Magical-level beasts, whether Ray's, Jason's, or anyone's, are said to all have special conditions for ownership. Very few can be caught by weakening them during battle and then absorbing them into bags.
Even if you manage to get them into a bag, you might not be able to use them or command them like ordinary magical beasts.
Ray hardly needed to guess the conditions for the Gorgon. A fierce creature like that would only like and willingly serve someone cruel and ruthless like Jason.
Normally Ray rarely got angry no matter how much Jason insulted or looked down on him, because he could endure it.
But this time that guy crossed the line too far. He couldn't let it pass, because he had trampled on the dignity and hurt his important friend excessively.
Ray summoned his magical beast from his bag until light flashed, while looking at Jason's face and saying:
"You don't know, Jason, how hard we've all been trying. You dare to say Geed's efforts are worthless? I'll make you realize who's really worthless." Very angry, boiling like hot water.
"Hahaha! If you know you're worthless, you don't need to try! Haha! Because no matter how hard you try, you can't beat awesome, cool people like me!" Jason laughed mockingly in an infuriating way, along with the giant green two-headed serpent coiled around him.
"Listen up! I'll tell you why I tried—it was for today! The day my efforts brought me here! To make life better for me and my family and friends! All those efforts got me to this point and will shape my future tomorrow! But right now, what I want to try hardest to do is punch your face!!"
"Alright! Let's get him, Rogue!"
Ray shouted powerfully.
After the light faded, dark shadows slowly flowed down from the bag like thick liquid. The atmosphere in the arena completely transformed from bright to mysterious.
But atmosphere was still just atmosphere.
Because what appeared before Ray was a black cat lying and rolling around playfully.
It lay on its back lazily playing with its own gold coins, sending adorable glances toward Ray. It wiggled all four paws inviting Ray to scratch its belly in a playfully mischievous way, completely ignoring the boiling atmosphere from moments before.
The one who summoned it tried to ignore this.
"Rogue! Go!" Ray pointed seriously.
The cat puffed its cheeks and rolled before flipping back over. *Strrretch* *yaaawn* It ignored Ray, turning away to sit and scratch its own head with its paw, not caring, not going, not doing anything at all.
All the spectators were confused by Ray's magical-level beast's behavior. Aria, who was cheering for her friend, held her temples in stress. Even Jason and Saslin stood still and bewildered.
The teachers also went quiet. The Grand Professor just kept eating snacks.
Ray tried commanding his magical-level cat again.
"Rogue, go! Meow!" He spoke cat language in case it would sympathize a bit. Its ears twitched, but it sat still, acting like it didn't hear, turning a deaf ear.
Aria was stressed on his behalf. She slowly walked to hide in a corner of the wall, but still peeked out to watch.
Ray broke out in sweat, embarrassed enough that he had to rub his face with both hands lightly to hide his embarrassment.
"Come on, Rogue. I'll give you 20." He resorted to bribing.
"Meow meow meow!" It became lively and energetic, perking up brightly with its tail glowing, ready to fight, as if saying it had been ready for a long time—never been more ready than this—then ran charging forward at high speed.
"Heh, you can't control magical-level beasts like awesome people like me! Hah! You weakling!"
"You talk too much and it's annoyingggg, Jasonnnnn!" Ray couldn't take it anymore.
"Stone Curse!" Jason commanded the move. The giant serpent raised its neck to stare at the approaching cat.
"Rogue, dodge into the hole first," Ray told him before the slightly larger black cat ran to dodge down into the hole Geed had dug earlier, escaping the gaze of the two-headed green serpent.
"Heh, think you'll use the same trick? Too bad for you! I eat caviar for breakfast! I don't eat grass scraps from fields like you. Don't follow it, Saslin," Jason said before ordering Saslin to stop and wait for the opponent to come out of the hole themselves, because either way he had the advantage without needing to chase.
"Rogue, come out of the hole. Shadow Control," Ray called out the skill before the black cat's form jumped out of the hole, charging forward at ninety kilometers per hour.
"Out of stupid plans now? Then die! Saslin, Stone Curse!"
"Shadow Blade!"
