Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 416 - Tamers War - Bridge’s Sky (1/2)

Victor didnʼt want to simply stop the advance as Julius had asked him.

His proactive-aggressive mentality and ego demanded more than a defensive victory… he wanted to ”win” in a way that would make Yino regret forever having tried to take the bridge to invade them.

The very thought of being relegated to a supporting role grated against every instinct that had made him one of the kingdomʼs strongest, if not the strongest, aerial fighters.

Defensive victories were for lesser men… Victor Dravenholm was meant to dominate the sky and crush his enemies so thoroughly they would never dare challenge him again.

Thatʼs why he had launched himself directly against the enemy leader, confident in easily dominating Maximilian with the superior power of his Gold 2 Golden Eagle. The rank difference should have been decisive, especially in aerial combat where his beast had every conceivable advantage.

Just as he was above Maximilian and his Spectral Crow, preparing for the blow that would end the battle before it truly began, something changed in his opponentʼs eyes.

The petrifying gaze of the Basilisk hit him like an invisible wave.

Victor felt his muscles hardening, his eagle momentarily losing control of its flight movements. The sensation was like having ice water poured through his veins while his body betrayed him at the worst possible moment.

The Basilisk was Gold 1, and its ability was sufficient to affect the Gold 2 Eagle at just under 50% of its normal effectiveness. But since Victor was a double tamer, his beastsʼ enhancements fed back on each other, reducing the paralysis to less than 10%.

Or that would have been the case if Maximilian didnʼt have five beasts in total, increasing the effect with their combined enhancements to 25%.

Even so, it should have been manageable since almost all the beasts were Silver rank, one full rank below his own.

But those few seconds of vulnerability were enough for Maximilian to reveal why he was the commander of this operation.

”Total Release!” Maximilian roared, and his body transformed into a nightmare of abyssal power.

His Fire Polistes Wasp emerged with a buzzing that made the air vibrate, its wings leaving trails of purple flames that contrasted sinisterly with the blue of the sky.

His Abyssal Scorpion manifested in plates and pincers that ran along his arms like living armor, the chitinous segments clicking together as they formed a protective covering that gleamed with dark power.

Meanwhile, his Greater Vampiric Man oʼ War, (a corrupt evolution of some stolen Shadow Stalkers), created semi-ethereal tentacles that extended to absorb Victorʼs energy.

Five beasts. Maximilian was a ʼquintupleʼ tamer.

The revelation hit Victor. Quintuple tamers were supposed to be legends, were supposed to be cool. The dumb cheaters from Yino shouldnʼt be able to have so many, even if weak tainted ones.

”Disgusting trash beasts,” Victor muttered, but he could already feel the effects despite the relatively ”low level” of the enemy beasts.

ʼHad Yino advanced so quickly with abyssal energy research that they already had tamers with five and six beasts so abundantly? First Kharzan, now this bastard…ʼ

Victor couldʼt believe Yino having dozens of tamers like those already, when just one year ago they had never used them.

ʼBut if that were the case, they should have attacked sooner. And if it was a recent increase... What had changed?ʼ

ʼWhat did the crystal or Yino do?ʼ

The paralysis allowed both stingers, from the scorpion and the wasp, to strike his beast. The venom traveled through the eagleʼs body like lightning, sending shockwaves of corrupted energy through its system.

The toxic power of the wasp and scorpion began affecting the eagle, creating a debilitating effect that made his bird struggle to maintain altitude.

Worse still, that wasnʼt all.

The vitality absorption of the Man oʼ War created a constant drain that slowed his reflexes and maneuvering capacity, like trying to fly through thick syrup that grew denser with each passing second.

The initial paralysis of the basilisk had been just the beginning. Now Victor found himself fighting an enemy who had turned his mobility beast into his cage.

And then, as if they had been waiting for the perfect signal… Yinoʼs flying squadrons, which had seemed to flee, appeared from multiple directions. They had circled around before Victor realized what was happening, using the distraction of single combat to position themselves for a devastating trap.

