Chapter 50: The New King of Rampaging Bear Ridge

The sky grew dim as Garos, hidden high in the clouds, looked down upon two Rampaging Bears chasing and fleeing below.

For the Earth Rampaging Bear race, challenging a leader within the same clan is legitimate, allowing for single combat duels like knights.

But facing a dragon attack like Garos's.

All the Rampaging Bears would unite against a common enemy, rise up together to resist the outsider until morale collapsed or the leader was slain; in such a case, luring the Rampaging Bear leader away alone could avoid many unnecessary troubles.

On the ground.

Mober's muscles were tense all over, unable to relax even a bit as he ran wildly.

Runes flickered beneath his fur, granting him strength far superior to usual, yet even so, he could not outrun Leader Gore; the distance between them was gradually closing.

Though his straight-line speed was inferior, the young Rampaging Bear was far more agile.

Mober deliberately chose the most rugged route to flee.

Sharp basalt columns, fallen rotten logs, and hidden ground fissures—these obstacles caused Old Gore some trouble, slowing him down multiple times and preventing him from catching Mober in a short time.

And as time passed.

The old Rampaging Bear's pursuit grew increasingly frenzied.

He smashed through giant trees that required several men to embrace, crushed rock columns blocking his path, and burnished with killing intent in his brown eyes.

Shortly after.

The two Rampaging Bears, one chasing and one fleeing, arrived at the eastern cliff of the Conifer Valley.

With the path ahead cut off, Mober stopped.

"You cannot escape."

The old Rampaging Bear growled low, sprinted on all fours, and charged toward Mober.

"Wait!"

Mober retreated to the cliff's edge and shouted.

This action made the old Rampaging Bear pause slightly, but the killing intent in his eyes did not fade.

"Seeking mercy only now? It is already too late!"

"Daring to challenge me without understanding the gap in power, you are doomed to die."

He was already old and gradually weakening.

A young Rampaging Bear like Mober who dared to provoke him must be killed to eliminate future trouble; otherwise, it would be himself who died later.

"The one challenging you is not me."

Mober grunted and said, "Old thing, it is you who does not understand the situation."

At the same time.

Gore also vaguely sensed something was wrong.

A highly aggressive gaze was descending from the high sky, locking onto him; the sense of danger it brought was far beyond what the rebellious son before him could compare to.

Looking up.

A seven-meter-long Red Iron hatchling, strong beyond belief, reflected in Gore's vision, causing his bear face to change.

The appearance of this Red Iron hatchling was somewhat familiar; he had met it before.

But the Red Iron hatchling at that time possessed no such overwhelming pressure, failing to make him feel danger; now, however, it was completely different.

"Damn it! You actually groveled to a dragon! You lured a dragon here!"

Gore roared at the rebellious son.

"Serving the great Garos is my honor!"

Mober felt no shame but rather pride, saying as he puffed out his chest.

This sight made Gore want to tear him apart, but the greatest threat at present came from the sky.

Under his gaze, the last wisp of the setting sun pierced through the clouds, coating the dragon's scales in a layer of blood-red.

The dragon circling in the sky suddenly spread its wings fully; with a body length of seven meters, it already possessed a terrifying wingspan nearing twenty meters. As the dragon wings unfolded, the dense crimson scales between the wing membranes rubbed against each other, sparking tiny sparks that were especially glaring in the dim sky.

The Red Iron hatchling began its dive.

Its movement was not swift but carried a suffocating pressure; its wings tore through the air like terrible blades, and its dragon body plummeted straight down like a javelin. The piercing shriek of the air being torn apart grew from distant to near, becoming increasingly grating, while the scales on its body gradually turned red, as if containing explosive energy.

Under the dragon pressure of Garos, Gore instinctively wanted to retreat immediately.

However, the aura formed by years of ruling the Xiong Qun made the Rampaging Bear leader straighten his chest instead, spread his arms, and roar upward at the dragon diving at high speed.

"Come! Dragon!"

Fire ignited on his body; layers of earth and stone surged to cover his surface, especially on his arms, forming armor like molten lava under the scorching fire, while the surrounding air distorted and steamed.

In mid-air.

Garos, trailing dense sparks behind him, descended like a crimson meteor, approaching the Rampaging Bear leader.

At the moment before contact, he extended his hand-claw, which shone with a cold, hard metallic luster.

The Rampaging Bear leader roared simultaneously, raising his arms covered in thick molten lava, and his massive Xiong Zhang met the blow upward.

Bang!

A deafening explosion sounded.

