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Beast Combat Zone.
On top of an artificial hill, the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear lazily lounged in the sun, legs crossed. Since its master had instructed it to stay here, it had no objections. With food and lodging taken care of, it was the perfect spot to slack off...
"Roar~"
Suddenly, a low growl broke the silence.
Little Gold raised an eyebrow and tilted its head toward the other side of the metal fence, where a Flame Lion was pushing its head through the bars, clawing at them and making an ear-piercing screech.
This artificial hill originally belonged to the Flame Lion, but ever since the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear arrived, it had been forcefully driven out and relocated to a narrow space beside it.
Captured and raised since childhood, the Flame Lion had been fed spiritual pills and herbs rich in essence. As a result, it had reached the level of a 3,000-year soul beast in just a few decades. Favored by Elder Gong, it had long run rampant in the Beast Combat Zone. Having never faced the dangers of the Star Dou Great Forest or witnessed the ferocity of a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, it continued its provocations.
Any other thousand-year soul beast would've cowered the moment they laid eyes on Little Gold.
"Hmph…" Little Gold glanced at it, seemingly surprised by its audacity.
It rolled over and continued basking in the sun.
"ROAR!!" (Lazy bear! If you have the guts, fight me to the death!)
"ROAR!" (Get over here! If that metal fence wasn't protecting you, I would've already turned you into charcoal!)
"…"
Ignored, the Flame Lion grew even angrier and clawed at the fence harder. But the barrier held firm, and all it could do was roar helplessly from behind it, its provocations reduced to a war of words.
Then, its pupils shifted—as if it had suddenly thought of something.
Boom!
A slight tremor spread through the ground.
Little Gold slowly rose to its feet, its paw reaching back. A scorched smell wafted up from the turf beneath it—a large chunk of the lush grass had been burnt, but its fur was completely unharmed.
"…"
Finally, it turned its gaze toward the Flame Lion across the metal fence, a trace of killing intent stirring within it.
"Something's wrong—go get Elder Gong!"
"The Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear is about to go berserk!"
"Damn it, is that beast crazy? It actually dared to provoke a Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear?!"
Panic broke out outside the enclosure.
The bear was notorious for its ferocity, and all present were professionals who knew its reputation. Though this particular one, which Elder Gong had acquired from somewhere recently, was only at the thousand-year level, its combat power easily rivaled that of a ten-thousand-year soul beast! In other words, there were probably only a handful of soul beasts in the entire facility stronger than it.
Whether the metal fence, originally meant to restrain the Flame Lion, could actually hold it back was a serious question.
"ROAR!"
With each step Little Gold took, the Flame Lion seemed to finally sense the threat of death. It lowered its body, baring its fangs and growling in warning. The excitement from earlier slowly dissipated with every heavy footstep of the bear.
Thousand-year soul beasts possessed intelligence. In the past, most soul beasts of its rank couldn't withstand its fireballs, yet this giant bear had taken a direct hit, and its fur hadn't even been singed. This was not what it had expected!
Still, thankfully, there was a fence.
When Little Gold stopped in front of the bars, the Flame Lion—though its massive body trembled—felt its fear recede slightly, and it began growling provocatively again.
Little Gold gave it a bored glance.
BOOM!!!
With an explosive bang, the solid metal fence shattered under a single swipe. Metal shards flew everywhere, mixed with chunks of cement from the foundation. The entire Beast Combat Zone erupted with alarm bells. Dozens of staff members stared into the arena, their hearts in their throats.
As the dust cleared...
They saw that the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear hadn't struck again. The Flame Lion, on the other hand, was trembling uncontrollably, and a pungent smell of urine drifted across the field.
With a disgusted look, Little Gold swatted the lion on the head, sending the three-meter-long beast flying across the arena. Blood sprayed from the lion's mouth, splattering the floor.
Thud~
The heavy thump of its body hit the ground.
The Flame Lion foamed at the mouth, its condition unclear.
While the surrounding staff looked on in terror, Little Gold casually returned to its artificial hill, avoided the scorched spot, and lay down to nap again as if nothing had happened.
A few minutes passed. Only after confirming that Little Gold wasn't going to move again did the staff cautiously approach to tend to the Flame Lion.
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, another growl echoed.
A few staffers nearly collapsed in fear and tried to flee, only to find their path blocked by a wall of fur. Their eyes filled with dread, but Little Gold simply pointed toward its hill.
"You mean… the grass was scorched? And you want us to clean it up for you?" a clever man ventured.
"Roar~" Little Gold nodded in satisfaction.
"Understood. We'll take care of it right away…"
"…"
Several minutes later...
Elder Gong arrived in a rush. After hearing the report and glancing at the unconscious Flame Lion, he let out a long sigh of relief.
"Elder Gong, should we take any measures? Like reinforcing the enclosure?" someone asked hesitantly.
"No need. If it had really wanted to kill it, that beast would already be dead," Elder Gong snorted. "An ignorant thing that doesn't know its place."
The white-haired elder narrowed his eyes. "Put them in the same enclosure."
"You're serious?!!" the others exclaimed in shock.
"Of course. If that beast hadn't provoked it, would Little Gold have made a move? This level of injury is just enough to teach it a lesson. If Little Gold really wanted it dead... heh." Elder Gong sneered. "It's about time someone taught that lion some manners. Strutting around all day like a king. I feed the damn thing, and it dares to roar at me when I'm not looking? And it even guards its food!"
"…"
Everyone exchanged glances and cast sympathetic looks at the Flame Lion.
Before this Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear arrived, you didn't treat it like this, Elder…
He had even picked out a name for it. That level of affection was more than obvious.
But it was undeniable—this Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's quality was top-tier. That dark-golden fur and those pitch-black, razor-sharp claws shimmered under the sun. Its looks were off the charts. Even in the vast Star Dou Great Forest, it would be hard to find another to rival it.
Recently, many academy students had sought it out as a sparring partner. And it had good judgment, too—never once injuring anyone seriously…
...
"Awroo~"
In a shadowy corner of the enclosure, the Flame Lion cowered, staring outside with a pitiful expression.
It let out a long, mournful howl, like a Husky that had been abandoned.
Suddenly, the howl stopped.
A large shadow loomed over it, and a slab of fresh meat was tossed its way, still dripping with blood. Little Gold glanced down at it.
Unable to resist the temptation, the Flame Lion took a bite.
Seeing the bear hadn't left and was still watching it eat, the lion instinctively let out a protective growl.
Little Gold: "…"
Guarding food?
"AWWWWW!!!"
A heart-wrenching howl echoed throughout the arena.
...
(End of Chapter)