Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 382 - Taming the Distraction - 4

Kieran descended after his failed attack, diving directly toward where the Yino agent lay buried up to his neck, with only his head and one shoulder visible among the rock debris.

The man breathed laboriously, his eyes glassy with the pain of regeneration, but at least conscious despite the golden mold still corroding his abyssal connection.

Lin rose to meet Kieran, her crane manifesting partially even in her arms. But the moment her ”wings” touched the air currents controlled by Kieran, she realized she was at a severe disadvantage.

Her flying beast was much less developed than Kieranʼs.

The elemental control was vastly superior in the Silver 3 beast… 240% against Linʼs modest 40% from her mature Kicker Crane specialized in close combat. The air itself seemed to work against her, each movement she attempted becoming clumsy, as if swimming against an invisible current that grew stronger with every wingbeat.

Kieran maintained position directly above his fallen comrade, his wings extended creating a whirlwind of turbulent wind. While he used mana inefficiently, Lin realized what was really happening.

He wasnʼt trying to attack them. He was buying time.

Ren had already figured it out too. He watched how the air currents formed almost visible patterns around Kieran, creating velocity tunnels when he attacked and walls of resistance when Lin tried to maneuver closer.

The precision was impressive, but the wide área and waste… telling.

The Yino agent grunted as his connection to the abyssal scorpion slowly strengthened. His body transformed even more than before into the disgusting black-purple arachnid form that had been lurking beneath his human facade.

The ground around him undulated, the rocks and earth that had buried him began to move with increasing coordination. His earth control had returned… at least from one of his beasts.

”Accelerated regeneration,” the agent growled without taking his eyes off Lin and Ren. His voice carried a wet, chittering undertone that spoke of fundamental changes in his anatomy. ”Give me thirty seconds.”

”We canʼt give them time… keep him busy!” Ren shouted, moving his dagger so the golden mold still covering it glowed visibly in the forest light. ”I just need to get close from the other side!”

But Kieran had seen the contaminated weapon, recognizing the threat it posed to his corrupted ally.

”Oh no, brat. Youʼre not getting near my partner with that filth that even mutates beasts.”

A gust of wind struck Ren, sending him staggering backward several meters. It wasnʼt strong enough to injure him, but sufficient to keep him away from the recovering agent.

Lin changed tactics immediately. If she couldnʼt fly effectively against Kieran, she would use the terrain to her advantage.

She dropped to the ground, switching to her panther while running toward the nearest tree for leverage.

Kieran was playing absolutely defensively, using his aerial control to create an exclusion zone around the injured agent.

Ren realized he couldnʼt get close completely, so he sheathed his contaminated dagger. There was no point risking the weapon on an uncertain throw when he had other options available to him.

He turned sideways to reduce wind resistance and extended his right hand, concentrating. The crystalline patterns in his arm pulsed with growing intensity, channeling energy toward his palm in familiar rhythms.

The light ray formed slowly, a concentrated beam of purifying energy he had used before against corrupted humans and creatures. The distance was considerable, but the effect on the injured agent would be significant if he could charge everything he had.

Kieran saw him preparing and intensified the wind currents around Renʼs position, creating a localized storm designed to disrupt his concentration.

The buried agent grunted, his scorpion patterns pulsing weakly under his skin. The regeneration process had begun, but it was slow. Too slow for comfort, with purifying energy being prepared to hit him again.

Lin immediately understood what she needed to do. She had already leaped to the trunk, using her feline claws to climb vertically with superhuman grace. Kieran attacked the tree trying to impact her, but Lin switched to crane and used her more aerodynamic form to resist the impact while the tree bent under her legs and the wind pressure...

Exactly what she wanted.

Kieranʼs attack ceased for a moment when he inhaled, and the tree returned to its place almost like a spring, momentum that Lin exploited to jump and increase even more with her powerful, elongated legs.

Kieran realized his mistake too late and tried to stop her with a desperate short burst, but her aerodynamic form and total velocity were too much. He had to create a second and even a third wind barrier to stop her barely two meters away, which left a momentary gap in his primary defense.

Ren was already finishing preparing his shot, energy crackling between his fingers.

”Damn brat!” Kieran roared, realizing how heʼd been outmaneuvered.

