"We can’t win, Master." The Phoenix’s telepathic voice resonated in Mariana’s mind, its colossal wings spread wide, its gaze locked on the skeletal monstrosity.
"How certain are you?" Mariana pressed, her thoughts mirroring the Phoenix’s apprehension.
"I can’t defeat that beast. We should back down," the Phoenix insisted, a hint of desperation in its tone.
"You’re not like this! Why are you scared of such a beast?!" Mariana inwardly scread, her frustration mounting.
"Master, there aren’t many beasts I’m scared of, but this beast before us isn’t just any beast. It has the blood and darkness bloodlines. What I’m saying is, this beast is pure evil," the Phoenix warned, its fear palpable.
Mariana sighed, the weight of the situation settling upon her. "Even your ultimate attack can’t pass its defense. Going further won’t benefit any of us, and I don’t want you to get hurt." She offered a small, sad smile.
"Don’t worry, Master, your teammates will win this competition."
Mariana slowly nodded, then raised her hand. "I surrender," she announced, her voice echoing through the arena.
Stella’s lips curved into a triumphant smile. "Get back inside," she commanded her beast.
WHOOSH!!!
A collective gasp rippled through the audience.
"....?!"
A surge of terrifying energy emanated from the skeleton, stunning everyone. Before Stella could react, the skeletal beast materialized its sword, lunging towards Mariana and the Phoenix with unadulterated bloodlust.
"What are you doing, Buxton?!" Stella shrieked, her voice laced with mild shock and disbelief.
".....?!"
Mariana froze, the skeleton appearing before her in a blink, its sword arcing towards her neck.
SCREECH!!!!
The imnse Phoenix let out a deafening shriek, unleashing a wave of raw energy that slamd into the skeleton, sending it hurtling backward. The skeletal beast landed gracefully, its crimson eyes locking onto the Phoenix, which now stood protectively in front of Mariana.
"Buxton! I said back down!" Stella yelled again, but her beast completely ignored her, its red eyes fixed on the Phoenix. The skeleton raised its sword, channeling all its energy into the blade. With a downward slash, it unleashed a massive energy blade directly at Mariana.
"Dodge!!!!" Stella scread in horror, while the deans shot to their feet, their faces etched with shock.
WHOOSH!
BOOOM!!!!!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the arena as the attack collided with sothing unseen.
"So arrogant."
The skeleton took a step back, the voice emanating from the dissipating smoke. Everyone watched as Christopher erged, his gaze cold and unwavering.
"You are strong, I get that, but disobeying your master! Isn’t that below you?" he asked, his voice laced with chilling calm.
"My master is weak! She was planning on letting them go free!" the skeleton retorted, its red eyes fixed on Christopher.
"And how do you plan to make her strong?" Christopher inquired, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"If I kill those two, she will know that strength is all that matters!!" The skeleton pointed its sword at Christopher. "Get out of my way! Or I will kill you too!"
"You will kill ?" Christopher’s smirk widened. "I would like to see how."
_
"Can Christopher take on a Divine stage beast with a Lv10 combat strength?" the Dean of the Guardian Academy asked, turning to Howard.
"I don’t know that, Maxim, I don’t know," Howard replied, his expression grim.
Maxim whirled around, facing the Dean of First Star Academy. "Your student is using a Beast she can’t even control! And you dare call that strength!!"
"I... I... I don’t know what happened! It had never hurt anyone before!" the Dean stamred, her face pale.
"Yes! In your academy! What about elsewhere?!" Maxim sighed, turning his gaze back to the arena. "If sothing happens, you will be disqualified!" he added, his voice firm.
"Should we help?" Xing asked, his eyes glued to Christopher and the skeleton.
"No... Don’t you want to see the Boss in action? It has been so long," Sunny said calmly, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"The Boss killed a Sky stage beast, although it was a simulation, he surely did it." Phoenix’s words sent a shockwave through her two companions.
_
"Go brother!! Show that skull head beast who’s the Boss!!" Adonis yelled, his voice booming.
"Aren’t you scared he will get himself killed?" a nearby student dared to ask.
Adonis whirled around, his eyes blazing, and grabbed the student’s uniform collar. "How dare you?! If you say sothing like that again, I will have your head!"
The student, along with all those nearby, gulped audibly. "I... I am sorry! I won’t say anything again!" the guy stamred, sweat beading on his forehead.
"You should be lucky!" Adonis released his grip, turning back to the arena.
"Go brother!!" he roared, his unwavering faith in Christopher echoing through the stands.
__
"It seems you are famous, you must be very strong... Let’s see if you can match ---"
The skeleton froze. Christopher had appeared before it in an instant, unleashing a straight punch with 80% of his full life force.
BAM!!!!
