亚瑟影院

During the first few months when he first captured Grundauge, he was unsure whether he should integrate with it or not. After all, it looked hideous. It resembled an alien, or rather, it resembled a mythical creature that was unpleasant to look at— the Beholder. But then again, Link told himself it would be a waste of resources if he didn't train his beast integration with this tamed beast.

"Besides, this is the first tamed beast that I caught without relying on my Representative. It would be a waste if I didn't use it." Making up his mind, Link decided to integrate with Grundauge for the first time.

That was also when he realized Grundauge would be his last trump card. His one and only tamed beast are hidden under his sleeve, ready to come out when he finds the right time to strike at his enemy.

And that time was now. He had finally found a way to defeat Jana.

"Don't let me down, all right?" Link muttered.

Link watched as a blur of red continued to cut through the air like a force of nature descending upon him from the skies. He compared it to lightning, except the lightning was red, and it could cut him in half if he weren't careful.

With minimal movement, Link summoned Grundauge, getting its Gren (Gren is a small compartment shaped like a grenade used to store tamed beasts in a spacious dimension) from his pockets. He didn't hesitate to integrate with it before Jana could land another attack.

...

Meanwhile, in another dimension.

The Managers encircling the round table grew rather indignant about the current fight happening in the Official Beast Tournament. They completely forgot the fact that one of the Managers just taunted them, telling them that his Disciple was the strongest among their Disciples.

"This is cheating! I'LL TELL YOU! THIS IS CHEATING!" One of the Managers pounded his fist on the table, pointing at the Manager who was balancing a dagger in his hand.

"The Beholder, really? You really just handed your Disciple a legendary on a silver platter, huh." Another Manager pointed out. He was the man with the white hair, and he acted rather composed despite the fact that he was boiling with rage deep inside. "Where's the growth in that? You're just going to feed your Disciple with a golden spoon and expect him to become the strongest?"

"It would've been explainable if you let him capture the Beholder using his strength. But no, you froze the Beholder in place so he could tame it? What utter bull—"

"Enough!" The Manager, clad in black, slightly raised his voice just so everyone could hear him. This caused the entire circle of Managers to stop talking and concentrate on him.

He cleared his throat.

"Whether he did so to help his Disciple. It doesn't matter. While it is an unspoken rule that we cannot meddle in the affairs of our Disciple, there's a fine line between guiding them and giving them the golden spoon." He continued. "However! It is also clear that this Link had done everything he could to try and capture the Beholder. Helping him out is something that can be considered meddling... or guidance— both of which are two sides of the same coin."

The Manager in black then leaned forward and eyed every Manager one by one. Some of them cleared their throat, some averted their gaze, and some gulped since they already knew what he was about to say next. "Now, let me ask you this. If we report this to him... can all of you be sure that you never did the same thing? Can you stand in front of him and raise your right hand, swearing an oath upon your name as Manager that you never meddled in the affairs of your Disciple?" He continued.

"If you can do that, then I challenge you to tell us right here and now that you've never meddled in the life of your Disciple."

It was clear that not all of them had a clean slate. Only a handful of Managers raised their right hand in a gesture of an oath. The Manager in black smiled. Those who raised their hands didn't care either way, but those who were complaining loudly couldn't even bear to raise their hand, even if it was just pretend.

"There's your answer. Shall we continue watching?" He offered, still confident that his Disciple would win even without his help or guidance.

...

The moment Link integrated with Grundauge, there was no way Jana could stand a chance against him. He watched in slow motion as Jana flitted about in the air. Of course, he still acted oblivious until the right moment when Jana would finally unleash her attack.

Link watched as Jana swung both her scythes, aiming at his head in an attempt to kill and behead him. "I guess this is another way of getting rid of competition before the Initial Selection." Link muttered to himself, pointing the Crimson Dagger toward Jana's neck at point-blank range. The slightest of movements would absolutely kill Jana, and Link watched with great pleasure as he pictured Jana's head separating from her neck.

"Crimson Dagger, Stretch." Link said without a modicum of hesitation.

Fwip~!

Everyone watched in horror as Jana's head was severed. For a couple of seconds, the crowd watched in silence, petrified by the murder that just ensued. Of course, Jana was also shocked, and her lingering consciousness watched as Link smiled in a sinister manner toward her.

But that wasn't enough.

Link stepped forward and aimed his dagger right at Jana's heart. Her head was already severed, but he still chose to pierce her heart. An act of killing her twice. "Let's just say you picked the wrong enemy?" Link commented as he followed through with his unjustifiable act.