Chapter 34

[Third Person's PoV]

"You guys ready?" Futarou asked as he took Isanari and Raiha towards the mountains where he trained.

Raiha looked very excited as she started nodding her head rapidly, while Isanari nodded his head, showing his readiness.

Futarou activated his ability, causing a magic circle to shine underneath them. As it activated, Futarou quickly activated his Sharingan so he would be able to memorize the magic circle and study it at a much later date. With a flash of light, they disappeared from where they stood.

In the spirit world...

A magic circle appeared in the sky, which expelled Futarou and everyone else.

"AHHHHHH!!" Both Raiha and Isanari screamed. Futarou quickly took hold of his sister, securing her, while Isanari swam in the air towards him before wrapping his legs and arms around him, screaming and closing his eyes.

Futarou rolled his eyes as he put a hand on Shusui and activated his [Djinn Equip] with Paimon.

Raiha looked at Futarou's transformation with stars in her eyes. "WOAH! SO COOL!" She shouted, forgetting about her fears.

As they landed, Futarou sighed. "Old man, you have about 5 seconds before I decide to send you back to the skies."

Isanari jumped off and cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity as an adult.

"You looked like a magical girl when you transformed! This is awesome! I have a magical girl as my big brother!" Raiha raised her arms in excitement.

As Futarou put Raiha down, he lifted one leg, stuck out a peace sign towards Raiha, and put another peace sign towards his eyes. "Puri! Puri!"

Futarou grew too embarrassed to continue. He squatted down and covered his face as his ears turned red. "Kill me now! Why did I do that."

Raiha just started clapping while Tohru went down and started rubbing Futarou's back to make him feel better.

"So this is the spirit world," Isanari muttered, taking a deep breath and a good look at his surroundings.

"So how do you find spirits in this place?" Isanari asked, looking at the recovering Futarou.

"We walk and explore until we find one that speaks with us or gets our attention," Futarou said before he explained how he ran into Orion.

'Wait, now that I think about it, what rank and ability does he possess? How have I been in this world for close to a year and haven't even thought about Appraising him?'

[Name: Isanari Uesugi]

[Rank: S+]

[Ability: Geomancy]

[Info: A father trying to do his best for his children, quiet being a hunter after his wife's death as he believed that even with his power he wielded he failed to protect Her. Doesn't plan on returning to being a hunter so he can spend more time with his kids and wouldn't die leaving them all alone in the world.]

'WHA–!!!'

[Name: Geomancy]

[Rank: S+]

[Description: Geomancy is a potent ability enabling manipulation of earth's elements. Masters reshape landscapes, control seismic activity, and sense hidden treasures.]

'Based on my memories, when the OG Futarou was little, Dad would always brag about being the strongest hunter, but I just assumed he was just boasting like any other parent to his children. I didn't expect it to really be the case. I should have noticed it with my senses being so high; I just never really focused them on him when I'm home.

Now that I think about it, does he even need a spirit? I think he's able to defend himself just fine... Ah, I see, he agreed to come for Raiha's sake. Well, now that he's here, it wouldn't hurt to get him a spirit for himself. It doesn't matter how strong he is.'

Futarou looked towards Orion on his shoulder. 'Let Raiha and my dad ride on your back; we could cover more ground quickly.'

Orion nodded and started transforming into his original size. Isanari and Raiha looked at Orion in surprise as this was the first time they had seen him in his original state.

Futarou used Ruler's Authority to pick them up and sit them on top of Orion, which took them by surprise.

"Hold on," Futarou advised them. They nodded their heads as Isanari took hold of Raiha.

And with that, Orion started running ahead, with Futarou flying next to him. Even Tohru grew dragon wings and flew next to him, while Puck, as always, didn't even bother to try flying and just laid on top of Futarou's head.

After a few minutes of flying, Futarou gained a confused look before a look of realization hit him.

"Stop, there's something coming from underground."

"Hold up, I sense something underground a few feet ahead,"

Both Isanari and Futarou said at the same time. They both stopped and looked at each other with a look before smirking as both their eyes glowed a golden color.

The ground in front of them shook before it started lifting up, breaking apart.

"ROOOOAAAAR!"

From the ground, a dragon made out of brown rocks appeared with a roar, causing Raiha to jump in fear and get teary eyes.

