Chapter 239 — A Desperate Stand

Evan watched the Ironhide Bear standing amid the shattered earth, crimson light pulsing beneath its armour with every surge of aggression. Its breathing had grown heavier, its movements increasingly erratic, and its oppressive aura made the surrounding ground tremble.

The beast raised its head and unleashed a defiant roar.

ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!

The sound swept through the valley like a shockwave. Dust rose, loose stones rattled, and the pressure bearing down on the battlefield intensified.

The remaining Terra Bears and nearby undead struggled beneath the oppressive force, their movements slowing as instinctive fear took hold.

Evan felt the pressure too, but his Physique resisted most of its influence. He remained steady, knowing that the Ironhide Bear was growing more dangerous with every passing moment.

Earth Elemental energy surged from the beast. The ground cracked, and enormous spikes erupted across the surrounding area, forming a jagged perimeter around it.

Evan immediately retreated, lightning gathering around his legs. Fortunately, the eruption didn't reach his undead army. The remaining Terra Bears were still cornered against the mountain wall, and their defeat was only a matter of time.

The Ironhide Bear lowered its head and approached, crushing rocks beneath its paws while keeping its bloodshot eyes fixed on Evan.

Evan flexed his fingers, forming a thin layer of earth over his fists while lightning circulated around his legs.

A contest of strength was out of the question. The Ironhide Bear could overpower him physically, and its armour repaired itself even after sustaining heavy damage. Direct exchanges would waste Evan's mana while giving the beast more chances to land a decisive blow.

Speed was his only reliable advantage.

The Ironhide Bear suddenly accelerated, launching itself into the air with both forelimbs raised.

Evan dodged at the last moment.

BOOOOOOM!

The beast crashed into the ground, pulverising the rocks beneath its paws. Before Evan could regain his footing, it lunged again, sweeping a claw through the space where he had stood.

Evan twisted aside and counterattacked, striking an exposed section of its armour. A small portion shattered, but the Ironhide Bear barely reacted. Its other forelimb swept toward him, forcing him to retreat as the blow pulverised a rocky outcrop behind him.

Evan continued dodging and striking damaged sections of the beast's armour whenever an opening appeared. His attacks caused damage, but the ruler showed no sign of pain or hesitation.

Worse, the Ironhide Bear seemed indifferent to the damage he inflicted on itself. It charged through shattered rocks, twisted violently to change direction, and slammed its forelimbs into the ground. Armour fragments fell from its shoulders and chest, but the crimson light beneath them continued pulsing.

It was as though nothing mattered except its target.

Evan's breathing grew heavier. Lightning-enhanced movement kept him ahead of the worst attacks, but every evasion consumed energy. He couldn't maintain this pace indefinitely.

Then the final Terra Bear fell.

His undead army was finally free to assist him.

"Gather the corpses and move toward my position! Don't waste time. Bring everything you can recover!"

Skeletons began collecting the fallen bears while the surviving undead turned toward their master.

Evan had no time to supervise them. The Ironhide Bear charged again, and he ducked beneath its claws before striking its side and retreating.

'I need a decisive opening. Something that can restrain it long enough for a proper attack.'

His gaze returned to the crimson markings. The Berserk state continued increasing the beast's strength and speed while eroding its rationality. Trying to outlast it was becoming less practical by the second.

He needed to control the battlefield instead.

Evan considered summoning the One-Eyed Bear but dismissed the idea. His strongest undead bear was still recovering from their previous fight, and sending it against the Ironhide Bear again would accomplish little.

He needed a different approach.

His gaze settled on the ground between them.

'Let's see if my suspicion is correct.'

Evan raised one hand.

[Dark Veil]

Darkness spread across the Ironhide Bear's eyes. The beast shook its head and swung its claws wildly, smashing the ground as it tried to locate its target.

Evan stayed back and hurled a loose rock toward its left.

The stone struck the ground several metres away.

The Ironhide Bear immediately twisted toward the sound and smashed the rock into fragments with a single blow.

Evan's expression tightened.

'As I thought. Even blinded, it can still react to movement and sound.'

