Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 801 - Taming the Fifth Year - Immovable - 13

Like observing a predator that you knew was coming for you specifically.

Klein sent his lion forward too with determined expression despite the fear.

If he was going to lose, and he was, heʼd at least test himself against the best.

The lion in its golden glory, mane flowing… looked so small compared to the nightmare of legs and chitin facing it.

There was no point in waiting for opportunity. No tactic Klein could employ that would change the inevitable outcome he faced.

Only option remaining was giving his best effort and hoping to last long enough to not be completely humiliated in front of everyone.

The Deep Terror stopped charging in response.

It remained motionless in position at seeing Kleinʼs beast attacking without fear.

The lion roared… Useless

Klein ordered the lion to manifest light for the blinding counter.

But the Deep Terror was mostly blind already, feeling the vibrations in the air and ground.

Phantom claws… blocked by the way stronger legs armor.

Nothing worked against this comprehensive toolkit… He could only try to bite, the strongest attack of his beast.

LESS THAN ONE MINUTE

When the lion reached five meters from its position, three of the chitinous legs shot forward with devastating speed.

Velocity that Klein could barely track visually even while watching for it.

The lion dodged the first strike with reflexes honed through training. Twisted its body to evade the second attack.

The third leg struck it barely in the flank.

Not with full force… Taro was clearly restraining power to avoid destroying the lion instantaneously. But sufficient impact to launch the beast three meters laterally through the air.

The lion recovered from the strike. Attempted attacking from a different angle to find opening.

The Deep Terror counter-attacked by launching a mana core as a projectile.

Klein barely had time to order an evasive maneuver before the projectile exploded where the lion had been standing half a second earlier.

The lion tried circling around the massive creature. Searching for a blind spot in coverage. Weakness in the overwhelming defense.

None existed.

The Deep Terror had too many legs available. Too many angles of attack it could deploy. Too much comprehensive coverage of approach vectors.

No matter from which direction Klein attempted approaching, there was always a leg ready to block or counter-attack effectively.

And then the Deep Terror decided it had played with its prey sufficiently.

Four legs launched simultaneously. From different directions. Creating a net of attacks that was impossible for Klein to evade completely.

And then the Deep Terror decided it had played with its prey sufficiently.

Four legs launched simultaneously. From different directions. Creating a net of attacks that was impossible for Klein to evade completely.

The lion dodged two of them with impressive agility. Partially blocked the third.

The fourth struck it directly with full force. Lifting it clean off the ground. Launching it five meters backward through the air.

The lion attempted to rise after landing.

And discovered it couldnʼt move properly.

Paralyzing venom. Had entered its system at the moment of impact from the strike.

Not lethal. Not permanent. But sufficient to end the fight decisively.

The lion collapsed completely, muscles refusing to respond to commands.

Klein withdrew it before the Deep Terror could approach closer for a finishing blow.

Total battle time: forty-three seconds.

Less than a single minute.

”I surrender,” he announced clearly.

Teacher Yang confirmed. ”Victory: Taro.”

The lion, which had defeated both cobra and rhinoceros with relative ease earlier, hadnʼt lasted even that long against a creature operating on a completely different level.

RELATIVE MERCY

Because Taro could have attacked with many more legs simultaneously. Could have launched multiple cores at once in devastating barrages.

He could have ended it in less than ten seconds instead of forty-three if heʼd wanted.

The Deep Terror remained motionless at battleʼs conclusion, legs half-deployed, ready to continue if necessary.

But Taro didnʼt give that order too fast.

Klein noticed the restraint. And understood the implicit message being sent.

Taro still didnʼt particularly like him. It wasnʼt a secret between them. The two had... history that couldnʼt be erased overnight.

And Taro was incredibly loyal to Ren in all matters.

But he was also far more grudge-holding than Ren himself had ever been.

Ren forgave more easily. Forgot transgressions rapidly if the person showed genuine change. It was almost frustrating sometimes for Taro how Ren let go of the past.

Taro wasnʼt like that at all.

Taro remembered every slight. Held grudges close. Kept them present in his mind even when pretending they didnʼt matter anymore.

Klein had heard later, through Mayo who possessed fewer filters than everyone else, that Ren had specifically asked Taro not to take out too much revenge on Klein during the exam.

”Give him a fair fight,” Ren had apparently said. ”But donʼt destroy him unnecessarily. Heʼs already changed. Heʼs trying to improve.”

And Taro, being Taro, had listened to that request.

Not because he necessarily agreed with the sentiment. Not because his personal grudge had disappeared magically.

But because Ren asked it of him. And Taro mostly did what Ren asked without question.

So the elimination had been relatively gentle by comparison to what it could have been.

Taro had given Klein an chance to withdraw his beast cleanly. Had restrained power sufficiently so that venom was the decisive factor instead of a devastating mana blow that would have shattered the lion in an instant.

It was more consideration than Klein probably deserved in Taroʼs mind based on his past behavior.

And Klein appreciated that restraint deeply.

He inclined his head slightly toward Taro while exiting the field.

Taro didnʼt respond visibly to the gesture. His expression remained neutral and unreadable.

But Klein thought he saw something loosen slightly in Taroʼs shoulders. As if a minor tension had been released.

Perhaps with time, when Klein demonstrated consistently that the change was permanent and not temporary performance...

Perhaps Taro would finally let go of the grudge completely.

Or perhaps not.

Either way, Klein had work ahead of him. He needed to earn respect again. Not with words but with consistent actions demonstrated over months and years.

It was a long road stretching before him.

But Klein was committed to walking it regardless of how long it took.

♢♢♢♢

ONE DAY LATER

Taroʼs battle had been yesterday.

Today was different in atmosphere.

Today the stands were more crowded with spectators. The energy in the air more concentrated and electric. The attention of observers more intensely focused.

Because today was one of the confrontations that many had been waiting for since the exams began.

Ren Patinder against Larissa Dravenholm.