Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 401 - Tamers War - The Bridge

Victor soared above the air currents that his Giant Golden Eagle generated effortlessly, his eyes scanning the battlefield with the advantage only an elite aerial tamer like him could obtain.

Beneath his feet, the impressive kilometer and a half long abyss bridge stretched, the last connection between the two parts of the human world, supporting itself from both sides to traverse the impossible depth of the void. Its twin lanes were divided by a small low wall that separated directions, designed to precisely control the flow of goods between the kingdoms.

But now, instead of merchants and caravans coming and going, Yino troops marched in standard formation across both lanes, transforming the massive structureʼs ʼround-trip flowʼ into a unidirectional tide of war.

ʼCunning bastards,ʼ Victor thought while evaluating the enemy force. ʼThey didnʼt wait even a second for us to be ready to stop them.ʼ

From his elevated position, he could clearly see how the Yano troops that had been stationed on ʼtheir halfʼ of the bridge had been forced to retreat before the enormous numerical difference.

Surely upon seeing the numbers against the scarce dozens of soldiers dedicated more to bureaucracy than battle, they decided it wasnʼt even worth trying to stop them.

Although Victor wasnʼt thrilled with the little resistance they put up... It was an intelligent tactical retreat. There was no sense in sacrificing valuable soldiers essential for economic functioning in what could have been a symbolic resistance.

ʼShit, Iʼm becoming a decrepit old man. I should have chosen a vitality beast as a second one. Iʼm already thinking like Arturo and Iʼm barely in my forties...ʼ

Although impulsive and perhaps overly optimistic, Victor was quite a good commander due to his Giant Golden Eagle. His panoramic view of the field normally gave him many advantages. And having a high-level beast at Gold 2 also implied almost undisputed dominion over airspace.

Unfortunately, much of what could be done tactically on the bridge didnʼt depend too much on that general overview of all surrounding places, because things were happening in one single location... the bridge.

However, it still had its merits.

His eagle banked in an updraft, giving him a complete view of the advancing enemy formation. It was textbook perfect: Wood and Earth elementals at the front, the most resistant and defensive, creating a mobile wall of protection. Behind them, they positioned the best Fire and Wind attackers, with some Water supports and healers covered by the majority.

The rarer elements, Light, Darkness, and neutrals, were scattered throughout the formation like wild cards, hidden and ready to be deployed when their distinct abilities would be most relevant.

ʼA solid formation,ʼ Victor admitted mentally, ʼbut predictable.ʼ

The bridgeʼs structure not only negated his usefulness with aerial vision, it also made any complex maneuvering impossible. It was, almost literally, a bottleneck, a narrow corridor. There were no flanks to protect, no high ground to take. Just brute force against brute force from soldiers at the front of their formations in the lanes.

The only option was to prevent them from finishing their crossing normally.

Victor had briefly considered the option of destroying the bridge, but dismissed the idea almost instantly. The enormous structure had been created with the highest level powers available in both kingdoms, extremely resistant and massive.

Too much even for his Gold 3 Qilin…

While the usable part at the top wasnʼt so wide or large, the support seemed practically like a natural event. The roots anchored on both sides extended several hundred meters down into the abyss.

If not broken completely the earth soldiers would just build the road on top of it again and he would waste strength in a meager result.

ʼOur morale could go down if I donʼt make a good dent… Besides,ʼ he reminded himself, ʼthe bridge material isnʼt just any rock...ʼ

A small communication beast perched on his shoulder, carrying Juliusʼs question from central command.

”Initial assessment?”

Victor studied the enemy movements, noting details in their march that only his privileged position allowed him to see.

”Good, but not exceptional. Most seem to be mid-Silver...” he paused, calculating the implications, ”numbers are definitely in their favor. Two to one, maybe more.”

”Proceeding with the initial plan.”

Victor finished writing and smiled, feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline that preceded real combat. The anticipation was intoxicating, finally, action instead of endless strategic meetings.

”Initiate measuring attack,” he announced to the beasts surrounding him, small creatures from his communicators, a kind of unidirectional tactical communication that connected with ground units.