The force of the blow generated a shockwave that rippled across the entire arena, slamming heavily against the barrier and causing visible cracks to spiderweb across its surface. Everyone’s attention snapped to the skeleton, which lay embedded in the ground, its rib cage completely shattered.
"Impossible, I am strong," the skeleton muttered to itself, its red eyes slowly rising to et Christopher, who stood over it.
Christopher bent down, his hand wrapping around the skeleton’s bony neck. He lifted the creature effortlessly into the air. "You are nothing but trash! Do you think being a divine stage beast makes you invincible?!" he demanded, tightening his grip.
"Christopher!! Please! Spare him!!" Stella’s desperate plea reached him from behind.
Christopher looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze unwavering. "Such a beast isn’t worth leaving alive. It might turn against you in the future," he stated.
"He won’t!!" Stella cried out, tears streaming down her face.
Now, Christopher, the skeleton, and even the stunned audience were captivated. "He! He saved my life countless tis!! I can’t let him die!! He is the only family I have!" she wailed, her voice filled with raw emotion.
’Who would have thought the cold Stella would love this ’Thing’ to such length?’ Christopher mused, then exhaled slowly. "The master you called weak is begging for your life! Won’t you say or do anything?!" he challenged the skeleton.
"Anything? She is weak, that’s why I always saved her... She needs to know how to grow stronger!" the skeleton retorted, its voice surprisingly calm.
"Grow stronger??!!" Christopher’s face turned icy cold. "You two are teammates! And as her beast, you should protect her no matter what?! Not be here complaining!!" He sighed, a hint of disappointnt in his voice. "With the strength Stella showed toward you! Do you still call her weak?!" He tossed the shattered skeleton to the side with a dismissive gesture. "Co out!!" Christopher commanded.
WHOOSH!
Three ethereal lights streaked out from his rings, coalescing into the formidable forms of Reaper, the blood-red werewolf, its gaze fixed intently on the skeleton, and two majestic blood eagles.
"This?" The skeleton was utterly stunned.
"Look here!! These guys are all mythical stage Beasts! But once I give them life force, they’ll have the power of a Divine stage! One alone is enough to give you a hard ti! Let alone the three!! I’m telling you! Alone, you are weak!! Together, you are strong! A union between a Beast and a human doesn’t revolve around master and slave! It creates a deep bond, and when you understand that! You will appreciate your master!!"
He then dismissed his beasts back into his ring, turned, and walked away. The skeleton’s red eyes remained fixed on his departing figure.
"Thank you," Stella whispered, her voice choked with emotion, as Christopher walked past her. He simply nodded, not saying a word, while she rushed to Buxton’s side.
"Buxton?"
Buxton looked at her, then transford into a trail of light and flew into her necklace. Stella clutched her necklace, then turned to Christopher, who had already reached Mariana’s side.
"Thank you, Master Christopher," she said in a low voice, her gratitude profound.
Christopher had not only saved her life but also the academy. If Buxton had killed Mariana, Stella would surely not have left the arena alive, and her academy would have been disqualified. Christopher had just done her a huge favor, one she fully intended to repay.
"Okay!! Thanks to Christopher! Stella won’t be disqualified! And will advance to the last round! Now! The last team on the line!" the announcer bood, his voice cutting through the lingering tension.
Everyone’s attention shifted to the screen, where ’Zack Vs Scarlett’ appeared.
"Okay everyone! This is the last match of this round!!" the announcer yelled, his excitent palpable.
Zack and Scarlett stepped forward, standing opposite each other in the center of the arena.
"Don’t worry, dear, I won’t use that skill against you," Zack said with a confident smile.
"I suggest you use it, or you will lose," Scarlett retorted with a smirk. A brilliant red light erupted from her bracelet, taking the form of a colossal red Queen Cobra behind her. The eighty-foot-long snake let out a chilling hiss, its erald eyes fixed on Zack.
"A good beast... Let tell you sothing," Zack said, his smile unwavering. "I am not a tar... But an Awakener!" He clenched his fists, and a dense amount of life force burst forth from him, rippling across the arena. "Let’s have a good fight!" he smirked.
_
"Are Awakeners more powerful than tars?" Mariana asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Yes... They are more powerful, but Tars have an advantage against them," Christopher answered.
"Which is?" Advika inquired, leaning forward.
"A tar can control one to ten beasts, while an Awakener fights solo... Awakeners are both physically and ntally stronger than tars, but when a tar has powerful beasts under their command, an Awakener will have a hard ti," he explained, as the two girls remained silent, absorbing his words.
After a tense ten seconds, Advika asked, "Does that an Zack will lose?"
"Not sure... Scarlett is an elite level tar, and has a mythical stage cobra. No one knows if she has another beast... Anyway, we will find out more as the battle progresses," he said, his gaze fixed on the unfolding match.
’So boring,’ Tiamat thought with a yawn.
’There is nothing to think or wait here... You all know Zack already won.’
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