Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!

Back in the Armstrong Duchy, the fight was kept at bay. With the presence of the three terrifying Elemental Beasts, the beasts, who were mostly between the Wilding and Intermediate tiers, were having a tough time.

The likes of Wendy, Nyx, and Rab only poured more salt in their wounds. Wendy and Nyx were carving a path through the ranks of monsters.

The two briefly looked at each other. Nyx shook the blood off her sword, seemingly irritated that it was tainting her blade. Her gaze then swept past Wendy, landing on the carcass of a beast.

"Hmm, not bad," she commented.

Wendy smiled smugly as she flicked a strand of her white hair behind her, then glanced around Nyx, and her eyes widened in shock.

'That's twice as many as my beast!' she thought, shock written across her face. At that moment, she felt embarrassed for being prideful.

"It seems you've improved a lot since our fight," Wendy commented as she cut down a beast. The hide of the creature was unusually tough, so she had no choice but to slash twice.

This was what she and the others had been doing all along.

"I trained," Nyx responded, her blade biting into the neck of a beast. With her sword radiating pure holy light, it effortlessly sliced through the monsters.

Most of them were even terrified to get close due to the glow emanating from her sword.

"I can see that," Wendy nodded with a bitter smile, glancing at the monsters one last time. She wondered who would win if the two of them were to fight. 'Monsters, they're both monsters!'

On the other side of the battlefield, Nox was observing Fluffington and Thirteen, who seemed to be competing to see who could hoard the most kills. Meanwhile, Astralux hovered in the air, killing the monsters at her own pace.

"Things seem alright for now," Nox nodded, watching as the soldiers fired their weapons, taking down any creatures that slipped through the kids' formation.

Thanks to their coordination, Nox hadn't made a move yet. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight; it was mostly because he wanted to give them a fair chance. If he jumped in now, he'd only hoard all the kills for himself.

'I need to head further then,' he thought, his eyes shining. 'I'm also curious where these monsters are coming from.'

With this thought in mind, Nox finally made his move. With a fierce kick off the ground, he propelled himself into the air, passing over the heads of countless monsters.

He landed in the midst of a group of beasts and punched forward.

BOOOM!

A loud boom sounded as several beasts were sent flying from his front. Then, Nox stepped forward, his gaze sharp as he sized up the beasts, who were snarling and circling him, realizing he was a huge threat.

Nox's fist shot forward, and three beasts were blown apart. The reason he was easily dispatching all the creatures was that they were mostly Wilding and Intermediate tier.

With each kill, Nox was advancing deeper into the horde of monsters. As he continued to kill the beasts, Nox realized something.

"These things are too organized for a random attack." Nox frowned, thinking back to his mother's explanation. "Could it be they're really being controlled?"

There was only one way to find out, and that was to head deeper.

Nox pushed further through the battlefield. Behind him, he could hear Fluffington's taunts as the demonic cat dispatched another beast, and Thirteen's loud victory roars echoed each time it claimed another kill. They were both holding their own, so Nox felt confident in leaving the wall.

After getting far from the wall, Nox cracked his neck, a smile on his face as he saw hundreds of beasts snarling at him.

Now he could let loose.

A moment later, he lunged into the horde of monsters, his trusty dagger flashing through the air. Every swing of his blade claimed a life. The creatures' hides were tougher than usual, but this only affected others with mediocre weapons!

Nox's dagger was at the pinnacle of craftsmanship; it easily dispatched the monsters as if it were cutting through air.

[Ding! You received Experience Points]

[Ding! You received Experience Points]

[Ding! You received Experience Points]

[Ding! You received Experience Points]

'Hahaha, I wonder what level I'll be by the time all these monsters are dead,' Nox grinned.

Meanwhile, in the Duke's residence inside the Armstrong Duchy, a masked figure was staring outside. The streets were void of life as all the residents were indoors while the Awakened defended the walls against the beasts.

Hendrix adjusted his mask, then looked behind him at the Duke, who was seated behind a veil as usual.

"What now?" Hendrix's voice echoed in the vast chamber.

"We relocate somewhere far," the Duke stated in a solemn voice, shifting slightly in his seat as he recalled Nox's face. The shadow on his face grew several shades darker.

"If I had known that kid would have such tricks up his sleeve, I wouldn't have blindly made that bet," the Duke sighed, regret evident in his voice.

"Don't worry, it's not your fault." Hendrix waved his hand dismissively, a sharp glint crossing his eyes. "I overestimated myself and underestimated the kid. If I had known what he was, I wouldn't have given you the order to suggest that bet"

"Huh? What do you mean?" the Duke questioned, his voice filled with confusion.

Hendrix didn't respond immediately; he shifted his gaze outside. From here, he could hear the sound of the fighting raging on. If someone were to see his current actions, they'd think Felix Armstrong wasn't the Duke but a mere subordinate, given the careful manner in which he spoke to Hendrix.

All this while, his words had been measured, and despite the delay, he waited patiently. If Kron had seen this sight, he would have been shocked by the Duke's docile attitude; after all, the Duke was a very impatient and authoritative man.

"At first, I didn't notice it." After a while, Hendrix finally spoke. "The reason I was always interested and obsessed with beating him. The reason I thought he was special, that aura… it all points to one thing."

Hendrix slowly turned to the Duke. After a moment of silence that felt like an eternity, he said, "That kid Nox… is a Vassal."