"It looks like I came to the right place."
Linley flew through the air, with Bebe standing on his shoulder.
Below them,
a giant bear, over ten meters tall, its black fur streaked with purple, threw back its head and roared.
Facing the Black Bear stood a dragon-like Magical Beast over three meters tall and more than ten meters long, its back covered in spikes. It crouched slightly, ready to fight.
"The Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon are both Level Nine Magical Beasts—and among the strongest of their level."
Doehring appeared from the Coiling Dragon Ring. He looked at the two Magical Beasts facing off below, seeming a little surprised.
"Level Nine Magical Beasts?"
Linley looked down at them, raising his brows slightly.
After his Dragon Transformation, he now had the strength of a peak Level Nine fighter, and he had even grasped a trace of the Laws.
The two Level Nine Magical Beasts below were the perfect opponents to test his strength.
"Bebe, hide nearby in a moment," Linley said, turning to the little creature on his shoulder. "I'm going to have some fun with these two."
As he spoke, Linley began flying downward.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Linley's descent startled the two Magical Beasts, who had been facing off.
The Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon both turned around and warily eyed Linley.
The instant Linley landed, Bebe jumped off his shoulder and hid in a nearby tree.
"Well, then." Linley rolled his neck, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Are you two going to come at me together, or should I deal with you one at a time?"
Linley's voice was low. After five months of constant fighting, he had built up a fearsome aura.
The Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon and the Purple-Striped Black Bear both took a couple of steps back.
The Dragonblood Warrior's battle-hungry blood was influencing Linley.
Battle and bloodshed were what Linley loved most.
"Whoosh!"
Seeing that the two Magical Beasts were thinking of fleeing, Linley vanished from where he stood.
"Bam!"
The next instant, Linley appeared in front of the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon. He raised the Black Iron Heavy Sword high and brought it down on the armored dragon's back, right across its row of spikes.
Sparks flew.
Even though the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon was the most defensively powerful dragon-type Magical Beast, the spike Linley struck went flying.
"Roar~~~"
The spike fell away. The Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon felt no pain, but it regarded Linley as a challenger—an enemy that had to be killed.
Its tail whipped toward Linley with a sharp whoosh. Linley raised the Black Iron Heavy Sword to block it.
"Bam!"
"Crack!"
A crisp sound rang out from the Black Iron Heavy Sword. The tremendous force traveled into Linley's body, sending him stumbling backward.
"Crash!"
By the time Linley regained his footing, the Black Iron Heavy Sword in his hand had shattered and fallen to the ground.
"Looks like I need a better weapon." Linley shook his head regretfully. "But for now, I think my bare hands will be enough to deal with you."
Linley curled his hands into claws. The golden scales on his fingertips gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
"Roar!"
The Purple-Striped Black Bear, which had been watching from a distance, roared and charged at Linley.
"Roar~~"
The Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon let out a roar of its own and opened its jaws. A pitch-black sphere of light began to take shape.
"Looks like you two are teaming up?"
There was no fear on Linley's face. If anything, he looked excited.
"Looks like Linley really is fated to cross paths with these two!" Lin Ke said, drinking a cola in the System Space as he watched the battle outside.
In the original story, Linley had awakened his Dragonblood Warrior bloodline by drinking the blood of a Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon.
And he had been able to drink the blood of a Level Nine Magical Beast because a Purple-Striped Black Bear and a Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon had fought each other to the death.
The Magical Beast Mountain Range was enormous, but Lin Ke didn't believe there could be a second pair of Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragons and Purple-Striped Black Bears with a grudge against each other.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
"Hahahaha! This is great! This is great!"
Linley's shouts and the roars of the Purple-Striped Black Bear and the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon echoed through the forest.
The area for several miles around became the battlefield for Linley and the two Magical Beasts.
A battle between three Level Nine fighters was enough to alter the terrain of an entire area.
The nearby Magical Beasts fled in every direction.
Bebe had already moved to several different trees, but each one was soon destroyed by the battle between Linley and the two Magical Beasts.
Doehring remained inside the Coiling Dragon Ring, but he could still sense the changes outside.
It was less a fight between Linley and the two Magical Beasts than Linley toying with them.
A peak Level Nine Dragonblood Warrior who had also gained insight into the Laws—
even the slightest trace was more than the two Magical Beasts could withstand.
"Grandpa Doehring was right." Linley flashed across the battlefield and kicked the Purple-Striped Black Bear in the head. "Only Saint-level opponents can threaten me now."
With that thought, Linley no longer felt like fighting.
"In that case..." Linley looked at the fallen Purple-Striped Black Bear. "I'm afraid I'll have to kill you."
"Bam!"
As he spoke, Linley punched the Purple-Striped Black Bear in the head.
"Roar..."
The Purple-Striped Black Bear's roar had weakened considerably since the start.
It could feel just how enormous the gap between itself and Linley was.
Even if it teamed up with its old rival, it still wouldn't stand a chance.
The only way to fight back was to reach Saint-level!
With that thought, the Purple-Striped Black Bear looked toward its old rival.
Not far away, the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon lay on the ground, blood welling from its mouth.
The fact that Linley had beaten the most defensively powerful Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon into this state was proof enough of his strength.
"Roar!"
The Purple-Striped Black Bear gathered all its strength and let out a furious roar.
To Linley, it was just the meaningless roar of a Magical Beast.
But to the fallen Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon, it meant something entirely different.
"Sartius, in the end, I've won our feud. Remember, you have to kill this guy. You must kill him."
The badly wounded Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon struggled to turn and look.
The next moment, a streak of black light shot over and entered its mouth.
Vast magical power surged through the area. Sartius felt endless darkness enveloping him.
"This is kind of interesting."
Linley planted a foot on the Purple-Striped Black Bear's head and watched the Spiked Back Iron Armored Dragon change in the distance.
Just now, the Purple-Striped Black Bear had used the last of its strength to take out its Magic Core and throw it to its rival.
Linley had seen what happened, but he hadn't tried to stop it.
Challenging a Saint-level Magical Beast outright was still too dangerous for Linley.
He was confident in his strength, but he wasn't about to take a risk that could get him killed.
But what if it was a newly advanced Saint-level Magical Beast?
Linley thought he might be able to take that challenge.
Sartius had already been on the verge of breaking through.
Now, with the Purple-Striped Black Bear's Magic Core helping him, his aura began to surge.
After just a few breaths, Sartius's aura settled.
His body, which had been lying on the ground, slowly rose into the air.
"Dragonman, are you ready to be killed by the great Sartius?"
Before you continue