The Scrap Tamer - Chapter 108

Chapter 108: The Duel Starts
After finishing their meals, the members of team 7 headed toward the duel grounds. The large, open-air arena had been set up specifically for sparring matches, with reinforced barriers and observation platforms for onlookers. And there were a lot of onlookers.

Word had spread quickly. Soldiers, cadets, and even a few junior and senior officers filled the viewing areas, eager to watch the match unfold.

Well, most of them weren’t here for the fight itself—they just wanted to see what the leader of the fastest-promoted cadet team was truly capable of.

In the center of the arena stood two figures. One of them was Darren, exuding overconfidence. In his mind, the fight was already won.

To him, this was just a chance to prove that Reid and his team were nothing more than entitled rich brats—or at least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.

The other figure in the arena was Commander Ajax, his face as stoic as ever. He was here to oversee the match and serve as its referee.

Lisa, Clara, Ethan, and Marcus made their way to the viewing platforms, finding a spot near the front. From there, they had a clear view of the arena and the fight that was about to begin.

Reid, meanwhile, calmly walked toward the center of the arena, where Darren and the commander stood. The murmurs in the crowd quieted as he approached, all eyes locked on him.

Commander Ajax regarded him with his usual stoic expression before speaking. “You’re late, Officer Fletcher.”

“Apologies, sir.” Reid came to a stop, stood straight, and gave the commander a salute. “I was in the forge with Master Garrick.”

Commander Ajax raised a brow ever so slightly. “You really did manage to convince that stubborn dwarf.”

Reid allowed himself a small smirk. “Took some effort, but yes, sir.”

Ajax gave a short nod before shifting his focus back to the duel.

“This will be a one-on-one duel. No external interference. Victory is determined by surrender, incapacitation, or if I deem one of you unable to continue. Understood?” He stated.

“”Yes Sir”” the two replied in unison.

“Good” the commander said as he stepped to the side “then, begin!”

Darren scoffed as he faced Reid.

“Took you long enough,” he said, crossing his arms, though anyone could see that he was currently on high alert. “I was starting to think you’d back out.”

Reid didn’t respond right away. He simply rolled his shoulders, loosening up. Then, with a slight smirk, he met Darren’s gaze.

“Sorry,” he said “Had to make sure I didn’t come here hungry. Wouldn’t want to pass out mid-fight.”

A few chuckles spread through the crowd, but Darren remained unimpressed.

Darren’s eyes narrowed. He refused to take the bait, but his stance shifted to a battle one.

“Let’s see if you’re still joking after this.”

With an exaggerated motion, he summoned his Forged-Beast. A dark mist swirled around Darren, twisting and curling before taking shape into something unnatural.

What appeared was wrong, something that looked straight out of a horror movie.

It stood on four legs, but they were too long, making its movements look awkward and unsettling. Its body was a mix of different textures—scales, fur, and hard shell— as if it couldn’t decide what it was supposed to be.

Its head was even worse, split down the middle with jagged teeth on both sides, grinding together even when it wasn’t trying to bite.

A wave of unease spread through the crowd. Murmurs replaced the chuckles from earlier, and even some of the Senior officers watching furrowed their brows. This wasn’t a normal Forged-Beast.

“That’s…” Lisa’s eyes widened in unease. It didn’t look exactly the same, but the aura it gave off was eerily similar to the Platinum-tier abomination they had faced in the simulation.

Even commander Ajax’s eyes narrowed, but he chose not to interfere for now.

Reid also recognized the aura emanating from the creature in front of him, a sickening, unstable energy that felt all too familiar. A quick scan from Evo confirmed his suspicions.

[Forged-Beast Scan Complete]

Species: Unknown Hybrid

Rank: Gold (Unstable)

Abilities:

Flesh Metamorphosis: Alters its body structure at will, shifting limbs, lengthening appendages, or forming additional mouths and claws mid-combat.

Adaptive Regeneration: Rapidly heals from injuries, adapting to attacks to become more resistant over time. Wounds that are repeatedly inflicted take longer to regenerate, but the beast compensates by mutating.

Howl of Dissonance: Emits a distorted, multi-toned shriek that disrupts the nervous system of those nearby, causing dizziness, nausea, and momentary paralysis.

Ravenous Maw: The jagged, split head expands unnaturally wide, allowing it to swallow attacks—or even creatures—whole. Anything consumed fuels its regeneration.

Aberrant Evolution: Upon sustaining severe damage, the beast forcefully mutates, shedding old weaknesses and developing new, unpredictable abilities based on the opponent’s attacks.

