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

Just moments later, the dust finally began to settle slowly, and the hearts of everyone present sped up a notch, their grips on their weapons tightening. The blond girl hastily moved her fingers in the air, pouring her mana into the runic symbol, which now shimmered faintly.

Eventually, the dust subsided, and the silhouette in the fog stepped out.

It was... Nox.

"Hahahaha, I'm starting to believe the commander is intentionally doing this dramatic entrance," Cole, the pyromancer, couldn't help but laugh quietly, and both Wendy and Rab nodded in agreement.

There was momentary silence all around; the only noise came from the humming of various skills that were activated. Just a few moments later, the silence was broken by someone.

"So he truly survived!"

It was the third sister of the Armstrong duchy. Her face was now purple with anger, but a moment later, her furious expression faltered as she suddenly felt her legs turn to jelly.

'If he's here! Then what happened to first brother?' she thought, her heart pounding heavily against her chest.

Even the second and fourth brothers had pale expressions on their faces; they shared the same thought as their sister.

Hendrix was gone. The first brother was gone... and they were struggling to even fight the Cromwells. Just how would they survive? Out of habit, the fourth brother, who also played the role of the last-born, started chewing on his fingers.

He couldn't fathom what expression his father, the duke, was making outside. Whatever it was, he was certain it was anything but pleasant.

---

Meanwhile, outside...

"Damn it, am I the only one who's feeling hot?" one of the spectators complained, sweating bullets.

"Me too. Why does it feel as if my entire body is on fire?" another responded, scratching his itching skin.

"Look." Someone suddenly pointed at the VIP area, stuttering with trembling fingers. "I... I think it's from the duke! He must be angry!"

Indeed, even from below, everyone could sense the overwhelming aura pouring out from the duke's box.

"Why wouldn't he be! The Armstrong siblings were nearly overwhelmed by the Cromwells... At this rate, they don't even stand a chance. With Nox here as well, I think the winners of this tournament will be the Cromwells."

---

Back inside the mysterious realm, the tension was still palpable as Nox silently observed everything. His eyes shimmered with confusion when he saw the massive crater in the middle of the battlefield, but this was none of his concern as his gaze continued to scan.

There were over twenty people here. Nox wasn't that good with math, but he did quick calculations and figured that all the various teams had gathered. But someone was missing.

'Interesting,' he thought, the side of his lips tugging up slightly. 'This makes my job much easier. I'll deal with them and search for Hendrix.'

The first people Nox's gaze fell upon were the Armstrong siblings. Those cold, dark eyes left them momentarily vulnerable, as if they were being gazed upon by some higher being who could manipulate their lives with ease.

'In the Pantheon of Mythical Beasts, I didn't just go on vacation... I'd be a fool if I ever did something like that. What I did was train with the best fighters.' All his training sessions with Terra flashed through his mind at that moment.

Though it was short, what he had learned far exceeded his expectations. The intense sessions with Terra, the goddess of the mythical beast pantheon, had sharpened his skills and honed his instincts to an extraordinary level.

"You were the ones that separated me from my teammates, right?" Nox spoke as he stepped forward.

He immediately vanished from his spot, appearing before the Armstrong siblings. His speed was so blinding that none of them saw him move; all they saw was an afterimage and a slight crack where he had stood.

Shing! Shing! Shing!

Nox's dagger flashed three times, splattering blood, and three heads thudded to the ground.

"J-just like that... He dealt with the Armstrong siblings so easily? How is this even possible?"

"If even the powerful Armstrongs were defeated like that, where does that leave us?"

The others had been motivated just seconds ago, but after witnessing Nox's display, they plunged back to square one, now having second thoughts about fighting the monster in human skin.

The blond girl shivered slightly at the sight, but she expertly masked it behind her calm facade, as usual. Sensing the low morale of the others, she flicked her wrist, and several daggers bolted out from the square-shaped runic symbol.

"Attack!" she shouted in a commanding, thunderous voice.

Her plan was simple: take out Nox while he was battling the Armstrong siblings. Nox sensed the presence of dozens of powerful skills heading toward him. However, the most dangerous among them were the five mini blood daggers whizzing through the air, leaving a slight reddish trail.

"Hmph!" Rab was about to jump and shield Nox, but Wendy quickly held him back. He was confused and wanted to protest, but without saying a word, she motioned toward the front. He followed her gaze, and a look of realization shone in his eyes.

Without even flinching, Nox activated Phantom Cloak.

[Phantom Cloak Description (Ultimate Skill): The user becomes "completely" invisible for up to 5 minutes. While in this state, they gain a +10 increase in Agility and can pass through solid objects. The user also gains the ability to turn any object invisible. MP Cost: 20 MP to activate, plus -5 MP per second active. Cooldown: 3 minutes.]

With Phantom Cloak activated, Nox phased through all the attacks. Great confusion appeared in the eyes of everyone, especially the blond girl.

'How does he have an assassin-type skill?' she thought. 'When I investigated Nox, I found that his class was related to communicating with beasts... So how is he displaying assassination-type skills?'

"Did he disappear?"

"No," a cold voice whispered directly behind the blond girl.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Nox had reappeared in a blink, standing inches from her. His expression was unreadable, but his dark eyes were cold and filled with darkness. Before she could react, the sharp edge of his dagger rested against her throat.

"You made a mistake attacking me," Nox's voice was calm but filled with menace.

Panic crossed the blond girl's expression as she felt the cold dagger pressing against her skin. She clenched her jaw and forced herself to stay still. Any unnecessary movement would result in her neck being slit open. She could feel the intense aura pressing down on her, as if it were designed to dismantle everything in its path.

"That skill of yours is very interesting," Nox whispered in a low voice that felt like it belonged to the devil. His breath made the blond girl's skin tingle, and her legs grow weak. With glowing eyes, Nox activated his talent.

"Mimicry Activated."