Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Water Dragon

A fierce wind swept through. Although Mubiao and Lianpen had seen their caretaker hopping between various races, they’d never experienced flying so high during their young dragon years, and were now wailing as the wind whipped around them.

As Jiejie slowed his flight speed, smoothing out the chaotic air currents into a gentle breeze, they managed to adjust their wings and learn to fly under the shelter of the Male Fire Dragon.

He soared continuously for hours, making up for the lost journey due to heavy rain until he reached above the lake.

The pride of the Air Dominant left no room for concealment; if it weren’t for the burden in his mouth, Jiejie would’ve let out a mighty roar.

Looking down, what kind of dominator could be lurking in such a vast lake?

Jiejie cautiously descended, lowering himself to see more underwater details.

Under the shimmering surface, a deep turquoise surged, revealing only glimpses to the Fire Dragon’s keen eyes.

Clearly, this was some sort of Large Monster, possibly even the ruler of these waters.

It couldn’t be a Sea Dragon, could it? If it were, it would have already poked its head out by now and roared at him.

Sea Dragons, known as Kings of the Ocean, occupy an ecological niche in marine areas comparable to Male Fire Dragons in the sky.

Though called Sea Dragons, they can also live in freshwater rivers, often entering land to hunt Herbivore Dragons.

On land, Fire Dragons are often the strongest competitors to Sea Dragons.

With family in tow, fighting isn’t ideal. Jiejie climbed back to higher altitudes, feeding the young dragons at the edge of the forest before hiding them safely.

After ensuring there were no large predators nearby, he returned to hover above the lake, wanting to identify which dominator lay beneath the water.

Surely it wasn’t a Mud Fish Dragon?

Descending again, circling several times, he spotted the same glimpse of scales, and greeted with a proud roar.

The water rippled slightly, responding with a sapphire blue head emerging from the depths. This fish-like head bore majestic fan-shaped spines, its jaws opening wide to emit a sharp roar.

“Roar!”

Its mouth revealed rows of sharp teeth.

When the Fish Dragon leapt from the water towards Jiejie, its wing-like fins became clearly visible.

“This… is it really a Water Dragon? They actually exist…”

Jiejie flapped his wings to ascend, dodging the Water Dragon’s leap.

Recalling the release of “Monster Hunter: World” Iceborne DLC, there was once a rumored list of monsters that included the Water Dragon.

Although the Iceborne story ended without featuring the Water Dragon or other creatures on that list, it was reasonable to speculate that Water Dragons existed in the New Continent.

This thing was truly massive, surpassing most Male Fire Dragons he’d encountered, making it hard to compare sizes.

Water Dragons primarily inhabit freshwater regions, their enormous wing-like fins indicating evolution from Flying Dragons.

Due to the buoyancy of water providing support and abundant nutrients, every Fish Dragon grows to colossal proportions among Large Monsters.

“Roar!”

Flames surged from his chest to his throat, forming a fiery sphere in his mouth, then breaking apart into fireballs shot toward the Water Dragon re-emerging from the water.

The Water Dragon directly collided with the fireball, the explosive heat instantly vaporizing water and charring parts of its smooth scales.

The Water Dragon retreated underwater, leaving Jiejie flailing helplessly in the air.

There’s no way to fight this guy in the lake.

His aquatic form was limited to a few small fish, not enough to fill the Water Dragon’s tooth gaps.

Unbeknownst to Jiejie, the Water Dragon emerged from behind, shooting a High-Pressure Water Jet directly onto his wings.

“Hmm?”

The water jet didn’t pierce through the Male Fire Dragon’s wing membrane but merely soaked it, causing Jiejie to stumble mid-air.

Using this stumble, Jiejie flipped his body back toward the Water Dragon.

Diving—

He grabbed nothing but air.

It felt exactly like whack-a-mole…

The Water Dragon didn’t stop after dodging the Fire Dragon’s dive, instead leaping from the water to collide with Jiejie.

Bang!

The Water Dragon bit onto Jiejie’s leg, knocking him off balance again. Ignoring the pressure on his leg, he focused on maintaining flight.

He knew if he fell into the water, resuming the fight would be difficult.

The Water Dragon’s fish-like head didn’t seem capable of delivering powerful bites; its fine serrated teeth could only scratch white marks on the Fire Dragon’s tough leg armor.

On the contrary, Jiejie’s claws could now reach it.

Shaking his body to throw the Water Dragon into the water, the subsequent dive embedded his claws into the side of the Water Dragon.

The Sky Dominant flapped his wings, attempting to drag the King of the Water into his own territory for battle.

While water provided buoyancy to the Water Dragon, it also resisted Jiejie’s intentions. The Water Dragon struggled fiercely underwater, creating waves that hit him.

But he wasn’t just any Fire Dragon. Dark patterns appeared on his wing membranes, the unused Dragon Energy from the Terror Tyrant Jade subtly stimulating his body.

Gluttony heightened his aggression, empowering his wings.

Besides the chaos stirred by the Water Dragon, the Wind Pressure of the Male Fire Dragon also caused ripples on the water.

The Water Dragon had jumped into the air many times, but being carried there by another creature was a first.

Unfortunately, this lake wasn’t home to just one Water Dragon.

The lake churned as multiple Water Dragons roared and water jets pierced the air.

Several High-Pressure Water Jets struck Jiejie’s body, his wing membranes becoming heavier from the soaking.

Other Water Dragons leapt from the water, trying to reach the Male Fire Dragon in the sky.

Unlike solitary Fire Dragons, Water Dragons were highly social, occasionally hunting in groups in open waters.

This area was expansive, and the Air Dominant had provoked the entire Water Dragon population in the region.

“So, it’s a group fight, huh.”

Beneath the emerald waves, who knows how many Water Dragons lurked. Just those shooting water jets from the surface numbered three heads.

Among them was a fully green subspecies individual—the Emerald Water Dragon.

A Water Dragon whose scales turned jade-green in middle age, boasting enhanced physical attributes and combat capabilities.

An enraged fireball exploded on the captured Water Dragon, its broken scales revealing charred flesh and emitting a faint aroma of roasted meat.

But the Water Dragon continued to struggle, relentless pressure from the others unrelenting.

Jiejie had no choice but to suppress his anger, releasing the Water Dragon he held, letting it crash into another leaping Water Dragon, both splashing into the water with a huge splash.

The Sky Dominant executed a beautiful turn, choosing a tactical retreat!

The Water Dragons could only awkwardly poke their heads out of the water, watching helplessly as he flew away, their futile roars echoing uselessly.