In a vast green forest filled with lush vegetation and crisscrossed by a gently flowing stream, a black shadow raced through the undergrowth at full speed.
Upon closer inspection, the shadow revealed itself to be a metallic beast, its body shaped like a dragon, scales gleaming coldly as it tore through the forest.
"How in the world did I encounter this mad beast?!"
The Predacon fleeing for its life cursed silently in its mind.
Chasing close behind was a towering bear, its massive frame covered in thick brown fur. When sunlight pierced through the canopy and fell upon its body, the fur shimmered with a dark golden glow. Its claws were terrifyingly long—nearly two feet each—capable of rending earth and steel alike.
This spirit beast was the Dark Gold Terror-Claw Bear, also known as the Earth Render.
One month ago, the moment he ventured into the depths of the outer region of the Star Dou Forest, he had encountered this mad bear.
At the time, the beast had been in the middle of hunting its prey. His sudden appearance disrupted the hunt, allowing the prey to escape. From that moment onward, the bear seemed to have etched his existence into its bones.
Since then, this mad creature had held a deep grudge against him and had pursued him without rest.
At first, Predacon managed to escape using his disguising ability. Yet the bear refused to give up. No matter how many times he changed his form, it somehow managed to track him down—even when he was perfectly disguised.
As he fled through the forest like a man possessed, Predacon cursed inwardly,
"It was just a single prey. Do you really have to go this mad over it?"
The bear chasing him did not slow down. Instead, it raised its massive claws high above its head as golden light rapidly converged around them.
The moment Predacon noticed the bear's movements, his heart sank.
Without hesitation, he twisted his body and dodged sharply to the side, barely escaping before the bear swung its claws downward.
Boom—!
As the golden claws slashed through the air, three brilliant arcs of light tore across the ground where Predacon had been running moments earlier. Earth split apart, boulders shattered, and deep scars were carved into the forest floor.
Had Predacon reacted even a second slower, he would have been severely injured—if not torn apart on the spot.
"Phew…" Predacon let out a breath of relief, but the calm lasted only a heartbeat before his anger surged like a raging flame.
He abruptly came to a halt and turned around.
A blazing heat gathered within his metallic jaws as fire condensed in his mouth. In the next instant, he unleashed a scorching beam of flames straight toward the pursuing bear.
The charging beast had no time to react.
The fire beam struck it head-on, triggering a massive explosion that swallowed the bear in roaring flames.
"Hmph! Do you really think I'm a pushover—or some coward?" Predacon roared in fury. "I only ran because I dislike trouble. I thought you'd have the sense to stop chasing me. But instead, you hunted me for an entire month!"
His anger intensified with every word.
"Do you think I'm weak? That I can be bullied at will?"
"Then face my wrath!"
Yet the voice that echoed through the forest was not human. Each word emerged as a harsh, metallic screech, grinding against the air like clashing steel.
Staring into the raging flames, Predacon did not hesitate. He surged forward, killing intent surging through his metallic body.
He knew very well that such a fire beam alone was far from enough to seriously injure—let alone kill—that mad bear. After all, a thousand year Dark Gold Terror-Claw Bear was an existence comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast in strength, defense, and speed.
After surviving and hunting in the outer regions for nearly a month, Predacon's own combat power had reached a similar level. However, the problem lay elsewhere—he lacked a method to instantly unleash an attack lethal enough to threaten an opponent of the same tier.
Take the fire beam, for example.
To release it at full power, he needed nearly five seconds of charge time. If that duration was shortened even slightly, the power of the attack would drop drastically.
With increased proficiency, he could now compress that charging time to roughly two and a half seconds—but even that was far too slow against a soul beast on par with a ten-thousand-year existence.
In a battle between monsters of this level, a single second was often the difference between life and death.
As Predacon charged into the area engulfed by roaring flames, his pupils shrank.
At the very center of the explosion, the bear stood unscathed. Its massive body was wreathed in lingering fire, yet its expression was one of enjoyment—as though it were soaking in a slightly warm spa.
"ROAR!"
The sight sent Predacon's fury surging. He let out an enraged roar that shook the surrounding forest.
For an entire month, this stupid bear had harassed him relentlessly, disrupting his every plan. Because of it, his days had been so miserable that he couldn't even break through to the thousand-year cultivation level—a feat that should have been as simple as eating and sleeping for him.
The bear's ears twitched at the sound of his roar. Slowly, it turned its gaze toward Predacon.
Then, as if deliberately provoking him, the corners of its mouth curled upward ever so slightly—an unmistakable look of mockery.
Although rage burned within him and he longed to smash that stupid bear into pulp, Predacon remained clear-headed. He knew all too well how difficult such a feat would be. This time, he did not charge recklessly. Instead, he steadied himself and observed his opponent with cold focus.
The bear quickly noticed Predacon's caution and realized that its attempt to provoke him had failed.
As a Dark Gold Terror-Claw Bear—a creature that never hesitated to challenge even higher-level soul beasts—it let out a thunderous roar and charged once more.
The instant the bear rushed forward, Predacon tensed. Flames flickered along his metallic body as he prepared himself for direct combat.
He had endured enough of this farce.
Today would be the day this month-long chase finally came to an end.