*Whoosh!*
The moment Ray finished speaking, the shadow form of the black cat charging to attack Saslin dissolved and became a blade. Jason then saw the real form running from behind.
Jason just realized that Ray had Rogue use a shadow form to jump out and draw attention first, while the real body hid behind to avoid the Stone Curse's gaze.
"You can't curse a shadow, Jason!" The black cat's real form appeared clearly behind as the shadow form turned into a blade, before leaping to charge in.
It spun and lashed its tail, releasing a long golden blade like a whip, swinging in a beautiful crescent moon circle, slashing at the giant serpent's neck immediately and decisively.
*Swish! Slash!*
Rogue's tail blade struck until one of the Gorgon's heads came off from the green body. But Jason smiled wickedly, uncaring about his beast's pain. He was pleased that his beast was smart enough to sacrifice one head for its sibling, which would let him win.
Even though Ray used tactics beyond expectation until the spectators cheered again, there was still one head left that survived.
That was more than enough for Jason to use it to look at the black cat's real form and cast that most terrifying curse.
"This is the end, you orphan brat! Stone Curse!"
The cat spinning to attack mid-air made eye contact with the remaining Gorgon head at that moment.
Ray wouldn't give up easily. He figured it out in an instant and said:
"Copycat, Stone Curse!" With quick thinking, he hurriedly ordered the black cat to copy the enemy's magic immediately. Even though its copied ability would only be half as powerful, that was enough.
Because the opponent didn't have the other half of the power either.
The Gorgon only had the power of one head left, having just been cut by Rogue.
The cursing eyes of both cat and serpent stared at each other and canceled each other out. Rogue's dark shadow spread up from behind while Saslin's remaining head chased to bite Rogue, who was a sitting target mid-air at the moment the cat finished attacking and was falling to step on the ground.
Suddenly Rogue's form sank into its own black shadow. The giant serpent bit and missed, getting a full mouthful of concrete.
Immediately, Rogue's form bounced up from the opponent's shadow from behind. The black cat assassin extended its golden tail hoping to slice the neck from a blind spot. But little did it know that the head that had come off earlier could see the attack clearly.
It breathed poison fog from its fangs without needing to wait for its master's command.
Purple poisonous smoke floated and sprayed at the cat assassin.
Jason knew nothing about it. He wasn't giving any orders anymore. He let it be the responsibility of the brain and instincts of the smartest serpent he had.
Ray knew Rogue was in trouble. He could see from an angle Rogue couldn't, so he shouted:
"Copycat, Wind Dance!"
Rogue trusted and obeyed as if their souls were connected. A small tornado appeared, blowing the poisonous smoke up into the air in wind spirals, spinning until the poison faded and disappeared in the air. A close call.
But it wasn't safe. Saslin's remaining head turned back to bite Rogue without time to think. *Clang!* Sparks flew when the black cat's golden tail clashed with the giant serpent's long fangs in the heart of the tornado.
"Rogue, use the wind and our size to our advantage!" Hearing Ray say this, the black cat somersaulted and let the tornado carry its body. Rogue, merged with the tornado, used its tail blade to strike the Gorgon serpent from all directions—three hundred sixty degrees—with the speed of wind.
*Clang clang clang clang!*
Sparks flew in the eye of the tornado. Saslin moved to use its fangs to block Rogue's blade from every direction, but couldn't match the speed of the cat in the wind—it was too much.
The assassin in the tornado slowly cut, slowly sliced, slowly tore the green serpent's scales off piece by piece. But then…
"Saslin, Shed Skin!" Jason commanded.
"Don't let it recover! Finish it in one go, Rogue!"
Both gave commands, but no one there could see what was happening inside the eye of the tornado, except for sparks from clashing, blood spattering from battle, golden blades flashing and swinging with the wind force.
But after that, not long…
The tornado in the middle of the arena stopped.
Quiet and still…
Only the form of a single magical beast stood firm after the tornado passed.
The spectators stood up in suspense, wanting to see the clear picture and result.
Then everything became clear.
Ray, Aria, Jason, the teachers, all the spectators looked toward the winner of the battle in the tornado.
Looking at the single magical beast that survived…
And it was…
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