. And… the Spirit World's fine. It just experienced a little miracle. A beautiful miracle."
With that, Aquarius turned and disappeared. Despite her harshness, she cared deeply for Lucy. She scolded her because Lucy didn't have the magic capacity to summon her casually.
And Aquarius couldn't help feeling emotional. As expected of Layla's daughter… Lucy really had inherited her talent for Celestial Spirit magic.
"A miracle? What miracle? Why is Aquarius so weird today? And why is she so much grumpier than usual?" Lucy rubbed her sore bottom, more confused than ever.
At that moment in the guild, Cana was doing another divination, this time for Loke (Leo).
"Sorry, Loke. You're dead. Those girls are going to tear you apart."
Loke curled into a corner. "…I knew it. I should've just died outside."
"Kazuma, do you want me to read your fortune too? Ok you want it, I know." Before Kazuma could answer, Cana had already started shuffling cards.
Kazuma laughed lightly and headed out to find Makarov.
Cana placed her cards on the table, but a moment later, an invisible force ripped them to pieces.
.
.
.