Chapter 230 — Monster Beneath the Earth

BOOOOOOM!

A massive impact tore through the Southern Region, sending fragments of rock flying across a battlefield already scarred by destruction.

Enormous Terra Bears clashed among the broken stone pillars, their furious roars reverberating through the rocky landscape. Yet the creatures fighting them were far more unsettling than their living counterparts.

Their skin had turned pale and ghastly. Their flesh hung loosely over exposed bones, and dark green flames burned in their hollow eye sockets. They moved without fear, ignoring wounds that would have crippled an ordinary beast.

They were Evan's undead Terra Bears.

And they were tearing through the living herd.

Several dozen meters away, another battle was about to begin.

Evan stood alone before the most dangerous beast in the Southern Region's outer territory, his body encased in an unusual combination of bone, hardened earth, and ice. Lightning crawled around his legs, while crimson flames flickered along the blade in his hand.

Neither opponent moved.

The beast's remaining eye remained fixed on Evan, its enormous body lowered slightly as it prepared to attack. Above its head, five massive boulders hovered in the air, each one compressed by Earth Elemental energy until its surface resembled solid iron.

Evan tightened his grip on Crimson Edge.

'Let's see what you're capable of when I don't have to run away.'

The boulders moved.

BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

They shot toward him like siege projectiles released at point-blank range.

Evan's body flashed with lightning.

He twisted aside as the first boulder tore through the space where he had stood, smashing into a stone pillar and reducing half of it to rubble. The second followed immediately, forcing him to change direction mid-stride, while the third struck the ground beneath his feet.

The explosion hurled stone fragments into the air.

Evan pushed off a collapsing slab, twisted his body, and cut through the fourth boulder with Crimson Edge.

KRAAASH!

The blade split the projectile in half. Both fragments sailed past him and crashed into the ground behind his back.

The fifth was already upon him.

Evan crossed his arms and drove lightning into his legs, launching himself sideways at the last possible moment.

The boulder grazed his armour.

BOOOOM!

It exploded against the ground, sending a shockwave through his body and forcing him several meters off course.

He landed hard, his boots carving two trenches through the loose earth before he regained his balance.

Five projectiles.

Five attacks he had barely evaded.

And the beast hadn't even moved from its position.

A furious roar erupted from the one-eyed Terra Bear.

ROOOOOARRR!

Its enormous body surged forward.

Evan's pupils contracted.

'Already?!'

The beast had been standing several meters away, yet it crossed the distance with terrifying speed. Its massive claw swept toward Evan's chest, the hardened earth covering its paw gleaming under the faint crimson light of his blade.

Evan immediately activated the lightning circulating around his body.

His figure vanished.

CRAAASH!

The claw struck the ground where he had stood, tearing through the rocky surface and leaving a deep crater behind.

Evan reappeared several steps away, his eyes fixed on the beast.

'That speed is absurd for something that heavy.'

Ordinary Terra Bears relied on their overwhelming strength and Earth Elemental reinforcement. Their movements were powerful, but predictable. Once Evan understood their attack patterns, he could exploit their limited agility.

The one-eyed bear was different.

Its strength was monstrous, its reactions frighteningly sharp, and its movements far more coordinated than those of the other beasts.

It was not simply stronger.

It was experienced.

The beast turned its head toward him, exposing its teeth in a vicious snarl.

Evan's lips curled slightly.

'Good. At least this won't be boring.'

Lightning erupted around his legs.

He charged.

His body accelerated across the battlefield, leaving a shallow crater where he had pushed off the ground. In the blink of an eye, he crossed the distance and appeared behind the one-eyed bear, Crimson Edge sweeping toward the back of its neck.

SHING!

The blade cut through the air.

But the bear was already moving.

Its massive claw came around with astonishing speed, aiming to crush Evan before the sword could reach its target.

Evan's expression changed.

'It predicted my position?'

He abandoned the slash and twisted his body, using the momentum of his movement to bring Crimson Edge across his chest.

CLAAANG!

Steel collided with hardened earth.

The impact erupted like a thunderclap.

Evan felt an immense force slam into his arms. His feet left the ground as he was hurled backwards, crashing through a cluster of broken rocks before landing against a low stone ridge.

BOOOOM!

Dust swallowed the impact site.

For a moment, the battlefield seemed to pause around him.

Then Evan emerged from the rubble.

