The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. A deafening roar echoed from a Vermillion Clawed Bear, its fury unmistakable. Not far away, the lifeless form of another Vermillion Clawed Bear lay sprawled. Scattered nearby, the remnants of what appeared to be dead human body, testament to the violent skirmish.
The bear lunged furiously at the human in front of it. Despite the devastating force of the beast's claws, they were repelled by the protective barrier of a defense talisman enveloping the human. This shield withstood each of the bear's fierce attacks, keeping the human unscathed.
Liu Jian knelt on the ground, stabbing his sword into the soil and using it to support himself. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, several of his bones are broken, blood flows from several gaping wounds on his body.
He had already employed several life-saving measures bestowed upon him by his family: defense talisman, precious medicines, and explosive talismans. After a fierce battle with the two bears, he had managed to slay the female. However, this act only further enraged the male bear. Now, with grievous injuries and his Qi completely depleted, Liu Jian had just one remaining defense talisman to shield himself.
With a weary sigh, Liu Jian murmured, "I hope Junior Sister Xia managed to escape and reach the city safely." Resigned to his grim fate, hope seemed a distant memory for him.
But suddenly, several metallic objects were hurled at the bear. Upon impact, they emitted thick brown smoke, clouding the area. Liu Jian turned his gaze, spotting a man clad in metallic armor, the one who had thrown those objects. Could he be here to save me? Liu Jian pondered, hope reigniting within him. However, he couldn't discern the identity or cultivation base of the armored man.
The bear's attention quickly shifted to the mysterious newcomer. The smoke caused a slight stinging sensation, eliciting a deafening roar from the beast in response.
"Hm... the tear gas isn't effective against it," Orion mused.
Without hesitation, it dashed toward the bear. "Try this then," it declared. Orion opened the flamethrower's valve, and the RP-1 fuel rapidly spewed from the spray nozzle, and the fire from the torch attached near the nozzle instantly igniting it. A burst of fire surged forward, engulfing the bear.
"Roooaarrrr!" the bear's cry echoed as flames consumed its body. The RP-1 fuel, having soaked into the bear's dense fur, made the fire difficult to shake off. Desperate, the bear continued to try, rolling and flailing in its attempts.
Unable to extinguish the flames, the bear changed its target. Leaving Liu Jian behind, it charged directly at Orion.
"Good," Orion murmured, having successfully drawn the bear's attention. Now, let's just hope those two can get Young Master Liu to safety. With that hope in mind, Orion faced a challenging task: not only did it need to continue spraying the beast with fire, but it also had to deftly dodge the bear aggressive advances. Skillfully, Orion began to lead the bear, guiding it steadily to the west.
"Huh... what is he trying to do?" Liu Jian wondered aloud, completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events. An armored individual had appeared out of nowhere, leading the bear away while seemingly spraying flames at it.
"Young Master Liu, over here!" Xin Qiu called out, waving from behind the tree line. Shortly after, Li Jun joined in, and both began running towards Liu Jian's location.
"Young Master Liu, we've come to rescue you. We must move quickly before that bear returns," Li Jun urged.
Liu Jian, still catching his breath, asked, "Is that armored individual with you? Will it be fine to leave him alone facing the bear?"
"Young Master, don't worry about Mister Orion. I may not know his exact cultivation base, but he was able to discern your condition from a significant distance. That's how we located you. He must be at least at the Foundation Establishment realm," Xin Qiu explained.
Liu Jian's eyes widened in surprise. Even though he was still at the Qi Condensation realm, he knew that cultivators of the Foundation Establishment realm had a spiritual sense range of around 100m at most, which wouldn't be sufficient to locate him deep within the forest. He gasped, Could he be... a Golden Core cultivator?
"Quick, this way!" Li Jun urged, taking the lead. Xin Qiu came to Liu Jian's side, letting Liu Jian drape an arm over his shoulder for support as they hurriedly moved together.
Orion had already led the bear a considerable distance away. With the rescue mission accomplished, it only needed to either evade or defeat the bear. Orion's processor and AI were swiftly recalculating the optimal strategy.
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The force of the flamethrower's spray had started to weaken, a sign that the pressure in the cylinder was decreasing. Making a quick decision, Orion unstrapped the cylinder from its back and hurled it toward the bear.
The bear's claws glowed, and it slashed through the metallic cylinder as if it were mere paper. Instantly, a massive fireball enveloped the bear. The leftover fuel inside the cylinder ignited upon exposure to the flames, taking the bear by surprise as the fire splashed all over it.
But suddenly, the bear launched a swift attack. In response, Orion quickly drew Hu's blade from the storage ring, delivering a horizontal slash, attempting to halt its fierce charge. The bear opened its mouth wide, catching the incoming blade between its powerful jaws. Applying immense pressure, a cracking sound soon gave way to the sound of shattering. The blade, once formidable enough to cut through Orion's steel frame, was now bitten and reduced to fragments.
