Liu had one beast remaining in his tournant roster.
The hyena.
Ren observed it materializing on the field with a thoughtful expression, evaluating its present capabilities before the battle even began through fast but careful analysis.
It was an enormous creature that commanded attention. With a throat grotesquely expanded through specialization, muscle layered upon muscle designed specifically for generating sounds at impossible volus.
And the sounds it could produce...
Ren had heard the hyena many tis during previous training sessions when helping Liu develop its techniques. The screams were otherworldly in their intensity. Frequencies that shouldn't exist in nature. Waves that vibrated through bones and made internal organs tremble with resonance.
The vampire's sound attacks had been impressive in their own right. Concentrated and precise for pinpoint targeting.
But the hyena was fundantally different in its approach. Its sonic strikes were broader in coverage. More sustained and complex in their patterns. Could maintain prolonged screams that filled complete spaces with destructive vibration that damaged everything within range.
'But if we're talking about sound attacks,' Ren thought with a slight ironic smile, 'fortunately fused beasts don't participate here.'
Because he knew exactly what Liu could create if he fused the vampire with the hyena in the combination technique.
He'd seen the result during training. Had helped Liu understand the possibilities when teaching him the advanced fusion thods.
The combination was terrible in its effectiveness.
But it made sense they weren't using fusion here. That the exam rules prohibited such techniques.
Because fusing knocked the tar unconscious for extended periods afterward. It wasn't the few hours necessary to recover connections lost in normal mana projection. Fusion consud gigantic quantities of energy that were lost in the transformation process. Required a full day or more of rest to recover appropriately for another attempt.
If they permitted these fusions in the exams, the first student who used one would beco useless for following rounds. The second day would reveal the last one to be a pyrrhic victory at best.
'So a closer look at everyone's new fusions and whether I can defeat them in a serious battle will have to wait for later,' Ren concluded with mild disappointnt.
For now, the unfused hyena was a big enough problem to solve.
Because beyond its sonic capability that rivaled specialized beasts...
It had good armor.
Ren studied it more closely with an analytical eye. Bone plates covering the hyena's body in overlapping protection. Not any normal bone that could be shattered. Bone that appeared inherited from dragon lineage... white as ivory, with texture suggesting impossible density.
The bones were so hard it was difficult to believe they were organic material. Ren had witnessed the hyena receiving strikes from low Gold-rank beasts that barely left marks on the armor when it was still Silver rank.
And now that the hyena had reached Gold rank through cultivation...
That defense had scaled proportionally with its rank increase.
Liu's vampire had relied on regeneration as its defensive strategy. Sacrificed physical resistance in exchange for capacity to heal rapidly from injuries. Its defense wasn't particularly impressive for its rank tier.
But the hyena was exactly the opposite in design philosophy.
This beast had true Gold-rank defense that matched its offensive capabilities. In fact, even above average for the rank tier. The bone armor was more resistant than what most Gold-rank beasts could form naturally through normal evolution.
Ren frowned slightly while making ntal calculations about approach.
'Can the mantis deal sufficient damage to overco that armor?'
Against the vampire, it had worked perfectly. The elental imbuing attacks had penetrated because the vampire's defense was low and regeneration could be overwheld with different approaches.
But against bone armor with resistance similar to semi-dragon scales...
Ren was confident that if he pushed the mantis to imbue lightning into its blade-arms, it would be sufficient to breach those defenses. The combination of fire and wind in focused electrical form had superior penetrating power.
Or simply evading the hardest protected parts and cutting at unprotected zones at that speed wouldn't be difficult with proper maneuvering.
But the question remained...
'Do I want to reveal that my Bronze 2 beast can combine elents for the general public?'
It was an important consideration that went beyond simple tactical advantage.
Until now, the mantis had demonstrated capability to use all natural elents individually with mastery. Fire, water, earth, wind, wood. And shadows, though few had noticed that last reveal during the escape.
That alone was already impressive enough. Already broke expectations about what beast of its rank should be able to accomplish.
But combining elents to the point of transforming them into new elents was a completely different level of mastery and control that only the most elite tars achieved.
Lightning was a fusion of fire and wind working in harmony. Required control over both elents simultaneously, balancing them in perfect equilibrium to create an ergent third elent.
Selphira's ice was a fusion of water and wind through the sa principle. Sa level of difficulty that took decades to master.
If Ren showed that the mantis could accomplish that level of elent fusion...
He would be revealing a depth of capability that even expert tars would find difficult to believe was possible at Bronze rank. Would provoke more questions and speculation about his true strength that would serve as warning to his enemies.
Making them prepare too thoroughly in case they decided to attack him because of those revealed capabilities and would close off his options. Additionally it was... attention he perhaps didn't want yet at this stage.
'I've had enough fun with the mantis already,' Ren decided after a mont of consideration and weighing options. 'I tested for myself so pros and cons of versatility in a less resistant body.'
He'd learned what he needed from this battle against a Gold-rank opponent. The mantis was incredibly flexible in combat applications. Had answers for almost any situation through elental mastery. Could adapt its strategy instantaneously to counter opponents.
But it also had a fundantal weakness that couldn't be ignored: low resistance to direct damage.
When the vampire had trapped it in absorption range, when it had received direct damage from the bite...
It had deteriorated very rapidly despite superior power. Only luck and quick thinking with shadow jump had saved it from losing the battle by a narrow margin.
Extre versatility wasn't perfect protection against relative fragility when caught.
Useful information to know. Important to understand for future strategic planning.
But not sothing he needed continuing to test against the bone-armored hyena.
'It's ti to try sothing more appropriate for the challenge,' Ren thought, a small smile touching his lips with anticipation. 'And give my most well-known beast so spotlight for once.'
The hydra hadn't had much ti showing off its two heads since the evolution.
This seed like a perfect opportunity to demonstrate what it could accomplish.
A bit late sorry, body still recovering!
Anyway, as always...
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