This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

One hour!

Kain's mouth stretch open into a wide yawn as the match's length was now approaching one hour without either side suffering from extensive injuries.

The match had dragged on far longer than anyone had anticipated, and yet, neither side had managed to land a decisive blow.

The blue-grade participants had exchanged partners several times, but…

Bam!

Kain looked at the field where the Earthshatter Lion had switched its opponent again and was was now holding off the Ice Golem. However, despite the strength of its blow and the fire-attribute energy on its claws…

"Not even a scratch," Kain muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing in concentration. The golem's ice-like skin was practically invulnerable, a testament to how much resources had been poured into the contract since the defense of the average Ice Golem was not nearly as high. Its body was forged from the most resilient ice, and no matter how hard the Earthshatter Lion's fiery claws raked across it, it was as if they were striking a mountain.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Jade's Shadowstrike Jaguar was now moving in and out of the shadows as it stalked and sought to ambush the most squishy looking Ice Fox.

The fox had proven far more agile and resilient than anyone could have predicted, especially considering how small and seemingly fragile it appeared. Many had expected it to fall in the first few minutes, but here it was, holding its ground—its icy coat shimmering like a fine mist of frost, providing not only speed but also impressive protection.

Kain was extremely impressed by the resilience of the little fox, and had been sure it would be eliminated the fastest, but it had now been an hour and it was still going strong.

It was fast, flexible, and not so easy for even the assassin-like Shadowstrike Jaguar to successfully land a hit on. Especially since its senses seemed to be several times more sensitive compared to the average contract.

Each time the jaguar lunged, attempting to tear into its foe with razor-sharp claws, the fox responded with bursts of freezing energy that would halt the jaguar mid-air. Its keen senses allowed it to react faster than Jade's beast could anticipate, and with every shadow strike, the fox's ice mist shielded it, nullifying the blows. Even when the jaguar's claws did manage to land, they simply slid off the fox's armor, leaving it unharmed.

However, no damage was done to the fox since an armor composed of icy mist had surrounded itself at the last moment. It also created an additional wall of ice to impede the jaguar's subsequent actions towards it.

The jaguar growled in frustration, retreating into the shadows only to reappear in another attempt to flank the fox.

The fox wasn't nearly as sturdy as the golem, but its speed and control over ice allowed it to weather the storm, healing and shielding itself as its opponent circled, waiting for an opening.

Meanwhile, Frost-Warden Behemoth, a titan of ice and power, stomped the ground, sending icy shards up like spears. Jade's Thunderfang Tiger had to leap back to avoid being impaled by the barrage of ice spikes. Yet, as Jade's tiger retreated, its fur flared with static electricity, and it let out a guttural roar, shaking the air around them and sending a barrage of lightning strikes at the enemy.

Still, the Frost-Warden Behemoth stood tall, its status as having the second strongest defense on Axel's team being put on full display.

Crack!

The audience no longer even flinched in sympathy when seeing Jade's contracts injured. Looking at the Windstrike cheetah that had just had its two hind legs shattered by the Behemoth while passing by, before the Behemoth was once again preoccupied by its same-level opponent, nobody felt anything anymore.

And true to the audience's relaxed attitude to the severe injury, within moments its legs were both intact and it ran off to harass those enemies locked in battle at the same speed as before.

Axel's contracts were equally as annoying. The Icecargot, Axel's green-grade contract, its thick, indestructible shell had proven almost impervious to the relentless onslaught of Jade's other creatures. The Viperfang Lioness had bitten and clawed at its shell for minutes without making any noticeable progress, the venom it released simply running off the Icecargot's icy surface like water.

Fed up with the snail, the Viperfang had tried its luck with the Frozen Bloodhound who looked more soft compared to the heavily armored snail.

However, Jade's Viperfang Lioness, though venomous, had not been able to incapacitate the Bloodhound, whose frozen blood literally froze any poison or toxin that entered its system. Jade had expected the Bloodhound to fall within minutes, but after every attack, its frozen blood simply halted the spread of the venom, and it continued to fight as fiercely as ever.

The whole arena seemed locked in a tense, unrelenting stalemate. Each side had come to a standstill, trading blows that never seemed to land with full force.

Much of the audience was now beginning to dose off due to the protracted war.

Kain sighed heavily while watching the spectacle.

'This is ridiculous. When are they going to get to the part where someone actually wins?'

Jade's face was set in determination as she swept her gaze across the battlefield, calculating her next move. Her spiritual creatures were starting to show signs of exhaustion, despite their regenerative abilities, each failed strike was still draining their stamina.

It was time to change the tempo.

Jade sent her Windstrike Cheetah to assist her Shadowstrike Jaguar in flanking Axel's Ice Fox.

The Windstrike Cheetah, its body a blur of speed, zipped through the battlefield, its speed and agility making it difficult for Axel's Ice-Fox to keep up. However, their gap in level didn't make it too much of a threat. Although it was an annoying distraction, and its main role was to help create openings for the Shadowstrike Jaguar—or so Axel and those watching assumed.

Momentarily freed from its stalemate with the Ice Fox, the jaguar left its position. In one swift movement, it leapt, sinking its claws deep into the unsuspecting Bloodhound's side. The green-grade spiritual creatures had been using extra caution to avoid the higher-level opponents, but it hadn't expected the Jaguar who was just preoccupied with the fox to appear before it.

For the first time in the match, a contract on Axel's side was heavily wounded, and Jade knew that this was her chance to press forward.