This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Chapter 784: Chapter 784: The First Emperor’s Gift?

Cassian’s golden aura intensified until it felt like a second sun had ignited within the arena, bathing everything in radiant, searing brilliance. His eyes glowed brighter than the Solar Dragon’s flames, two burning stars locked in a furious gaze, and his golden hair floated upward in crackling arcs, swaying as if caught in a violent storm of energy.

Sparks of golden light danced across his body like lightning, and a high-pitched hum filled the air—the sound of raw power compressing the space around him. The sheer force rolling off his body cracked the stone at his feet and made the very air shimmer, like the prelude to a divine judgment descending upon the earth.

The moment his feet shifted, the world changed.

The air grew heavy—unreasonably heavy. Not just from spiritual pressure, but from something deeper, older, more absolute.

“W-what is that!?” one of the announcers gasped. “Is that his Gift?. That’s… that’s—!”

“It looks like…’Dominion of the Crown’,” the older announcer whispered. “No. It can’t be. That Gift hasn’t appeared in generations.”

Kain’s face darkened. He hadn’t known what to expect from Cassian’s Gift—but the moment it activated, he felt it.

His entire body resisted the urge to kneel.

The battlefield screamed. Invisible chains of authority wrapped around every living creature. A weight settled onto their backs, onto their minds. Contracts instinctively faltered, some collapsing.

Queen hit the ground first, her wings failing.

Bea spasmed, her microscopic body writhing under the crushing weight of the command. The mental links she’d established with the rest of Kain’s contracts while trying to mentally defend them from the Dream and Nightmare dragons crackled and shorted out as she recoiled violently, her consciousness flickering. Then, like a microscopic neuron shutting down, she vanished from the mental standoff with the Dream Dragon with a pained pulse, leaving behind only the echo of her effort.

Even Vauleth—that arrogant dragon—snarled and trembled, limbs locking in place trying his best to resist the pressure that wanted to force him to retreat into his contract space, unable to remain on the field.

All around, Cassian’s contracts remained standing, golden light trailing from their bodies.

The announcer’s voice shook. “This… this was the Gift of Casimir Lysander, the First Emperor! One of the five founding heroes! He was the one who united the chaos of the Warring States Period under a single rule with this very Gift!”

“Dominion of the Crown,” the second announcer echoed. “A battlefield-wide suppression ability that forces all those with weaker intent or blood to submit. Not just a physical pressure—it attacks the soul itself. And… and from what I recall, that was just the passive effect. It had several active effects as well! I am curious is Cassian inherited the complete Gift, or just a simplified version of Casimir’s…”

The crowd erupted, not just in shock but in exhilaration. Nobles rose to their feet. Commoners shouted his name. Even staunch supporters of Dark Moon couldn’t help but cheer.

After all, this was the future Emperor. And the fact that their future Emperor has the same Gift as the founder was great news!

Cassian raised a glowing hand. A golden sigil appeared in the sky above the field.

“Imperial Decree: Kneel.”

Every one of Kain’s remaining contracts—those still clinging on through sheer will—collapsed. Crushed by absolute command.

“There it is folks! One of the active traits of the First Emperor’s Gift—an Imperial Command Skill known as Imperial Decree. Once per battle, the bearer of this Gift may issue a single verbal command that manifests as supernatural law, temporarily altering the rules of the battlefield. The effect targets the soul rather than the body, and if an opponent’s willpower, spiritual resistance, or mental fortitude is weaker than the caster’s Dominion, the command is enforced immediately. Examples include: “Fall,” “Kneel,” “Be Silent,” or “You shall not heal.” The first Emperor used this ability to turn the tides in many a battle during the Empire’s founding, unfortunately this skill can only be used once a day. But its impact is absolute. It’s a manifestation of divine authority, echoing the legacy of Casimir Lysander—the First Emperor—whose voice alone rewrote the laws of battle in the Empire’s founding age.”

Aegis alone remained standing due to his exceptionally sturdy body and will power. After all, one must remember, Kain originally found Aegis as the sole guard in front of a relic from the founders’ period. The mental fortitude to remain sane and focused on his task all that time must be exceptional.

