Insect Tamer's Ascension Chapter 450. KNOW YOUR PLACE!

Theo wrenched his sword free from the reptile’s corpse and pivoted his waist, thrusting a fierce slash into the monster’s belly.

By the moment he touched down, the panther was already leaping onto the reptile. Its claws slashed wildly across the reptile, jaws clamped tight, head thrashing savagely to rip away chunks of meat.

Yet in mere moments, Theo saw that the beast’s skin was far too resilient—not only for his blade, but even for the panther’s attacks.

The mantis burst into action immediately, its motions charged with desperate speed. Before it unleashed its ability, Theo retreated a step and issued a mental order via their link.

’Unleash the spores first.’

"Order the panther to retreat, brother!"

Theo bellowed, urging Lucien to act fast too. The mantis had just unleashed a cloud of spores onto the reptile.

Its limbs buckled unsteadily. Its eyes glowed solid green, pupils erased, before it crumpled down, jaws still locked around the wolf.

Theo drew in a deep breath and advanced cautiously.

Once near enough, he gripped both sides of the creature’s maw, closed his eyes, and heaved them apart with all his might.

Though knocked out and immobilized, the monster clung stubbornly to its bite, demanding every ounce of Theo’s power to pry it open.

Right as his lungs burned and his muscles weakened, Garrick appeared to grasp the need and dispatched one of his birds to Theo, beating its wings to unleash mighty blasts of wind.

Theo felt the rush of air whipping by and snapped his eyes open to witness the bird’s effort.

He realized the gusts would disperse the spores, yet he snatched a hasty breath and yanked harder with renewed fury.

At last, the jaws yielded and parted sufficiently.

Lucien darted forward without delay, yanking the wolf loose in flawless timing with Theo.

"GET THE ROPES OUT! MISS LYSARA, HEAL... IMMEDIATELY!" Theo roared.

Lysara jolted in surprise, then rushed into the open area despite her reluctance.

Blood soaked the wolf’s neck; its dense fur concealed the wound’s true severity. It was far from okay.

As Lysara worked her healing, Theo snatched a rope from Lucien, hoisted the reptile’s head, and bound its jaws as securely as possible.

Lucien, meanwhile, rushed to secure its legs with frantic speed; the reptile’s scaled talons jerked wildly, convincing Lucien it was on the verge of awakening.

He grabbed Theo’s shoulder, and Theo too spotted the beast’s eyes flashing open before they could back away.

"We haven’t figured out all its powers yet," Lucien warned as they stepped aside, observing the creature thrash against its bindings.

But abruptly, it fell deathly motionless, akin to a crocodile lurking in wait for unsuspecting quarry.

Theo’s eyes narrowed sharply as he saw its tiny front limbs inching toward its snout. Though small, they dragged its torso along and soon began clawing at the ropes to break free.

’Mantis, hit it again!’ Theo commanded through the bond, prompting the mantis to spray another wave of spores.

This round, the beast responded oddly. Its head jerked up, drool pouring from its maw, as though something deep within had malfunctioned.

Theo and Lucien charged ahead once more, swiftly tying down its front legs too. Only then did Theo exhale in relief.

Rest was not an option yet.

He spun toward the wolf, where Lysara continued her healing, her face etched with tension and a deep scowl.

"What’s the status?" Theo inquired, tone calm yet grave, as he observed the white energy pouring into the wolf’s throat.

"I’m giving it everything I’ve got," Lysara answered amid labored gasps. "That monster didn’t merely chomp it, young master..."

"It pumped something toxic into the injury. I’m purging it now."

Her teeth ground together as she concentrated fiercely.

Theo eyed Merek, whose complexion had drained to ashen.

He clapped a hand on Merek’s shoulder, compelling eye contact.

"It’ll pull through. Have faith in Lysara," Theo declared with iron resolve.

Merek stayed silent and fixed his gaze on his beast. No matter his usual haughtiness, worry over his dearest companion filled his eyes with dread and his features with despair—emotions Theo knew intimately.

Suddenly, Theo spotted the mantis lingering nearby, staring at the group.

And realization struck.

No one else showed signs of its oppressive aura.

That... defied logic with the mantis so near.

Theo scanned the party, his eyes sweeping over everyone until landing on Lucien. Lucien’s jaw was set tight, gaze darting anxiously between the reptile and the mantis.

’He’s feeling it...’ he realized.

’If they can’t see the mantis... they fail to acknowledge it... and without acknowledgment, its pressure doesn’t touch them.’

Theo noted Lysara soaked in perspiration, her white glow sputtering faintly. It was waning rapidly.

"You’ve reached your breaking point," Theo stated.

Lysara met his eyes and offered a weary, feeble nod.

The healing light lingered for a few more seconds before vanishing suddenly. Lysara let both hands fall to the ground, panting heavily as her body shook with fatigue.

"What are you doing, healer?! Heal it!" Merek bellowed.

Theo frowned.

How could this man hope to survive here while yelling nonstop? Was he aiming to lure more beasts right to them?

Beasts sensed sounds keenly. Merek's shouts would alert any nearby creature to the fear in his voice, tagging them as weak prey.

Theo knelt down and stroked the wolf’s fur to check for injuries, discovering nothing but dirt and tangled hair.

"Has the liquid come out, Lysara?" Theo asked softly.

Lysara looked far from well at that moment.

She raised her head a little and nodded once more.

Merek, on the other hand, appeared poised to erupt again.

But Theo clutched his shoulder once more and yanked him back, which only enraged him further.

"You can’t do this! Don’t you know who I am!?" Merek snarled, shooting Theo a venomous glare.

Theo stayed composed.

"The substance harming it is gone now. If you bothered to look at your beast, you’d see it’s just unconscious," Theo stated in a tone even more infuriating, causing the man to grind his teeth.

"KNOW YOUR PLACE!"