Chapter 68: Winner Identified
Terrence couldn’t believe it either. Just like how everyone else in the viewing room was utterly stunned by the sudden appearance of a flying beast, he was equally shocked because he hadn’t even summoned this one.
The Shadow Hound was supposed to be more than enough. Terrence firmly believed that. His Shadow Hound possessed a much higher rank than his opponent’s beast, so there was logically no reason for him to be overpowered in the first place.
However, considering that he wasn’t a natural tamer, he lacked the innate boosting passive effects that other tamers brought to their contracted creatures. That was likely the sole reason why, for some strange reason, their beasts had seemed roughly equal during the initial clash.
’I was being way too passive earlier and didn’t bother engaging in a direct attack,’ Terrence thought, carefully analyzing his mistakes. ’I wanted to toy with Lucas first, but that was clearly a mistake. Every fight should be ended immediately. That’s an important lesson to keep in mind.’
Now, his only real concern was figuring out how the Sky Dragon had summoned itself and why it currently looked like a small, flying reptile cub.
First of all, a flying beast made no logical sense in this world. There was zero recorded history of their existence anywhere, which was precisely why the strategic Hanging City had been constructed high up in the first place.
Second, Terrence hadn’t manually initiated the summon for his second beast. It had simply materialized right on time to protect him from the destructive energy that the Shadow Hound couldn’t fully block.
Lastly, he didn’t even technically need it, since the Shadow Hound was still entirely capable of managing the fight. Despite that surprisingly powerful concentrated blast, the Shadow Hound wasn’t going to be easily defeated by a single attack.
Watching the sudden wave of despair wash over Lucas’s face created a light, satisfying feeling inside Terrence’s chest. He wanted to savor seeing it more, but he knew he couldn’t just stand around enjoying the moment—he had to wrap this up quickly.
’Did the Sky Dragon just force its own summon, similar to how the Shadow Hound appeared when I awakened the System?’
Terrence didn’t know the exact answers to his questions yet, but it didn’t really matter at the moment. What mattered was that he officially possessed a flying beast, even if it was currently small and chubby.
’Considering the fact that its active skills are currently locked, there’s a strong possibility it hasn’t unlocked its full potential yet. This could just be its early stage, similar to how most beasts evolve over time as they grow stronger.’
"Just what on earth did you do, Terrence?!" Lucas screamed, trembling as he took a step back. "You can’t be real... How is any of this possible?!"
Terrence tilted his head slightly, refocusing his attention back onto the reality right in front of him.
The simulated jungle biome had transformed into a completely ragged wasteland, mostly destroyed by Lucas’s failed heavy attacks. Since Terrence held the complete upper hand, the messy terrain didn’t bother him in the slightest.
"You know..." Terrence began, a cool expression on his face. "You don’t get to know everything."
It wasn’t as if he was going to casually explain to his enemy that he possessed a unique system interface.
Terrence could already feel a strong, natural synergy forming between himself and the Sky Dragon. For some reason, he instinctively knew that the small creature would follow his direct mental commands without any hesitation.
Well, obedience hadn’t been a problem from the very beginning anyway.
"I think it’s time we officially end this," Terrence declared cleanly.
Terrence raised his right hand, issuing a direct strike command to the hovering Sky Dragon. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the Golden-Striped Black Tiger frantically rushing back through the shattered trees toward its master after sensing the sudden shift in danger.
Since the surprise attack had failed, the beast was naturally trying to regroup and protect its tamer.
"Smash!" Terrence commanded coldly.
In a fraction of a second, an explosive wave of terrifying pressure erupted through the air, and a giant spectral reptile hand materialized directly above Lucas. Lucas didn’t even have time to react as the overwhelming gravitational weight slammed down on him, offering zero chance to fight back.
A massive, deep crater was instantly blasted into the ground, violently planting Lucas’s body into the wet earth of the battlefield. Due to the absurd power behind the strike, visual glitches and digital irregularities flickered across the environment, briefly exposing the blank white surface of the arena’s underlying base material.
Lucas’s tiger sprinted as fast as it could to shield its master, but it was far too late. Lucas was already down—completely unconscious, battered, and utterly incapable of continuing the fight.
In that single, swift counterattack, Terrence secured a total victory. A loud, piercing buzzer rang through the entire arena, echoing so intensely that Terrence didn’t even have time to cover his ears.
"Winner identified!" the automated arena system boomed overhead.
"The victor of this duel goes to Mister Terrence!"
"The defeated party is Young Master Lucas Lee."
"To the victor... official congratulations are in order."
There was a subtle, awkward delay in the mechanical announcer’s voice, almost as if the operator behind the system hesitated and couldn’t fully accept the shocking outcome of the duel.
This single fight had thoroughly exposed Terrence’s true, terrifying prowess to the world. He didn’t just possess a high-ranked beast capable of going toe-to-toe with the top geniuses of elite families—he also commanded an unprecedented flying beast.
Yet, despite all that visible information, the audience still had no idea what his beasts’ full capabilities actually were. Terrence had essentially toyed with the spectators the entire time, revealing barely a fraction of his true power.
It served as a loud, public announcement to all of Suran City: he was no longer the helpless, useless Terrence who had been kicked out of his family like trash.
Above all else, today proved an absolute truth—it was completely impossible to deem someone a permanent failure. Anyone could awaken as a formidable tamer at any age, even long after their official ceremony had passed.