Chapter 50 Crushing
The Extreme Northern Bear may have lacked dynamic vision, but as an apex predator in the food chain, its excellent instinctive reactions allowed it to catch a glimpse of Brian's form in the last second. However, it was too late to defend, as Brian's sharp Dragon Claws were already within reach.
The Dragon Claws pierced through the Extreme Northern Bear's shoulder, tearing through fur and flesh, penetrating the bone.
After a loud noise, the Extreme Northern Bear's body was flung. Brian clutched his shoulder, propelling him hundreds of feet through the air and leaving a long groove in the snow-covered ground.
Upon regaining its composure, the Extreme Northern Bear lifted its paw, but instead of striking Brian, it brought it down heavily on the ground.
Instantly, a massive surge of elemental energy gathered, roiling like an imminent volcanic eruption.
Several feet-long ice spikes suddenly emerged from the ground, focusing on the Extreme Northern Bear and piercing the air towards Brian.
Some of the ice spikes struck Brian's dragon scales, breaking with metallic clinks. Brian swiftly extended his Dragon Claws while moving away from the zone of elemental energy explosion.
His defense was strong. There were only some cracks on the dragon scales.
However, the Dragon Wings' defense was weaker.
Getting injured by the opponent was not worth the risk.
Freed from Brian's grip, the Extreme Northern Bear stood on its hind legs, roaring angrily at Brian. But the heavy bleeding from its shoulders made its roar seem more like a bluff.
Brian frowned slightly, realizing he had underestimated it.
The Time Dragon's innate abilities were too formidable. He felt that with just his current fivefold Time Acceleration, he could crush many powerful Magical Creatures.
The newly acquired time-based ability didn't even need to be used to deal with the opponent.
While Brian pondered, the Extreme Northern Bear couldn't sit still. Ignoring his injuries, he started running whose body covered in a layer of icy armor, with menacing ice spikes at the joints, charging at Brian.
Brian was a bit surprised.
This creature should know that it couldn’t defeat him. Why was it seeking death?
As expected of a Dire Bear, his aggressiveness was unparalleled, not thinking of fleeing.
"Let's test the new skill."
Brian didn't dodge. Instead, he folded his Dragon Wings, landing directly in the path of the charging Extreme Northern Bear.
The Extreme Northern Bear, weighing several dozen tons, caused the ground to tremble as it ran at full speed, leaving deep footprints with each step and exuding a menacing aura.
Time passed, and a few seconds later, the bear lifted its paw, entering Brian's sixty-foot radius.
Brian focused his mind, his gaze intense, his expression solemn.
In the next moment, an invisible, intangible wave burst from Brian, instantly enveloping the Extreme Northern Bear, covering a sixty-foot diameter area.
Within this vicinity, everything appeared to come to a standstill, freezing instantly. The only one able to move was Brian.
The falling snow, the cold wind, the ice crystals, the sounds... and the menacing Extreme Northern Bear, its breath frozen in the air.
Outside the stasis area, the snow continued to fall, the wind continued to howl, as if two different worlds... But whatever entered Brian's sixty-foot radius would freeze instantly, causing snow to accumulate at the edge of the stasis area, forming a white arc.
Pseudo-magical ability, Time Stop.
Upon casting Time Stop, Brian's time power surged rapidly like water from a burst dam, with his magic also depleting, though at a slower rate.
Without delay, he exhaled a Frost Breath, targeting the Extreme Northern Bear and swiftly encasing it in ice.
The immobile Extreme Northern Bear became a target, taking the full brunt of the Dragon's Breath at close range.
As Brian acted, the depletion of time power and magic accelerated.
Feeling the strain, he deactivated Time Stop.
In an instant, the howling wind resumed, and the snowstorm in this small area began to move again.
The Extreme Northern Bear had no idea what had happened. Its life force had dropped to the freezing point, and he lost its ability to think. Soon, it died.
The death was painless.
His consciousness remained at the moment he approached Brian.
At approximately two years old, the range of Time Stop is a sixty-foot diameter. It could potentially increase by about thirty feet per year. Regrettably, it is currently unable to directly impact the target's surroundings, but this capability may develop in the future.’
Brian looked thoughtfully at the inexplicably dead Extreme Northern Bear.
The consumption of Time Stop was higher compared to utilizing Plunder Time Breath, but its impact was incredibly potent. Once the opponent was ensnared, Brian had free rein to do as he pleased for the duration of the time power, rendering it a game-changing ability.
“Plunder Time Line, renamed to Plunder Time Breath”
‘White Dragon Mother, wait for me.’
Brian blinked, unable to suppress a wide, sunny smile.
After experiencing the real power of fivefold speed and Time Stop, Brian was confident that the young White Dragon Mother couldn't beat him.
Stepping closer to the Extreme Northern Bear, Brian was about to enjoy the feast when two faint whimpering sounds mixed with the snowstorm caught his attention.
He paused, then turned his head.
At the spot where Brian had flung the Extreme Northern Bear, two bear cubs, their eyes not fully open, were exposed to the snowstorm, whimpering and shivering in the Cold Wind.
‘What?’
Brian's brow furrowed.
Upon seeing the two cubs, he quickly grasped the seemingly odd behavior of the Extreme Northern Bear.
Despite its aggressiveness, it should still possess a survival instinct.
He had charged at Brian because he was between him and the cubs, forcing he to fight desperately.
Shaking his head, Brian thought of the ruthless White Dragon Mother.
In the same situation, the White Dragon Mother would probably fly away to save herself without hesitation.
The familial ties among Evil Dragons were notably fragile. Brian approached the two Extreme Northern Bear Hatchlings, extending his Dragon Wings to protect them from the snow and cold wind, alleviating their miserable circumstances.
The Hatchlings crawled on the ground, burrowing through the snow, eventually reaching Brian's feet.
"Extreme Northern Bears aren't very intelligent, much like Terror Lizards. I'll raise them; these small creatures don't have much meat to eat anyway."
Brian picked up the two Hatchlings, then gripped the frozen Extreme Northern Bear's body with his hind claws, as he flapped his Dragon Wings, flying towards the Ogre basin.
He didn't know any warming magic, and if the Hatchlings stayed in the cold too long, they might die. Their fur wasn't thick enough to provide sufficient warmth.
In the Ogre basin, there were houses to shield from the wind and campfires for warmth. It was more suitable to place the hatchlings there. It also provided an opportunity to inspect the advancement of his new Dragon's Lair construction.
