Absolute Beast Dominion - Chapter 287: Finale - 2

Chapter 287: Finale – 2

Chapter 287: Finale – 2

“Alright, alright,” Tarun waved dismissively. “It’s the distribution of these so-called smartphones. They’ve already reached all inner and core cities. Now, anyone can place bets easily.”

He paused, then added more seriously,

“The other reason is this generation itself. They’re strong—nearly 3 times stronger than previous ones. That’s because of the land we’ve reclaimed over the past 30 years… and also the surge in activity within Sunborn territory. A lot of humans died because of it.”

His tone dipped slightly.

“More space, fewer humans, concentrating power, stronger individuals—and it’s also becoming easier to acquire strength compared to before due to the lowering bar of the power cap.”

Brant nodded slowly.

Then something struck him.

“But this time…” he muttered, glancing around to ensure only professors were present.

“The sacrifice ritual… and the ones planned for the future… what kind of strength will the next generation in 20 to 30 years have… or even this generation, when it will become easier to gain strength?”

Tarun fell silent.

For a moment, only the distant roar of the crowd filled the room.

Then, after thinking for a while, he spoke.

“If everything goes according to plan…”

A faint smile crept onto his face.

“…the age of gods will begin.”

—

Both Leo and Leon stood ready, the air between them growing tense, heavy with anticipation.

“So? Not going to summon your black cat?” Leon mocked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“I alone am enough to handle you and your orange cat,” Leo snorted, rolling his shoulders and cracked his neck as if loosening up.

“Oh no, no, no… you will not handle two—only one,” Leon replied, his grin sharpening into something sly.

“Oh?” Leo tilted his head, a smile creeping onto his face. “So you’re saying you’ll let me handle your ass freely—and you don’t want your beast to watch you get embarrassed?”

“Heh… you’ll see,” Leon said quietly, lowering his stance.

Leo mirrored him without another word.

“Are we seeing this right?!” the host shouted, barely containing his excitement. “Both contestants are going for a hand-to-hand battle—no beasts!!”

“WHAAAATTTTT!!!”

The crowd erupted instantly, a wave of disbelief crashing through the arena.

“That’s no fun!”

“Yeah! We want to see the first-ranked student’s beast!”

“Come on!”

Neither Leo nor Leon paid the slightest attention. Their focus was absolute—locked entirely onto each other.

Leo moved.

No—he leapt.

His body shot upward, cutting through the air as his fist drew back, aura gathering around it like a coiling storm, ready to punch the soul out of Leon.

Leon’s grin widened.

He muttered something under his breath—low, almost inaudible.

But Leo caught it.

“Soul… what?” he frowned for a split second before dismissing it. His aura surged as he activated [Critical Strike], power flooding into his arm.

And then—

It happened.

Right before Leo’s eyes, Leon’s body began to swell.

Slow at first.

Then all at once.

His armor split cleanly along pre-made seams, bursting apart with metallic snaps, as if it had been designed for this exact moment. Fabric stretched and tightened over expanding muscle as his frame shot upward, towering to a staggering 8’7″. Veins bulged beneath his skin, calves and quads thickening, muscles twisting as though years of growth were compressed into mere seconds.

His nails sharpened—lengthening into pearl-white claws.

Then came the final change—

two fangs pushing past his lips.

Leo’s eyes widened.

So did the host’s.

The audience froze.

The top 10 students stared.

Even Miho—

“Ehhhhhhhhh?!” she screamed, her voice cracking in utter disbelief.

—

But Leo regained himself almost instantly.

Leon was ready as both of them moved.

Their fists, wrapped in aura and charged with [Critical Strike], collided head-on.

THOOOOOOMMMM!

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The impact was catastrophic.

A deafening boom tore through the arena as shockwaves rippled outward, slamming into everything in their path. The ring beneath them fractured instantly, cracks racing across its surface like spiderwebs. Dust exploded into the air, whipped away by the violent pressure that rolled across not just their ring in the arena—

But all 5 rings.

The entire stadium trembled.

“SOUL FUSION!!!” the host roared, his voice breaking through the chaos.

“Leon has achieved soul fusion with his beast!”

Leo and Leon separated in the same instant, both sliding back across the cracked ground, boots grinding against shattered stone.

“Fucker, you hid this from me?!” Leo barked, eyes sharp.

“Fucker, you were actually this strong?!” Leon shot back, equally shocked.

Both cursed at the exact same time.

Leo hadn’t expected Leon to conceal something as monstrous as soul fusion.

Leon, on the other hand, was shaken for a different reason.

He had already estimated Leo to be barely Pseudo 4-star level—

But this?

Even without factoring in the amplification from [Critical Strike], Leo’s raw power was already brushing against Low 4-star.

With the boost—

Leo’s strike had surged into Pseudo 5-star territory, landing somewhere between 8000 to 9000 stat points with his 700% boost.

Leon’s own punch, amplified by his 800% boost, hovered slightly lower—between 7000 to 8000.

A small but substantial gap

But Leon’s superior skill proficiency closed that difference entirely, bringing them to even ground.

Suddenly, Tarun stood up from his seat breaking his conversation with Brant.

Without a word, he stepped forward and floated into the air, arriving beside the host in an instant. No greetings or any announcement.

He simply raised his arm.

An invisible force spread outward from his body, rippling through the space like a silent wave, before enveloping the entire arena.

The air hummed faintly as a transparent barrier formed.

The host snapped back to his senses.

“O-oh! This—our honourable General and Vice Principal of Aurelius Beast Academy, Tarun, has deployed a telekinetic barrier to protect the audience!”

He took a breath, then raised his voice even higher.

“And do you know what that means?! If a 6-star powerhouse has to personally step in—then it is entirely possible that these contestants could display power touching the 5-star rank!”

Silence and then—

“5-stars?!!”

“Am I dreaming?!”

“Freshers are displaying 5-star strength?!”

“Are we even living in the same world?!”

“This can’t be real—they’re exaggerating!”

“Yeah! I’ve been stuck at 3-star for 15 years in the academy, and I’m in my final term! How can some newcomers be this strong?!”

“Idiot!” another man snapped, his expression twisted with frustration. “Not actual 5-star—just displaying that level of strength. There’s a difference. They must be using enhancement skills. I bet they’ll collapse within a minute.”

He clenched his fists, eyes glued to the arena.

“The mana required to jump tiers is monstrous. I’m mid-3-star, and I can only unleash a single Pseudo 4-star attack before I’m drained dry. Let’s see how long they last…”

His voice lowered.

But the bitterness in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Freshers… displaying 5-star strength…

…fuck.

He said they would last a minute.

Yet he himself could only last a single attack.

Of course he would be jealous.