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

Everyone jerked toward the source of the voice. The sound hadn't been loud, but somehow, everyone heard it.

And then they saw them.

Hovering high above the battlefield were humanoid figures. Their wings flapped in eerie silence. Their eyes, glowing with tainted crimson light, pierced through the thick corrupted mist like glowing lanterns.

Their very presence made the air unstable, and combined with the overwhelming corruption the Scourge dragons brought, it became hard for anyone to breathe properly.

"Damn… not them," someone muttered, voice trembling as they backed away, armor clinking like brittle glass.

Everyone present recognized the elite group of Scourge Commanders—beings even more powerful than champions.

Ashren, always composed and calm, shifted his stance for the first time. His fingers clenched tightly around his halberd, veins bulging under his skin. He scanned the air.

"One… two… ten," he muttered grimly. "And over fifty corrupted dragons..."

Voron's lips pressed into a tight line. "We are outnumbered," he whispered without emotion, though the tension in his shoulders clearly showed his concern.

"I know," Ashren replied quietly. His face was bitter, eyes darting across the field. "I knew the Scourge Alpha might react, but this…"

He trailed off. None of them had expected the Alpha to deploy this many elite units. It was as if they had stepped on a god's tail.

On the ground, Drake stood tall at the front of the group, shielding the others with his frame. But even he couldn't hide the nervousness in his eyes.

Behind him were Zara, Elise, and Lumi. Nyxirith supported Celestis, who was half-limp but alive.

Yet as they looked at the figures in the sky, that fragile hope began to unravel.

"They're everywhere," Zara murmured, eyes wide.

Valkor and Raziel exchanged glances. No words were needed. They both activated their powers. Raziel's lightning streaks danced around his arms while Valkor's purple flames sparked to life.

The battlefield was already filled with the corpses of the Broken Claw members who had dared to resist. The towers were no more, reduced to smoldering heaps thanks to Valkor's earlier assault. But this… this was different. The true monsters had arrived.

"Everyone, gather close!" Ashren shouted.

The survivors instinctively moved inward, forming a loose circle around the injured.

Voron began muttering under his breath, his fingertips glowing as runes formed in midair. Protective barriers began to shimmer around him.

"We need to fall back," he said. His tone was calm, but his expression was grave. "Now. Before they fully descend."

Ashren didn't respond immediately. He was still watching the Scourge Commanders as they slowly began to drift downward.

Then he turned and looked at Drake.

"Take your people and get out of here," he said. Then, his gaze shifted to the small girl in a green dress hiding behind Lumi—the girl who had brought Valkor and Celestis to the Scavengers. "Take her too. She's not safe here."

Drake narrowed his eyes, hesitation flickering across his face. "Are you sure about this?"

Voron stepped forward this time. "We didn't come here to save you just to watch you die for pride. We chose this."

Drake flinched, a storm of emotions crossing his face. They were right. If he stayed, it would be for pride, and the lives lost to reach this point would be meaningless.

Ashren stepped closer and rested a hand on his shoulder. "This isn't your war to finish. Not yet. Just keep your promise."

Drake met his gaze and nodded reluctantly. Then he turned to the key members of his team—Zara, Elise, Raziel, Valkor, Nyxirith, Lumi… even Celestis, who barely stood. Each of them nodded in turn, silent but accepting.

"…Fine," he eventually said.

Ashren turned around, facing the incoming doom.

"Voron."

"Ready."

The survivors—Remnant Eye and Scavengers—moved into formation. They stood between Drake's group and the incoming Scourge army like a wall of broken shields and stubborn pride.

"Drake!" Ashren called over his shoulder. "RUN!"

Without another word, Drake waved his hand. "Move!"

Valkor helped Celestis up while the earth dragons summoned a pillar of stone to launch them into the air. Midair, everyone transformed into their full dragon forms and took to the skies.

At that same moment, it began.

The first Scourge Commander landed.

A shockwave burst outward as its feet touched the ground. The very earth cracked beneath it. It had the form of a man—barely—but its body was layered with obsidian scales, and wings like blades unfurled from its back.

Ashren met it head-on.

BOOOM!!

Their weapons collided—Ashren's halberd versus the Commander's claws. Energy rippled out, flattening what remained of the battlefield.

Three more Commanders descended, surrounding the defenders. The corrupted dragons, following the orders of one of them, chased after the fleeing dragons.

Ashren clicked his tongue and shouted at the top of his voice, "Voron, now!"

Voron finished the final rune with blood and slammed his palm into the ground. A dome of azure light erupted upward, surrounding the defenders and shielding the fleeing group.

The Scourge howled and charged forward, but upon making contact with the dome, their bodies were incinerated—turned to ashes.

What followed was chaos.

The Scavengers unleashed corrupted attacks of their own, and the Remnant Eye, who were also skilled runesmiths, conjured several explosive glyphs.

BOOOM!

The powerful explosions obliterated the ranks of the Scourge dragons.

One of the members of the Remnant Eye detonated themselves with a smile. Another summoned a hundred swords of golden flame that pierced through the dragons' wings. But still… they came.

Ashren fought like a beast. One Commander fell, impaled through the heart. He didn't stop. He didn't blink. Another claw slashed across his back. He roared and retaliated with a spin that shattered bone.

Voron stood at the center, channeling everything he had to maintain the dome. His nose bled. His vision blurred. But he didn't stop.

Far in the distance, Drake and his group flapped their wings powerfully. They didn't look back.

Zara did once—and her eyes widened.

The battlefield had become a furnace. Dozens of beams, blasts, and bodies flew in all directions. But Ashren still stood, bleeding. Voron was barely on his feet.

The frost dragon clenched her fists and looked ahead. Despite the painful screams that echoed behind, no one turned back.

The wind howled past them as they soared through the air, wings slicing through the smoke-filled skies in silence.

Some time later, they finally left the range of the intense confrontation.

"We need to keep moving. We're not over—"

Before Drake could complete his words, three humanoid figures appeared in front of them.

"Shit!" Valkor cursed under his breath. "What do we do?"

Drake gritted his teeth, eyes turning bloodshot as he realized Ashren and Voron's sacrifice might be in vain.

Garren hadn't been as powerful as a Scourge Commander, yet he had single-handedly defeated all of them.

Now, they weren't up against just one Commander—but two.

Drake clenched his fist, his eyes burning. "We fight. It's the only way—"

Just before he could finish, a familiar voice echoed.

"Shadows Oblivion!"