Unnatural Presence: Its aura alone causes unease and disrupts weaker Forged-Beasts, making them hesitate or react sluggishly.

Chimera Fusion: Temporarily merges its body parts with its opponent’s Forged-Beast if it makes direct contact, causing grotesque distortions that hinder movement and abilities.]

[You have to be careful with this one, Reid] Evo warned, sounding a bit worried.

‘I’ll be fine’ was what Reid said, but his eyes still narrowed at the data being shown. One mistake and he risked his forged beast merging with Darren’s forged beast.

No, that thing was no forged beast it was an outright aberration. Something that shouldn’t exist.

And yet, here it was, standing right in front of him.

Darren smirked, noticing the reactions. “What’s wrong, Fletcher? You look a little tense.”

Reid tilted his head slightly. “Tense? No. Just making sure I understand what I’m looking at.”

“That thing… Where did you get it?” His voice took a colder tone.

Darren’s smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it. “Tch. You talk too much.” He snapped his fingers. “Tear him apart!”

The moment Darren gave the command, his aberration lunged forward with a disturbing, lurching movement. Its too-long limbs bent in unnatural ways, allowing it to close the distance far faster than it should have.

Without wasting anytime, Reid called out.

“Beel.”

A rush of dark energy pulsed beside him as Beel materialized, taking on a larger form while still keeping its usual fly shape despite its newly gained ability to shift into another form.

Beel’s many eyes locked onto the chimera-like creature, its mandibles clicking in anticipation. In its perspective, the creature was nothing but a tasty meal running towards it.

The crowd barely had time to react before the two creatures clashed.The moment Beel and the aberration collided, a violent shockwave spread through the arena, forcing some of the closer spectators to take a step back.

The chimera swipe its grotesquely elongated claw, aiming to skewer Beel mid-air, but the Beel was fast enough to react, using a skill extracted from one of Malrath’s undead army, he [flashed] out of the claw’s path.

In response to the attack, Beel’s mandibles opened wide—far wider than they should have—and snapped down on the offending limb.

Crunch.

The creature shrieked as its flesh and bone were consumed in an instant, waves of black energy entered Beel as it absorbed the essence of what it had just devoured.

The glee on its face resembled that of someone who had just savored a five-star meal. If it could speak, it would undoubtedly say, “Delicious.”

The aberration continued howling in agony, its distorted voice grating against the ears of everyone in the arena.

It staggered back, but only for a moment—then, the torn-off limb began to bubble and twist, reforming itself. Where its claw once was, a mass of writhing tendrils now took shape, tipped with jagged bone-like spikes.

Reid’s eyes narrowed. [Adaptive Regeneration]—of course. Beel had successfully eaten a part of the beast, but that didn’t mean that it would make this fight any easier.

Darren’s smirk had returned, though there was unease behind his eyes.

“Not bad,” he admitted. “But you’re gonna have to do more than that.”

‘That strange old man was right’ Darren thought to himself ‘this is the perfect forged beast’.

The aberration didn’t wait for commands. Its new tendrils lashed out toward Beel with alarming speed, aiming to skewer or entangle it. It attacks were a lot more aggressive now.

But Beel had no problem avoiding them. It used multiple consumed abilities to avoid the abominations attacks, while also taking a bite of it once in a while.

The match looked completely one sided, and it was. Beel was dodging the creatures attacks with ease, while the creature’s regeneration had visibly slowed down, which was confirmed by Evo.

[Beel’s Consume ability is interfering with the creature’s regeneration. The absorbed mass is not being returned to its cycle of mutation. This could be an effective counter.] Evo analyzed. She hadn’t expected the match to be this easy.

Reid’s smirk widened.

Darren, however, looked furious. “What the hell did you do?!” His grip tightened into a fist.

According to that old man, this creature was supposed to be unstoppable, an apex predator, able to evolve past all weaknesses. Yet, here it was, visibly struggling.

He refused to accept it.

“DON’T JUST SIT THERE!” he shouted at the creature “HURRY UP AND END THEM ALREADY”

But that’s when it happened, the creature lunged forward.

Not at Beel, nor Reid. But directly at its very own tamer, Darren.

Faster than anyone could react, A long, tendril shot out from it and speared itself straight into Darren’s chest.

Darren’s breath hitched. His body went rigid. For a moment, he didn’t even understand what had happened.

Then the pain hit.

A searing, unbearable heat spread from the point of contact, and his veins bulged unnaturally as something crawled beneath his skin. His eyes snapped wide in horror.

“No—NO!”

Darren’s screams echoed through the arena as the tendrils burrowed deeper, his body convulsing in agony.