Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 355: Blowing Up Calloway Estate, Isaac’s Abyss Summons

The darkness split open.

A massive shape burst out of the shadow and shot upward, slicing through the air as if it were water.

It was a shark.

It was clean and sleek, its body dark with faint abyssal patterns running along its sides. There were no wings. It simply swam through the air as though gravity did not apply to it.

The pressure it released made Isaac’s skin prickle.

”...Overlord rank,” Sword Empress muttered.

Isaac nodded slowly. He could feel it too. The strength was undeniable.

The shark circled above them once before dipping lower, stopping directly in front of Emily. Its massive eye focused on her, and instead of hostility, there was something close to curiosity.

Emily froze for half a second.

Then she smiled.

”Thank you for responding to my summon.”

The shark tilted its head slightly, as if confused.

A voice echoed inside Emily’s mind.

—You called. I answered. Are you... my summoner?—

Emily’s eyes widened.

”Yes,” she replied mentally, still smiling.

—You smell strange. Not like Abyss. But not weak.—

Emily giggled.

Isaac and Sword Empress exchanged a look.

”She’s talking to it,” Isaac said.

Sword Empress nodded. ”It’s a Telepathic link created by Tirra, her ghost bird.”

The shark suddenly darted upward, doing a wide loop over the estate before swooping back down. It could move through walls without any problem.

Emily clapped her hands. ”Hey, don’t break things yet.”

—This space is fragile,— the shark replied, sounding almost amused. —I will be careful.—

Isaac let out a slow breath. ”Emily. Focus. You still have more summons.”

She nodded quickly. ”Yes. I just... it’s exciting.”

The shark hovered beside her now, like an obedient but energetic child.

Emily raised her hand again.

”Sovereign Summons.”

This time, light erupted.

It was blinding.

Something was coming out.

Something big.

Isaac reacted instantly.

Roots burst out of the ground, weaving together in a dome around himself, Emily, and Sword Empress. The moment the barrier formed, the shockwave hit.

The sound was deafening.

Explosions rang out one after another, not magical attacks, but pure force as something massive forced itself into the world. The ground shook violently, cracks racing across the courtyard beyond the dome.

Emily stumbled, and Isaac grabbed her shoulder to steady her.

Sword Empress planted her feet and focused on maintaining balance.

The noise lasted several seconds.

Then it stopped.

Isaac released his skill.

The roots withdrew into the ground, leaving silence behind.

What greeted them made Isaac stare.

A giant figure stood where the mansion had once been.

It was an ancient mammoth.

Its body was enormous, covered in thick, rune-marked fur that carried the weight of countless years. Massive tusks curved forward, each one longer than a city carriage. Its eyes were calm, deep, and filled with something far older than aggression.

All around it lay wreckage.

Collapsed buildings. Shattered pillars. Craters where walls had once stood.

Roughly a quarter of the Calloway estate was gone.

Emily’s mouth opened slowly.

Sword Empress did not speak.

Isaac rubbed his face.

’How much are the repair damages going to cost me?’ he thought grimly.

The mammoth lowered its head.

The ground shook as it bowed toward Emily, its tusks touching the broken stone.

”My Lady,” a deep voice echoed, not through sound alone but through the space itself.

Emily stiffened. ”Uh... hi.”

Before she could say anything else, a roar erupted from the distance.

Chairman Lucius came running, leaping over debris with surprising agility for his age. His expression was thunderous as he took in the destruction.

”What happened here?” he demanded.

Isaac snapped out of his daze and stepped forward. ”We summoned a powerful monster to prepare for the Crimson Sky Wyrm. Due to its size, part of the estate was damaged. Please do not worry. I will cover all repair costs.”

Chairman Lucius stared at Isaac.

Then his gaze shifted to Emily, who was nervously looking around, clearly overwhelmed.

The anger on Lucius’s face slowly faded.

He sighed. ”Forget the repairs.”

Isaac blinked. ”Chairman?”

”If you can save the city today, that will be enough,” Chairman Lucius said, waving his hand.

Isaac opened his mouth to argue, but—

”Just think of the money I would’ve spent on repairs as your dowry,” Chairman Lucius added casually.

Isaac froze.

He blinked once.

”...Did you just agree to Alice and my—”

”I didn’t say anything. Now move. The sky looks wrong. The battle will start any moment,” Lucius replied flatly.

Isaac grinned before he looked up.

The sky was darkening unnaturally.