The One-Eyed Bear had possessed a similar ability to detect vibrations through the ground. The Ironhide Bear might rely on its natural senses, Earth Elemental control, or both, but the result was clear: blinding it wouldn't be enough.

'If I trap it directly, it'll probably smash its way out once it regains its sight. And unlike the One-Eyed Bear, I can't exploit an injured eye to create a lasting weakness.'

He watched the beast thrash beneath the veil.

'But what if I don't need to trap it while it's looking for me?'

His gaze shifted toward the ground behind the Ironhide Bear, and a slow smile appeared on his face.

He had no intention of defeating the creature through a direct contest of strength. If the curse kept pushing its physical attributes higher, the longer the battle continued, the worse his chances would become.

Instead, he would use that very aggression against it.

Evan extended both hands toward the ground.

Earth Elemental energy surged from his body, pulling apart the soil and stone beneath the Ironhide Bear's intended path. The ground collapsed inward, forming a massive pit that deepened until it was nearly twice the beast's height, its steep walls making escape difficult.

Evan withdrew his hands and looked toward the Ironhide Bear.

The veil was fading. The beast shook its head, then fixed its crimson eyes on him.

Evan raised a hand in a deliberate taunt.

The Ironhide Bear roared and charged.

Evan turned and ran, keeping just far enough ahead to avoid its claws while ensuring it remained focused on him. As the pit approached, he waited until the last moment before changing direction.

The Ironhide Bear followed—until its instincts took over.

Its claws scraped against the ground as it twisted away from the opening, landing safely beside the pit. It turned toward Evan with a furious growl.

Evan stopped several metres away, his smile widening slightly.

'As expected. It isn't completely mindless yet.'

Even in its Berserk state, the Ironhide Bear retained enough instinct to avoid an obvious fall when it could see the danger. Simply luring it toward the pit wouldn't work; Evan needed another way to make it charge without hesitation. But that wasn't the entire plan.

Evan needed a target the beast would pursue more recklessly than it pursued him—and he already knew what that target was.

He drew the Ironhide Bear away from the pit, then gradually circled back toward it, dodging its attacks with lightning-enhanced movement until he had enough distance to prepare his next move.

His shadow stretched across the ground.

The One-Eyed Bear emerged, its body restored and its jaw repaired. Fresh Bone Armour covered its torso and limbs, while Earth Elemental coating reinforced its claws.

"Stand beside the pit. Don't attack unless I tell you to."

The undead bear obeyed as Evan deliberately drew the Ironhide Bear's attention back to himself.

The ruler charged. Evan retreated toward the pit, leading it closer to the opening.

Then the Ironhide Bear's crimson eyes shifted toward the One-Eyed Bear.

Its focus abandoned Evan. Its breathing grew harsher, and the crimson light beneath its chest armour flared as its aggression intensified.

Evan's eyes narrowed.

'There it is.'

The Berserk state was making the Ironhide Bear increasingly vulnerable to provocation. Having fought the One-Eyed Bear for so long, it seemed to regard the undead creature as its primary opponent.

Evan intended to exploit that fixation.

The Ironhide Bear roared and charged toward the One-Eyed Bear. The undead summon remained motionless as the ruler launched itself into the air, both forelimbs raised for a crushing attack.

Just before the claws reached their target, the One-Eyed Bear vanished.

Evan had recalled it.

The Ironhide Bear's attack struck nothing but empty air.

Its momentum carried it forward, and before it could regain its balance, the ground beneath its forelimbs gave way. The beast plunged into the pit with a furious roar.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact shook the surrounding earth. Rocks broke loose from the walls and crashed down around it, but the pit held.

The Ironhide Bear quickly regained its footing and began clawing at the steep walls.

Evan appeared at the edge and looked down.

"Enjoy your new home."

The beast roared and hauled itself upward, tearing chunks of stone from the wall. Just as it neared the top, the loose earth collapsed beneath its weight, sending it crashing back down.

Evan's expression remained serious. The pit had delayed the beast, but it wouldn't hold it forever. The Ironhide Bear was already trying to climb out again, moving far faster than he had hoped.

"No, you don't."

Evan raised both hands and channelled his Ice Elemental energy into the pit.

