Supreme BeastTamer: I Can Copy and Upgrade Skills 10x!-Chapter 602: Attacking the Broken Claw Base [1]

"Zara!" Drake shouted again, his voice crackling as he pushed away stones and debris, blood trickling down from a cut on his brow.

"Elise!" Valkor shouted as well.

"Princess Nyxirith!"

"Princess Celestis!"

The survivors shouted the names of their teammates, but there was no response.

Drake's heart pounded fiercely as he feared the worst. The panic in his chest nearly overtook him, but he forced himself to remain standing.

"Drake," Raziel called out, staggering to his feet and limping toward him. "I think they're all gone. He took the strongest females away."

"How sure are you?" Drake retorted, struggling to accept the reality of the situation. "Look around, I'm sure they're somewher—"

"They're gone!" Raziel shouted. "I saw him take them away. That bastard vanished through a portal with them—he took them."

Drake's blood turned cold. He had only recently reunited with his sister. The mere thought of her being taken away caused anger to stir in his heart.

Although this might make him look selfish, in truth, the only person Drake truly cared about among the three adopted girls was, without a doubt, Zara.

But that didn't mean he would let the others perish.

Nearby, Valkor pushed a large stone aside, his body scorched and still burning with flickers of purple flames. He turned sharply to Raziel and demanded,

"Where would he take them?"

"How the heck would I know!" Raziel snapped back.

"The map!" Drake's eyes suddenly lit up as he hurriedly summoned the map Raziel had gotten from Voron, the leader of the Remnant Eye.

The map contained key locations of the corrupted city, including various bases and even the suspected castle where the Scourge Alpha resided.

It didn't take long for them to find the Broken Claw's territory. It was deep inside the corrupted city.

Drake didn't hesitate as he tapped on the location with one finger. "This is where we're going."

"Are you insane?" Raiziel snapped. "We just got flattened by one move. We can't storm his base now."

Drake turned to him, his eyes blazing with frost. "Easy for you to say since he didn't take anyone close to you."

It was at that moment that the others heard a series of footsteps. Everyone—those still surviving—turned their eyes in that direction and saw a cloaked man approaching along with the nameless little girl.

"I knew my senses weren't lying. That bastard really used his fourth strongest skill," said Ashren as he scanned the surroundings.

"How did you know about this place? In fact, why the hell am I even asking..." Raziel muttered with a headache.

"I was attracted by an intense influx of corrupted energy," Ashren calmly explained as he strode forward.

"Also, are you planning on storming his base?" he added while folding his arms.

"Yes," Drake answered. "And we'll need your help."

"I overheard someone mention a portal. If this information is truly reliable, I think after activating Black Sun, Garren escaped to his base… the Hollow Spire."

"That sounds dark."

"Yes, it's heavily guarded—and suicidal."

"Then we prepare to die," Drake said. "Because I'm not leaving here without the others."

Ashren smiled. "I admire your spirit. But you won't survive without help. The Hollow Spire is heavily guarded. We'll need allies."

Drake's eyes narrowed. "The Remnant Eye. We ask for their guidance. And you… your Scavengers help us strike."

"The Broken Claw has been a pain in the ass," Ashren nodded. "It's high time we take care of them. I'll send word to Voron. But we must move quickly. Garren won't wait long before he tries to turn them."

Drake's expression darkened.

Turn them? That word caught everyone's attention.

The hearts of everyone pounded fiercely.

"What do you mean by that?" Drake questioned.

---

Meanwhile, somewhere else...

Zara's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she noticed was...

Chains.

She was bound, arms stretched above her head, feet dangling inches off a cold stone floor. Everything around her was dark. Apart from the chains, she couldn't see any further.

"Wh... where am I..." she whispered.

A familiar voice echoed nearby. "Zara?"

It was Elise.

Zara struggled, her frost energy surging instinctively. But the chains pulsed with dark energy, suppressing her power.

"Don't bother," said a manly voice.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zara's expression turned dark.

Garren stepped into view, shirtless and monstrous, his new form only half-stabilized. He cracked his neck, grinning at the four girls who were bound by corrupted chains.

Elise, Zara, and Nyxirith had woken up long ago, but Celestis, the Water Princess, was still fast asleep.

"You're in my sanctum now. Welcome to the Hollow Spire, princesses," Garren said, the smile never leaving his face.

Zara snarled, struggling and causing the chains to rattle. "Let us go, you bastard."

"Why? So you can go crawling back to the others?" Garren chuckled. "No, no. You four are special. Beautiful. Strong. The perfect seedbeds for my next generation."

Elise spat at him.

Garren wiped the spit from his cheek and smiled darkly. "Fiery. I like that."

A groan echoed from another cell. It was Nyxirith.

Her eyes opened slowly. "You sick freak..."

Garren turned to her. "And you. I have something very special planned for you. The shadow element has always fascinated me."

---

Back at the cathedral...

"You said he might try to turn them. What the hell does that mean?" Drake furrowed his brows.

Ashren didn't answer right away. His sharp eyes scanned the group, weighing how much truth they could take.

Finally, he said, "Garren doesn't want to kill them. Not yet. He's trying to create hybrids—Scourge soldiers with the power of royalty, but still sane."

Everyone stiffened.

Ashren smiled grimly. "He believes if he corrupts a royal bloodline and they survive the transformation with their minds intact... he'll prove that the Scourge aren't a curse. That they're the future.

Furthermore, he believes it's payback to the Monarchs."

"That's insane..." someone muttered. Although they had already learned that Garren loathed the Monarchs with passion, some of them had been naïve enough to believe he would never take his madness to this level.

"Then... if he wanted revenge, why not take everyone?"

"That bastard has a soft spot for women. He took them specifically because he wants to add them to his harem of twenty members."

"We can't let that happen!" Drake growled.

"It's already started. Once they're chained in the Hollow Spire and submerged in the Scourge pool filled with corrupted mana, it becomes a battle of will. If their minds hold out—they live, but they're never the same."

"I don't get it... you said it yourself that only the Scourge Alpha can infect others," Raziel pointed out.

"That's what we believed all these years. Garren is merely conducting an experiment. One I believe has a high chance of success. You have two, maybe three days. After that, not even your voices will reach them."