Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 827 - Taming the Fifth Year - Spirit of the Torch - 3

Ren channeled the decision heʼd made into clear instructions through the bond with the mantis.

The beast responded immediately, understanding without need for extensive elaboration what it needed to do.

The scythes that served as the mantisʼs primary weapons, those sharpened extensions of its exoskeleton that could cut through defenses that would stop conventional ones, began igniting with brilliant light.

It wasnʼt simply external illumination but a manifestation of elements integrated directly into the weapons, light flowing through the scythes like energy waiting to be released in a devastating cut.

The intensity increased with each second while the mantis prepared the next exchange, brightness eventually reaching a point where several spectators had to squint to observe without discomfort.

And then the mantis disappeared.

Not with conventional invisibility it had been using until now but with a shadow jump, a completely different technique that operated under principles that defying normal physical understanding.

The mantisʼs body behaved strangely during the transition between light and shadow, its existence becoming ambiguous in ways that made it difficult to track even for a creature that perceived the world purely in terms of spiritual energy.

Because in shadow jumps, the mantis didnʼt simply move faster than eyes could follow.

It became shadow temporarily, a state where its presence in the physical world was questionable and its mana signature fluctuated and didnʼt follow predictable patterns. It was as if it stretched here and there... as if it existed and didnʼt exist simultaneously during the fraction of a second it took to complete the jump.

The mantis used that strange property of shadow jumping deliberately to deceive the spiritʼs vision that saw energy directly.

When its mana fluctuated between states during transition, the Will-oʼ-Wisp lost the capacity to track it with the perfect certainty it had demonstrated until now. It was a brief moment of confusion where the spirit searched for a clear signal of where its target had gone.

And in that moment of confusion, the mantis emerged from the shadows in a position the Will-oʼ-Wisp hadnʼt anticipated, scythes glowing with light that now served double purpose.

Not only as a weapon but as deliberate contrast against the darkness from which it had just emerged, enmity of light and darkness used together in a way that amplified the effectiveness of both.

The scythes cut through the Will-oʼ-Wisp with power that hadnʼt been possible before when the mantis depended only on physical speed and attacks to close the distance and hit.

The spirit shrieked, a sound that was more vibration in the air than real voice, manifestation of pain that a creature without physical form could express.

The light integrated into the scythes didnʼt simply cut but burned spiritual essence in a way ordinary elements couldnʼt, penetration that went beyond superficial damage.

The Will-oʼ-Wisp attempted to teleport immediately, escape before a second cut could connect.

But the mantis was ready for that, had anticipated the response based on the pattern the spirit had established during previous exchanges too.

It jumped to shadows again just as the fire disappeared, following it through the transition with timing that suggested instinctive understanding of how the spiritʼs teleportation worked.

They reappeared almost simultaneously, the mantis emerging from shadows in the same moment the Will-oʼ-Wisp materialized in a new position.

And the scythes cut again before the spirit could adjust, a second blow connecting with force that dispersed a portion of the Will-oʼ-Wispʼs mass temporarily.

Liora frowned from her position, immediately recognizing that the battleʼs dynamics had fundamentally changed.

Her Will-oʼ-Wisp no longer had the absolute advantage that teleportation speed had provided when the mantis depended on conventional physical movement. Now they were operating on a more level field where both could appear and disappear with similar ease, and where the mantis had weapons that could damage spiritual essence.

It was a revelation of capabilities Liora hadnʼt fully anticipated.

Sheʼd known Ren had access to light and darkness with the mantis, but had assumed the damage from that specific beast would be relatively weak. Seeing the mantis demonstrate the same complete elemental control forced the reevaluation of what she was facing.

And in the stands, murmurs began propagating as implications of what they were witnessing settled into the minds of more astute observers.

Ren Patinder didnʼt just have a powerful beast with exceptional elemental control.

He had multiple beasts, apparently all with access to the complete spectrum of elements without restrictions that limited ordinary tamers.

It was a legend that defied conventional understanding of how cultivation worked.

And while few in the audience could articulate exactly what that meant in terms of underlying mechanisms, everyone recognized they were witnessing something fundamentally different from what theyʼd seen before.

The mantis continued pressing its newly established advantage, light scythes cutting through the Will-oʼ-Wisp repeatedly while jumping between shadows to maintain the element of surprise.

The Superior Jade Mirror Mantis continued its implacable assault, and Lioraʼs Will-oʼ-Wisp began showing signs of accumulated damage it couldnʼt ignore indefinitely.

So Liora used more power, burning stronger, brighter and affecting the shadows, which now danced to its rhythm…

It stopped the mantis first, but before Liora could capitalize it used an additional ability it hadnʼt used extensively during the battle until this moment.

A capability that wasnʼt particularly offensive in its majority and that many had considered minor utility when the beast was at higher ranks.

It was its illusion ability, that subtle manipulation of light that allowed creating false images that confused the visual perception of opponents.

In early ranks the ability had been relatively simple, basically optical tricks that worked against creatures depending on ordinary vision but that failed completely against anything with alternative senses.

A skill that would only become a truly useful elemental preference for damage when the mantis reached high Silver and began being able to infuse the illusions with real elemental energy that exploded instead of simply manipulating ambient light with its mirrors.

But even so, the illusions remained as a last-resort tool or distraction tactic when more direct approaches didnʼt work.

However, with Renʼs teachings channeling additional mana specifically to amplify the ability, the mantis could create complete energetic clones in many places.

They werenʼt simply images without substance but manifestations that carried sufficient energy to register as real presences when the Will-oʼ-Wisp perceived them.

Each clone glowed with a mana signature that simulated the true mantis, making it almost impossible to distinguish which was real and which were fabrications without examining each one carefully.

The Will-oʼ-Wispʼs advantage of perceiving the world through energy rather than physical sight suddenly became a double-edged sword.