Jack remained perfectly still, his breath controlled as he watched the Earthborn Ursine stand victorious over the defeated Sanguine Stag. The battle had left the massive bear wounded, its thick, stone-like hide marred by deep gashes where the stag’s antlers had pierced through. Blood seeped sluggishly from its wounds, pooling into the dirt beneath it. Yet, despite its injuries, the beast was still a formidable force.

  Jack knew a direct confrontation would be foolish. He had seen the raw power it wielded—the ground-shaking slams, the crushing grip, and the sheer durability of its body. If he wanted to take it down, he needed to be smart about it.

  Slowly, he focused his mind and silently cast Levitation . The spell wrapped around him like unseen threads, lifting him gently off the forest floor. He controlled his ascent carefully, rising through the branches with slow, deliberate movements. He couldn’t afford to rustle the leaves too much or cast a shadow that the Ursine might notice.

  From above, he had a clearer view of the battlefield. The ravaged ground, the broken trees, and the bloodied corpse of the Sanguine Stag painted a grim picture. The bear itself had lowered its head, sniffing the air cautiously, as if aware that danger still lurked nearby. Jack held his breath, ensuring his spell kept him just out of the beast’s immediate awareness.

  Once he had positioned himself directly above the Ursine, he began his next spell. Geyser.

  He focused on a spot just beneath the Ursine’s massive frame, shaping the magic in his mind. Then, with a swift motion, he released the magic through his spear. The ground rumbled for a split second before a powerful surge of water erupted beneath the bear, striking with explosive force.

  The Ursine let out a thunderous roar as the geyser blasted against its underside, soaking its already bloodied fur and throwing its balance into disarray. For a lesser creature, the sudden force might have sent it tumbling, but the Ursine was simply too massive, too deeply rooted to the earth. Instead, it staggered back, its heavy claws digging into the wet soil, struggling to regain control of its footing.

  Jack didn't expect to knock it over, but he had accomplished what he needed—the beast was off-balance, disoriented for a brief moment. That moment was all he needed.

  Jack steadied his breathing as he hovered high above the wounded Ursine, his Levitation spell keeping him suspended in midair. He had to pay a continuous mana cost to keep himself in the air but his superior position made it worth the cost. Below, the massive beast shook itself, still reeling from the unexpected burst of water that had erupted beneath it. His Geyser spell had not been strong enough to send the colossal creature sprawling, but it had thrown off its balance, forcing it to shift its footing and momentarily break its solid stance.

  Now was his moment.

  He let the Levitation spell drop.

  The spell’s cancellation was immediate, and gravity took hold of him in an instant. He plummeted downward, wind howling past his ears as he accelerated toward the Ursine’s broad back. His fingers clenched tightly around the shaft of Aetherspire, his knuckles white with the intensity of his grip. His body cut through the air like an arrow, his spearhead aimed with lethal precision at the massive beast below.

  The Earthborn Ursine remained unaware of his descent, too preoccupied with shaking off the aftereffects of his previous attack. But Jack knew that even a moment of inattention would not last long against a creature of this caliber. He needed an opening—a true opening—to make his strike count.

  And so, he roared.

  The sound tore through the clearing like a physical force, a deep, guttural bellow that seemed to shake the very air. Birds erupted from the canopy, their wings flapping wildly as they fled in terror. The underbrush trembled from the sheer force of the sound, the vibrations rippling through the ground like an oncoming shockwave.

  Savage Roar.

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  The Ursine’s entire body locked up at the sudden, overwhelming burst of primal fury. Its head jerked upward, its muscles tensing instinctively, the Ability making its deep instincts trigger a moment of hesitation—a crucial few seconds where its body refused to obey its will. Jack saw it—the opening he needed.

  A split second later, he struck, activating Ironsoul Aura to protect himself from the impact.

  Aetherspire’s gleaming tip drove downward, meeting not just flesh, but one of the gaping wounds already carved into the Ursine’s massive form by the Sanguine Stag. The spearhead sank deep, slicing through already damaged muscle and tearing through tissue that had barely begun to mend. Jack’s full weight, combined with the force of his fall, sent the weapon plunging in even further, its sharp edges scraping against bone with a sickening grind.

