Mantis Stalks the Cicada

Before the stadium's massive entrance, the Flame Burst Bear let out a mournful cry before its towering body crashed to the ground. Its hide was torn and bloodied, a huge hole gaped in its chest, and the heart inside was gone.

The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf chewed a few times before swallowing the Flame Burst Bear's heart. Its savage eyes revealed a trace of smug satisfaction.

Monsters already possessed considerable intelligence upon reaching the Beast General level. Once they reached the Lord level, they were no less intelligent than humans, resembling the demons of Huaxia legend. Many high-level Lord monsters could even speak human language.

No wonder it was so pleased. Wolves were naturally cunning, and after reaching the Lord level, it had become even more sinister.

The Shadow Moon Demon Wolf had endured countless bloody battles throughout its life. Quite a few monsters stronger than it had died beneath its fangs, becoming nourishment for its growth.

As the strongest monster overlord nearby, the Earth Bear Lord had always drawn the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's close attention. Half a month ago, it had noticed something unusual in the Bear Lord's behavior and secretly become more vigilant.

The Ice Crystal White Tiger, Crimson Flame Giant Lizard, and Shadow Moon Demon Wolf were the only three beginner Lord-level monsters in the city beneath the Earth Bear Lord. Each was a monster overlord in its own right. To resist the mid-level Lord Earth Bear Lord, the three monsters had long ago reached an agreement: if one was attacked, the other two would join forces to resist. That was how they had survived until now.

This time, when the Bear Lord launched its sudden attack, it had fled without even fighting. After using the other two Lord-level monsters to hold back the Bear Lord, it had escaped the city outright, putting on the appearance of fleeing far away.

Yet it had hidden in the shadows instead, watching the other two monsters be killed by the Bear Lord. It had calculated that, after eliminating the threats around it, the Bear Lord would surely be unable to resist giving birth to its young as soon as possible. Then it would gather a monster pack and return to attack, intending to profit from the chaos.

Thinking that this entire city would become its territory, and that consuming the flesh and blood of three Lord-level monsters would allow it to evolve further, the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf let out a triumphant howl.

"Awoo—"

Its enormous body turned into a blur as it darted into the stadium.

When it saw the Bear Lord's figure, along with the young bear cub behind it that was still covered in mucus—

—and the mutilated remains of the Ice Crystal White Tiger and Crimson Flame Giant Lizard on the nearby stands, already more than half devoured—

—the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's eyes lit up, filled with desire.

"Roar—"

With an earthshaking roar, the Earth Bear Lord's enormous body rose upright. Two streams of vapor burst furiously from its nostrils as its eyes locked onto the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf charging in.

The Earth Bear Lord could feel its current weakness. It turned to look at the young bear cub beside it, whose eyes had yet to open...

I can't run! I have to risk everything and end this quickly!

"Roar~~" The Earth Bear Lord growled. A large cloud of blood mist suddenly surged from its body, and its nearly ten-meter-tall frame swelled as if inflated, growing another size larger.

Its eyes turned blood-red as it lunged at the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf. Even its charge produced a terrifying sonic boom.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

After the violent collision, the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf let out a miserable cry. To its horror, it discovered that the Earth Bear Lord was actually several times stronger than before.

After its back was struck by a bear paw, it turned and tried to flee outside.

The prepared Earth Bear Lord pounced toward the stadium entrance first. Its two door-sized bear paws swept viciously across, striking the fleeing Shadow Moon Demon Wolf squarely on the head.

"Pfft!"

The ground cracked directly beneath the enormous force of the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's impact.

The Earth Bear Lord landed immediately afterward, opened its bloody maw, and clamped down fiercely on the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's throat.

The already fractured ground suffered even greater destruction from the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf's violent struggles. Its sharp claws frantically raked at the Earth Bear Lord, and blood sprayed from the torn wounds.

"Awooo~~"

Gradually, the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf stopped moving. Only then did the Earth Bear Lord release its bite. The wolf's throat had been forcibly bitten through.

It panted heavily. Its massive body rapidly returned to normal, like a deflated balloon.

Its body was covered in wounds, blood continuously splashing down, while its eyes were filled with deep exhaustion and pain.

Dropping onto all fours, it slowly crawled toward its den. Its staggering figure looked incomparably weak. After battle upon battle, it had finally used Berserk to raise its strength.