Countless stones scattered like bullets; a gust of wind carrying dust and a wave of fire swept over Mober, making his fur blow backward and his eyes nearly unable to open, and he immediately felt instability beneath his feet as the cliff collapsed, causing Mober to fall downward along with chunks of giant rock.

Amidst the murky dust, Garos straightened his body, and the sparks on his wing membranes stood out vividly in the twilight.

The Rampaging Bear leader's forearms were bent at a grotesque angle, having been brutally smashed off in the collision just now, and his body was covered in mottled black scorch marks from the explosion.

"Submit to me, and I will spare your life."

Garos said in a deep voice.

His response was the old Rampaging Bear's roar and a massive Xiong Zhao sweeping down with molten lava; the Xiong Zhao struck Garos's shoulder, emitting a booming sound.

Bang! Dragon scales shattered, shooting out a thick shockwave and flames.

The Old Savage Bear's arm was knocked aside, and it stumbled back several steps. Before it could steady itself, Garos's dragon wings had transformed into a crimson great blade, cleaving toward its chest. It raised its bear arm in time, the limb covered in the thickest layer of molten lava.

In the next instant, molten lava splashed in all directions.

Garos felt as though he had struck thick asphalt. Although the blade-like dragon wings sliced through its molten armor, leaving a wound on the Old Savage Bear's arm, they failed to split it in two.

Without the acceleration of a dive, the power of the dragon-wing blade was significantly weaker.

Whoosh! Before the Savage Bear Leader could counterattack, Garos suddenly shot straight into the sky, then spread his wings and dove down again.

Unlike other young dragons who, once caught up in the heat of battle, forgot their aerial advantage and stayed on the ground to fight, Garos made use of his own strengths.

The Red Iron Young Dragon circled in the air, adjusting its angle.

Immediately, sparks flew from between its wings as it dove toward the Savage Bear Leader once more.

The Savage Bear Leader stomped its foot on the ground.

Molten lava spheres rose up one by one, smashing through the air toward Garos. Yet they were either dodged by his agile and nimble form or shattered directly into a rain of rubble and fire. His speed did not diminish, and in an instant he closed in on the Savage Bear Leader.

The dragon wings swept past at extreme speed, slashing toward the Savage Bear Leader, which once again blocked with its bear arm.

Tear!

A severed arm shot skyward, blood and molten lava raining down through the half-air.

Gore's eyes widened in disbelief.

The Earth Savage Bear's strongest pair of arms: one had its bones smashed, hanging twisted and unable to lift, while the other was severed outright.

Boom!

Garos flicked his tail, striking the Savage Bear Leader's chest. It was knocked rolling across the ground, carving a long trench, and only barely stopped nearly a hundred meters away.

"I will give you one more chance: submit or die."

Garos said in a deep voice.

"To die in battle is the honor of the Savage Bear clan!"

Gore pushed off with its hind legs, molten lava armor covering its entire body. Its eyes turned blood-red as it charged toward Garos with thunderous steps.

In this perilous struggle, it felt as though it had become young again. Its heart beat powerfully within its chest, and its blood surged through its veins like a raging river.

Garos flapped his wings and soared upward, dodging the Savage Bear Leader's charge.

He exhaled a mouthful of electric fire dragon breath, enveloping it. Brilliant flames and lightning swallowed the Savage Bear Leader, rendering it unable to stand again. It roared and struggled, but its resistance quickly weakened as its fur and flesh gradually turned to charcoal.

Shortly after.

Mober spat out the rubble from his mouth and climbed back up the broken cliff.

"Ah, Great Dragon Lord, your majestic presence makes the sun and moon pale in comparison."

"I knew it. That old thing was as fragile as withered leaves before you."

He ran over, prostrated his body, and cautiously touched Garos's foot claw with his nose, continuing to flatter: "Your majestic descent from the heavens is truly like the legendary Sky-Fire Meteor! Those foolish Savages, upon witnessing this scene, must have been so terrified they nearly wet themselves. They will all submit to you and acclaim you as the King of Savage Ridge. I, Mober, swear to be your most loyal claw and fang forever. If you order me east, I will never go west!"

Garos glanced at him.

"You seem to have inherited not a single trace of your father's courage and unyielding spirit."

He said.

Mober chuckled proudly: "That is why I survived, continuing to breathe in the wonderful air, while he became a lifeless corpse. A fool who only knows brute force ultimately becomes nourishment for the wilderness."

In this wilderness, courage is indeed admirable, but only the wisdom of the living can enjoy the fruits of victory.

(End of this chapter)