From his elevated position on his side of the bridge, he could see how Yanoʼs forces that had just arrived at the attacking range were organizing. Director Ignatius was clearly visible in the fire squadron even from that distance, his different attire standing out among the other high-level tamers that composed the attack group.

”Fire and Wind units!” Victor shouted, his voice amplified by his Qilinʼs mana. ”Coordinated attack in three... two... one... NOW!”

What followed was a spectacle that would have been beautiful if it werenʼt so lethal.

Multiple high-level Fire tamers synchronized their powers, their individual flames fusing into a mass of thermal energy that made the air itself tremble. The Wind elementals didnʼt lag behind, feeding the flames with concentrated air while simultaneously containing and compressing the attack into a directed flow.

The result was a torrent of compressed fire that traveled directly toward the frontal enemy units already at the end of the bridge like a river of pure destruction.

Victor observed with satisfaction how the attack developed. It was a generic initial move, designed more to measure the enemyʼs brute force than to cause decisive damage. But the power displayed was impressive even by his standards.

ʼLetʼs see how they respond to this,ʼ he thought.

The response wasnʼt long in coming.

The enemy Earth elementals, supported by Water ones, formed fire-resistant elemental barriers. Walls of moist earth rose from the bridgeʼs surface, reinforced by water currents that evaporated on contact but cooled enough to maintain structural integrity.

But the hot, powerful flow of concentrated fire seemed unable to be completely contained. Victor could see how some lower Silver Yino soldiers began taking damage, their defenses insufficient against the coordinated attack.

A fierce smile crossed his face.

ʼI was right! Our Yano indeed had tamers of much better individual level.ʼ

Applying damage to the front line so soon, with a generic initial attack and against elements disadvantageous to fire, meant they had at least two or three small rank advantages, the equivalent of a complete major rank above Yino in this battle.

Basically golds against silvers.

But his smile faded when he noticed changes on the opposite side of the bridge.

A figure cut through the air, riding what was clearly a Silver 2 Spectral Crow. Even from the distance, Victor could feel the energy emanating from the rider.

ʼMaximilian Vanthorne,ʼ he recognized. ʼLooks like heʼs the commander of this enemy operation.ʼ

Vanthorne covered himself in a purple glow that resonated at several points on the bridge, and the signal was immediately repeated for everyone on the battlefield.

What followed made Victor feel a chill running down his spine.

Practically all enemy soldiers began pulsing with a purple energy that seemed to emanate from their own cores.

The earth walls that had been defending against the fire attack took on a sickly purple tone. Before Victorʼs eyes, crystallized formations emerged, jagged and disordered but clearly more resistant than natural earth.

The water that had been cooling the defenses acquired a dark purple tone and began evaporating much less easily under the continuous fire assault.

ʼAbyssal corruption in all their soldiers,ʼ Victor realized with growing alarm. ʼNot only do they have superior numbers, they already have the way to completely distribute that corrupt power.ʼ

Almost as if it were the answer to the method they had obtained from Ren, Yino seemed to have standardized their population with a generalized power increase too.

The fire attack that had been causing constant damage suddenly found itself contained by defenses that strengthened instead of weakening. Enemy soldiers who had been suffering under the elemental assault now stood firm, their own beasts pulsing with that unnatural purple energy.

Victor immediately took another small communication bird.

”Julius, we might have a bigger problem than expected. Confirming abyssal corruption in all enemy forces.”

After sending the message, Victor felt how his eagle responded to his growing tension, the air currents becoming more aggressive under its wings.

The true measure of the powers at play was just beginning, and it had already become clear that this wouldnʼt be the quick and clean victory of quality and superior power he had hoped for.

ʼAlmost two to one in numbers,ʼ he thought grimly, ʼand abyssal power to match our rank advantage. This is going to depend more on my skill than I thought.ʼ

But as he watched Yanoʼs forces reorganize to launch their own attack, Victor felt a familiar determination ignite in his chest.

They had come here to stop Yino, and he wasnʼt going to back down no matter what dirty tricks they had in store.

The mathematical reality was sobering, but mathematics didnʼt account for determination, skill, or the righteous fury of defending oneʼs homeland.

ʼLet them try,ʼ he thought fiercely. ʼWeʼre going to show them what the true pure power of this world can do.ʼ