Chapter 219: Kane’s Determination To Win!

Jayden immediately stepped forward.

He seemed completely unfazed by the creature in front of him.

A smug smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand toward the Verpent.

"Watch carefully. This is how a Sentinel does it."

His psychic pressure erupted.

An invisible force descended upon the corrupted beast, pressing its enormous body toward the platform. The chains attached to its neck rings rattled violently as the creature struggled against the sudden pressure.

For several seconds, the serpent’s heads were forced downward.

It attempted to retaliate by swinging its tail, striking the platform with enough force to send vibrations through the arena.

Jayden increased the pressure.

The serpent’s body slammed against the platform.

Its movements gradually weakened until both heads dropped to the ground.

The beast had been subdued.

In less than a minute, Jayden had forced a C-rank corrupted beast down using nothing but his Sentinel pressure.

The audience erupted.

"That’s incredible!"

"As expected of a Sentinel!"

"Did you see how quickly he subdued it? He didn’t even need to use a weapon!"

Jayden withdrew his ability and stepped away with a satisfied expression.

However, the match wasn’t over.

The restraints around the creature’s necks suddenly released a pulse of energy.

The Verpent’s body jerked.

Its two heads rose from the platform, and its eyes opened again as it shook itself violently, dispersing the lingering effects of Jayden’s pressure.

Jayden’s smugness faded. He wasn’t satisfied with having brought the beast down for only two seconds before it recovered.

Tsk... I should’ve used a weapon instead.

Still, he didn’t dwell on it as he returned to his spot and waited for Kane’s turn.

"Next time, I’ll put it to sleep with one strike!" he thought.

The audience cheered once more.

Now it was Kane’s turn.

Kane slowly approached the beast.

Up close, the Verpent was even more terrifying than it had looked from the waiting area. Its scales reflected the arena lights, and its two heads followed his every movement.

As soon as he entered its range, the beast hissed.

A violent gust swept toward him.

Kane immediately raised a barrier around his body. Even so, the force pushed him backward, and his shoes scraped against the platform before he managed to regain his footing.

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

This was only the beginning, and he was already struggling to withstand the creature’s aura.

He had to do something.

Kane clenched his teeth and released his guiding ability.

A thin layer of guiding energy spread from his body, slowly enveloping the Verpent. It was barely visible beneath the creature’s overwhelming aura, resembling a transparent film stretched across its purple scales.

The serpent resisted immediately upon contact.

Its two heads thrashed from side to side, and its tail struck the platform repeatedly.

However, its movements gradually slowed.

Kane’s eyes brightened.

It was working!

He concentrated on maintaining the connection, carefully directing his guiding energy toward the beast’s mental landscape.

Unfortunately, the serpent’s resistance was far stronger than he had anticipated.

His guiding ability trembled under the pressure. The moment he tried to deepen his influence, the creature pushed back against him.

Kane’s face contorted.

He could feel his own energy being forced back at him, threatening to break his concentration.

He couldn’t let that happen.

If the beast completely rejected his guiding ability, he would have nothing left to rely on.

Kane gritted his teeth and poured more energy into the connection.

His hands trembled as he stretched them toward the beast. The veins on his arms became more prominent, and his eyes reddened from the strain.

The serpent’s movements slowed a little further.

But that was all.

It still hadn’t been subdued.

Kane’s breathing grew ragged.

He tried to maintain the connection, refusing to withdraw his guiding ability even as the resistance threatened to overwhelm him.

He couldn’t give up yet.

If he stopped now, everyone would laugh at him again. Worse, he would have to return to the waiting area and face his friends without accomplishing anything.

He didn’t want that.

He didn’t want to be the only one who couldn’t do anything while his friends gave their all.

"Come on..."

Kane’s voice trembled as he pushed more of his energy into the connection.

The serpent hissed.

Its two heads rose, and the guiding film surrounding its body flickered violently.

Kane’s knees nearly buckled.

He was reaching his limit!

His mental sea had already begun to contract, and the energy he could draw upon was rapidly diminishing. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t force his guiding ability to overcome the creature’s resistance.

Still, he refused to stop.

"Just... go down!"

His voice broke into a desperate shout.

For a brief moment, he managed to suppress the serpent’s movements again.

But it was too late. His energy had run out.

The guiding film shattered.

Kane’s body went limp, and he fell to his knees.

He could no longer maintain his ability.

His head hung low as tears blurred his vision, and the remaining strength drained from his limbs.

It was over.

He had tried everything he could, but he still couldn’t subdue the beast.

Kane’s shoulders trembled.

He didn’t even have the courage to raise his head and face the audience. He could already imagine the laughter and hear the insults waiting for him.

What a failure.

He couldn’t even do something as simple as this. He just needed to keep it from attacking for a few more seconds. Just a few more seconds and he’d be able to show that he and his friends weren’t worthless!

Several seconds passed as he knelt on the ground.

Just then Kane realized something was wrong.

The arena had become deathly silent.

The excited chatter that had filled the stands moments earlier fell away.

Kane slowly raised his head, confusion mixing with the fear still lingering in his chest.

Had something happened?

Had the academy finally decided to stop the match?

His gaze moved toward the platform.

And then—

He froze.

The Verpent was lying motionless on the ground.

Both of its heads had fallen to the side, and its green eyes had rolled backward. Its enormous body no longer struggled against the restraints.

The corrupted beast had lost consciousness!

Kane stared at the scene before him, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

He had clearly exhausted his guiding ability. And he hadn’t even managed to overpower the beast’s resistance. So how could it have been subdued?