Death of the Claw Dragon

Beneath its smooth skin, there was almost no fat. Its body was covered in a layer of reddish-brown membrane, but at first glance, it seemed as if it had no skin at all, with the contours of its muscles and ligaments clearly visible.

This was a Claw Dragon. It had no scales, feathers, or carapace anywhere on its body, making it look like a monster that wandered in from another set – you, Licker!

It must be said, the Claw Dragon's teeth were quite similar to the Great Jagras', both having underbites with teeth that protruded outside their lips. Both creatures were also extremely ferocious, with the Claw Dragon being even more like a rabid dog than the Great Jagras.

As Xingyan followed the sounds, he heard more noises from the Claw Dragon – grunts and slurps, clearly indicating it was eating.

Finally, in a relatively spacious cave, Xingyan found his target.

Through the light emitted by the bioluminescent moss scattered throughout the cave, Xingyan clearly saw a Claw Dragon standing on the corpse of some monster. Its blue and white wing membranes and its massive fan-shaped tail clearly belonged to the overlord of the Coral Highlands, the corpse of a Velkhana.

Well, it wasn't surprising. The struggle for survival in an environment like the Miasma Valley was even more intense. Besides those dragons nearing the end of their lifespan who chose to enter here, the corpses of monsters from the Coral Highlands above, who killed each other and fell down, were one of the main ways to obtain food.

Seeing the Velkhana's corpse here meant that continuing forward might lead to the central area of the Miasma Valley, where the most prominent skeletal remains of a Serpent King Dragon could be found. It was a shame that Xingyan couldn't simply hop his way up to the Coral Highlands like the Claw Dragon.

This Claw Dragon had already noticed Xingyan's arrival. It stood on the Velkhana's corpse. Uh, even with something underneath it, its current height was only level with Xingyan's gaze.

Although the "flat-headed brother" was brave, its size was indeed not large.

But its explosive power was extremely strong.

This Velkhana corpse was dragged here by the Claw Dragon, perhaps it was a trophy from the Coral Highlands.

Normally, after eating its fill, the Claw Dragon would hide the remaining meat in its lair, even preserving it by forming it into meatballs using special methods. These were delicious ingredients that Hunters would specifically try to steal.

As it was greedily devouring its meal, Xingyan appeared with heavy footsteps.

With the increase in his size and weight, Xingyan was now far from stealthy. Trying to sneak would result in loud plotting.

Its originally reddish-brown body flushed with waves of red. Blood dripped from its open mouth, accompanied by white steam.

As an Information Dragon Slayer, Xingyan naturally knew this was an enhanced state the Claw Dragon entered when consuming meat. Yes, the official name was quite interesting: "Rage State." In this state, the Claw Dragon's strength and speed would significantly increase.

In other words, even more rabid.

"Rooooooar!!"

Roaring loudly, the Claw Dragon's cry was exceptionally sharp. It wasn't warning Xingyan – it was about to attack.

The nickname "flat-headed brother" was not undeserved. Even though it realized Xingyan was larger than itself, it initiated the attack first.

Launch!

Only this word could accurately describe the Claw Dragon's movement at this moment. It was like a cat that had suddenly been startled and sprang up, but with far greater strength and speed than a cat. Xingyan saw a dark red shadow flash by; the Claw Dragon had actually leaped towards him?!

In the confined terrain of the cave, the distance between Xingyan and the Claw Dragon was too short. The moment the Claw Dragon moved, Xingyan instinctively wanted to perform a dash – Clang!

Dash what?!

Sliding backward, Xingyan crashed directly into the stone wall behind him. The space was too small to maneuver, only producing a loud bang.

Unlike Hunters, Xingyan's size required more ample space for his dash.

This was bad.

"Rooooooar!!"

Landing squarely on Xingyan's back, the Claw Dragon furiously bit and clawed at Xingyan's spine – and it actually got a grip!

Xingyan's back, due to the presence of its heat dissipation shell, was one of the few areas on its entire body not covered by Air Sac Carapace. Now, a corner of that heat dissipation shell had been violently torn open by the Claw Dragon!

