Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 798 - Taming the Fifth Year - New self - 2

Not even one hit…

Not because the lion was inherently faster than the cobra could aim accurately. But because Klein was anticipating each shot before it launched. Reading body language of the cobra. The tensing of specific muscles before spitting. The way its head was positioned for optimal trajectory.

And reacting before the attacks fully committed.

After the sixth failed shot, Feng changed tactics with visible frustration.

Desperately.

He ordered the cobra to generate toxic clouds across the field. Not directed attacks but area dispersion. Poisonous mist that expanded in all directions indiscriminately.

It was a suicidal move in certain sense. The cobra would expose itself to the poison completely while generating the cloud. Like many venomous beasts, it didnʼt have immunity to its own weapon in its internal system despite having some external defense against its mechanics. So if damaged it ultimately would get paralyzed too and wouldnʼt be able to move effectively during the battle.

But if it worked...

If the lion became paralyzed too and trapped in the spreading poison...

It could cause sufficient damage to change the battleʼs momentum and give Astor an easy win.

Klein saw the desperation in the tactic immediately.

And smiled slightly.

Because Feng was making the same mistake Klein himself used to make.

Thinking that ”bigger” could substitute for proper technique and planning.

”Counter with a blow,” Klein ordered calmly.

The lion roared, channeling mana.

Wind element was not the lionʼs natural affinity.

But Renʼs methods had unlocked a mana control that could almost ”emulate a gust” perfectly.

The wind from the roar pushed the toxic cloud back toward the cobra that had generated it before it could spread effectively.

Klein smiled slightly at the desperate tactic unfolding before him.

”Phantom claws,” he ordered with calm confidence.

The lion didnʼt need to close the distance physically.

Its claws gleamed with concentrated golden energy that gathered at the tips. Then that energy separated from the physical claws themselves, manifesting as pure projection that could travel independently at range.

Four rays of golden light shot forth from the lionʼs position.

They crossed the twenty meters to the cobra in less than a second.

Struck the venomous cloud around the snake.

And dispersed it violently, creating a clear tunnel through the toxic mist in their trajectory.

The phantom claws continued forward without losing momentum.

They impacted the cobra directly. Striking it in the flank with force that made the snake spin involuntarily from the kinetic energy.

Not devastating damage that would end things immediately. But sufficient to unbalance it completely, to crack several protective scales, make it bleed from multiple points, and leave it vulnerable to its own paralyzing venom that now contacted broken skin.

Fengʼs eyes widened in shock as his own attack turned against him.

The lion was already moving before the claws even connected. Had begun its charge while the phantom projection was shooting forward. Using the distraction of the ranged attack to close distance.

It reached the cobraʼs position while the snake was still recovering from the unexpected impact.

And bit down with decisive force.

On the head. Directly behind the skull where the spine connected.

The fangs penetrated through mana weakened scales and vital tissue.

Fengʼs bond with the cobra severed instantaneously from the catastrophic damage.

The battle ended in that single exchange.

Feng doubled over from the sharp pain of the broken connection, looking at Klein with an expression mixing shock and deep humiliation. He hadnʼt been able to accomplish anything. Not a single attack had connected properly.

Klein didnʼt gloat over the victory. Didnʼt make any mocking comments about how far heʼd surpassed his former follower.

Simply prepared himself for the next opponent with professional focus.

Astorʼs blue rhinoceros materialized next.

Massive beast with hide that resembled living stone, marked with lines of deep azure running through the armored surface. It also possessed earth control that made it particularly dangerous on solid terrain.

Astor was more cautious than Feng had been after witnessing that swift defeat.

So the rhinoceros didnʼt charge immediately. Instead, it began manipulating the ground beneath them strategically.

The terrain under the lionʼs feet began softening gradually. Becoming less stable. Trying to reduce the mobility that had been so devastatingly effective against the cobra.

Klein ordered the lion to retreat. Moving to more solid ground before becoming trapped in the softened earth.

The rhinoceros continued pressing the advantage. Each time the lion positioned itself somewhere, Astor softened that specific terrain as well. Forcing constant movement to avoid being caught.

It was a reasonable tactic for wearing down a faster opponent. But eventually the rhino would likely tire of using earth control before the lion tired of dodging.

Except the lion was already relatively exhausted from the previous battle.

Had expended considerable energy in dodging multiple venom shots, in manifesting those phantom claws, and in the explosive speed of the final rush. In the decisive bite that severed the bond.

Normally that accumulated fatigue would represent a significant disadvantage.

But Kleinʼs lion tired less quickly and recovered faster than it had before the method change. Renʼs cultivation techniques showing their effect once again.

It didnʼt recover completely. Not instantaneously like some regeneration ability. But sufficiently to maintain performance levels where other beasts would begin failing noticeably.

After some minutes of this tactical game, rhinoceros manipulating earth, lion evading the traps… Astor realized that his beast was tiring faster than expected while the lion was tiring more slowly than it should.

He decided it was time to end this before the advantage reversed completely.

The rhinoceros finally charged with all its accumulated mass. Direct ramming attack, taking advantage of a moment where the lion stood on less favorable terrain.

The lion waited until the last possible moment to react.

Then manifested light element.

Not extensively. Though it was the lionʼs natural element, its power over light wasnʼt very high yet compared to its physical capabilities. Barely sufficient to create a brilliant flash directly in front of the rhinocerosʼs eyes.

But enough to blind temporarily at the critical instant.