Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

The power was impressive. If it connected…

But Ren’ beast canceled it on time. Energy dispersion dismantling the projectile just before it could reach the Wolverine.

Not violent destruction but careful disassembly. Elements being separated and redirected in ways neutralizing the threat without permitting a secondary explosion that could cause collateral damage.

The technique was sophisticated… Counter-rotation at precisely calculated opposing momentum. And with the serpent’s last card denied, the Wolverine exploited the opening that the massive attack’s creation and cancellation had generated.

The creation had required the serpent to commit fully to the technique. All its attention focused on maintaining the projectile’s stability. No reserves available for simultaneous defense. The cancellation had created a moment of shock where the serpent hadn’t yet reoriented to new threats.

That window was sufficient.

Earth consolidated into an enormous stake emerging from the ground directly under the serpent’s position. Vertical projection accelerating with force converting the rock’s point into a devastating reinforced weapon.

The stake struck the serpent’s head with an impact that resonated through the arena. A deep thud that spectators felt in their chests as much as heard with their ears. Enough force to completely knock out the creature despite the resistance that Gold rank provided.

Yet not a strike designed to kill but to incapacitate. Precisely leaving the bond intact but severing the beast’s consciousness to the point where battle continuation was impossible.

The serpent’s body went limp. The creature was unconscious but not dead, not permanently injured, just… knocked out.

This time Ren had enough command at the end. So much control he could afford to not aggressively eliminate his opponent with techniques designed for maximum damage rather than precise incapacitation.

Or perhaps he simply wanted it on the ground for a moment to steal some of the expended mana with roots. One of the two motivations… Possibly both simultaneously.

The Wolverine’s underground root network, which had been dormant during the exchange, activated immediately. Min reacted almost instantaneously, withdrawing the serpent to his core before the roots that the Wolverine maintained under the surface could use too much of their parasitic drain.

It was a fast movement saving resources that otherwise would have been lost to absorption that would take from Luna the advantage Min had gained for their team. Not enormous but not negligible either when every point might matter in the final confrontation with Luna.

The serpent dissolved in a flash of light. Most of the energy flowing back to Min’s core, a clean withdrawal without the jarring disruption of forced severance.

Min had lost. But he’d lost while demonstrating remarkable innovation and while forcing Ren to work considerably harder than anticipated. That was a victory of sorts even within defeat.

“Victory 4 to 1: Team Patinder,” Yang announced upon seeing the serpent had been withdrawn.

The spectators erupted in applause recognizing not only the victory but the quality of the exchange they’d witnessed. It had been a battle worthy of the finals. Demonstrating Min’s innovation as much as Ren’s mastery. A confrontation where both combatants had revealed capabilities exceeding what would be expected from fifth-year students.

Min walked toward the arena’s edge with an expression mixing disappointment at the loss with satisfaction at having executed as well as his circumstances permitted.

“Alright,” he admitted with a voice projecting sufficiently for Ren to hear, “I admit your command is ridiculously good. But at least I made you work for this triumph instead of simply crushing me like would have happened if I only had water!”

It was gracious for Min, acknowledging superior skill without making excuses and recognizing that the outcome had been determined by execution rather than luck or circumstance. That was maturity that many competitors never achieved even after years of losses teaching humility.

“Your serpent is impressive,” Ren responded with genuine honesty. “And it’s going to be even more formidable if you don’t mess up refining its balance at superior ranks.”

It was ‘only’ his friend’s recognition. But that validation that the effort Min had invested in developing a dual-element beast had been worthwhile coming from Ren was big… even if it hadn’t been sufficient for winning.

And it was a truth Ren believed completely. The system Min had created had considerable potential if developed appropriately. Unique capabilities that could convert the serpent into a serious threat against opponents who didn’t have Ren’s huge elemental control and versatility for countering.

The absorption capability alone was remarkable. The ability to use opposing elements without a mediator skill was innovative. The explosive propulsion through controlled instability was creative. Combined, those capabilities suggested the serpent could become truly formidable if Min successfully navigated the challenges of advancing an unstable dual-element system through higher cultivation ranks.

But for now, Min had been eliminated. Leaving only Luna and other five Silver-rank opponents to defeat before the final exam officially concluded.

♢♢♢♢

Perhaps the best strategy would have been letting Luna’s last five team companions wear Ren down more before she personally entered for the final battle.

They were competent Silver-rank tamers who could have forced the Wolverine to spend some additional resources. Not much.. But every point mattered when facing someone of Luna’s caliber afterward.

Perhaps it even would have been prudent letting Luna steal some elemental energy from those companions with her wolf before confrontation began. Preventive absorption strengthening her beast before the critical exchange.

The wolf could absorb energy from allies as easily as from enemies. Five companions meant potentially a significant boost that could shift Luna’s starting reserves.

That wouldn’t violate explicit exam rules. Nothing prohibited absorbing from teammates as long as they consented. And it would provide an edge that could be decisive in the exchange between combatants of such elevated caliber.

But for some reason that wasn’t completely understood, none of that happened.

Luna simply stood facing him at the arena’s other side immediately after Min withdrew. Her posture communicated immediate preparation for battle without additional preliminaries from companions providing extra setup.

No hesitation in her expression, nor doubt in her body language. Only serene determination of someone who’d made a decision and committed completely without second thoughts.