Both Isanari and Futarou grew tick marks on their foreheads as they jumped towards the dragon, pulling their arms back as they swung them towards the top of the dragon's head.

"SHUT IT, YOU'RE SCARING RAIHA!!" They both shouted at the same time, causing the dragon's head to drop down towards the ground almost instantaneously, creating a giant crater.

Swirls appeared around the dragon's eyes as he laid there with his tongue out and unmoving.

They both scoffed before they went and made sure Raiha was alright and immediately started babying her.

The dragon started to groan as it slowly got back up, shaking its head to get its bearings together as it cried out.

"What was that for!" He asked, holding the top of his head. "I only detected an aura that attracted my attention; I doubt that warranted a hit on the top of the head."

"Who told you to roar and scare my daughter?" Isanari said, crossing his arms.

"Huh?" The dragon was confused before it noticed Raiha on top of Orion. "Ah, I see…" the dragon lowered his head slightly towards Raiha and apologized.

"I'm sorry, little one. I didn't mean for my roar to scare you; it's how we dragons announce our presence," the earth dragon explained.

"It's okay; I just wasn't expecting it," Raiha smiled towards the dragon, causing him to smile and nod back.

[Name: Gordak] (image)

[Age: 193]

[Type: High Grade Earth Spirit]

[Info: A wise and ancient earth spirit, embodies the strength and stability of the land. Fiercely protective yet benevolent to those who honor it. Drawing strength from the depths of the earth, Gordak shapes the landscape with his powerful presence, inspiring awe and respect in all who encounter him.]

Gordak then directed his attention towards Futarou and then at Tohru. "I see, a dragon... A true dragon, and a being that is able to tame such a dragon. It's no wonder I was attracted towards your direction."

Futarou looked at him in confusion. "Does that mean you aren't a dragon?"

"I am more Spirit than I am dragon compared to her. I pale in comparison. If I have to give an example, I would be nobility while she would be Royalty, so even if I am a dragon, it's at a much lower class than a full-fledged one," Gordak explained, looking at Tohru.

Tohru put a hand on her hips and puffed out her chest, blowing steam from her nostrils, looking towards Futarou, waiting for praises.

Futarou just smiled and started patting her head, which caused her tail to start wagging while looking pleased with herself.

Gordak then turned towards Isanari. "And towards you, I feel great compatibility between us. It's hard to decide on who I would like to form a contract with."

"You already want to form a contract with us?" Isanari asked in surprise.

To which Gordak nodded. "It's not every day I meet a human, especially not one with such a great affinity towards the Earth. Yes, your son is great, but he possesses too many affinities. I don't believe he will be able to appreciate the way of the earth more than you, whose sole affinity is towards the Earth."

"My own greatness is betraying me," Futarou muttered with a faraway look, while Puck just scoffed at his theatrics.

"I also think it's best if you form a contract with my father. That's the reason why we're here in the first place, looking for a spirit for him and my sister," Futarou said as he stopped playing around.

Gordak looked between the two of them and nodded. "Alright then, but before anything, we would have to fight to determine if you are worthy of coming into a contract with me. Even if I agree, I still have the pride of a dragon and of a high-level spirit. I wouldn't be under contract with someone weaker than I."

Futarou smiled and looked towards Orion, who also smiled and came towards him, licking his face.

Isanari put on an awkward expression since after all it's been a long time since he has fought. He then looked at Futarou and Raiha and remembered what Futarou told him, which caused him to sigh and gain a serious expression.

'My son is hiding a lot of secrets. How could I not detect him growing stronger every day? I won't pry onto it; those are his secrets to keep. As his father, my role is to support him unconditionally. But I also know with such secrets, there will be an equal amount of danger in his life, which will follow onto us. It's not his fault; I don't blame him. It's how the world unfortunately works.

So if I want to continue protecting this family and become someone he can come asking for support, I would have to become stronger. Normally, that isn't possible once your rank is determined; one can't change it. But with this, with this, my ability would maybe improve, helping me grow stronger and become someone that can protect his family.'

Isanari lowered his shades, which he always wears on top of his head, and smirked before expelling a strong earthly aura, which caused Futarou and the others to take a few steps back, giving him and the dragon some room.

"IT'S TIME TO ROCK AND ROLL, BABY!!"