Origin Summoner: All My Summons Are Broken

Chapter 55

I need to run...

I need to run as fast as I can!

Those thoughts repeatedly echoed through the Primal Dragon’s mind as he continued moving at the fastest speed possible, his enormous body tearing through space as he desperately tried to escape the danger pursuing him.

The Primal Dragon was a being who had been filled with unbridled power and unmatched arrogance for countless ages. His existence alone was enough to strike fear into the hearts of literal gods, and his name was one that countless powerful beings would never dare to mention carelessly.

Yet now, he was fleeing, desperately running as fast as he could in an attempt to preserve his life.

If someone had told him that a day would come when he would have to flee like a coward just to survive, he would have fought them to the death for daring to utter such nonsense. But that was exactly what he was doing now, with his unrelenting arrogance and pride nowhere to be found. All that remained was the desperate desire to escape the disaster that had descended upon him.

And yet, despite how fast he moved, the danger refused to disappear.

The ripple of energy continued to pursue him, threatening to swallow him completely. Even as he pushed his speed to its absolute limit, the distance between him and that overwhelming force seemed meaningless. He couldn’t afford to slow down, not even for a single instant.

After finally leaving the region where the very fabric of space existed in a state of chaotic harmony, the Primal Dragon opened his enormous mouth. A beam of energy shot out, tearing through the surrounding space and creating a spatial portal before him.

Without hesitation, he rushed toward it.

He was almost there.

He was about to escape!

But before he could completely disappear into the spatial portal, a ripple of overwhelming energy slammed into him.

BOOM!

The impact sent his enormous body flying forward, violently pushing him into the spatial portal before he could even react. The portal trembled under the force before swallowing his figure completely.

...

A swirling white portal opened within a realm overflowing with countless treasures.

The Primal Dragon, an ancient beast whose very name would strike fear into the hearts of literal gods, came crashing out of the portal before collapsing into one of the countless mountains of treasure that filled his realm. His enormous body slammed into the treasures, sending countless priceless objects flying in every direction.

But he could no longer care about any of that.

His body was heavily injured, and the damage was far more severe than what could be seen on the surface. The terrifying force had penetrated much deeper, striking directly at his mind, soul, and very being. His existence itself had suffered devastating damage, and even his Dao had been affected by the destruction that had swept through him.

And yet, despite being reduced to such a wrecked state, the Primal Dragon slowly exhaled in relief.

”Thank... God...”

His voice was weak, barely escaping his enormous mouth.

He had survived.

He was still alive!

If he had been in his right mind, he would have realized just how ridiculous his reaction was. After all, he was a being whose existence stood above that of most gods. Hell, even True Gods had every reason to fear him.

He was an ancient beast whose power and accumulated existence had allowed him to stand at a height that countless beings could only dream of reaching. And yet, right now, he couldn’t care less about any of that.

He was dying, after all.

The Primal Dragon felt nothing but relief that he had managed to survive the disaster, even if only barely. If he had been a microsecond late... no, if he had been a microsecond of a microsecond of a microsecond late earlier, he would have been dead by now, completely wiped out of existence.

There would have been no opportunity to escape or any chance to return. Nothing would have remained of him.

His body had already begun to disintegrate before the transfer was completed. The terrifying ripple had damaged his existence to such an extent that even reaching his own realm hadn’t been enough to stop the destruction entirely.

The Primal Dragon’s enormous maw slowly opened, and an egg whose color constantly changed emerged from within it, shifting through countless hues in a manner similar to the ever-changing colors of his scales.

The egg descended gently before landing among the mountains of treasure with a small thud.

The Primal Dragon exhaled in relief once more.

At least...

At least he had managed to preserve it.

He might perish here, but when the egg eventually hatched, he would return. The only thing he would lose was time, perhaps a million years... or even tens of millions of years.

That was how long it might take before he could return to the world once more.

Under normal circumstances, the Primal Dragon would never have been satisfied with such an outcome. He was an arrogant being who would never willingly accept such a humiliating defeat without seeking revenge. If anyone had injured him to this extent, he would have sworn to hunt them down, no matter how long it took.

But this case was different.

Very different.

Right now, the very idea of being placed under house arrest suddenly sounded far too appealing to the Primal Dragon. He would rather spend countless years locked away in his own realm, surrounded by his treasures, than ever experience something like this again.

Anything was better than facing that terrifying disaster a second time.

A moment later, the Primal Dragon’s enormous body finally stopped moving.

His existence was erased.

He was officially dead.

However, in ten million years or so, he would return. That was the only consolation left to him.

And despite how terrible his fate might seem, the Primal Dragon’s outcome was still among the better ones. Many others hadn’t been nearly as fortunate.

Countless beings had suffered complete erasure, their existence destroyed so thoroughly that there would be no opportunity for them to return. Their minds, souls, bodies, and even the foundations of their Dao had been wiped out, leaving nothing behind.

Others had been lucky enough to survive without suffering injuries that were too severe to their existence and Dao. Although recovering from such damage would take countless years, perhaps even longer, their situation was still far more acceptable than the fate of those who had been erased.

