As the sky gradually darkened, Garos hid high among the clouds, looking down at the two Dire Bears below, one chasing and one fleeing.
Among Earth Violent Bears, challenges for the position of leader were legitimate and could be settled through knightly one-on-one duels.
But when facing an attack from dragonkin like Garos,
all Dire Bears would unite against the common enemy, rising up together to resist the invader until morale collapsed or the leader was slain. Under such circumstances, luring the Dire Bear Chief away alone could eliminate a great deal of unnecessary trouble.
On the ground,
Mobel's muscles were taut as he ran at full speed without daring to relax in the slightest.
Runes flickered beneath his fur, granting him greater strength than usual, but even so, he still could not outrun Chief Gor. The distance between them was steadily shrinking.
Although his straight-line speed was inferior, the younger Dire Bear was more agile.
Mobel deliberately chose the most rugged routes to flee along.
Sharp basalt pillars, fallen rotting trees, and hidden ground fissures caused old Gor some trouble, slowing him down several times and preventing him from catching Mobel in a short time.
As time passed,
the old Dire Bear's pursuit grew increasingly berserk.
He smashed through enormous trees that would take several people to encircle, crushed stone pillars blocking his way, and killing intent burned in his brown eyes.
Not long after,
the two Dire Bears, one chasing and one fleeing, reached the eastern cliff of Conifer Valley.
With no path ahead, Mobel stopped.
"You can't escape."
The old Dire Bear growled, charging toward Mobel on all fours.
"Wait!"
Mobel retreated to the edge of the cliff and shouted.
This caused the old Dire Bear to pause slightly, but the killing intent in his eyes did