There was no monster yet, but lightning flickered within the clouds, crawling like veins across the heavens. A deep sense of danger pressed down on him.

He turned back to Emily and moved quickly. ”You should summon the third Abyss monster. Now.”

Emily hesitated.

After seeing the destruction caused by the mammoth, her hands trembled slightly.

”What if... what if it’s worse?” she asked quietly.

Isaac met her gaze but did not answer immediately.

Before he could, the mammoth spoke.

”My Lady,” the ancient voice rumbled. ”I apologize for the havoc caused upon my arrival. However, from what I can see, this is the moment you prepare to face a dangerous enemy.”

Emily looked up at it.

”Hesitation here would mean defeat,” the mammoth continued calmly. ”An esteemed one like you should raise her head high and move forward with pride, not fear.”

The mammoth lowered its head once more.

”You represent not only yourself, but all of us who serve you. Only a great leader can guide others with belief. We wish to follow you, so please do not cower. Show us that you are worthy to lead.”

Emily stared.

She was clearly not expecting that.

Isaac stayed silent.

He could have encouraged her. He could have stepped in and reassured her. But he saw what the mammoth was doing.

It was not commanding her.

It was supporting her growth.

So he did not interfere.

Emily glanced at Isaac and Sword Empress, searching for words, for guidance.

They said nothing.

Slowly, her expression changed.

She took a deep breath.

”You’re right. I’m sorry for acting like that,” she said softly.

She straightened her back.

”I’ll do better.”

The mammoth inclined its head. ”You are still a fledgling, My Lady. Mistakes are inevitable. What matters is growing from them.”

Emily smiled.

Then she hesitated again. ”Um... what should I call you?”

The mammoth paused.

”This lowly one requests a new name. I wish to abandon my former name and serve you as something new. Please grant me one,” it said.

The shark swooped down beside Emily, circling excitedly.

—Name. Name.—

Emily laughed softly and thought for a moment.

”You will be called Aeralis,” she said to the shark.

The shark did a loop in the air, clearly pleased.

”And you will be called Stoneward,” she said to the mammoth, meeting its eyes.

The mammoth bowed deeply. ”I accept with gratitude.”

Isaac stepped forward. ”Emily. We need to continue. Time’s running out.”

She nodded.

Taking another steady breath, she raised her hand.

”Sovereign Summons.”

The air twisted.

A figure stepped out.

It was smaller than the others.

A man wearing a jester’s outfit emerged from the fading light, bells hanging loosely from his sleeves and collar.

His face was hidden behind a pale mask.

The mask had a crooked, unsettling smile.

He looked around slowly, as if taking in the world for the first time, then turned toward Emily.

Without a word, he knelt.

Emily stared at him for a moment, then let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding.

”Okay,” she said carefully. She thought for a second and added, ”Your name will be Lume.”

The jester placed a hand over his chest. ”I accept.”

She hesitated, then asked, ”What can you do?”

”I specialize in illusions. Deception, misdirection, false realities. I can confuse armies or isolate individuals without them realizing it,” Lume replied calmly.

Emily nodded slowly.

Stoneward’s deep voice followed. ”I can function as a siege weapon, a battering ram, or a frontline shield. Walls, fortifications, and formations are all obstacles I am designed to break.”

Aeralis’s voice echoed in Emily’s mind right after.

—I can summon water typhoons. Even in the air. Pressure, rotation, and impact can be adjusted.—

Emily’s eyes widened again.

She looked at all three of them, one after the other.

All three were Overlord rank.

Isaac let out a quiet breath he did not realize he was holding.

’Yeah, she could easily crush humanity if she wanted,’ he thought with a wry smile.

Emily’s personal combat power had not changed much. She was still fragile in close combat compared to others like Isaac, Alice, Sword Empress and Professor Catherine.

But her overall combat strength had jumped to an absurd level in a single step.

Isaac could say with confidence that if they were facing a large-scale battle, Emily might actually be stronger than him unless he used her skills.

He did not dwell on it.

”We don’t have time. Take Emily to the summoning altar, and protect her,” Isaac said, turning to Sword Empress.

Sword Empress nodded without hesitation.

”I have eighty gold coins and ten free summons left,” Isaac continued. ”My clone will use them to summon troops immediately.”

She did not ask why he was sending a clone, and not going himself.

Emily did.

”Where are you going?” she asked as Sword Empress turned to leave.

”I have work to do.”

Emily nodded.

They started walking away, but Emily suddenly stopped.

