Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

That incident in the gathering exams…

The student who had been infected with a new form of mutated corruption that was fundamentally different from the known variants they’d been dealing with for years.

That had shown properties conventional purification couldn’t neutralize completely no matter how much mana Ren poured into the attempt.

That suggested someone somewhere was experimenting with evolved forms of the infection that had plagued the frontiers during the extended conflict with the mutants and corrupted.

Julius stopped in his pacing, the thought crystallizing into something more substantial than vague anxiety. “Arturo, do you remember what Ren communicated about Jin? That new ‘less aggressive’ mutation of the corruption?”

Arturo looked up again from his paperwork. “Yes… I remember being pleased reading that the mutation was less aggressive in the internal mana and seemed not to affect the tamer’s character and form as much as the first variants did. Only to feel betrayed and deeply worried reading that the modified form resisted conventional purification methods much better. Ren suggested in his report that they had likely been manipulating the corruption intentionally, perhaps refining it in some way or toward some specific direction.”

“What if that’s what they used against Victor?” Julius continued, the scenario forming in his mind as he spoke, pieces clicking together with horrible clarity. “What if they obtained new power derived from that mutated corruption? Something that could harm him in ways his enormous defense didn’t anticipate?”

It was a terrifying possibility because it opened doors to types of threats that conventional preparation didn’t cover adequately. If the opportunistic nobles had access to weapons based on evolved corruption, something they’d been developing in secret while everyone thought they were just political parasites… that changed the nature of the conflict fundamentally.

This wouldn’t be a simple power struggle between factions anymore. It would be fighting against an enemy who’d weaponized the very thing that had been destroying their civilization from the inside for years.

But even accepting that disturbing possibility as plausible, there still remained the critical question of how they’d applied that power effectively against someone with Victor’s incredible mobility…

Victor could fly. Could cover kilometers in minutes when fused with his beasts. Could escape from practically any ground-based confrontation simply by pushing you with insane power and taking to the air where few opponents could follow.

How did you trap someone like that?

Julius stopped abruptly in his pacing, his expression changing as a new conclusion struck him with the force of a revelation.

Victor had entered the ancient ruin…

A ruin with stairs that descended through multiple chambers. A ruin built in an era where architecture was designed to last millennia, walls and ceilings made of materials that resisted magical damage of the highest level through their fundamental nature and enchantments that still functioned after centuries.

Most ruins descended in spiral patterns, but… if that ruin had any long, straight passages in its design, Julius could suddenly see the way Victor might be trapped despite all his advantages.

“His mobility wouldn’t help him much in that specific case,” Julius uttered aloud, the pieces finally falling into place with sickening clarity. “If they attacked him inside the ruin, if they really used those limited artifacts they’ve been hoarding…”

Arturo leaned forward with renewed interest, his fatigue momentarily forgotten. “Narrow passages without space to maneuver laterally. I see. If someone were blocking the path upward…”

“Victor would be without options but one,” Julius completed, feeling something cold settle in his stomach with the realization. “Of course. How did we not see this? I think that’s where they did it. If I had to stop my brother somehow, a narrow tunnel and a rotation system of attackers would be a relatively viable method.”

He paused, considering the logistics of such a scenario in more detail.

You couldn’t defeat Victor in open combat today… that was an established fact. His power, his fusion capabilities, his tactical awareness made him virtually unbeatable in any fair confrontation.

But this wouldn’t have been fair.

This would have been an ambush in the worst possible terrain for Victor’s advantages. A confined space where his mobility meant almost nothing. Where his ability to reposition and strike from unexpected angles was nullified by simple geometry.

And if they’d prepared properly, if they’d studied his capabilities and planned specifically to counter them…

Arturo’s mind was clearly working along similar lines. “Though they’d need a cadence of fire beyond anything normal to overcome Victor’s offensive push. Continuous attacks that would force him to stay defensive instead of advancing. And the duration… they’d have to sustain it for…”

His voice faded as he contemplated how much power would be necessary to keep Victor contained for the more than thirty hours that had passed since communication ceased. It was a monumental effort that would require massive resources and perfect coordination among multiple attackers.

You couldn’t just throw random Gold-rank beasts at Victor and hope they held him. He’d tear through standard opposition like paper regardless of numbers.

But if they had access to mutated corruption that amplified attacks in ways conventional defense didn’t anticipate properly…

If they’d refined that corruption into weapons or techniques that could bypass the normal rules…

If they’d readied the battlefield specifically to neutralize Victor’s greatest strengths while maximizing his vulnerabilities…

It could be possible. Barely, requiring nearly perfect conditions and extensive preparation. But technically, theoretically possible.

The more Julius thought about it, the more the scenario made horrible sense.

Twenty soldiers had gone with Victor. Not pushovers by any measurement.

And none of them had reported back either.

Which suggested…

Julius was about to elaborate on this analysis when a soft knock on the door interrupted his thought process. One of Arturo’s assistants entered with an expression that communicated urgency, but a controlled alarm that came from delivering important news without wanting to cause panic.

“Sir,” the assistant addressed Arturo but with a glance that included Julius as well, “the opportunistic nobles sent messengers. It appears they want to negotiate…”