"That was really dangerous," Orion mused, recalling how this very blade had previously managed to cut through its metallic body.
The bear continued its relentless assault, forcing Orion into a desperate dance of evasions - dodging, leaping, and rolling to avoid each strike. In a swift moment, while leaping to the side, Orion retrieved a linen pouch from its storage ring and hurled it at the bear. The pouch struck the beast, ignited instantly, and fell beneath it. Moments later, it exploded with a deafening roar.
Kaboommm!
"What was that?" Liu Jian exclaimed in surprise.
"It must be Mister Orion," Xin Qiu replied confidently. "That bear must be getting quite a beating from him. We have nothing to worry about." After hearing tales of Orion's valor during the wolf ambush and personally witnessing him craft the fire-breathing tool, Xin Qiu had become an ardent admirer, placing unwavering faith in the mysterious figure's capabilities.
Just what kind of attack produces such a deafening explosion? Liu Jian wondered internally.
The trio continued their escape, emerging from the woods and making their way to the road. Li Jun took the lead, bravely confronting any wild animals they came across to ensure their path was clear. Fortunately, they didn't encounter any spirit beasts, and soon they reached the safety of the main road.
Chunks of small meat flew and scattered all over the place. A loud, pain-filled roar erupted from the bear. A wound opened up on the bear's belly due to the explosion, and blood flowed profusely from it.
The bear sat down, looking at the wound on its belly. Suddenly, with a whoosh, a spear flew through the air, accurately striking the exposed wound. Due to the vulnerability of the injury, without the protection of skin and fur, the spear penetrated deeply into the bear.
When Orion spotted the bear's wound, Orion quickly retrieved Lian's spear and hurled it with precision towards the gaping wound. "Bullseye," Orion remarked.
The bear was nearly driven mad with anger, the bear had initially wanted to retaliate against the human responsible for killing its female mate. However, its efforts were constantly thwarted by the protective barrier. Out of nowhere, an armored man appeared, relentlessly spraying the bear with fire. This was soon followed by a deafening explosion that inflicted a severe injury to its belly. But it didn't end there. Suddenly, a spear pierced its already wounded belly. Now, the bear was truly enraged and wanted nothing more than to kill the armored man and shred him to pieces.
Not stopping there, Orion retrieved many small clay jugs filled with lamp oil and hurled them towards the bear. The jugs shattered upon impact, spilling the oil which immediately caught fire, further intensifying the flames that engulfed the bear.
The bear, with a spear embedded in its belly and flames engulfing its body, charged towards Orion on all fours in anger. The spear, protruding from its wound, scraped and dragged on the ground as the bear advanced. The combined pain from the dragging spear, the intense flames, and the wound in its belly significantly slowed the bear, making its movements far less swift than before.
"Good, follow me," Orion called out, taking off. With the bear now slowed by its injuries, Orion could match its pace — a stark contrast to their earlier encounter when the bear had the upper hand in speed. The scene was surreal: a robot being chased by a flaming bear, both disappearing into the distance.
Nice, almost there, Orion thought. As it ran, Orion stole a glance back to gauge the bear's progress. The beast had slowed notably, and the distance between them was steadily increasing. Orion moderated its speed, ensuring it stayed close enough to retain the bear's focus but far enough to remain safely out of its reach.
Orion pulled out a DIY tear gas canister from its storage ring. With a swift tap against its chest to activate it, the canister, now held firmly in Orion's left hand, began to emit a dense brown smoke. While the smoke had minimal effect on the bear, Orion intended to use it mainly to obscure the beast's view. Then, using its right hand, Orion brought out a grappling hook and expertly threw it, ensuring it securely anchored to a tree on the side. While holding onto a portion of the rope, Orion ensured there was enough length for its next move, with several meters of it still trailing behind.
Orion raced forward at full speed, leaving a trail of dense brown smoke in its wake. The spectacle of a robot, enveloped in smoke and pursued closely by a flaming bear, was nothing short of extraordinary. Then, Orion took a leap.
Blinded by rage, pain, and the obscuring smoke, and with Orion tantalizingly close in front of it, the bear failed to assess its surroundings. Too late, it realized that Orion had jumped over a steep cliff. Unable to halt its momentum, the bear careened over the edge, plummeting down into the depths below.
A loud roar echoed as the flaming bear plummeted, reminiscent of a meteor—albeit smaller and slower. Upon impact, the bear smashed into a large boulder below, meeting its end. Its lifeless body then rolled into the river, where the current swiftly carried it away. The fire on the bear was quickly extinguished, and smoke billowed from its lifeless form as it floated downstream.
Orion dangled a few meters down the cliff, clutching the rope, and watched as the lifeless bear was swept away by the river below. While it had come out of the confrontation relatively unscathed, the forceful impact against the cliff's side upon jumping had inflicted some minor damage.
"Rank-2 spirit beasts are too strong," Orion mused. Despite trying everything, it had to rely on gravity to finish the job. This encounter only heightened its aspiration to become stronger.