Chapter 50: The New King of Bear Ridge

The sky darkened as Luo Si hid among the high clouds, gazing down at the two raging bears—one chasing, the other fleeing.

Among the Earth Bears, challenges for leadership among kin are legitimate, conducted like knightly duels.

But when faced with a dragon like Luo Si,

all Earth Bears unite in fury, rising as one to repel the invader—until morale breaks or the leader is slain. In such cases, luring the leader away first eliminates much unnecessary trouble.

On the ground.

Mobel sprinted with every muscle taut, not daring to slacken.

Runes glowed beneath its fur, granting it greater strength than usual, yet even so, it could not outpace Chief Gore—the distance between them steadily closing.

Though its straight-line speed lagged, the younger bear was more agile.

Mobel chose only the most treacherous paths to flee.

Sharp basalt pillars, fallen rotting logs, hidden fissures—these obstacles hindered old Gore, slowing him repeatedly and preventing him from catching Mobel in short bursts.

As time passed,

the old bear’s pursuit grew wilder.

It shattered trees thick as five men could embrace, crushed rock pillars blocking its path, its brown eyes burning with murderous intent.

Soon after,

the two bears, one chasing, one fleeing, reached the eastern cliff of the Conifer Valley.

The path ahead ended. Mobel stopped.

“You cannot escape.”

The old bear growled, charging forward on all fours toward Mobel.

“Wait!”

Mobel retreated to the cliff’s edge and shouted.

This startled the old bear slightly, but its murderous gaze did not fade.

“Now you beg for mercy? Too late!”

“You dared challenge me without understanding the gap in power—you will die.”

It was old, growing weaker by the day.

This young bear like Mobel, who dared defy it, must be killed to eliminate future threats—otherwise, it would be the old bear who died.

“It wasn’t me who challenged you.”

Mobel snorted. “Old thing, you’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation.”

Meanwhile,

Gore also sensed something amiss.

A fiercely aggressive gaze descended from above, locking onto it—a danger far beyond what this rebellious cub could ever match.

It looked up.

A seven-meter-long, impossibly muscular red iron hatchling dragon filled its vision, causing its bear face to pale.

The red iron hatchling’s appearance was familiar—it had crossed paths with this one before.

But back then, the red iron hatchling carried no such overwhelming pressure, had not stirred fear in it—now, it was utterly different.

“Damn it! You’ve groveled before a dragon! You led it here!”

Gore roared at its rebellious cub.

“Serving the great Luo Si is my honor!”

Mobel did not feel shame—it felt pride, puffing out its chest.

This sight enraged Gore to tear it apart, but the true threat now came from the sky.

Under its gaze, the last sliver of sunset pierced the clouds, gilding the dragon’s scales in blood-red.

The dragon circling above suddenly spread its wings fully—seven meters in body length, yet its wingspan stretched near twenty meters. As its wings unfurled, fine crimson scales along the membranes rubbed together, sparking showers of embers, glaring vividly against the dimming sky.

The red iron hatchling began its dive.

Its motion was not swift, but carried suffocating pressure—its wings tore the air like terrifying blades, its body plummeted straight as a spear, the shriek of torn air growing louder and sharper by the second. Its scales gradually glowed red, as if holding explosive energy.

Under Luo Si’s dragon aura, Gore instinctively recoiled at once.

But years of ruling the bear clan forged its bearing—it stood tall, arms spread, roaring defiantly at the dragon hurtling down at blinding speed.

“Come then, Dragon!”

Flames erupted from its body; layers of earth and stone surged over its hide, especially its arms, hardening into lava-like armor under the fire’s heat, the surrounding air warping and steaming.

Midair,

Luo Si, trailing dense sparks behind him, resembled a crimson meteor descending from heaven, closing in on the bear chief.

In the instant before contact, his claws shot forward, gleaming with cold, metallic hardness.

The bear chief roared in unison, raising its arms coated in thick lava, meeting the strike with its massive paws.