She turned back, walked up to Isaac, and stood there awkwardly for a moment. Her fingers twiddled together as if she was unsure what to say.

Then she hugged him.

It was sudden, but not tight. Just firm enough to say what she could not put into words.

”Promise me you’ll stay safe,” she said quietly.

Isaac blinked, then smiled and patted her head. ”Of course I’ll stay safe. The monster might be strong, but we aren’t weak either.”

Emily nodded, but her expression did not fully relax.

”I’m just worried. You tend to do dangerous things,” she said.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. ”I’m a reasonably responsible adult. When have you ever seen me do something stupidly dangerous?”

Emily lifted her head and looked him straight in the eyes.

Her gaze clearly said, Did you forget about kissing aunty?

Isaac shamelessly acted as if he had no idea what she meant.

”...Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat. ”Go. The city needs you.”

Emily nodded quietly, and turned away.

Sword Empress led her off.

Aeralis and Lume followed Emily, hovering and walking beside her respectively. Stoneward was put into the Soulbind Pendant instead. There was no way something that large could move through the city without causing a disaster.

Isaac watched them leave.

Then he handed the Soulbind Pendant to one of his clones.

”Hide. Do not move unless absolutely necessary,” Isaac instructed.

The clone grabbed the Soulbind Pendant and vanished.

Isaac activated the pendant and stepped inside.

The moment his feet touched the ground, familiar scenery greeted him.

The maids were already waiting.

”Good morning, Master,” Priscilla said, bowing deeply.

”Good morning,” Isaac replied. ”How is everyone?”

”We are well and in good health. However, everyone misses you. You do not visit often,” Priscilla said.

Isaac chuckled. ”Alright. I’ll try to come more often.”

He paused, then added, ”A mammoth should have entered the Cradle. Please look after him.”

Priscilla nodded immediately. ”Understood.”

”And one more thing. I’m going to do something important. Do not follow me, or not look for me,” Isaac said.

”Understood, Master.”

Isaac’s figure blurred.

He exited the mansion at high speed and entered the forest beyond it.

The deeper he ran, the quieter it became.

After a while, he stopped in a distant corner of the jungle and looked around.

”I never really thought about it before. But how big is this place?”

The Cradle stretched endlessly in every direction, terrain shifting subtly as if it were alive.

He shook his head and focused.

”Emily summoned three Overlord rank monsters. That’s good. But...” He frowned. ”Why wasn’t anything stronger summoned?”

Sword Empress and Catherine had never explained if anything existed beyond Overlord rank.

He had asked before.

They had avoided the topic every time.

”Overlord rank shouldn’t be the limit.”

As a demigod, Emily’s luck stat was abnormally high.

With Sovereign Summons skill, she should have had a real chance at summoning something beyond Overlord rank.

So why hadn’t she?

Was Overlord rank the peak?

Or was there something else restraining it?

Isaac exhaled slowly.

”I’ll think about it later.”

Right now, he had more important things to do.

He grinned, and said, ”System, share all Abyss monsters Emily summoned!”

Three orbs appeared inside his consciousness.

Each one contained an imprint of one of Emily’s summons: Aeralis, Stoneward, and Lume.

He could summon them at any time.

”Let’s not do that unless absolutely necessary. Explaining how I can copy both people and monsters would be annoying,” he muttered.

He stretched his shoulders and grinned faintly.

”Now then. My turn.”

Isaac used the Sovereign Summon skill.

”I wonder what kind of abyss monster I will summon.”

A small white seed appeared in his palm.

Information flowed into his mind.

[White Parasitic Tree]

[Germination Condition: Grows on a corpse. The stronger the corpse, the stronger the tree.]

[Abilities and rank depend on the corpse used for germination.]

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

”This isn’t an inspect. It’s talking directly.”

The seed pulsed faintly, as if acknowledging him.

”A parasitic tree, huh.”

With his abilities, he could germinate it instantly.

But the tree’s strength depended entirely on the corpse used.

”That means I shouldn’t rush this. If I’m going to grow it, it needs a strong corpse,” Isaac said thoughtfully.

He stored the seed away carefully.

”It’s a strange Abyss monster,” he admitted. ”But it might become something terrifying later.”

He took a breath.

”Alright. Second summon.”

Isaac activated the skill.

The air around him shifted.

There was no flash of light. No creature stepping out of a summoning circle. Nothing appeared in front of his eyes.

But Isaac could feel it.

Something was there.

Not in one place, but everywhere around him, like a thin layer spread through the space itself.