Within those formations werenʼt just Silver ranks, there were also significant reinforcements, two other triple tamers who had been kept in reserve near the commander for exactly this situation.

Victor recognized them immediately: the same ones who had attacked the Academy several months ago. Both rode alongside other Silver-rank tamers to avoid drawing attention, but quickly summoned their own Gold 2 beasts that deployed the characteristic power signature among the chaos of weaker marks.

As triples, they also carried two abyssal creatures each, Scorpions and Greater Vampiric Man oʼ Wars that pulsed with corrupt energy like malignant hearts beating in sync.

”Prince Victor,” came the mocking voice of one of them through the wind, carrying easily across the distance with the clarity that only mana strengthening allowed, ”what a pleasure to meet you again.”

ʼThree elite tamers against one,ʼ Victor calculated while dodging a direct attack from Maximilianʼs wasp. The numerical reality was stark… even with his superior individual power, the numbers were heavily stacked against him.

ʼDid I get ahead of myself and the odds arenʼt exactly in my favor?ʼ

But even while thinking this, a fierce smile spread across his face as he felt familiar excitement coursing through his veins. This was what he lived for, the moment when everything was on the line and only skill and power would determine the outcome.

He had been waiting for an opportunity to truly test his beastsʼ new capabilities against worthy opponents.

”Total attack!” Maximilian shouted, and the air filled with enemy flying beasts converging toward Victor from every angle.

The sky became a true three-dimensional battlefield as dozens of creatures moved towards him. Each enemy had been positioned to eliminate escape routes, creating a sphere of death with Victor at its center.

Victor felt how the net was closing around him. Six elite tamers, dozens of lesser beasts, and he was alone in the center of it all. Any sensible commander would have attempted an immediate retreat, calling for reinforcements...

But Victor Dravenholm wasnʼt exactly known for his right-mindedness or ʼbalanceʼ in combat.

Strategic retreat was for commanders who doubted their own power. Victor had never faced an enemy he couldnʼt eventually overcome through sheer dominance and superior skill.

At least not any human…That was reserved only for his father, yet he may as well not be human nor was he here.

”This time,” Victor murmured, his voice carrying the promise of violence, ”there are no children to protect. No academy to defend.”

When they were all above him in a coordinated attack that would have shredded any other tamer, Victor summoned his other beast.

The restrictions that had held him back during the Academy battle, the need to minimize collateral damage, to protect students, to avoid destroying the very institution he was defending… those limitations no longer existed.

”Qilin!” he roared, and the air itself seemed to purify instantly.

The creature that manifested was magnificent, a being of pure earth power with scales that gleamed like liquid gold and horns that seemed to have been forged from pure light. Its presence commanded respect.

But there was something different about its energy, something more refined and powerful than it had been before.

Its energy was purer and purer each day since Ren had made contact with him.

The memory of that strange encounter still puzzled Victor. The boyʼs mushroom had done something to his beast, not enhanced it, but purified them in a way that went beyond simple power increases.

The effect was immediate and devastating for his attackers. All the effects that the abyssal beasts had placed on his eagle, the poison, the vitality absorption, the paralysis residue… vanished like mist before the sun.

The purification wasnʼt gradual, it was instant and absolute, as if the very concept of corruption couldnʼt exist in the Qilinʼs presence.

”Impossible!” screamed one of the triple tamers, watching as his Man oʼ War writhed in agony at the proximity of such pure energy.

The creatureʼs tentacles, which had been draining Victorʼs strength moments before, now recoiled as if burned by invisible fire. The corruption that gave it power became a liability in the face of energy so fundamentally opposed to its nature.

But Victor hadnʼt finished.

His eagle, now free from all corruption and negative influence, spread its wings with renewed vigor. The Qilinʼs energy extended toward it as well, making its golden feathers shine with intensity that eclipsed the sunlight itself.

The transformation was breathtaking. What had been a powerful beast became something approaching the divine, its every movement creating ripples of pure energy that made the air shimmer like heated metal.

The tables had turned in an instant.

Victorʼs laughter rang out across the sky, wild and fierce, the sound of a predator who had his prey just at armʼs reach.