CRASH!

A deafening explosion erupted.

Countless rocks flew like bullets, the wind carrying dust and fire in a wave that swept over Mobel, flattening its fur backward, nearly blinding it—then its footing gave way as the cliff collapsed, sending Mobel tumbling down with chunks of rock.

Amidst the murky dust, Luo Si straightened, the sparks on his wing membranes vivid in the twilight.

The bear chief’s forearms bent at unnatural angles, shattered in the collision; its body was splattered with charred, mottled burns from the blast.

“Submit to me, and I will spare your life.”

Luo Si spoke in a low tone.

In response came the old bear’s roar and a massive lava-covered paw slamming toward him—the paw struck Luo Si’s shoulder with a thunderous boom.

CRASH! Dragon scales shattered, spewing thick shockwaves and flames.

The old bear’s arm was flung back, staggering several steps; before it could regain balance, Luo Si’s wings had transformed into crimson blades, slashing toward its chest. The bear barely raised its arm, now sheathed in the thickest lava.

In the next instant, lava sprayed everywhere.

Luo Si felt as if he’d slashed through thick asphalt—his dragon wing blade cut through the lava armor, leaving a wound on the old bear’s arm, but failed to cleave it in two.

Without the momentum of a dive, the wing blade’s power was greatly diminished.

WHOOSH! Before the bear chief could counter, Luo Si suddenly shot skyward, then spread his wings and dove again.

Unlike other hatchlings who, once engaged, forgot their aerial advantage and fought on the ground, Luo Si used his strengths wisely.

The red iron hatchling circled once, adjusting its angle.

Then, sparks erupted between its wings as it dove again toward the bear chief.

The bear chief stamped its paws.

Lava spheres rose from the ground, hurtling toward Luo Si—either he dodged with agile grace, or they shattered into showers of rock and fire, yet his speed never waned, closing the distance in an instant.

His wings slashed at blinding speed toward the bear chief, which again raised its arms to block.

RIIIIIP!

A severed arm shot skyward, blood and lava spraying through the air.

Gore’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The Earth Bear’s strongest arms—one shattered and hanging limp, the other severed clean off.

THUD!

Luo Si whipped his tail, striking the bear chief’s chest, sending it rolling across the ground in a long furrow, finally stopping barely a hundred meters away.

“One last chance: submit, or die.”

Luo Si spoke in a low tone.

“To die in battle is the honor of the Earth Bear clan!”

Gore pushed off with its hind legs, lava armor covering its entire body, eyes blood-red, charging toward Luo Si with thunderous steps.

In this deadly struggle, it felt as if it had grown young again—its heart pounded fiercely in its chest, blood surging like a river.

Luo Si flared his wings, rising into the air, avoiding the bear chief’s charge.

He spat a breath of electric fire, engulfing the bear chief—brilliant flames and lightning swallowed it whole, leaving it unable to rise. It roared and struggled, its resistance fading rapidly, its fur and flesh gradually turning to charcoal.

Soon after,

Mobel spat out stones from its mouth and climbed back onto the cliff.

“Ah, great Dragon Lord, your glory dims even sun and moon.”

“I knew this old thing would crumble before you like a dry leaf.”

It ran over, prostrated itself, and cautiously nudged Luo Si’s claw with its snout, continuing its flattery: “Your descent from the heavens was like a legend’s heavenly fire meteor! Those foolish bears, seeing this, will soil themselves in terror and all kneel to you, crowning you King of Bear Ridge! I, Mobel, swear eternal loyalty—I’ll go east if you say east, never west!”

Luo Si glanced at it.

“You’ve inherited none of your father’s courage or defiance.”

He said.

Mobel grinned proudly. “That’s why I’m alive, breathing this sweet air, while it’s now a lifeless corpse—only fools who rely on brute force end up as fertilizer for the wilds.”

In this wilderness, bravery is admirable—but only the wise who live to enjoy victory’s fruits truly win.

(End of Chapter)