Frost spread across the ground, racing down the walls and coating the rocks in a thick layer of ice. The temperature dropped sharply as the surface hardened, turning the pit into a frozen trap.

The Ironhide Bear immediately struggled harder. Its claws struck the ice, carving deep grooves into the surface, while its powerful limbs battered the walls.

CRAAACK!

A section of frozen stone broke loose and fell beneath it.

Evan's eyes narrowed. Even with the ice restricting its movements, the beast's strength was terrifying. Every strike threatened to damage the walls, and its relentless efforts were gradually creating footholds.

He poured more energy into reinforcing the frozen surface, but the cost quickly became apparent. Maintaining the trap while keeping his distance from the bear was draining his mana.

'I can't just keep freezing the walls. It will eventually break through.'

The Ironhide Bear dug its claws into a crack and began hauling itself upward again.

Evan took a step back, searching for another way to hold it down.

Evan glanced toward his undead army. He hated wasting his summons, but if the Ironhide Bear escaped, the battle would become even harder. He needed to weigh the beast down before it reached the surface.

"Skeleton Warriors! Get down there and hold it!"

The skeletons obeyed without hesitation, leaping into the pit and clinging to the Ironhide Bear's limbs. Their weapons struck its armour as they struggled to restrain it, but the beast shook them off with brutal swings.

Several skeletons shattered against the walls.

More followed, piling onto the bear and weighing down its movements. The Ironhide Bear roared and tried to climb, but the additional weight dragged it back toward the bottom.

Evan summoned his undead bears next.

They charged into the pit and attacked the ruler, using their bodies to obstruct its movements. The Ironhide Bear thrashed violently, crushing bones and scattering fragments across the ice, yet the undead continued pressing against it.

Each summon bought Evan a little more time.

It wasn't enough to defeat the beast, but it slowed its escape—and that was all he needed.

Evan gathered the remaining Ice Elemental energy he could control. The air around his hands grew bitterly cold as frost condensed into a dense mass above the pit.

He shaped it into an enormous ice spike, its point aimed directly at the trapped Ironhide Bear.

His mana was running dangerously low. If this attack failed, he might have nothing left to stop the beast from reaching him.

Evan clenched his teeth and forced more energy into the forming weapon.

"Stay down!"

The massive ice spike plunged toward the pit.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The enormous projectile pierced through the piled undead and slammed into the Ironhide Bear.

The impact shattered the ice beneath it. Skeletons were pulverised, Bone Armour broke apart, and the beast vanished beneath a crushing mass of ice and broken stone.

When the dust settled, jagged ice filled the opening, sealing the pit beneath the enormous formation.

A wave of frigid air spread across the clearing.

Then silence descended.

Evan lowered his hands.

His arms trembled, and sweat ran down his face as the strain finally caught up with him. He staggered backwards before dropping onto the ground, using one hand to steady himself.

For several moments, he could do little more than breathe.

The cost had been enormous.

He had sacrificed dozens of Skeleton Warriors and several undead bears, exhausted a substantial portion of his mana, and pushed his body to its limits simply to bury the Ironhide Bear beneath the ice.

But if the beast was finally dead, the price would have been worth paying.

Evan stared at the frozen pit, waiting for confirmation.

No system notification appeared.

His expression slowly changed. After an attack of that magnitude, the absence of a notification could only mean one thing.

The Ironhide Bear wasn't dead.

"You're kidding me..."

A faint tremor travelled through the ground.

Evan froze and turned toward the enormous ice formation. Another tremor followed, stronger than the first.

A thin crack appeared across the frozen surface.

His eyes widened as crimson light flickered beneath the ice. The crack spread, sending fragments tumbling down the formation's sides.

"No... Don't tell me."

His exhausted body refused to move. He could only stare as the ice continued breaking apart.

"Can't you let me win just this once?"

The ground erupted.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Ice exploded outward, scattering fragments across the clearing. A massive claw burst through the shattered formation and slammed onto the edge of the pit, its earth-coated fingers digging deep into the rocky ground.

Evan's eyes widened.

The Ironhide Bear had survived his attack.

And now, it was climbing out.