Chapter 359 Coming In Clutch

What happened next was a scene out of every medusa movie out there... in fact, it was a very realistic depiction of such a scenario.

Neither a flash of light nor a sudden outburst of energy leaked out of Jessie when she activated her 'petrify' skill. Instead, there was a simple pause, as if time momentarily stopped the moment their gazes connected.

The creepy smile on Jessie's face was overwritten with a satisfied one as she licked her lips with her tongue. Her widened eyes turned into slits due to her smile, and she slowly slithered towards Link who had been frozen mid-run.

In that split second, Link actually felt the ominosity that leaked out of Jessie, and he was able to activate his skill. He was a step too late, however, and his skill didn't fully activate when he was hit with the petrification. Branches and leaves grew out of his sword and shield, seemingly trying to envelop him... but unfortunately, it didn't work out since he misjudged Jessie's attack.

"Wow, it worked," James muttered as he wrapped Link inside a capsule made out of his vines. "Now it's time to suffocate him."

This time, it was James who wore a creepy smile. With the help of his tamed beast which looked like smoke, he fed the interior of the capsule with poisonous haze. That way, Link would suffocate and fall unconscious while not being able to move.

Undoubtedly, it was an underhanded move, and it also sounded more like torture the more Jessie and James thought about it. However, this was the strategy they came up with, and they didn't want to underestimate Link's ability at all. That's why they resorted to such tactics.

In any case, Link did not have a good time inside the encasement filled with poisonous smoke. Sure, he can't move due to the petrify skill, but that doesn't mean he couldn't breathe. At first, he tried to hold his breath as much as he could, but it was all for nothing. His lungs gave up after three minutes and he inhaled the smoke.

'Am I going to lose like this? No, there's no way! After all that talk...' Link said to himself as his consciousness dwindled. If he could move his head, he would've stolen a glance towards Kim Jin Seok... and had he done that, he would've seen the disappointment on Kim Jin Seok's face.

Link gritted his teeth in frustration. 'No, there must be some other way! I can't lose like this.'

Even though he was about to faint, Link still didn't lose hope. He knew there was a way out of the predicament he was in. Deep within, he thought of using Grundauge, his tamed beast which was banned by Luke Skyrunner since he couldn't control it. However, he knew that using Grundauge meant that he'd be disqualified. This may be a two-versus-two match, but that didn't mean he couldn't be disqualified if Kim Jin Seok wins in his stead.

And that's when it came to him... it was such a simple solution and yet it took him this long to think about it. Without wasting another second, he decided to call out to one of his tamed beasts in a desperate attempt to perform a Trinity Beast Integration. While this wasn't the first time he attempted such an advanced skill, he knew that he was still inconsistent at it.

Nevertheless, he's got no other choice but to go through with it. This was his last chance at redemption and he didn't think twice about taking it.

'Rassio, I know you can hear me right now. You're a grass type and a psychic type... I'm calling you out of your Gren. I need your help.' Link's vision faded as the poison continued to spread through his body. His breathing became ragged, and it took all his focus to keep himself awake.

To his relief, a flash of light appeared near his pocket, and he heard a certain noise in his mind that told him that Rassio heard his plea. He closed his eyes, letting go of his consciousness and instead focusing on Rassio so he could integrate with him. If this works, then not only will he be able to cancel his petrified state, but he'd also get rid of the poisonous smoke and then activate his healing ability to remove the poison from his body.

​ Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

It was but a mere ten seconds and yet Link felt like an eternity as he scoured through his mind to look for his link with Rassio. Regardless, it seemed like luck was on his side, and he managed to find the connection and strengthen it to the point where the Trinity Beast Integration was possible.

While that was happening inside the poisonous prison where James trapped Link, both James and Jessie were celebrating with each other. The verdict has not been finalized, and yet they were celebrating as if Link had already been defeated.

"What a shocking display of teamwork! It seems like Link had gotten himself in an inescapable pinch. It had been four minutes and there was no sign of him getting out... is this really the end for him?" The commentator almost screamed at the microphone, but then he remembered how he had previously violently spat out saliva. That's why this time, he controlled himself.

"No, I'm sure he'll be able to escape. Such a flimsy trap is not enough to contain an experienced beast tamer." Luke Skyrunner commented in a calm manner as he slowly tapped his finger on the desk. He felt uneasy since there was a good chance Luke would use his beholder tamed beast once again. If that were to happen, then there's a good chance that James and Jessie's life will be endangered.

After all, even though Luke threatened to disqualify him if he used his uncontrollable tamed beast, there was no way he could do that. There were no rules that stated he had the authority to disqualify someone unless there was a valid reason for it. Going berserk is not grounds for disqualification.

There was a good chance that Link would disregard his threat and use the beholder right now... but Luke wanted to believe in him, as crazy as that may sound. 'If you have a modicum of pride as a beast tamer, I'm sure you won't resort to using such an erratic tamed beast. You've got this, Link. This is your one shot at redeeming yourself after that poor performance last round.' Luke said in his mind.

Shiiing~!

A flash of light, followed by an explosion, caused most of the audience to jump out of their seats in surprise. They thought Link had already been finished, but after seeing the explosion, they realized that such wasn't the case at all. Some of the audience even started thinking that Link was just biding his time in the vine capsule.

What came out of the capsule was Link with a completely new look. Aside from his wooden set of equipment and wings made out of branches and leaves, there were also dark leaves revolving all over his body. Black and purple smoke could be seen seeping out of his body, and both his eyes were covered in black flames. These flames acted like goggles or a mask, and they blocked Jessie's view on his line of sight.

"Phew~ I can't believe that worked." Link muttered to himself. "That was a pretty good surprise attack though."

It was at this moment, Jessie and James knew they messed up. Here they were, thinking that Link was already unconscious. And just when they were about to undo the vine prison and attack Kim Jin Seok, Link just had to escape. And not only that, it seemed like Link had gotten a power-up while he was inside the encasement.

Unbeknownst to them, though, Link was still on the verge of losing consciousness... not because he was still poisoned, but because it took every cell of his body to control his Trinity Beast Integration. One momentary lapse of losing focus is more than enough to cancel his skill.

Still, Link played the part of someone stronger than both Jessie and James combined. Despite him nearing the edge, he still presented himself as advantageous. With a flick of his wrist, he swung his sword, and an outgrowth of branches and leaves shot out of it, hitting both Jessie and James before they could even react.

As soon as they were thrown into the air, Link retracted his sword and extended his arm in the air. Some form of dark energy in the shape of two giant hands appeared. Link then brought his arms down, causing the giant hands to slam his two opponents onto the ground.

Jessie and James hit the ground with a thud. While they were still disoriented, Link dug his hand into the floor of the grand stage, and in an instant, vines started appearing everywhere, tying both Jessie and James and pinning them to the ground.

"Now, for my final move... life force drain..." Link clicked his tongue as the vines started sucking out the life energy of his opponents.