Territory

Caesar knew very little about either Spiketail Lions or Terror Wolves, so he could not find their fatal weaknesses and launch targeted attacks.

But there was one thing he did know.

Terror Wolves were clearly a social species with a hierarchy, acting according to their leader's orders. It was obvious that the alpha's role in the pack was like a computer's CPU. Once that component was completely destroyed, the pack would inevitably be paralyzed, unable to form an effective attack formation again anytime soon.

Although he did not know whether killing the alpha could successfully drive off the pack—and might even provoke the Terror Wolves into a collective frenzy—Caesar knew very well that killing a swarm of headless flies was far easier than dealing with soldiers who advanced and retreated in orderly ranks.

So, in that flash of lightning, he made his decision: avoid the thick-skinned Spiketail Lions for now and kill the Terror Wolf leader first.

"Awooo."

At the same moment Caesar crashed into the wolf pack, the Terror Wolf King spotted the newly arrived black dragon hatchling. The clever alpha quickly realized his intent and threw back its head in a long howl, ordering the pack to close in around it.

As he advanced, Caesar began to doubt how sensitive Terror Wolves were to pain. The male wolves before him were utterly fearless. Even with their waists and bellies torn open and their bones shattered, their attacks did not pause in the slightest. Only when their necks were broken and they were completely dead did these creatures stop moving.

They reminded Caesar of the zombie dogs from films in his previous life. His heart sank, and his determination to kill the alpha as quickly as possible grew even firmer.

Fortunately, his stupid siblings finally came to their senses at that moment and understood Caesar's intentions. They immediately shook off the Spiketail Lions tangled up with them and rushed toward the inner ring of the wolf pack.

The alpha paced back and forth. It had clearly seen that Caesar was different from the other two black dragon hatchlings. This young dragon's scales were harder than they should have been for his age, and he was stronger and faster as well. Ordinary Terror Wolves could not bite through his scales. They could only rely on their numerical advantage, throwing themselves forward one after another to wear down his stamina.

This could not continue. It absolutely could not allow the three hatchlings to join up. That would put the wolf pack at an overwhelming disadvantage and place itself in danger as well.

"Wooo."

The alpha issued another command to direct the pack.

The wolves moved swiftly. In the midst of battle, Caesar suddenly felt the pressure ease. He looked up and found that the dense mass of male wolves before him was gone. Every Terror Wolf had been sent to block Garon and Blakeshia, who were coming to support him. Only the alpha remained ahead, its enormous scarred neck exposed as it stared coldly at him.

"Splash, splash..."

At that moment, Caesar felt faint tremors in the marsh. His narrow ears twitched, and he immediately knew that the two Spiketail Lions were charging toward him at high speed.

The alpha had targeted Caesar. It wanted to hold him down until the Spiketail Lions arrived, then kill the strongest hatchling together.

What a clever wolf...

Caesar knew that creatures like Terror Wolves, incapable of magic, could only be considered lower-tier Predators in this world. Yet their remarkable survival instincts were astonishing. At this moment, the alpha's judgment in a crisis was no worse than a human's.

Fine. Let's duel!

Caesar gritted his teeth and carefully studied the Terror Wolf leader before him.

Its limbs were thick and short, its muscles bulging. That build meant this type of wolf was not especially fast when running, but it was far stronger than other wolves—perhaps comparable to a male lion.

The alpha's inverted-triangle head was even larger than an ordinary Terror Wolf's. The protrusions beneath its jaw were more pronounced, displaying tremendous bite strength. Its fur stood on end, showing that it was ready to pounce at any moment.

At the Spiketail Lions' speed, they would likely join the battle in less than fifteen seconds. Time was running out, and Caesar's mind raced through possible attack routes.

In this world where the strong devoured the weak, any mistake could be fatal. He had only one chance!

If his attack failed and the Spiketail Lions arrived to join the battle, the situation would turn again. By then, the exhausted hatchlings would have no chance of recovery. They could only abandon this pool, tuck their tails between their legs, and slink away to find somewhere else.

Come on.

A black shadow suddenly shot across the calm shallows. Only after Caesar had passed did the lake water surge up behind him.

He gave it everything he had, reaching the alpha before the ordinary Terror Wolves could react. Roaring, he used his genetically modified body to forcibly wrench himself against his momentum, pursuing the Terror Wolf as it instinctively turned its head and body aside to evade. The claws on his forelimbs flashed coldly as they swept across its neck.

That series of movements left Caesar feeling as though every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. Even so, he had no choice but to run again and open up some distance.

Because the Spiketail Lions had arrived behind him, and a spray of green slime nearly struck his body.

When he turned back, the Terror Wolf leader's shrill roar nearly drove the pack berserk. But it only managed a few cries before the clever alpha staggered back several steps and collapsed with a thud. Blood gushed from its neck like a spring.

Real hunts in the animal world were never like the ones Caesar had watched on television in his previous life, set to pounding drumbeats and slowed down countless times, with life and death decided amid flying water and dust.

A real hunt lasted only an instant.

Three seconds was the distance between life and death that the Terror Wolf leader experienced. When Caesar rushed in, the alpha had reacted with all its strength, dodging and preparing to counterattack. But the hatchling's braking ability was simply beyond reason—

Caesar forcibly stopped, twisted his body, adjusted the direction of his attack, and drove his claws into the alpha's fur and skin, tearing through its carotid artery.

Success.

Caesar looked at the Terror Wolf leader as it crashed to the ground, drew a deep breath, and let out the loudest roar he could at the other Predators in the pool.

The piercing cry, like metal scraping against metal, carried across the hills. This was the first time he had made such a sound.

"ROAR!!!"

Now was the time to assert their dominance. Hearing Caesar's bellow, Garon and Blakeshia also rose and roared. High-pitched dragon cries rang out one after another, echoing across the pool.

The remaining Terror Wolves cowered and let out despondent whines. Their defeat was certain. Without even looking at their dead leader's corpse, they lowered their tails and trotted away from the pool toward the hills.

The two Spiketail Lions let out threatening growls, only to be roared back at once by the hatchlings. They knew that while these dragon hatchlings could not kill them quickly, without the wolves' help, they could no longer defeat three hatchlings.

The Spiketail Lions slowly backed away, yielding ownership of this territory. The other hyenas, leopards, and creatures scattered in all directions.

"This place is ours now."

Caesar opened his mouth and panted twice, a dull snorting coming from his nose. Then he bit into the Terror Wolf leader's body and began swallowing great mouthfuls.