His armour remained intact, but the force had travelled through it and into his body. A sharp ache spread across his back, and the skin of his sword hand had split beneath the pressure of his grip.

A thin line of blood ran down his palm.

Evan glanced at it.

Then he looked at the one-eyed bear.

'It redirected its claw at the last moment. No, that wasn't all.'

He replayed the exchange.

The beast hadn't merely reacted to his movement. It had recognised his attack pattern and countered at the exact moment he committed to the strike.

If Evan had continued swinging, the claw might have pierced his chest.

He flexed his injured fingers around Crimson Edge.

'Strength, speed, and battle instincts. This thing has all three.'

The one-eyed bear began walking toward him.

Each step crushed loose stones beneath its feet. Its single eye remained locked on Evan, and its jaws parted as if the human before it were nothing more than prey that had delayed its inevitable death.

Evan exhaled slowly.

"You're getting a little too confident."

Lightning exploded around his legs.

BOOOOM!

The ground beneath his feet fractured as he launched himself forward.

This time, he didn't approach from the side or attempt to circle the beast. He rushed straight toward its face, his body wrapped in crackling lightning as Crimson Edge trailed behind him.

The one-eyed bear stopped.

Its eye followed Evan's approach.

At the last instant, it raised its enormous claw.

Evan vanished.

FLASH!

He reappeared directly in front of the beast's face, his blade already descending toward its exposed cheek.

The bear's eye widened slightly.

It tried to bring its claw around, but Evan was already moving again.

Lightning snapped through the air.

He disappeared from the beast's front and reappeared behind its shoulder, using the brief opening created by its defensive movement.

This time, he didn't aim for the neck.

He targeted the softer flesh beneath it.

Crimson Edge swept across the back of the beast's shoulder, its crimson flames intensifying as the blade bit into thick hide.

SHRAAAK!

Blood sprayed across the rocky ground.

The wound wasn't deep enough to cripple the beast, but it was real.

Evan landed several meters behind it, his sword held low as he watched the result.

For the first time since their battle began, the one-eyed Terra Bear had been injured.

A moment of silence followed.

Then the beast roared.

ROOOOOOOOOARRR!

The sound shook the surrounding pillars.

Its enormous body rose onto its hind legs, and both forelimbs came crashing down.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The earth ruptured beneath its paws.

Cracks raced across the battlefield, spreading in every direction as massive stone pillars erupted from the ground around the beast. They rose several meters into the air, tearing through the terrain and smashing into anything unfortunate enough to stand in their path.

Living and undead Terra Bears scattered.

Several were struck by the rising stone formations, while others were forced to abandon their opponents to escape the collapsing ground.

Evan immediately retreated.

A pillar erupted less than two meters from his position, forcing him to leap backwards as fragments of rock battered his armour.

CRACK! BOOM! CRASH!

The battlefield transformed into a maze of rising stone and collapsing earth.

Evan landed beyond the expanding destruction, his lightning fading as he steadied himself.

His eyes narrowed.

'That wasn't just an attack. It changed the entire battlefield.'

Dust and debris swallowed the one-eyed bear's silhouette.

For several seconds, nothing could be seen within the enormous cloud.

Then a massive shadow moved.

The beast emerged from the dust.

And Evan's expression finally changed.

The one-eyed Terra Bear's body had undergone a complete transformation.

Thick layers of earth covered its limbs, torso, shoulders, and back, forming a crude but formidable suit of natural armour. The hardened plates overlapped like the scales of a fortress, leaving only narrow gaps around its joints to preserve mobility.

Its forelimbs were encased in especially thick layers of compressed earth, with enormous claws protruding from the armour.

Even its chest had become a fortified wall.

The beast no longer resembled an ordinary Terra Bear.

It looked like a living golem.

Evan stared at the transformation.

'It can reinforce its entire body?'

Ordinary Terra Bears could concentrate Earth Elemental energy around their paws, forming hardened claws that increased their striking power. The more powerful specimens could extend that reinforcement across their forelimbs.

But this creature had gone far beyond that limit.

Its armour covered almost its entire body, creating a defensive shell thick enough to withstand repeated attacks without exposing its flesh.

Only its face remained relatively unprotected.

And even that weakness was not as useful as Evan had hoped.

The beast lowered its head, glaring at him through the gaps in its armour.

GRRRRRRRR...

The ground trembled beneath its feet.

Then it charged.

Evan immediately formed several earth spikes in its path.

The spikes erupted from the ground, aimed at the beast's legs and lower torso.