But just when he was about to fire, a small yet noisy voice spoke directly in his mind: «Eureka!»

The interruption was so sudden and unexpected that Ren hesitated. His concentration shattered, the ray dissipating partially before firing slightly off-target.

The beam grazed the exposed shoulder of the buried agent.

The effect was immediate and devastating. The man howled as purifying energy spread through his arm, brutally interrupting his regeneration process. The scorpion plates on his adjacent skin vanished temporarily, as if the corruption had physically recoiled from contact with pure energy.

Kieran realized the problematic effect on his ally despite the low power of the attack.

«What the hell are you doing little moron?!» Ren screamed mentally while Kieran took advantage of the pause to reposition defensively.

«Iʼve been analyzing their corrupt energies with our new capability!» the mushroom responded urgently, its mental voice practically vibrating with excitement. «The buried one has a beast with complete abyssal core, but the flyer...!»

The agent had used the interruption and fear of pain in his arm to accelerate his regeneration in other parts of his body, channeling all his remaining energy desperately toward the process. The rocks imprisoning him began to crack as his strength returned with compound interest.

«This isnʼt the time for those analyses or interruptions, idiot!» Ren dodged a cutting wind gust from Kieran.

«Yes it is!» The mushroom practically screamed in his mind. «The flyer is mid-corruption process! His transformation isnʼt complete, but I can see how it advances little by little!»

The rocks and earth finally yielded to his control, his more serious wounds closing with visible speed. The Yino agent emerged completely from the ground, but his appearance had changed dramatically.

Except for the purified and badly charred arm that was slowly becoming ”contaminated” again... His body was almost completely covered by the black-purple exoskeleton of the abyssal scorpion. His arms had developed articulated pincers, and a segmented tail arched over his back with menace.

The transformation was almost total, alien. There were no longer traces of humanity in his form.

«Remember how we experimented with the two corrupt cores in our academy room, but they barely reacted and seemed to contaminate the mana?» the mushroom continued, its voice carrying the weight of breakthrough understanding. «With my new extended perception, I finally understand how they work! Abyssal corruption isnʼt a mana infection! Itʼs a transformation that combines it with that infrared energy… A fusion with the red particles!»

«What exactly do you mean?» Ren managed to ask while dodging another attack.

Lin had returned to the ground, facing Kieran who could now attack her more aggressively without having to protect his companion. The dynamic of the battle had shifted completely.

But Lin didnʼt launch herself at him again due to the elemental control disadvantage. Instead, she used trees as cover, appearing and disappearing at different angles, forcing Kieran to follow her without being able to control her with wind through the dense forest canopy.

”Really? Youʼre going to play hide and seek?” Kieran laughed, but he had lost speed having spent so much mana so abruptly. The sustained wind control was taking its toll on his reserves.

Lin didnʼt respond. Instead, when she reached the highest branches, she jumped toward the next tree.

Kieran followed her, but now he had to navigate between branches and leaves, obstacles that limited his wind control significantly. The air tunnels he could create became shorter, more erratic, fighting against the natural windbreaks of the forest.

There.

Lin stopped abruptly on a thick branch, switched to her crane, and launched not forward but backward, directly toward Kieran who was pursuing her at full speed. The reversal was perfect, using his momentum against him.

«Corruption follows specific patterns when joining!» The mushroom pulsed intensely, its excitement almost overwhelming Renʼs concentration. «Itʼs not random! And I think I can emulate it with my new energy… I want to test it!»

The fully transformed agent launched toward Ren with superhuman speed. He was no longer a man using a beastʼs power; he was a man being used by the beast, a puppet of abyssal will made manifest.

«Letʼs test it!» the mushroom continued desperately. «But wait, Iʼm not compatible with the hydra… weʼre different things...!»

Ren rolled to avoid the pincers that crashed where he had been a second before, the impact leaving deep gouges in the earth. «Why are you talking about this right now if it doesnʼt help us? Canʼt you see the situation you tiny brain!?»

There was a pause while the mushroom processed the response, analyzing energy patterns that only it could perceive with its expanded consciousness.

«The sadistic teacher,» it said finally, its small voice loaded with terrifying revelation. «Take me to your sadistic teacher…! Iʼm not tiny, Iʼm super big!»