Chapter 337 The Growing Doubt (Part 2)
The honesty that Arora possessed was readily apparent in her speech. She was aware of the complexities involved in forming bonds with spirit beasts, particularly in situations in which the spirit beasts may have had previous owners. Her ability to exert control depended on whether or not the cats were willing to acknowledge her as their new master. Because the cats had recently suffered the loss of bonds, it was possible that they would be less receptive to forming new relationships.
They were all curious about who owned these cats because it was clear that they were all spirit beasts, but Raydon's dimensional storage could not possibly be large enough to accommodate all of them, so it was impossible for these cats to belong to him.
In addition to this, they thought that one of the people on the opposing team was the owner of these cats. The majority of the time, however, when the owners of spirit beasts passed away and the ties that bound them to those owners were severed, the spirit beasts would either run away or begin attacking those around them.
Due to the fact that they were unaware of the subduing quality of Raydon's aura, and due to the fact that he was currently concealing his presence, they were unable to comprehend the reason why these cats were waiting here in such a placid and submissive manner.
As everyone, including Nysora, was contemplating how Raydon had domesticated these supposedly untamed spirit creatures, he started to speak.
Raydon said, "They should not have a bond now that their previous owner is dead," but he was unaware that his Presence Aura had already forcibly broken their bounds even before their previous owner had passed away.
After he had some time to think about it, he finally asked. "You said you can make your own bound quickly if they do not resist your skill, right?"
"Yes, but it's not as simple as it sounds," Arora replied, drawing on her knowledge of spirit beasts. "Given that they have recently lost their previous bonds, they may be more resistant than usual to forming new ones."
However, as she observed the calm and peaceful demeanor of the cats before her, she couldn't help but feel a glimmer of disbelief in her own words.
'What made them all so docile like this?' Arora couldn't help but wonder. None of these cats behaved like spirit beasts who had just lost their owners. Their calm demeanor and lack of aggression were perplexing.
''Hmm, go ahead and give it a try,'' Raydon said, not fully understanding the intricacies of control-type skills but willing to see if Arora's skill could establish a bond with the cats.
Arora nodded silently, steeling herself for the expected resistance, and approached the nearest black cat. Raising her hand, she activated her skill.
''Mind Sovereignty. ''
The cat, which had been soundly dozing on the ground, was startled awake in an instant, its fur standing on end as it let out a menacing hiss.
''Hiss.''
Arora was not in the least bit taken aback by the cat's response; rather, it was precisely what she had been expecting. She heaved a sigh as she turned her attention to Raydon, and she braced herself to offer an apology for the failed attempt. "Young master, I must apologize but..."
But before she could finish her sentence, Raydon's calm voice cut through the tension. ''Stop it and accept the bond.''
''Meow. ''
As soon as the cat heard Raydon's voice, all of the menacing behavior that it had been displaying in the preceding moment abruptly vanished, and it abruptly sat down, staring at Arora while meowing in a friendly manner.
''What? ''
As Arora came to the realization that her skill had, in fact, been successful in forming a soul bond with the cat, her eyes widened in astonishment on her face. The transformation from aggression to acceptance was nothing short of remarkable.
'How? Why are they listening to his words to this extent?' Arora stared at Raydon, her eyes filled with shock at the mind-blowing outcome. She had witnessed firsthand that Raydon had no prior connection to these cats, yet he had managed to influence them without using any skills. It was completely unbelievable.
''How did you...?'' Arora's voice trailed off, unable to fully comprehend what she had just witnessed.
Ignoring the bewildered expression on her face, Raydon asked with a hint of satisfaction, ''Did you succeed?''
''Ye... Yes...'' Arora nodded absentmindedly, her mind still reeling from the unexpected success.
Before ever being able to form a bond with her own spirit crows, she was required to put in a significant amount of time training alongside them. And on top of that, despite the influence of her title, it was completely unexpected for her to bond with a spirit beast that she was completely unfamiliar with in such a short amount of time and with such ease.
''That's good. Establish your bonds with all of them quickly,'' Raydon said happily, observing Arora's reaction. He then added, after a moment of thought, ''I will also take back them all after the match is over. So make sure they don't meet the same fate as your spirit crows.''
''Huh? Oh... Yes... Of course...'' Arora replied nervously, still unable to hide her lingering shock.
As she continued to establish bonds with the cats, Arora couldn't shake off the feeling of awe and curiosity about Raydon's unique influence over the spirit beasts. The mystery surrounding his abilities only deepened, leaving her both intrigued and somewhat unsettled.
'He is absolutely not normal.' All the battle maids began to think. They had already reached the point where they could accept and respect Raydon due to his strength and potential, which he had shown thus far.
However, as they saw more and more of his extraordinary abilities, their acceptance, and respect began to morph into feelings of fear and unease.
They knew very little about Raydon, and like everyone else, that uncertainty was starting to bother them.