Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 845 - Taming the Fifth Year - Now or Never - 2

Each use of miasma as a projectile instead of passive defensive aura reduced the Basheʼs reserves in a way that simple absorption of enemy attacks wouldnʼt easily replenish. Miasma was generated from the serpentʼs spiritual essence, it required time to restore, not just mana intake.

Absorbing elemental attacks gave mana. Regenerating miasma required converting that mana into spiritual corruption through internal processes that were slow and energy-intensive. It was like the difference between eating food and digesting it into usable nutrients, one was instant, the other took time.

Using miasma offensively meant she was burning reserves she couldnʼt quickly replace. Every attack reduced her total combat capacity by a percentage that wouldnʼt return during this battle.

But what choice did she have?

Liora decided it wasnʼt the moment to hesitate anymore.

If she waited for Ren to finish his three-dimensional ”cage” of towers and stakes, any opportunity for victory would also end. She had to act now while an opportunity window still existed, even if that meant spending resources in ways she normally would have avoided.

The Bashe was already floating at the 200-meter height limit, so there were no more options to withdraw upward.

The ceiling had been reached and Renʼs towers were about to join her there.

So she commanded the Bashe to use miasma ”breath” against the central tower from above, a concentrated attack of spiritual energy that the serpent released in an exhalation distorting visible air around its trajectory.

The Basheʼs permanent smile widened impossibly as its jaw opened. The serpentʼs entire body contracted then released in a violent exhale that seemed to tear the breath from its lungs.

The dark purple miasma spread like a downburst cloud, a dark current that struck the central towerʼs tip and flowed downward to approximately half its height.

The air itself seemed to recoil from it, flinching away from contact with something that shouldnʼt exist.

The attack visibly weakened the tower.

The affected part where miasma had penetrated most deeply began crumbling, compressed earth breaking under the assault from an energy that corroded elemental cohesion. Rock that had been solid as stone turned brittle as dried clay. Root fibers blackened and withered. The structure groaned, an actual sound carried on the wind, like a tree creaking before it fell.

It seemed the attack was working appropriately, that the upper half of the tower would collapse completely if pressure was maintained for sufficient time.

Maybe 10 more seconds. Maybe 20. Hard to judge, but the damage was accumulating faster than expected. The central tower was the widest, bore the most weight, had the longest load distribution chain. If it fell, the whole strategic formation would be disrupted.

Hope kindled in Lioraʼs chest. Maybe…

But the internal roots proved more resilient than Liora had anticipated.

They recovered bit by bit, receiving nutrients from deeper roots that were still intact in the other half of the towerʼs base. And again from below, the towerʼs tip strengthened, rock being transported vertically through the root system and distributed to repair damage the miasma had caused.

Like watching a wound heal in real-time. Blackened earth replaced with fresh material. Withered roots reinforced with new growth. The structural integrity was restored almost as fast as it was damaged.

It was active regeneration counteracting Lioraʼs attack in real-time.

While the Bashe spent energy trying to destroy the tower, Ren spent resources repairing it, but at a rate favoring the wolverine because he was using materials already present in the field instead of pure mana. He was recycling. She was burning reserves.

It seemed attacking the towerʼs upper part didnʼt accomplish much when the base remained intact, providing a continuous supply of repair material. Liora recognized she needed to attack the base directly so the support couldnʼt hold the weight of the upper sections and the entire tower would crumble in a cascade Ren couldnʼt stop with simple resource redistribution.

Cut off the root to kill the tree... Basic tactics.

But descending meant vulnerability.

She thought for a moment while evaluating risks of descending to a level where the wolverine probably waited in ambush. That was the trap within the trap, force her to come down where sheʼd be exposed, where underground movement gave Ren every advantage.

Still, she decided time had run out for cautious considerations.

She didnʼt need to go all the way down. If she attacked from slightly below the midpoint, the pillars surely couldnʼt support their own weight. The towers were already at extreme height, already pushing structural limits. Remove support at the 100-meter mark and everything above would collapse from its own mass.

Basic physics. Inevitable outcome.

Only a bit more than 10 additional meters remained before the towers reached the arenaʼs 200-meter height limit, the same one Ren had apparently established as target height. It was now or never if she wanted to interrupt the strategy before it reached final form.

The towers were at 190 meters. Still growing.

192 meters.

195 meters.

Time was running out.

Now or never.

Liora descended.

She sent the Bashe descending rapidly toward the base of one of the lateral pillars instead of the central one sheʼd already attacked.

Switching targets in hopes of keeping him guessing… Never be predictable.

Speed was critical now. She needed to strike the base of as many towers as possible and destroy them before Ren could react appropriately. The serpent dove, spiritual flotation allowing descent that was faster than ordinary free fall but still steerable.

Not quite terminal velocity, maybe 80% of it. Fast enough to close distance quickly, controlled enough to adjust trajectory if needed. The purple coils spiraled downward, miasma trailing behind like a toxic exhaust.

From the stands, it looked like a demonic meteor falling in slow motion, deadly and beautiful in equal measure.

But Ren smiled from his position, observing the situationʼs development.

It was an expression communicating satisfaction with his plan executing exactly as anticipated rather than concern about an attack threatening to destroy his constructions.

Everything was proceeding perfectly. Better than perfectly, actually… Liora had chosen to descend toward a lateral tower rather than the central one, which meant sheʼd positioned herself exactly where he needed her.

The bait had been taken. The hook was set.

Now to reel her in.