Demon Summoning Experiment

There were many ways to summon demons in the Toril universe, and one did not have to limit oneself to making contracts with Demon Lords. Though the latter method was highly convenient, the fate of those who signed such contracts was generally not a good one.

Therefore, Salomon chose to use ritual magic to summon a demon. Moreover, due to the limitations of the sacrifice, the demon he could summon would not be particularly powerful.

That was precisely Salomon's goal. This summoning was merely an experiment, meant to test whether his own magic truly possessed the ability to bind demons. Even though The Venerable One had said that he possessed King Solomon's power, magic could not rely on speculation alone; careful experimentation was essential. Besides, Bayonetta was by his side this time. If the summoned demon went out of control, Salomon and Bayonetta could swiftly contain the situation.

Blood held immense significance in mysticism. Most religions believed that fragments of the soul remained in blood. The sacrifice for summoning demons was the blood of humanoid creatures killed within the past twenty-four hours, because only then could the fragments of soul lingering in the blood attract demons.

As for the choice of sacrifice, it had not been difficult. He had spent a week enjoying a trip steeped in Italian charm with Bayonetta in Florence, during which he found some creatures living in the gutters. Yes, werewolves. There had not been many of them, but they were enough to serve as sacrifices.

Salomon chose a night with a full moon to conduct the ritual atop Mount Ceceri. It was high enough and quiet enough. Mount Ceceri had once been a quarry, and even now, few people lived there. Looking down from the summit, he could see the brightly lit streets of Florence. It was not far from the city, no more than a twenty-minute drive away, and Florence's red rooftops and rough yellow walls, unchanged for centuries, remained clearly visible from there.

When clear moonlight spilled across the mountaintop, Salomon slit the werewolves' throats with a dagger. The werewolves had been bound tightly in iron chains, unable to move. Even their long snouts were wrapped in dense layers of chain.

Otherwise, they surely would have cursed Salomon as a Venetian. Florentines had always looked down on Venetians; it was tradition.

They were all spoils from Salomon's trip. The magic radiating from him and Bayonetta was no less enticing to these creatures than a lavish feast, so the Arcanist accepted these sacrifices that had come knocking on his door with a clear conscience.

And to ensure they still had no strength left to struggle during the ritual, Salomon had treated them to several free bungee jumps from ten thousand meters up—without the cord.

As for the filth that came with it, Salomon did not care much. He believed the demons he summoned would not care either.

The werewolves' blood flowed along the magic circle he had inscribed on the ground with acacia oil. The blood not only filled the hexagram Salomon had drawn, but also completed the Enochian words within the circle. These were words of direction, specifying what rank of demon from which plane would be summoned. Since Salomon was unfamiliar with this world's Lower Planes, Bayonetta had provided the Abyssal layer he targeted.

Only after the blood overflowed and filled the magic circle did Salomon toss the dead werewolves aside. He had also drawn two additional magic circles beside the Summoning Circle. They were spells from the Vishanti tradition. If the summoned demon proved disobedient, he could use those two additional spells to bind and attack it.

He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and glanced at the Witch watching nearby with great interest.

"I'm starting, Bayonetta," Salomon said.

"I've been waiting so long I'm getting impatient, Boya," the Witch said. "Hurry up and begin."

"Spurcum sanguinem off! (Offer up the foul blood.)" Salomon extended both hands toward the magic circle, the Holy Marks on his fingers giving off a faint glow. "Anima lactaberis (Suck the soul)..."

The Arcanist carefully recited the incantation. Then, the magic circle of mixed acacia oil and blood ignited. The air around him gradually became damp. He seemed to smell choking smoke and sulfur, along with humid air carrying a salty, fishy stench. Bayonetta became slightly more serious as well, holding a gun in her hand, ready to attack the summoned demon at any moment.

The flames burst skyward with a bang. A spider as tall as a person appeared within the magic circle. Its carapace was covered in crimson embers, and whenever it rubbed its forelegs together, sulfur-scented sparks drifted into the air. The spider remained quietly inside the magic circle. It was no great demon, merely a beast that lived in the Abyss, with little intelligence.

Salomon had anticipated the weakness of the summoned demon, since this was only a second-circle summoning spell. Still, summoning such a minor demon with werewolf blood left him somewhat disappointed.

"Within expectations." Salomon looked at Bayonetta, who had relaxed again, and raised an eyebrow. "But it's too weak. I think it's obedient entirely because of my spell, not because of my magic."

The moment Salomon finished speaking, the magic circle erupted in flames again. Another Abyssal spider crawled out, pushing up the first one.

"Oh, two. That's still acceptable."

Then another one emerged, and the magic circle became a little crowded. "Three spiders. Is someone in the Abyss doing a big cleanup?"

Bang!

"Four! Would you like housekeeping services?"

Smack!

"Five! You're all piling on top of each other! Bayonetta, I need you to ask Madame Butterfly whether she's doing home maintenance. Are these her spiders? This is a demon summoning ritual, not a garbage disposal service! Stop coming over!"

"Squeak!"

"Six! Are you a family or something?"

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

"Seven! Stop it, I'm sending you back."

Suddenly, an enormous scythe thrust out of the magic circle, piercing all seven piled-up spiders from top to bottom. A creature with two metallic horns and a body gleaming with blue metallic luster stepped onto the spiders' corpses and stood at the edge of the magic circle.

"All right, now we've found the housekeeper. Looks like this is what we were meant to summon; those spiders were probably its work results. I doubt it's in a very good mood, considering it's on the job." Salomon spread his hands and asked Bayonetta, "What kind of demon is that?"

"Hideous," Bayonetta replied, still looking relaxed. "A common demon."

The demon looked around, then suddenly lunged at Salomon. But two long whips made of sparks abruptly appeared, wrapping around its hands and pinning it firmly within the magic circle.

"All right, now I need to test whether my magic is actually useful." Salomon stretched out his hands and released his magic into the circle. The burning acacia oil slowly went out, and golden magic filled the circle instead. Immediately afterward, three shackles as brilliant as copper appeared around Hideous's hands and neck, forcibly snapping shut despite the demon's struggles.

The Arcanist finally relaxed completely and dispelled the two additional magic circles. Hideous remained obediently within the Summoning Circle. The shackles were an image formed from Salomon's magic rather than real shackles, but they were enough to control the demon.

All of a sudden, the golden magic within the circle vanished, replaced by a dark crimson power. A dark crimson hand with sharp nails reached out from the magic circle.

"Oh, f*ck! Do demons these days all like paying their own travel expenses?"

Can I post later tomorrow? I'm so sleepy. Gastroenteritis really isn't something a person can endure.