After all, no matter how long it took, they would eventually recover.

Those who had been erased would never have that opportunity.

They had interfered in something they were never supposed to touch, and the consequences had been far more terrifying than anything they could have imagined.

Among the several million True Gods and countless other powerhouses who had come seeking the treasure, only about a thousand managed to escape unscathed. Of course, whether beings who had suffered injuries that would take them several centuries or even longer to heal from could truly be called unscathed was another matter entirely.

Another hundred thousand or so suffered the same fate as the Primal Dragon. They weren’t necessarily dead, but they would remain inactive for a very, very long time.

Some might not awaken for millions of years, while others might require tens of millions. There were even those whose recovery would take longer still.

This incident would forever be remembered as one of the greatest disasters in the history of the universe. The repercussions of losing so many True Gods couldn’t even be properly calculated yet, but they would soon be felt.

Very soon.

With so many powerful beings dead, erased, or rendered incapable of acting for countless years, the balance of power throughout the universe was bound to change. Some realms would change hands, and races would form new alliances while others turned against their former allies.

Powerful factions that had lost the backing of their strongest members would become easy targets, and their enemies would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to wipe them out. Countless forces would rise and fall as the consequences of this single incident spread throughout the universe.

The death of so many True Gods would leave a void that couldn’t easily be filled, and the universe would undergo a tremendous transformation because of it.

Yet even that tremendous change would be insignificant when compared to the true significance of the battle between two beings who stood far above the very concept of gods.

...

Within the fake reality, the trio continued fighting against Terazax with all their might.

Or, to put it more accurately, they were barely hanging on.

Time seemed to lose its meaning as the terrifying battle continued. Every moment was filled with pressure, and every clash threatened to tear apart whatever remained of the reality surrounding them.

Rikan found himself experiencing a feeling that disgusted him more than anything else.

Weakness.

The feeling of being weak.

It was a sensation he had almost forgotten over the countless ages he had existed, something he had long believed he had surpassed. Yet here he was, experiencing it once more, and he hated it.

If not for his lord, Petra, who was the main fighter in this battle, the confrontation would have been concluded long ago. The other two amounted to little more than distractions, and without Petra, they wouldn’t have been able to keep the battle going for so long.

They would already have been defeated.

In fact, even with Petra operating on a minuscule amount of his true power, he remained the sole reason they were barely managing to hold on against Terazax. The realization was sickening, to say the least, at least for Rikan.

After all this time...

After all these countless ages...

Why was he still not strong enough?

Why did he still have to depend on his lord to such an extent?

He had stood at the pinnacle of power for countless ages, yet when confronted with an enemy of this magnitude, the difference between them became painfully obvious. No matter how much power he unleashed or how fiercely he fought, he couldn’t bridge that terrifying gap.

And he knew it.

A massive force suddenly slammed into the trio.

BOOM!

Their bodies were sent flying as the overwhelming impact tore through their defenses. They coughed out mouthfuls of blood... or, at least, that was what it appeared to be.

In reality, what spilled from them was something far more fundamental. Their very existential cores were being shredded apart, and some of the essence that constituted their existence was spilling out from the damage.

It was a sight that would have been impossible for ordinary beings to comprehend. Their bodies might still have appeared intact in some places, but the damage went far beyond physical injuries. Their minds, souls, and the foundations of their very existence were being torn apart.

And no one needed to tell them what that meant.

They were certain of it.

If things continued this way, they would lose. There was no question about it.

Rikan struggled to his feet, forcing himself to stand despite the terrifying pain spreading through his existence. His gaze remained fixed on Terazax as he prepared to continue fighting. He would not give up, and even if he had to risk everything, he would continue.

But just as he was about to move forward, he noticed something.

His lord, Petra, had already stood tall.

Despite the terrifying battle and the overwhelming damage he had suffered, Petra’s posture remained steady. His gaze returned to its usual cool calmness as he turned to face Rikan.

Then he spoke a single sentence.

”Leave this to me.”

Rikan’s eyes widened, and for a moment, he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. But in the next instant, realization struck him.

He understood what his lord intended to do.

And that realization filled him with alarm.

”My lord...”

He tried to move, wanting to stop Petra and pull him away from whatever he was about to do. But before he could do anything, Petra moved first.

With a simple movement of his hand, he folded the reality around them. The surrounding space twisted, and the very structure of the fake reality shifted beneath his control.

In the next instant, Rikan and the blue-skinned frost being were forcibly sent away from the battlefield.

Petra’s voice followed them as they disappeared.

”Remember, Rikan... you must protect the kid with everything you have.”

Rikan’s eyes widened even further. He tried to pull away, desperately attempting to resist the force that was carrying him away, but it was useless.

Petra’s control over reality was absolute enough to prevent him from doing anything. He could only watch as the battlefield disappeared from his sight, leaving his lord alone against Terazax.

Alone.

Against that terrifying existence.

Rikan’s expression changed drastically. He wanted to return and fight alongside his lord, but there was nothing he could do.

He had been sent away, and Petra had left him with only one instruction.

Protect the kid.