As the sky gradually darkened, Garros hid high within the clouds, looking down with lowered eyes at the two Earth Storm Bears, one chasing and the other fleeing.
Within the Earth Storm Bear race, a challenge to the leader's position by a member of the same tribe was legitimate, allowing for a knight-like one-on-one duel.
But if they were faced with an attack from a Dragonkin like Garros...
All Earth Storm Bears would unite against their common enemy and rise up together to resist the foreign invader until their morale shattered or the leader was killed. In such a situation, drawing the Storm Bear Leader away alone could reduce a lot of unnecessary trouble.
On the ground.
Mobel's muscles were tense all over as he dashed wildly, not daring to relax for a moment.
Runes flickered beneath his fur, providing him with greater strength than usual, but even so, he still couldn't outrun Leader Gor. The distance between them was gradually closing.
Although his linear speed was inferior, the young Earth Storm Bear was more agile.
Mobel specifically chose the most rugged routes to escape.
Obstacles like sharp basalt pillars, fallen rotting wood, and hidden ground fissures caused some trouble for old Gor, slowing him down multiple times and preventing him from catching Mobel in a short time.
As time passed...
The old Earth Storm Bear's pursuit became increasingly violent.
He smashed through giant trees as thick as several men's embrace and crushed the rock pillars blocking his way, a murderous intent burning in his brown eyes.
Not long after.
The two Earth Storm Bears, one chasing and the other fleeing, arrived at the eastern cliff of Coniferous Valley.
The path ahead was cut off, and Mobel stopped.
"You can't escape."
The old Earth Storm Bear growled low, running on all fours as he charged toward Mobel.
"Wait!"
Mobel retreated to the edge of the cliff and shouted.
This action made the old Earth Storm Bear pause slightly, but the murderous intent in his eyes did not fade.
"Do you only want to beg for mercy now? It's too late!"
"To dare challenge me without understanding the gap in our strength—you are certain to die."
He was already old and was gradually becoming weaker.
A young Earth Storm Bear like Mobel, who dared to provoke him, had to be killed to eliminate future troubles; otherwise, he would be the one dying in the future.
"The one challenging you isn't me."
Mobel snorted and said, "Old man, you're the one who doesn't understand the situation."
At the same time.
Gor also faintly felt that something was wrong.
A highly aggressive gaze was falling from high above, locking onto him. The sense of danger it brought was far beyond what the rebellious son in front of him could compare to.
Looking up.
A seven-meter-long, incredibly strong Red-Iron Young Dragon was reflected in Gor's vision, causing his bear face to change.
The appearance of this Red-Iron Young Dragon was somewhat familiar; he had met it before.
But at that time, the Red-Iron Young Dragon didn't have such a powerful sense of oppression and hadn't made him feel endangered. Now, it was completely different.
"Damn it! You actually bowed down to a Dragonkin! You led a Dragonkin here!"
Gor roared at his rebellious son.
"It is my honor to serve the great Garros!"
Mobel felt no shame, but rather pride, as he puffed out his chest and spoke.
This sight made Gor so angry he wanted to tear him apart, but the greatest threat at the moment came from the sky.
Under his gaze, the last rays of the setting sun passed through the clouds, plating the Dragonkin's scales with a blood-red hue.
The Dragonkin circling in the sky suddenly spread its wings fully. Despite being seven meters long, it already had a terrifying wingspan of nearly twenty meters. As the dragon wings stretched, the fine fire-red scales between the wing membranes rubbed against each other, throwing off sparks that were particularly piercing in the dim light.
The Red-Iron Young Dragon began to dive.
Its movement was not swift, but rather carried a suffocating sense of pressure. Its wings tore through the air like terrifying blades, and its dragon body fell straight down like a javelin. The shrill whistle of the air being torn apart moved from far to near, becoming more and more ear-piercing, and the scales on its body gradually turned red, as if containing explosive energy.
Under the pressure of Garros's Dragon Might, Gor's first instinct was to retreat.
However, the Aura formed by ruling the bear pack for many years made the Storm Bear Leader instead straighten his chest, spread his arms, and raise his head to roar at the rapidly diving Dragonkin.
"Come! Dragon!"
Raging fire ignited on his body, and layers of earth and stone surged to cover his skin. Especially on his arms, under the roasting of the fire, lava-like armor formed, and the surrounding air distorted and steamed.
In mid-air.
Garros, trailing a dense shower of sparks behind him, was like a crimson meteor falling from the sky, approaching the Storm Bear Leader.
At the moment before contact, he extended his claws, which shimmered with a cold, metallic hardness.
