15 The confrontation (2)
August stared at the cheetah, its skeletal mouth emitting a menacing green gas. Its eye sockets seemed to ooze with the same toxic substance, rendering it terrifying to behold.
"It has a toxic breath ability," August observed solemnly. "It might poison this entire area." Despite the beast's lower mana core rank diminishing the skill's power, it remained a high-ranking ability with potent poison.
"This beast is a rare breed, a C+ ranked bloodline with both dark and poison elements," Leopold said proudly as he crouched down to pick up his dropped glass.
"My father gifted it to me after I formed my beast space," he explained, wiping his glasses with a cloth before adjusting them.
"Blackflame, use Toxic Swipe!" Leopold shouted.
The beast obeyed, wielding its claw which then emitted a green hue as it sprinted towards August. At a distance, it leaped, aiming to swipe its claws.
August dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the attack. As the beast's claw swiped through the air, green energy projected approximately 1 meter from its claw before disappearing.
"Shit! It's not just a normal toxic claw ability," August muttered, his expression turning serious.
"Aurora, use Ice Spike!" he commanded.
Aurora, now capable of controlling three ice spikes, conjured them and fired all three simultaneously.
"Use Toxic Swipe!" Leopold commanded.
The black-maned cheetah swiftly swiped its claw at the incoming projectiles, effortlessly breaking them with a single swipe.
"The beast must have received training before forming a soul contract with it," August thought grimly.
"Freaking rich people," he muttered under his breath.
"Blackflame, use Venomous Gas!" Leopold commanded.
The beast opened its skeletal mouth wide, preparing to unleash the toxic gas. However, it was interrupted by an incoming ice spike striking its skull. Despite the impact, the attack didn't seem to faze the beast, causing its head to tilt backward slightly.
"Not even a scratch, tough bastard," August grumbled.
Regaining its momentum, the beast swiftly gathered mana in its mouth, unleashing a stream of green gas heading straight for August.
"Shit, not good. I don't have a direct counter for it. Let's use Mist Veil to deflect it," August strategized quickly.
"Aurora, use Mist Veil, but concentrate it around us like a barrier," he commanded.
Aurora obeyed, creating a mist barrier around them. However, the green gas continued to advance, penetrating the mist barrier slowly but steadily.
"Now, use Elemental Bite there," August commanded without panicking, directing Aurora to use her new ability toward the direction where Leopold's beast had released the gas.
Aurora opened her mouth wide, and cold mana began to form an ice jaw with sharp teeth in front of her. With precision, she released the ice jaw, propelling it with speed.
The cheetah continued to release toxic gas from its mouth. Though it lacked physical eyes, it sensed its surroundings. As it kept releasing the gas, it suddenly noticed an ice jaw with sharp teeth emerging from the gas. Unable to dodge in time, the ice teeth bit into its front leg, causing it to howl in pain as green blood oozed from the wound.
"How can it be?" Leopold couldn't believe his eyes. His prized pet, a damned C+ ranked bloodline, had been injured. It had been trained by experts and was considered one of the best beasts in its rank.
As the beast got hurt, its ability was canceled. The toxic gas slowly dispersed, allowing August and Aurora to emerge unharmed.
Aurora then spewed a large amount of mist from her mouth, covering the training room in thick mist.
"What is this?" Leopold panicked as he couldn't even clearly see his own hands. He glanced around frantically, but everything was obscured by thick mist. Suddenly, he felt a fist connect with his nose, sending him falling to the floor in pain.
"Ugh," he groaned, suspecting his nose was broken from the impact.
As he looked up, he froze in fear. Before him stood a silhouette, its four blue eyes staring down at him - two in its head and two on its shoulders.
Despite the mist, the Leopold's beast did not attack. Perhaps due to their low synergy, it only reacted when given orders.
August looked down at the one who had always reminded him of the harsh reality of the world, where the weak bowed down to the strong. But now, the once imposing figure lay on the floor, cowering in fear.
Feeling nothing after defeating him, the only word that escaped August's lips was "Pathetic."
"What... what are you doing?" Leopold's voice trembled with fear as August approached him.
"Oh, I won't do anything myself," August replied with a sinister smile. "I'll simply break a few bones, or perhaps I'll let my pet bite off one of your limbs." Aurora hissed in agreement, indicating her interest in the idea.
"Heek!" Leopold exclaimed, his voice trembling with fear. "Where are you two? Help me!" he shouted, calling for assistance from his lackeys.
The two lackeys, snapping out of their stupor, summoned their beast space, and two beasts emerged. One was a wolf beast, and the other was a bird beast.
The lackeys' beasts quickly moved towards Leopold's location. The wolf beast lunged forward, attempting to bite, while the bird beast attacked with its talons aimed at where August was standing. However, their attacks missed as August had moved to another location.
As the mist slowly cleared, August saw the lackeys helping Leopold to his feet, their beasts standing guard around them. Leopold's own beast was there too, surveying the scene.
"Damn it! It hurts like hell," Leopold grumbled, wiping the blood from his broken nose with a handkerchief.
"Let's attack him together, boss," one of the lackeys suggested eagerly. Leopold nodded in agreement.
The beasts got into combat positions, slowly advancing towards August. Sensing the impending danger, August quickly used his ability to inspect the two new beasts.
[ Forest wolf ]
Rank: 1 (Initial)
Bloodline: E-
Elements: physical
Ability: power bite E1
Status: Inferior ]
[ Shadow Falcon ]
Rank: 1 (Initial)
Bloodline: D
Elements: shadow
Ability: shadow talon D1
Status: Average ]
Seeing their abilities, August grew serious. He retrieved his blade from his inventory and glanced at his pet. "Are you ready for battle?" he asked Aurora, who responded with a hiss, indicating her readiness.
[Ding! Your synergy with pet Aurora has increased by 5.]
August smiled at the notification from the system, but his expression turned neutral as he began to draw out his blade. Suddenly, an unknown force weighed down on him, causing him to kneel under the pressure. Despite his efforts to stand, he found himself unable to rise.
