This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange - Chapter 610

Chapter 610: Chapter 610: World Lesson
The small girl stood trembling before the much taller Holy Son, her hand still half-raised from the slap, her other arm braced protectively in front of Lady Zhao’s statue-like body—as if shielding it from further offence, even though it could no longer be harmed.

The large man beside her spat something guttural in their native tongue, his hand flashing to his blade again before pausing, restrained only by a small thread of lingering reason—one that could snap at any moment.

The air between the Easterners and the Holy Son bristled with killing intent.

Cassian, who had been observing the drama with open amusement, leaned leisurely against the pedestal next to him and muttered just loud enough for Kain and Serena to hear, “Looks like someone tried to preach the wrong sermon.”

The Holy Son remained unnervingly calm, brushing a loose lock of gold from his cheek. His smile was as serene as ever. “I simply offered your Lady Zhao an opportunity. A final mercy.”

“You call that mercy?!” the Eastern girl screeched, voice cracking. Her eyes burned with a fury that went beyond political disagreement. “You tried to blaspheme her spirit!”

“That is an inaccurate and offensive description of the ceremony I offered. Not that I expected a heathen to understand,” the Holy Son replied frowning, as though irritated at having to repeatedly teach the same thing over and over again to a child. “She was a faithless soul. It is unbecoming for one born to a bloodline of her standing to be so deeply disconnected from anything divine. I felt sadness and pity at the thought that she might never find salvation. I could help her make up for the faith she lacked in life, and all she would need to do… was devote her soul to me.”

“YOU. ARE. INSANE,” the girl hissed.

“No.” His voice didn’t rise, but there was a chilling lack of emotion in it. “I am He Who Bears the Mantle of Light and Doctrine, the Anointed Vessel of Salvation, the Holy Son of the Last Revelation. And I offered her a chance at eternal peace and happiness. A part of me would have sheltered her, protected her. Transformed her into something more than flesh and fleeting struggle. If you loved her, truly loved her, you would accept my offer.”

Kain’s brow furrowed. Even for someone called ‘Holy Son’, this was… a lot.

Serena’s gaze had gone flat and cold, and spoke to Kain through their mental link—likely catching on before Kain about what was going on. After all, given her illustrious family background, Serena would be much better acquainted with the relevant information about the various world powers. “He likely tried to bind her soul after she died. Without consent.”

Kain looked at Serena in confusion and a silent prompt to continue. ‘Bind her soul? How would that even—’

Serena must’ve seen the question in his expression, because she continued without prompting.

“Do you know who the strongest person in the world is?” she asked.

Kain blinked at the sudden shift. “What?”

“Just answer. Who would you name?”

Kain thought it over, serious now. “Well… 9-star beast-tamers are the peak of cultivation, right? No one’s surpassed that level in millennia.”

Apparently, the method to do so was lost, though it might be hidden in a relic… not that Kain had access to that information. He only knew about it because of his very first black mission in which an entry into that relic was being fought over by several 9-star tamers present at the auction venue.

He frowned slightly in thought. “But if I had to pick just one as the strongest? I don’t know. There are 9 people at that level known to the general populace—but since joining the Order, I’m sure that there are many more kept hidden as trump cards. Not to mention the foreign ones I don’t even know about. Every 9-star has different abilities, contracts, strengths. And it’s not like people at that level compete in tournaments or rank themselves. It’s basically impossible to know.”

Serena gave a slight, almost pitying smile. “You’d think so. After all, if many of them hadn’t even fought one another, how could the strongest one be determined?”

“Well… yeah.”

“But there is a general consensus on who the strongest is,” she said. “It’s just not common knowledge in the Empire. Or, well, I should say, it’s actively kept from the general populace.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed. “Then who?”

Serena’s gaze cut briefly toward the Holy Son, who was once again preaching the ‘mercy’ of spiritual salvation with maddening calm to the raging Easterners. Then she looked back at Kain.

“It’s the Pope of the Radiant Ascension Church. Without question or debate. Honestly, it may take us sacrificing most, if not all, of our top beast-tamers in order to kill their Pope should a war ever break out.”

She paused just long enough to let the weight of her words settle.

“And it is precisely because the Western Continent cultivates using faith that the Pope was seemingly able to surpass the level limit imposed on all other beast-tamers.”

Kain’s brow lifted. He’d briefly learned about their faith-based cultivation system, but hadn’t thought of it as a big deal until now—barely worthy of his attention.

Serena continued, her expression solemn. “It’s nothing like what we do. Let me explain.”

She turned her body slightly, shielding her expression in case anyone noticed that they were mentally communicating—not that anyone in the room was likely to be paying attention. Not with a diplomatic incident unfolding nearby.

“As you know,” she began, voice still carried through their mental link, “the Central Continent, where we reside, has four nations. The Celestial Empire is the most dominant, both politically and militarily. Our cultivation is built on star-based spiritual power, and the ability to form multiple contracts with creatures matching our affinities. Rarely, the more talented and lucky among us can even awaken gifts to further enhance our strength.”

“To the south,” she continued, “are the nomadic tribes. They’re fractured, hundreds of different clans, often fighting each other. But if they ever unified, they’d be terrifying. They can only form one contract, which is determined by the bloodline tattoos passed through generations and they cultivate using the blood-attribute spiritual power present within themselves. Their strength comes quickly—much faster than us. There are far more mid- and high-level cultivators among them than us… but in a one-on-one competition each one is at a numerical disadvantage. They only have one contract spot, after all.”

“To the east is Elowen Haven,” Serena said quietly. “We’ve been there before and met the half-elf Elorians. Their cultivation is rooted in nature. It’s similar to ours, but focused entirely on the nature and life-attributes, instead of the star-attribute. Almost all of them have plant-based attributes. And they are likely the weakest on the continent—which is also why they’ve allied themselves so closely with us.”

Kain didn’t interrupt, although this was all information he knew.

“Lastly, we share our western borders with the Soul Land Dominion—our greatest historical rival, and the one we currently have the most tense relationship with. They’d welcome any opportunity to take us down and replace us as the dominant force on the central continent.”

“They cultivate mainly using their gifts, and the gifts they awaken are usually far more powerful than our own. Instead of contracting spiritual creatures, they kill them and absorb their souls to strengthen their own gifts.’

She looked at the grieving pair from the east, “Across, the ocean, those on the Eastern Continent, cultivate almost in the exact same way as us, but almost all have an affinity for one of the 5 ‘primary elements’—fire, water, metal, earth, and wood. They can bind contracts corresponding to that element, typically awaken gifts related to that element, and also cultivate by absorbing spiritual power exclusively from that element. Occasionally, some would have an affinity for more than one element, but they are exceptionally rare.”

Then with a sigh, Serena looked at the Holy Son, who was still trying to get Lady Zhao’s soul.

“But the faith-based cultivation style of the Western Continent is the most different from ours, and the one that is both the most off-putting and considered to have the highest potential—although everyone hates to admit it.”