  The Ursine’s response was instant.

  A thunderous roar erupted from its throat, a primal sound of agony and rage that sent shockwaves through the forest. The sheer volume rattled Jack’s bones, the vibrations shaking him down to his core. The beast reacted violently, instinct taking over as it bucked and twisted, its immense strength turning its entire body into a force of nature.

  Jack gritted his teeth, his entire body straining as he held onto the spear. His feet had slammed against the Ursine’s thick, stone-like hide upon impact, but now he was being thrown about like a ragdoll, his grip the only thing keeping him from being flung away. Even activating Soulrage to increase his Strength wasn’t enough to keep him planted on the ground. Every motion of the beast threatened to tear Aetherspire from his hands, to send him flying through the air and into the unforgiving forest floor below.

  He adjusted his grip, fingers tightening even further, his muscles burning with the effort of holding on. He had struck deep, but the fight was far from over. The Ursine was wounded—badly—but it was not beaten. Not yet.

  And Jack knew that if he lost control now, if he was thrown off before he could press his advantage, the battle would take a turn that he could not afford.

  Jack tightened his grip on Aetherspire, his breath coming in sharp, controlled exhales. The Earthborn Ursine writhed beneath him, its agonized roars shaking the very trees, but he held firm, his body moving with the beast’s convulsions rather than against them. He had landed his strike well—better than he could have hoped—but it wasn’t enough. The monster still fought, still lived. If he gave it even a moment to recover, it could turn the battle against him in an instant. He needed to end this.

  His fingers moved instinctively, channeling his magic into the spear. He could feel the flow of mana shifting, coalescing around the weapon’s shaft as he guided it toward the spell he needed. The chill in the air deepened as the magic took hold, and in an instant, jagged shards of ice erupted along the length of Aetherspire, creeping outward like frozen veins of frost.

  He cast Ice Dagger.

  Just to make sure, he channeled extra mana into the spell. The mana surged through his weapon, its power drawn to the point where it met flesh. The ice condensed, forming razor-sharp crystalline growths that burrowed deeper into the Ursine’s wound, lancing through torn muscle and embedding themselves in the beast’s very core. Then, with a single pulse of Jack’s will, the ice exploded.

  A sound like splitting stone cracked through the clearing as the frozen shards drove outward, piercing into vital organs with brutal precision. The Ursine’s massive body lurched violently, its roar cut off in a gurgled choke as the ice ruptured something deep within. The beast’s limbs spasmed, its immense strength failing as its body betrayed it.

  Jack didn’t wait to see the full effect—he couldn’t. He felt the shift in the beast’s balance, the way its body began to lean as its knees buckled. If he stayed a moment too long, he would be caught in its inevitable collapse. With a sharp inhale, he wrenched Aetherspire free, using the spear as leverage to push himself off the beast’s back. His boots barely found purchase against its rocky hide before he kicked off, launching himself backward just as the Ursine gave one final, pained shudder.

  Jack hit the ground in a roll, coming up onto his feet just in time to watch the great beast fall. It staggered forward, its enormous frame trembling as its body finally gave in to the mortal wounds it had suffered. The ice had done its work—the magic had torn through the creature’s last defenses, ravaging it from the inside out.

  For a brief moment, the Ursine remained upright, its hulking form locked in place as if refusing to accept its own death. Then, with a slow, heavy exhale that shook the very air around it, the monster collapsed. The impact sent a tremor through the ground, dirt and leaves scattering outward as its massive body hit the earth with finality. The great beast, once a force of nature, lay still.

  Jack remained where he was, his chest rising and falling with deep, steadying breaths. His body ached from the battle, from the strain of holding on, from the exertion of magic and raw physical force. But more than anything, he felt the lingering weight of what he had just done. The Earthborn Ursine had been a terror of the wilds, a living embodiment of the land’s wrath. And now, it was dead.

  He exhaled sharply, gripping Aetherspire tightly before finally relaxing his stance. The fight was over. Now, it was time to claim the spoils.