Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons novel Chapter 561

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Chapter 561: Chapter 561 - Taming the Fourth Year: Lin’s Punishment - 3

Ren managed to interpose his right shoulder, absorbing part of the kick’s impact.

But the power behind the blow was monstrous. His shoulder got crushed and gave way instantly, and the enormous force, still far from being countered, made Lin’s leg slide upward.

The secondary strike connected directly with his left temple.

The world exploded in white lights and distorted sounds. Ren was launched sideways, his body spinning like a broken doll before crashing with a violent impact against the ground.

His partial fusion deactivated immediately. The small jade scales that had covered his skin vanished like smoke, leaving him completely human and vulnerable.

Lin blinked several times, her accelerated regeneration already working to repair the damage to her eyes. The tears dried and her vision began to clear. When she could finally focus, she saw Ren motionless.

A deep sigh escaped her transformed lips.

"Why be rash then stop you reckless pupil," she murmured, but there was genuine affection in her voice. "He had the perfect opportunity but stopped because he didn’t want to hurt me?"

The satisfaction of knowing herself loved and important mixed with a profound sadness. Part of her felt proud that Ren had chosen not to hurt her, to protect her even in such a critical moment of their confrontation.

But another part felt shattered at having to stop him in this forced way when he clearly felt the need to pay for the enormous guilt that hurt him so much. Guilt that, as a child, he shouldn’t have to carry.

’It’s better this way,’ she told herself while approaching the motionless body. ’He’s not ready for an expedition of that magnitude. Zhao can fly and still considers the Gold 3 ring a potential death sentence. Ren on foot, with half his power... it would be almost suicide without knowing what’s under that thing.’

But when she was halfway there...

Ren raised his head.

Blood dripped from a wound on his scalp. His right shoulder was crushed, clearly dislocated or worse.

But his eyes...

His eyes burned with a determination that made Lin stop cold.

The accelerated regeneration of his wolverine was already working. The superficial wounds began to close visibly.

Ren tensed his right arm muscles more and more despite the pain until it snapped back into place with a snap.

The healing wasn’t perfect yet, but it was already functional.

"Ren," Lin spoke with a softness that contrasted dramatically with her powerful merged form. "Please. You’re no longer fused. You can’t fight like this. And the truth is..." her voice broke slightly, "it hurts me to have to truly harm you to stop you. I only do it because this is better than losing you forever!"

Ren managed to get back into guard position. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse but firm.

"I know, teacher." He spat blood from his mouth. "But I need to correct my mistakes."

The memories lashed him like an avalanche. Larissa crying while he tore the last crystal fragment from her. Luna sobbing in his arms over broken promises and sacrifices she didn’t understand. His fungus encasing itself to protect him from his own arrogance.

Each memory was a blade proding deeper.

"Everything is my fault," he whispered, and then couldn’t help but scream the words. "EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT!"

The mana in his chest responded to the raw, unfiltered guilt. The energy encysted in the seed of his core pulsed stronger than ever, sending waves of power through his mana channels like electricity through overloaded cables.

The sensation was like being struck by lightning from within.

He got into guard position, but something had changed. Instead of wind and earth, now he channeled wind and fire. The same elements that Lin used.

Lin felt her heart split in two.

"Curses," she murmured, biting her lower lip until it bled. Her transformed fangs pierced her own flesh. "You really aren’t going to give me any choice but to drag you by force like always."

She prepared to launch a final attack that would knock him out definitively. She couldn’t allow him to continue hurting himself through his obstinacy.

But when she launched forward, Ren did something completely unexpected.