The one-eyed bear didn't slow down.

Its armoured body smashed through the first spike, shattered the second beneath its weight, and crushed the third into fragments as it continued charging.

Evan's pupils contracted.

'It didn't even try to dodge!'

He flashed sideways with lightning, barely escaping the beast's path.

The armoured bear thundered past him, leaving a deep trench in the earth before finally turning around.

Its speed had dropped.

That much was obvious.

The transformation had added enormous weight to its body, and its movements were no longer as fluid as before. It could not accelerate or change direction with the same frightening precision it had demonstrated earlier.

But the reduction in agility had come with a terrifying increase in strength and defence.

Evan studied its movements.

'Its base speed was already comparable to mine. Now it's slower, but every direct hit could be disastrous.'

He could fight it at close range if he relied on lightning to evade its attacks.

But he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

One direct strike from those armoured claws might break through his defences and leave him unable to continue fighting.

And if he tried to wear it down with ordinary attacks, he might exhaust his mana before the battle reached its conclusion.

Evan's gaze shifted toward the enormous plates covering its torso.

'The armour is strong, but it can't be invulnerable. Otherwise, it wouldn't need to preserve gaps around the joints.'

The beast roared and charged again.

This time, Evan didn't retreat immediately.

He waited until the armoured Terra Bear had almost reached him before shifting sideways, allowing its massive claw to pass within inches of his shoulder.

The air pressure alone battered his armour.

Evan pivoted and slashed at the exposed joint behind its forelimb.

CLAAANG!

Crimson Edge struck the edge of the armour.

Sparks burst from the impact.

The blade failed to penetrate.

Before Evan could follow up, the beast twisted its body and swung its opposite claw toward him.

His eyes widened.

Lightning erupted around his legs.

He vanished just before the blow landed.

BOOOOOOM!

The claw shattered the ground, sending a wave of stone fragments across the battlefield.

Evan reappeared at a distance, his breathing steady but his expression more serious.

'Even the joints are reinforced.'

The one-eyed bear turned toward him.

Its armour was rough and uneven, but the overlapping layers protected its vulnerable points far better than he had anticipated. The narrow gaps around its joints were not weaknesses he could exploit carelessly.

It had sacrificed some mobility to become a walking fortress.

And now it was forcing him to fight on its terms.

Evan tightened his grip on Crimson Edge.

'Fine. If I can't break through the armour with one strike, I'll have to find another way.'

The bear lowered its body.

Earth Elemental energy surged around it once more, causing the armour to thicken across its shoulders and forelimbs.

At the same time, Evan noticed something else.

The surrounding earth was beginning to move.

Loose stones trembled across the battlefield. Fragments of rock rose from the ground, gathering around the beast as its energy spread outward.

The same phenomenon he had witnessed before.

Only this time, the energy was considerably more intense.

RUMMMMMBLE...

Five massive boulders formed above the one-eyed Terra Bear.

Their surfaces compressed until they resembled chunks of solid mountain, each one large enough to crush Evan beneath its weight.

The beast's remaining eye fixed on him.

Evan's expression hardened.

'So you're going to combine that armour with your ranged attacks.'

The bear roared.

The boulders trembled overhead.

Evan's shadow surged around his feet as bone fragments rose to reinforce his armour. Earth Elemental energy flowed through the gaps, strengthening the outer shell, while a thin layer of ice spread across the joints to reinforce the vulnerable connections.

Lightning began circulating through his legs again.

Crimson flames climbed along the edge of his blade.

His defensive configuration was complete.

The one-eyed Terra Bear had become a living fortress, armed with overwhelming strength and the power to turn the surrounding terrain into a weapon.

Evan had no intention of meeting it head-on.

Not yet.

He lowered his stance, watching the beast's shoulders, claws, and the boulders suspended above its head.

Every movement mattered now.

The wrong dodge could put him beneath a crushing claw. The wrong attack could leave him trapped against its armour. And a single mistake in timing might turn the next exchange into his last.

Behind them, the battle between the undead and living Terra Bears continued to rage, but neither combatant spared it a glance.

The beast had finally revealed its true strength.

Evan's lips curved into a cold smile.

"Now this is more like it."

Lightning cracked across the ground.

The one-eyed Terra Bear surged forward.

And Evan launched himself toward the monster, Crimson Edge blazing in his hand.

This time, neither intended to give the other a chance to retreat.