Legendary Beast Master: Starting with Contracting SSS Rank Dragon-Chapter 30: All Plans Failed

Stephen ran with all his might, even using whatever mana he had left to boost his speed. Once that strange man caught up to him, he would be dead.

The shield wouldn't save him, as the man just needed to wait. Stephen could only hope he could get far enough before the sphere disappeared.

"Just how... how did I fail? Where did I go wrong?"

He had planned so much, taken so much caution that he prepared even for minor dangers that likely wouldn't even happen. Yet, all of it meant nothing.

He had failed.

He had first used both the Diremane Pride and the Sunmane Pride to initiate a war that destroyed their powerful presence, and then used the traitors to hunt down Kiona.

Stephen knew he couldn't have done it alone, and there was always a chance she would escape, so he planned the civil war and even this hunt far from the other prides.

He wanted no obstruction and had nearly succeeded, but Steve had gone berserk due to his evolution. Because of that, he failed to catch Kiona but he didn't give up.

He brainwashed the other lions and used them to lure Kiona out using her hatred. Everything had been going so well...until one of his controlled beasts died.

It wasn't supposed to be anything serious, but he had still considered the possibility, since this was likely his last chance to capture Kiona. He used one of his hidden skills to hide inside Steve.

Before doing that, he had also killed two of the Fanged Lions, so that if anything happened to his ambush, he would know it firsthand. He wanted to kill all of them, but he was too weak to control that many.

His caution proved useful as everything started going against his plans. Not only did Kiona not fall for his traps, but she had evolved and grown much stronger.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. She should be on the brink of death..."

Yet the opposite happened. All the Fanged Lions were killed, including the two he controlled. It alerted him to the ambush, giving him enough time to prepare a counter.

Then he simply waited for the end of Steve and Kiona's battle. It didn't matter who would win, because in the end, it was supposed to be him who would take everything.

When Kiona won, he seized the chance to attack her. He had been so close to fulfilling his goal...so close to the thing he desired most.

But that damned man had ruined it all. Stephen didn't know much about him, but he was certain that the man was stronger than him and likely the one who had named Kiona and the two lesser lions.

Stephen had always been weak against humans, as his class was focused on affecting beasts and controlling their flesh to some extent. He was practically useless against humans.

That was why he bought the glove, an artifact that enhanced his control over dead flesh. He had used it to create dozens of flesh monsters and buried them beneath the valley.

They were supposed to be his trump card, and the moment he realized he was up against a human, he unleashed them without hesitation.

Unfortunately, the man turned out to be far stronger than Stephen had imagined. He didn't just defeat his forces, he annihilated them. It hadn't even been a battle.

"Damn it!"

Stephen gasped for air, his lungs burning, but he didn't stop. Stopping meant death.

"It's all his fault!"

When Stephen realized how powerless he was against the man, he decided to rely on his cunning instead. He used his final trump card—a runic shield he had bought at a very high price.

But he knew that wouldn't be enough to accomplish his goal, so he orchestrated a scenario that forced the man to stay close to the lioness.

It had gone perfectly according to plan. He was once again so close to victory. He could almost feel it, almost taste it when Kiona's hand turned into a claw.

But she didn't strike.

"Why didn't it work? It never failed! She was so weak and even of a lower rank than me. I even used flesh manipulation alongside my mental command. Why didn't it work?!"

He was confused and desperate. He felt like the world had abandoned him. No—his goddess had abandoned him.

His eyes turned watery as he ran and pleaded to the heavens, "Oh, Eternal Goddess of Dawnfire, the protector of humanity... I have sinned, but please don't abandon me. I seek your grace!"

In the next moment, a terrifying feeling rose behind him, as if death itself was closing in.

Goosebumps broke across his neck as he turned his head slightly, only to have his eyes widen in horror and despair.

The man who had ruined everything was now high up in the sky, looking down at him with those cold eyes that saw him as nothing more than an insect.

Worse than that was the feeling of imminent death flooding through his body. He tried to push more speed out of his legs, but it was all for naught.

As he looked up, the man opened his mouth, and Stephen braced for that same horrifying roar again but something else happened.

A swirling torrent of lightning gathered in his mouth, crackling violently as it merged with the roaring wind. The air howled as the breath condensed, and then with a mighty roar, the spiraling storm of destruction burst forth.

It shot toward Stephen at an inhuman speed.

The very air trembled as the tempest surged, tearing through the forest like a god's wrath made manifest. Trees exploded, the earth split, and the heavens roared with it.

Stephen could only raise his hand in front of him and focus the shield in its path, eyes wide in sheer disbelief as the storm descended.

The shield barely lasted a second before cracks formed on its surface, shattering entirely under the pressure, leaving Stephen exposed, alone before the fury.

The breath slammed into him like a hammer from the heavens, hurling him to the ground, ripping his robes apart and carving deep wounds across his body.

And then..it vanished.

Just as quickly as it had come, the storm disappeared, leaving behind a deep crater and Stephen, lying bloodied within it.

But he was still alive.

Barely.

He groaned, broken and battered, his body trembling with pain. And for the first time, he truly felt the weight of his insignificance.

"Why... did you abandon me?"