Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 1258 - Taming the Old World - Shadow Dragons - 5

The capital remained heavily entrenched behind a condensed defensive wall that exclusively protected the royal castle and the central district, effectively safeguarding the territory housing the most expensive and old architectural structures.

It remained a highly advantageous position for defense. A drastically shortened, hyper-dense perimeter was logistically simple to garrison.

However, this consolidation demanded a tactical cost; it forced Ren's star-shaped prison outside the boundaries of the inner wall.

The huge structure was left entirely unprotected, sitting isolated on the open abandoned city of Yino while the mechanical dragon and its ancient artifacts tirelessly scratched away from the inside, desperately attempting to carve a subterranean exit leading directly into the chamber beneath Yino's former castle.

It was impossible to add because it rested at the other side of the huge rift, it would be almost the same logistical nightmare as it was defending both cities.

But it was fine… Since in reality, the prison was not entirely abandoned.

Numerous airborne tamers maintained strict surveillance over the site, constantly relaying every small change directly to Arturo and Victor.

Yet no Vanguard elite physically stood guard to defend the perimeter. And that decision was not a logistical oversight.

Ren himself had explicitly authorized the 'vulnerability'.

He harbored absolute confidence in his architectural design now.

He had forged the containment vessel to be just as indestructible on the inside as it was on the exterior. The hyper-compressed adamantium yielded only to the ancient artifacts and at a grueling pace, barely surrendering a millimeter at a time from within.

Furthermore, the jagged spires anchoring the exterior, the massive towers supporting the five central cores and the five crystalline points of the star formation, were practically as heavily armored as the primary shell, even if their joints were slightly less dense. There simply wasn't a genuine structural weakness a lower than diamond hostile force could exploit to liberate the trapped entity.

Ren alone, acting as the owner of the reinforced ether, possessed the capacity to dismantle the array whenever he chose.

Additionally, another critical variable guaranteed the star prison's continued operational integrity. It was a localized defense mechanism Ren had completely failed to anticipate for this specific scenario during the initial drafting phase, yet it serendipitously proved to be the most effective deterrent of all.

Standard corrupted mutants physically could not function in close proximity to the containment field.

The restricting ethereal interference frequency, generated by the resonance of the five synchronized cores actively jamming the dragon's internal communications, still severely affected the surrounding mutants.

The closer the mutants approached the adamantium walls, the more violently they contorted, acting exactly as if the disruptive frequency was physically shredding their internal system.

Any corrupted beast attempting to charge the prison to assist in their master's liberation invariably collapsed into fatal convulsions long before they ever reached the walls.

♢♢♢♢

Victor and Arturo meticulously verified the phenomenon through the incoming scout reports.

The aerial observers consistently confirmed the mutant pattern: the specific segment of the inner defensive wall situated closest to the radiating interference faced significantly lighter enemy resistance. The mutants avoided that geographic sector almost instinctively, naturally funneling toward areas situated further away from the prison where their biological systems remained uncompromised.

Completely unintentionally, the star prison was operating as a massive mutant repellent, creating a dead zone on the battlefield that the corruption fiercely refused to enter.

"A defensive flank that actively guards itself," Arturo murmured, swiftly updating the tactical map in his mind. "How incredibly convenient."

It was a bitter shame that they were tactically obligated to defend the lower entrance to Yano's castle too, which remained exposed and represented a second critical target the corruption desperately wanted to breach to access the dormant dragon energy and the next window to the mana system.

An internal wall completely encircling Ren's dome, effectively securing a guaranteed anti-mutant safe zone, would have been exponentially safer.

But that logistical pivot was impossible, and concentrating their entire defensive might around Yano's castle offered its own unique advantages for their overall strategy.

It was a relatively minor advantage if compared, yet during a strong siege, every single variable counted.

The external pressure continued to escalate, however.

And the Platinum-tier beasts were far from stupid… They applied constant pressure against the inner wall, yes, but they deliberately avoided committing their entire horde in a single constant wave. They actively retreated whenever feasible, strictly avoided deep engagements, and patiently bolstered their numbers on the horizon.

The initial wave of dozens had rapidly swelled into the first hundred Platinums, backed by several thousand lower-tier mutants of varying ranks. They remained stationed just beyond the lethal range of the capital's defenders, completely encircling the inner wall and underground the newly condensed and smaller subterranean shield too.

They were not attacking with mindless desperation.

They were actively accumulating mass. They operated exactly like an army meticulously preparing for a prolonged siege rather than a frantic assault, gathering overwhelming force on the perimeter, launching only long-range elemental strikes, and patiently waiting for the precise moment or numerical advantage required to shatter the defenses in a single catastrophic push.

But this defensive line would not break easily.

Ren's parents were no longer the fragile villagers who required constant Vanguard protection.

Reed and Fern stood proudly on the ramparts, fully prepared to offer combat support. Their contracted beasts had flourished utilizing the exact same premium resources Ren had secured and distributed across his territory, naturally favoring them with the highest quality assets.

Consequently, they could now execute expert-level healing, project formidable ethereal shield reinforcements, and even engage in symbiotic combat if the situation demanded it, seamlessly integrating into the defensive grid coordinated by Arturo and Victor.

The two humble cooks who had raised the Glorious General had evolved into highly capable defenders in their own right.

"If your son witnesses us fighting directly on the frontline," Reed casually remarked to Fern as they observed the tense stalemate, "he is going to suffer a complete nervous breakdown."

"Our son genuinely surprised us by kidnapping the Queen Mother this week," Fern retorted, smoothly reinforcing a crumbling section of the masonry with her wood beast's affinity and feeding it with rich water for extra growth. "He officially forfeited the right to be surprised regarding any decisions we make in our home."

Reed chuckled warmly and returned to casting his restorative auras.