The Storm Bear Leader roared simultaneously, raising his bear arms covered in thick lava, and his massive bear paws met the attack.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out.
Countless rock fragments splashed in all directions like bullets. A wave of air, carrying dust and fire, swept past Mobel, blowing his fur back and making it nearly impossible to open his eyes. Immediately after, he felt the ground beneath him become unstable as the cliff collapsed, causing Mobel to fall along with chunks of giant rock.
Amidst the murky dust, Garros straightened his body, the sparks on his wing membranes particularly striking in the twilight.
The Storm Bear Leader's forearms were bent at a bizarre angle, having been broken by force in the previous collision. His body was also covered in mottled charred marks from the explosion.
"Submit to me, and I can spare your life."
Garros said in a deep voice.
What answered him was the old Earth Storm Bear's roar and a massive bear claw carrying lava that struck out. The bear claw hit Garros's shoulder, making a booming sound.
Boom! Dragon scales shattered, sending out a thick shockwave and flames.
The old Earth Storm Bear's arm was knocked back, and he stumbled back a few steps. Before he could steady himself, Garros's dragon wings had turned into crimson giant blades, slashing toward his chest. He managed to raise his bear arm in time, which was covered in the thickest lava.
In the next instant, lava splashed everywhere.
Garros felt as if he had slashed into thick asphalt. Although the blade-like dragon wings cut through the Lava Armor and left a wound on the old Earth Storm Bear's arm, they failed to slice him in two.
Without the acceleration of a dive, the power of the Dragon Wing Blades was much weaker.
Whoosh! Before the Storm Bear Leader's counterattack could arrive, Garros suddenly soared into the sky, then spread his wings and dived down again.
He was not like other Young Dragons who, once they got heated in a fight, would forget their aerial advantage and stay on the ground to brawl. Garros was good at utilizing his strengths.
The Red-Iron Young Dragon circled once in the air to adjust his angle.
Then, sparks flew from between his wings as he dived toward the Storm Bear Leader once more.
The Storm Bear Leader stomped his foot on the ground.
Lava balls bulged and formed one by one, hurtling through the air toward Garros. However, he either avoided them with his agile and flexible body or smashed them directly into a rain of stone and fire. His speed did not decrease as he closed in on the Storm Bear Leader in an instant.
The dragon wings swept past at high speed, slashing at the Storm Bear Leader, who again used his bear arms to block.
Rip!
A severed arm flew into the sky, blood and lava splashing in mid-air.
Gor's eyes widened in disbelief.
Of the Earth Storm Bear's most powerful arms, one had its bones crushed and hung limp and twisted, unable to be raised, while the other had been sliced clean off.
Thud!
Garros's tail swung, striking the Storm Bear Leader's chest and sending him rolling across the ground, forming a long trench. He barely came to a stop nearly a hundred meters away.
"I will give you one more chance: submission or death."
Garros said in a deep voice.
"Dying in battle is the glory of the Earth Storm Bear race!"
Gor's back legs kicked the ground as Lava Armor covered his entire body. His eyes were blood-red as he charged toward Garros with a thumping sound.
In this moment of dangerous combat, he felt as if he had become young again. His heart was jumping powerfully in his chest, and his blood was flowing as rapidly as a river.
Garros flapped his wings to pull up and take flight, avoiding the Storm Bear Leader's collision.
A blast of Electric-Fire Dragon Breath was spat out, enveloping him. The brilliant flames and lightning swallowed the Storm Bear Leader, making it difficult for him to stand again. He roared and struggled, but his resistance quickly weakened, and his fur and flesh gradually turned to charcoal.
Not long after.
Mobel spat out the gravel in his mouth and climbed back up the cliff.
"Ah, great Dragon Lord, your heroic bearing makes the sun and moon pale in comparison."
"I knew this old thing would be as fragile as a withered leaf before you."
He ran over, prostrated himself, and carefully touched Garros's claws with his nose, continuing his flattery: "Your heroic posture falling from the sky was just like the legendary Heavenly Fire Meteor! When those foolish Earth Storm Bears see this, they'll surely be so scared they'll piss themselves, and they'll all submit to you, hailing you as the King of Storm Bear Ridge. I, Mobel, swear to always be your most loyal minion. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"
Garros glanced at him.
"You don't seem to have inherited a shred of your father's bravery and unyielding spirit," he said.
Mobel chuckled and said proudly, "That's why I'm still alive, continuing to smell the wonderful air, while he has become a lifeless corpse. Fools who only know how to act recklessly eventually become fertilizer for the wilderness."
In this wilderness, bravery was certainly admirable, but only the wisdom of the living could enjoy the fruits of victory.