Now, the backlash had arrived. This was its weakest moment.

"Now! Go!"

The sound of a human voice made the Earth Bear Lord freeze.

Two rapidly flying black shadows shot toward it. They were two throwing knives.

Uncle Eagle had led the warrior team out to strike.

They had secretly circled around the plaza, hiding by a gap in the stadium and silently watched the entire battle between the Earth Bear Lord and the Shadow Moon Demon Wolf.

When they saw the Bear Lord unleash its potential, swiftly kill the Demon Wolf, and become even weaker afterward, the ambush they had long been unable to restrain themselves from launching began at once.

Uncle Eagle controlled two throwing knives with Mental Power, sending them to assassinate the Bear Lord.

Gao Xiang and the Zhang Family brothers charged toward the young bear cub and the remains of the Ice Crystal White Tiger and Crimson Flame Giant Lizard in the stands.

Seeing Human Warriors rushing toward its young bear cub, the enraged Bear Lord scooped up a chunk of concrete shattered during the previous battle with its right paw and hurled it at Gao Xiang.

The nearly one-meter-high chunk of concrete flew through the air at far beyond the speed of sound, reaching Gao Xiang almost instantly. He smashed it apart with his sledgehammer, but the tremendous force still made him spit out a cloud of blood.

"Elder Ying!" Gao Xiang cried miserably.

After throwing the stone, the Bear Lord ignored the throwing knives attacking from behind and accelerated toward the stands.

Uncle Eagle ignored Gao Xiang's cry for help, controlling the throwing knives to change direction and attack the Bear Lord's back again.

"Boom!"

Gao Xiang was instantly struck by the Bear Lord's ten-meter-tall body and smashed into the stadium wall.

With a thunderous crash, his entire body broke through the concrete wall and fell outside. He made no sound again.

After ramming Gao Xiang to death, the Bear Lord's two paws swept out in a blur. The elder Zhang brother, Zhang Lei, fell and rolled aside to avoid the blow, but even though he dodged it, the immense force from the swing made him grunt as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

The younger brother, Zhang Lei, was not so fortunate. His upper body was struck directly by a bear paw and exploded like a burst balloon, fragments of flesh and blood scattering through the air.

"Brother!" Zhang Lei cried out in grief as he witnessed his younger brother's horrible death.

"Uncle Eagle!!"

Before his furious roar had even ended, the enraged Earth Bear Lord struck Zhang Lei again with a paw, killing him atop the stands. The tremendous force blasted a large section of the stands apart.

Only then did Uncle Eagle's throwing knives reach the Bear Lord. With a wet pfft, they entered through the wounds on its back, rapidly destroying its internal organs before piercing out through its chest and bringing a jet of blood with them.

"Boom—" The Earth Bear Lord's enormous body collapsed onto the stands, sending dust flying everywhere.

"Hahaha!" Uncle Eagle laughed as he walked over. "A haul worth nearly ten billion! It's better that they're all dead! Hahaha!"

"What Li Family? What fucking War God? From now on, I'm the War God! Hahaha! Xia Zhi, that brat—Li Yao, kill him yourself. I'm done serving you!"

Seeing the Earth Bear Lord's young bear cub nearby, Uncle Eagle's face twisted with savagery. He roared as he vented the fury accumulated in his heart over so many years. At that moment, he felt that this would be the glorious beginning of his life.

"So your purpose in coming to City 012 was to kill me!"

"Who?" In the midst of his wild joy, Uncle Eagle suddenly heard a cold voice. Startled, he turned his head, only to see a Flowing Light drawing closer and closer.

"Pfft!"

Grade 8 throwing knives could pierce even the scales of a mid-level Lord monster. Naturally, a human skull's hardness posed no obstacle at all.

With his brains bursting out, Uncle Eagle never imagined that the target he had planned to assassinate would, at the final moment, bring an end to everything he had.

Xia Zhi stood atop the Hexagonal Shield and flew down through the gap above the stadium. Looking around at the scene before him, even someone as composed as he was could not stop his heart from pounding.

This time, I've really struck it rich!

Chapter Two~ Thank you all for your support! If you like it, please bookmark it, cast a vote, and give me some encouragement. Many thanks!