Marcus and the spear-wielding woman had already arrived nearby, positioning themselves to deal with the bear's charge and give Moon space to maneuver.

Of course, they weren't planning to tackle it head on, but they simply wanted to cause a distraction. A direct hit from an S-Rank beast was nothing to scoff at.

Lightning crackled intensely around Moon's left hand, arcs of electricity dancing between his fingers. Explosive Flame burned in his right palm, the compressed fire straining against containment and ready to detonate on impact.

Moon held two devastating attacks, preparing to unleash both simultaneously.

The Mountain Bear slammed its central arm into the ground as it ran, sending another wave of earth spikes erupting toward Moon's position.

Moon dodged left, the spikes missing by centimeters as Silver Skin deflected stone fragments. Marcus blocked one spike with his sword, the impact jarring his arms. The spear woman vaulted over another, her agility carrying her clear.

Kael's voice carried across the battlefield. "Left flank opening in three seconds!"

Moon trusted the warning without question. He shifted his positioning, preparing to exploit whatever opening Kael had identified.

BOOM!

A massive fireball from Kael struck the bear's right side, forcing the creature to raise an earth barrier with its right arm to defend. The defensive maneuver created exactly the opening Kael had predicted.

The bear's left flank was exposed, within ten meters of Moon.

Moon released both attacks simultaneously.

Lightning from his left hand streaked forward first, the fastest element reaching the target. The electrical current struck the bear's exposed side, coursing through its body and causing involuntary muscle spasms.

The paralysis lasted barely a second due to the beast's powerful body, but that was enough.

Explosive Flame from his right hand detonated against the same exposed spot, the fire finding flesh that couldn't dodge or raise barriers while paralyzed.

BOOM!

The explosion was devastating, enhanced by all of Moon's proficiency gains throughout the battle. Fur burned away instantly, revealing charred flesh beneath. The bear roared in genuine pain, its charge faltering as it lost its footing for a brief moment from the combined assault of Kael, Moon, and other awakeners who'd joined the offensive.

"This bear isn't invincible! It can bleed, so make it bleed! Let's kill this damn beast!" one of the lieutenants in charge of a powerful awakener team shouted as he sent his own attacks toward the momentarily stunned Mountain Bear.

BOOM!

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

All sorts of attacks converged on the creature from multiple directions. The awakeners sensed weakness and pressed their advantage with everything they had.

But the attacks were met with sudden resistance. The bear slammed all three arms into the ground simultaneously, and a massive dome of compacted earth erupted around its body. The barrier was thick, reinforced with layers of stone and soil that absorbed the incoming barrage.

The creature had bought itself precious seconds to recover from the powerful attacks it had taken head-on.

Moon did not like the idea of the bear recovering its strength. He'd invested a large portion of his mana into those previous combination attacks, and with the natural recovery rate beasts possessed, the battle would become even more troublesome if given time.

Moon didn't forget the larger context either. There were still plenty of monsters surrounding the base from all directions. Even in the western section where they fought, the beast horde remained massive despite hundreds already slain. This was an organized assault that had deployed an S-rank beast and a level twenty-five assassin.

Just like the defenders possessed the revival mechanism, their human enemies had the same capability. Many attackers had faced permanent death, their bodies littering the battlefield, but reinforcements kept coming.

"Attack the dome! Don't let it recover!" Marcus shouted to those around him. He closed the distance rapidly, preparing to strike the earthen barrier with both swords.

Moon didn't share his aggressive close-combat approach. "Wait! This might be a trap, come ba—"

Before Moon could finish his warning, a spike erupted from the ground directly beneath where Marcus was approaching. The stone pillar impaled him through the torso, lifting his body into the air.

Marcus's eyes widened as he realized his fatal mistake. Blood poured from the wound.

"Help him retreat!" Kael said, his voice higher than usual, as he sent multiple attacks toward the dome in an attempt to distract the bear and prevent follow-up strikes while Marcus was vulnerable.

Marcus's body dissolved as he died, respawning ten meters away moments later. His face was deathly pale, the debuff from rapid death clearly affecting him severely.

The spear-wielding woman, who'd been positioned nearby, quickly approached Marcus and let him lean on her slightly as they retreated from the dangerous zone around the dome.

Moon also moved closer to provide cover, using his element perception to give them advance warning of incoming attacks. They barely managed to dodge several more spikes that erupted along their retreat path.

Marcus was successfully retrieved from immediate danger. Although alive, he wasn't in fighting condition. He'd need to sit out for at least five minutes to recover from the debuff, maybe longer.

Meanwhile, the bear had used that crucial time to recover as well. The dome began cracking and dissolving as the creature prepared to re-engage.

It's really smart, Moon thought grimly. Despite being injured and at a disadvantage, it still managed to force us to switch from offensive pressure to defensive retreat, protecting Marcus from permanent death while buying itself recovery time.

The beast had turned what should have been a decisive moment into a tactical stalemate.

Still, despite its intelligence and overwhelming individual power, it remained outnumbered. Dozens of awakeners surrounded it from all sides, and more were arriving from other sections as word spread that the assassin was dead and the bear could be wounded.

The dome shattered completely.

The Three-Armed Mountain Bear emerged, bloodied but far from defeated. Its eyes burned with fury as it identified Moon and Kael as primary threats.

Then it roared again, and the ground beneath the entire western section began to tremble.

It's preparing something big.

"Everyone, get back from the bear! Maximum distance!" Moon shouted the warning as he began retreating rapidly.

The Mountain Bear slammed all three arms into the ground with devastating force, channeling what must have been the majority of its remaining mana into a single massive technique.

The earth itself seemed to come alive.

** Author's Notes (does not change pricing of chapter)**

- Hey everyone, I'm happy to announce that you will recieve a thirty chapter mass release on the first day of the new year! 01/01/2026

I have worked my ass off for the past month, constantly updating whilst stockpiling for this. I hope that you will encourage me by spending some of your precious golden tickets and powerstones during next month since it will reset. Let's break through the ranks of golden tickets and Win-Win!

As always, Thank you for the support!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.