Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 299 - Tamer’s Battle Week - 35 (Secret Power)

Lioraʼs blue flames advanced toward Klein, but Feng, in an act of pure loyalty, threw himself in front of his leader. His red cobra was used to directly intercept the attackʼs trajectory, absorbing the impact first with its body.

The collision was devastating. The cobra writhed in agony as the flames consumed its magical essence, a sharp shriek escaping its throat before vanishing in a burst of reddish light. The remaining flames also slightly burned the now beastless tamer, who fainted.

”Feng!” exclaimed Klein, shocked by his companionʼs sacrifice.

Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Astor directed his rhinoceros in a vengeful charge against Liora. The Ashenway, exhausted by her last attack, barely managed to execute another spatial jump, avoiding the worst of the attack but receiving a glancing impact that made her stagger when she reappeared.

Larissa, meanwhile, was getting up after the claw attack. What appeared to be a serious wound on her side turned out to be less severe than it seemed; she had reinforced that area with a thick layer of mineral, anticipating Kleinʼs counterattack.

Even so, the impact had been considerable, and her breathing was irregular as she assessed the situation.

”Two against two,” she murmured. ”We can still do this.”

But something was changing in Klein. His expression had transformed, a cold fury replacing his usual arrogance. His eyes fixed on Feng, who had collapsed unconscious after losing his connection with the cobra.

The adaptation potion began to show its effect...

The markings of his golden lion intensified, acquiring a deeper glow. His muscles tensed, his mane grew, and for a fleeting instant, a shadow imperceptible to almost everyone seemed to dance around his silhouette.

”Abyssal energy,” understood Ren, his eyes narrowing as he perceived what others couldnʼt. ”Just a pinch, but...”

An increase of barely 10% in his capabilities, calculated by Kassian to avoid any detection but significant at a critical moment. It was supposed to be discreet enough to go unnoticed by most, but the distinctive abyssal tint that only Ren, and perhaps Han, with their unique perception, did detect.

”Liora!” warned Larissa, noticing the change in Kleinʼs intensity although without completely understanding its nature.

Klein moved with increased speed, heading directly toward Liora. His claws seemed more defined as he pursued the Ashenway, who clearly showed signs of mana circuit exhaustion.

”She wonʼt be able to jump again so soon,” commented Ren. ”Sheʼs used too much mana.”

Cornered against the arenaʼs boundary, Liora prepared to try to dodge the direct attack. The last desperate option with minimal chances of success.

Klein smiled, his claws prepared for the final blow.

”No!” shouted Larissa, intercepting the attack with a spatial jump at the last second.

She placed herself between Klein and her cousin, her body covered by a hastily reinforced mineral armor. Kleinʼs claws connected with devastating force, and this time, empowered by the potionʼs effect, they penetrated the mineral defense.

Larissa gasped, an expression of surprise and pain crossing her face as the phantom claws perforated her protection and reached her back.

”Larissa!” Lioraʼs cry resonated throughout the arena as her cousin collapsed in front of her, out of combat.

Something changed within Liora as she saw Larissa fall. Her expression hardened, aristocratic determination giving way to intense rage. Her eyes, normally light blue, seemed to darken as she made a decision she had clearly been avoiding.

”I wonʼt hold back anymore,” she murmured, more to herself than to her opponent.

A change began to manifest in her. Her will-oʼ-wisp, always characteristically light blue, began to gradually darken. The flames acquired a deeper, more intense tone, an almost midnight blue that increased the power to the next level.

”Sheʼs using her second beast,” observed Ren, his voice mixing surprise and fascination at seeing his recommended synergy in action. ”She didnʼt manifest it completely, but at least she made it enhance her will-oʼ-wisp.”

The demonic Bashe, her hidden beast, remained in her body, but its influence became evident to Ren in the fireʼs transformation. The flames didnʼt just change color; their very essence seemed to alter, becoming denser, hungrier.

Astor had wanted to take advantage of the last standing rivalʼs moment of distraction... but he had chosen a bad moment to launch his beast.

When Liora directed this enhanced fire toward the front and the rhinoceros was hit, the effect was devastating. The dark blue flames engulfed the beast, which had no chance to resist.

Not even its chargeʼs momentum managed to reach Liora... The rhinoceros vanished with an agonizing roar, leaving Astor on his knees, his connection abruptly severed.

”Impossible,” gasped Klein. ”No fire could... So quickly.”

He had no time to complete his thoughts. Liora, with her mana repowered by the Basheʼs influence, executed a spatial jump with a speed that surpassed her previous movements and avoided a claw attack.

She reappeared directly behind Klein, who barely had time to turn to face her. His phantom claws deployed instinctively as Liora launched another wave of her darkened fire.

What followed was a spectacular clash of powers. Kleinʼs claws, empowered by the abyssal potion, tried to cut through the flames.

But Lioraʼs enhanced fire had a quality that the claws couldnʼt completely counter: it consumed the mana of whatever it touched twice as fast. Every time the claws touched the flames, they lost their potency after a few centimeters.

”Itʼs a battle of attrition,” commented Taro, unable to look away from the spectacle. ”Whoever runs out of energy first...”

The exchange intensified, Klein launching claws at a dizzying speed while Liora maintained her dark fire attack. Both showed obvious signs of extreme exhaustion: Klein sweating profusely, his movements gradually losing precision and receiving some burns; Liora pale as a ghost, her fire fluctuating slightly with each pulse of energy.

Finally, the decisive moment arrived.

Klein fought valiantly, his claws cutting through the flames until the last moment. But finally, the connection with his lion failed, the beastʼs manifestation vanishing with a final roar.

However, Lioraʼs fire had also been exhausted.

Both combatants remained motionless for a moment that seemed to go on forever. Liora, pale and trembling, struggled to remain standing until.

Her knees gave way until the floor.

Or that would have happened, but in an act of pure will, she bit her lip hard and managed to stabilize herself and stand again just before touching the ground.

Klein, covered in magical burns that released a subtle bluish smoke, looked at Liora face to face one last time. His eyes, filled with tears and disbelief, met Lioraʼs before rolling upward and turning white.

He collapsed forward, unconscious.

The silence in the arena was absolute, broken only by Lioraʼs labored breathing. Yang advanced toward the center, evaluating all the fallen before confirming the result.

”Victory for Team Larissa!” he announced, his voice resonating in the silent stadium.

Gradually, applause began to spread through the stands, growing in intensity until becoming a thunderous ovation. What they had witnessed wasnʼt simply another tournament combat; it had been a demonstration of will, strategy, and hidden powers that few expected to see in first-year students.

From his seat, Ren observed thoughtfully as medical auxiliaries entered the arena to attend to the fallen combatants.

”Did you see the same thing I did?” asked Min, his voice unusually serious.

Ren nodded slightly. ”Liora used her Bashe in front of everyone.”

”Liora... Will she be okay?” began Taro.

”She only enhanced her will-oʼ-wispʼs fire,” commented Ren. ”Surely many donʼt know what the reason for the color change was.”

The three friends exchanged meaningful glances. If they won the next matches... the Gray Wing team would face Larissaʼs team. It would be a confrontation between two teams with double tamers, each with their own unique synergies.

”Itʼs going to be interesting,” murmured Ren, a slight smile forming on his lips.

At the top of the stands, Selphira Ashenway observed with a poorly disguised expression of satisfaction. Her granddaughter had proven her worth, although she had revealed more than she probably intended in the process.

And several seats away, Kassian Goldcrest slowly rose, his face an impenetrable mask. His eyes, however, werenʼt directed toward his defeated brother, but toward the girl who had shown an unexpected ability.