Kain staggered, blood dripping from his nose. His Threads of Destiny glitched, fuzzing out under the domain. The white threads of good luck retreated entirely, leaving only trembling greys and many black ones, most of which were pulsing toward Aegis.

’Aegis is likely going to fall now.’

But Aegis hadn’t budged.

Kain’s eyes widened. No—he had

moved. He was dragging himself across the field. One leg at a time. A trail gouged in the stone beneath him as he clawed his way forward through the unbearable weight of Dominion.

Toward the Nightmare Dragon.

As was his nature, Aegis, even under this incredible pressure, did not forget the task that Kain had left to it.

The wooden dragon had slammed it into the ground and was seconds away from tearing it apart. The Abyssal energy inside the Nightmare Dragon was starting to spike—Kain could feel it. It had gone from the beginning stages of corruption to near-possession.

If it wasn’t removed now, the dragon will turn. And even worse, Kain’s use of Abyssal energy will be exposed in front of the entire nation.

Even if Kain’s entire team was on the verge of collapse, the headstrong stone golem, was going to make sure its use of Abyssal energy wouldn’t come back to bite Kain in the ass.

Kain gritted his teeth as he tried his best to cheer his contract on, the only thing he could do given the circumstances. “C’monAegis!”

Aegis’ spear-arm stabbed forward again. It jabbed into the same point as before—and like drawing poison from a wound, the Abyssal energy coiled back toward Aegis’ body.

The Nightmare Dragon collapsed, twitching, but alive. And uncorrupted.

Aegis exhaled. Or something close to it given that he had no lungs.

And then he was gone from the spot, slapped across the field again like a bouncy ball as the wooden dragon refocused on him instantly.

And under the effect of Cassian’s Gift, he was unable to get back up this time.

Even the Vespid guards—those still standing near the fringes—broke apart. Their stingers fell to the ground as they dematerialized. Chewy let out a tiny distressed squeal and then shrank to a microscopic spore size similar to when it was first born.

Kain’s finally knees hit the ground as he was no longer able ot resist.

Practically his entire team had been eliminated. Only the blue-grade Vauleth, Aegis, and Bea were mentally responding to him— and only just barely. It was only a matter of time before they were all eliminated. Especially considering that the wooden dragon was tearing off chunks of stone from Aegis’ form with each passing second.

Kain rapidly cycled through his spiritual link with each of his contracts. Chewy was withdrawn. Queen and the Vespid guards were also recalled, only four guards remaining alive, which will take a long time to recover.

But Aegis… Aegis was still active. Even as jagged gouges tore through his rocky form and slabs of armor were peeled away, he reassured Kain that he was fine.

Kain flinched. It wasn’t exactly comforting considering the brutal picture being painted on the field by Aegis and the Wooden Dragon of a one-sided slaughter.

He activated the Threads of Destiny again in a last-ditch effort to turn things around.

They were everywhere— black threads, stretching out like nooses around his neck, each one a clear indication of doom. The battlefield felt like a graveyard of hope.

And then he saw it.

A single white thread. Slender. Fragile. Almost hidden in the darkness. But it was there, gleaming faintly like a lighthouse cutting through a storm.

His breath caught. A lifeline.

But how to grasp it?

The single white thread dangled in front of him, tantalizingly close.

He just needed to figure out how to reach it.

A single white thread.

And then the thought hit him—Perhaps it isn’t his job to grasp that thread, but to make it easier for someone else to grasp it.

This was a team battle after all.

Jade. Jade was fighting next. Kain had already forced Cassian to reveal nearly all of his trump cards, including this Gift.

He had lost sight of the big picture. He was never tasked with taking Cassian down alone, but to drain the prince as much as possible. But he still wasn’t sure it was enough.

Kain clenched his fist, his body trembling.

He needed to do something. To shift the board just one more time.

Something that would give Jade a better shot at victory.

But what?

What could he do, when even destiny had only left him one thread to follow?