Zolton noticed his expression twist and his heart sank. Leo would definitely refuse. He was already bracing himself for ruin—

—but then—

Ting!

[Death Match accepted!]

The match will be supervised by *Professor Brant.

Please wait for further instructions.

Zolton froze.

He looked up sharply, his gaze snapping toward Leo, who was calmly tapping his phone, his expression unreadable.

A cruel grin slowly spread across Zolton's face. He burst into laughter, convinced Leo had misclicked.

"Hahaha! Finally! I'll take back all the humiliation I suffered back in the city—starting with you!"

Then he extended his finger toward Lily.

"And then you—hahaha!"

For a moment, Lily simply stared at him.

Then she realized something.

Leo didn't need her protection anymore.

Instinctively, she had always tried to shield him—just like she had for years—but now, he was more than enough on his own. Her demeanour shifted, her gaze sharpening.

"Leo," she said calmly. "Kill him."

"At your command, my queen," Leo replied with a lazy smirk, his eyes fixed on the lamb standing before him to be slautered.

Brant raised his voice.

"Very well. Since both parties have accepted, the Death Match will begin immediately."

As he spoke, a gentle yet irresistible gust of wind swept outward, forcing first-year and second-year students back in a wide arc. The crowd stumbled as the pressure pushed them away, forming a perfectly circular arena nearly two hundred meters wide, leaving only Leo and Zolton standing at its center.

Zolton felt intoxicated by visions of his future—nearly four hundred thousand points within reach. Without hesitation, he summoned his beasts.

Three figures materialized beside him.

Ashfang Hyena (Mid 2-star) – Mortal Bloodline

A yellow-striped hyena, its jaws dripping sizzling saliva that hissed as it hit the ground.

Flame Dog (Mid 1-star) – Ordinary Bloodline

An orange-colored mutt that looked like it had been dragged straight off the streets.

Lava Hound (High 1-star) – Mortal Bloodline

A gray, muscular beast resembling a feral Doberman, its body faintly glowing with molten veins.

"Ohhhh! What powerful beasts!"

"Lord Zolton is the best!"

Some people cheered, seeing the powerful beasts summoned by Zolton which only fueled his pride.

Leo observed them quietly.

"…Interesting," he murmured, boredom evident in his voice. He didn't even bother summoning his own beasts.

He noticed a pattern—most tamers focused on beasts of a single element. It made sense: stacking elemental attacks allowed mastery and synergy. But Leo had no such limitations.

Unlike others, whose low Soul capacity allowed them to copy only a handful of skills, Leo possessed two souls. Together, they allowed him to extract ten skills from a single beast—a number that would only grow in the future.

He could tame beasts without restraint, so long as they interested him.

Zolton mistook Leo's stillness for fear.

"What?" he sneered. "Scared shitless? Gonna piss your pants?" He laughed loudly.

"Come on! Bring out your pitiful cat already—let my hounds devour it!"

The crowd erupted.

Mockery and jeers rained down on Leo. Since he hadn't summoned a beast, many assumed it was weak—Zolton's taunts only fueling that belief.

Others whispered another possibility.

What if he isn't even a beast tamer?

If that were true, he was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Beast tamers were almost always superior to other talents.

Brant, however, was quietly chuckling to himself.

"Pitiful cat?" he muttered. "Is he talking about that panther? I can't wait to see this."

Even Lily looked confused. With a single swipe of Shyra's claws, all three beasts before them would vanish.

Leo smirked.

"Pitiful cat?" he echoed. "Since you're so eager to meet her… very well."

He raised his hand and summoned Shyra.

The moment her figure materialized, the entire arena fell deathly silent.

A nine-meter-tall black form emerged, her massive body radiating an oppressive aura that scraped against Zolton's scalp like icy claws. The pressure alone made his knees wobble.

"AHHH—fuck! I knew it!" Alric muttered from the crowd, already scanning the ground for a hole to crawl into.

But then something unexpected happened.

Instead of attacking Zolton's beasts, Shyra turned toward Leo, her slit violet eyes filled with resentment. She hissed softly, a low growl vibrating from her throat.

She didn't want to fight.

She was on her month-long paid holiday.

Normally, she would've attacked if the enemy posed a challenge—but the three beasts before her were nothing more than fodder. She knew Leo could wipe them out with a single breath.

She wanted justice. Leo was just abusing her!

She absolutely refused to have her promised vacation interrupted by insignificant trash.

Leo blinked, then made an awkward expression.

"Sorry, sorry," he said. "This bastard called you a pitiful cat. I just wanted to show him that you're anything but."

At that, Shyra sharply turned her gaze toward Zolton.

The moment her eyes locked onto him, he felt as though his death sentence had been signed. His legs gave out and he collapsed onto his backside, muttering incoherently.

Then—she lost interest.

With a lazy flick of her paw, Shyra turned away and began walking straight out of the arena toward Lily, as if going to greet her.

Leo watched her leave, utterly dumbfounded.

In the end, he could only blame himself.

"Fine, fine. Go," he muttered. "I'll make you toil after two weeks."

The crowd was stunned.

Then someone shouted—

"T-That beast doesn't listen to him!"

"Boohoo! How disgraceful!"

"He's weak without his beast! He definitely cheated!"

A beast refusing its master was considered irrefutable proof of a tamer's weakness—a complete humiliation.

For a brief moment, even Brant was confused.

Then he noticed Shyra reach Lily, gently lowering her massive head as Lily stroked her fur and petted her affectionately.

"Leo's been abusing your strength again, hasn't he, Shyra?" Lily said softly, as if she understood everything.

"You don't need to help him today. He can handle it himself. Enjoy your holiday, okay? I won't let him torment you later."

Shyra knew Lily well. And could sense the bond between Lily and Leo ran deep—and unlike her cruel master, Lily's gentle, motherly touch soothed her. Whenever Leo pushed her too far during training, Shyra always ran to Lily for protection.

And Lily, in turn, found it strangely comforting to care for Leo's beasts. Sometimes, she even forgot her obsession with him and focused solely on shielding them from his brutal training schedules—ones she herself had once endured.

Beside her, Miho stood frozen stiff. The towering black beast loomed before her, and she struggled just to stay upright.

It's even bigger than my sister's black wolf…

Brant's sharp ears caught Lily's words, and he quickly pieced everything together.

"Paid holiday, huh?" he muttered with a chuckle. "Maybe I should implement that for my own beasts."

He smiled faintly.

Even if Shyra wasn't listening right now, the bond between her and Leo was anything but weak.

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