Get Ready for Our Blood-Pumping Combo Move! Guga!

Er Ming clenched his fists. The muscles on his shoulders bulged, and thunderous breaths rumbled in his throat as he prepared to charge.

Lin Yuan reached out and stopped him.

"Let us handle this."

Er Ming looked down at Lin Yuan, then swept his gaze over the six Gugas gathered around him. Slowly, he drew his foot back. He did not go far, retreating to the edge of the woods. With his long arms folded across his chest, he stood ready to step in if they needed him.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff shook out its long golden fur and growled at the little creatures. The sound was so deep and muffled that it tightened their chests. The rank scent in the woods grew stronger, and the air seemed to sink under its own weight. Its front paws dug into the mud, carving five deep furrows. Every strand of golden fur stood on end as a string of low threats rolled from its throat.

It stood there like a small golden mountain, planted squarely in Lin Yuan's path.

Then it moved. The beast, standing over three meters at the shoulder, charged Lin Yuan. The ground shuddered beneath every stride, and wood chips bounced as the earth trembled.

Xuanwu Guga stepped forward and slapped both palms against the ground.

A wall of earth rose, over six meters high, blocking the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff's path.

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff brought down a paw. The wall exploded, spraying dirt into the sky.

Its paw did not slow. It struck Xuanwu Guga squarely, sending Xuanwu Guga flying sideways through three trees. Splintered wood scattered everywhere.

"Xuanwu! Guga!"

Several Gugas cried out together.

"I'm fine, guga."

As the dust cleared, Xuanwu Guga stood up from the wreckage and brushed off the wood chips. Earth-yellow and water-blue