His instincts sharpened, and his mana reacted faintly, as if it was brushing against countless invisible threads.

Then, something entered his mind.

It was not a voice.

It was information.

”We greet the master.”

The message did not come from a single source.

It felt like thousands of presences were speaking at once, layered over each other in perfect synchronization.

The sheer density of it made Isaac’s head throb slightly.

If his mental defenses were any weaker, his consciousness would have shattered under the load.

He steadied himself and exhaled slowly.

”What kind of monster are you?” Isaac asked calmly.

The answer came instantly.

”We are a parasitic plague. We spread through hosts. The more we kill, the wider our range becomes. The wider our range, the harder we are to counter.”

Isaac raised an eyebrow.

”A disease-type monster. That’s... not what I expected.”

He had seen summoned beasts, spirits, constructs, and stranger things before. But this was different. This thing did not have a body in the traditional sense.

”And you’re intelligent. Which means your rank is not low. What rank are you?”

There was a brief pause, as if the entity was choosing its words carefully.

”Overlord rank, Master.”

Isaac nodded slowly.

”That makes sense.”

A plague that scaled infinitely with death was not something that could be allowed to exist at a lower level. If something like this grew unchecked, it could wipe out cities before anyone even realized what was happening.

”You’ll need a name,” Isaac said after a moment.

Names mattered.

They gave form to existence and clarity to control.

”We accept,” the entity replied.

Isaac thought briefly, then spoke. ”Your name is Morbus.”

The presence shifted slightly, as if acknowledging the designation.

”We accept the name Morbus. We will spread at your command,” the collective voice replied.

”Good. But you don’t move unless I tell you to. No exceptions,” Isaac said.

”Understood, Master.”

The invisible pressure faded slightly, though Isaac could still feel Morbus lingering in the background, dormant but alert.

He exhaled.

”Alright. That’s already more dangerous than I expected.”

It made him smile. A powerful summon was always welcomed.

Just then a thought occurred to him.

’The first monster was a parasitic tree while the other is a parasitic plague.’

’Is it or is the system calling me a leech by sending these summons?’

His lips twitched and he thought, ’Forget it. It’s not like the third summon is going to be a parasite too.’

Without wasting time, Isaac activated his final summon.

The summoning was completed almost instantly.

And yet, nothing appeared.

Isaac frowned.

There was no pressure like with the mammoth. No presence like with the plague. No mana surge, no distortion in space.

But there was something.

A faint connection.

It felt similar to the bond he shared with other summoned creatures, but thinner, and subtler. Like a line tied to something that refused to fully manifest.

He looked around slowly.

”I know you’re there. Can you understand me?”

There was no response.

”...What are you?” he asked.

Silence.

Isaac frowned deeper.

’Did I summon a non-sapient monster?’ he wondered.

That was rare, but not impossible. Some Abyss entities were little more than instinct-driven weapons.

’Even if that’s the case it should still respond to commands,’ Isaac thought,

He extended his hand and pointed toward a large tree standing in the distance.

”Attack that.”

He pushed the command through the connection.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.

Then—

Red lightning began to form around the tree.

Isaac’s eyes widened slightly.

Dark clouds gathered overhead, swirling unnaturally fast. The air grew heavy, charged with destructive intent. Before he could even fully process what was happening, a bolt of crimson lightning tore down from the sky.

It struck the tree directly.

The tree ceased to exist.

The lightning erased it so completely that not even ash remained.

The ground beneath where the tree had stood cracked and melted.

Isaac froze.

”...What?” he muttered.

He stared at the empty space for several seconds.

”That was...” He swallowed. ”That was absurd.”

The power contained in that single strike surpassed anything he had personally witnessed. It was flashy, and absolute.

Isaac felt a chill run down his spine.

’That strike could have killed the N’theris Serpent in one hit,’ he realized.

”What kind of monster is this?” Isaac asked quietly.

There was still no response.

He frowned, then tested again.

He pointed toward another tree, farther away.

”Attack that.”

Once again, red lightning began to gather.

Dark clouds formed, slower this time. The air vibrated with tension, but the process was clearly taking longer than before.

Isaac watched carefully.

”I see. There’s a recharge time,” he said after a moment.

The lightning did not fall immediately.

It took several seconds before the bolt descended, obliterating the second tree in the same merciless fashion.

Isaac lowered his hand.

”So,” he muttered, thinking out loud, ”you have an extremely powerful single-target attack. But you can’t spam it.”