The Claw Dragon's foreclaws could make any pedicurist burst into joyful laughter. Not only did they have normal toe claws, but on the inner side, there were three rows of naturally grown serrations, extremely sharp and purely made for combat.

Perfect for a pampering session.

Too bad Xingyan couldn't get one.

Having intimately experienced the rabid side of the Claw Dragon, it continued to furiously tear at Xingyan's heat dissipation shell while howling madly. This was quite the back treatment.

But Xingyan was no ordinary Dragon Slayer. Treat? I'll let you treat!

For a dragon like Xingyan, accustomed to fighting in the vast terrain of the Great Sand Sea, the caves of the Miasma Valley were indeed a bit small and restrictive, making him uncomfortable. But smallness had its advantages – in a flash, Xingyan leaped straight up from the ground!

The ceiling was made of rock. Xingyan already had some difficulty holding his Sword Tail high, and now with a Claw Dragon on his back, there was no doubt that Xingyan's jump directly pinned the Claw Dragon against the stone wall, turning it into a sandwich.

The Claw Dragon wasn't stupid either. The moment it was impacted, it was already sliding down Xingyan's side, clawing frantically at Xingyan's body as it slid. But this time, it wasn't as lucky.

Connected to the heat dissipation shell was the Air Sac Carapace – Boom!!!

The Claw Dragon's frenzied claws instantly shattered the outermost Air Sac Carapace. At the moment of explosion, fragments of the broken carapace and ore shards pierced deep into the Claw Dragon's body!

"Rooooooar!!!"

Howling even more madly from the pain, but for the Claw Dragon, even more dangerous was the strike Xingyan unleashed immediately following the Air Sac Carapace explosion!

Scraping against the ground behind him, Xingyan's Sword Tail sparked as it swung, effortlessly.

It directly slashed at the Claw Dragon, which had fallen from his body and been blown sideways by the explosion – Swoosh!!

It was the familiar sensation of Xingyan's Sword Tail cutting through flesh. No, it didn't feel like flesh; it felt more like cutting into rubber, with a dull resistance, but it still sliced through smoothly.

"Roar!!"

The Claw Dragon, landing on the ground, roared in anger. A reddish-brown object spun through the air and landed on the ground. After a few bounces, it stopped moving.

This was the Claw Dragon's tail, but to call it a tail wasn't entirely accurate – the Claw Dragon's actual tail was very short. The reason it looked so long was that it lacked scales, feathers, or carapace, only having a tough skin.

The skin layer would either fall off and regenerate through battles as the Claw Dragon grew, or the keratinized skin would continuously shed from the back, eventually accumulating and hardening at the tail. It would become similar to a mace, with many hard protrusions, allowing the Claw Dragon to swing it and strike enemies.

In a sense, the Claw Dragon's tail and Xingyan's tail share a common core—the actual tail isn't that long. It's just that a layer of hard material covers it, transforming it into the tail seen by outsiders, which also becomes their weapon.

The only difference is that Xingyan uses a layer of mineral secretions to cover his tail, while the Claw Dragon uses its own dead skin.

Both can regenerate after their tails are severed.

Ugh, precisely because of this, even if Xingyan were to sever the Claw Dragon's tail now, it wouldn't show any signs of pain. This is because a tail made of keratin has no nerves connected to it, so it naturally wouldn't feel pain.

It's just anger.

But then again, when is it not angry?

For Hunters, Xingyan's explosive carapace is indeed deadly, making it a monster among monsters, even harder to fight than monsters that cause blades to bounce off them with a single strike.

However, for Dragons, as long as the fragments produced when the air sac carapace explodes don't pierce vital areas of their bodies, such as the eyes or certain fragile organs, then with their size and physical strength, these fragments would be inconsequential, like a splinter in one's hand.

It hurts, but it's not fatal.

The Claw Dragon's ferocity was instead ignited by this stinging pain. As expected of a honey badger, even when facing a stronger opponent with far superior size and strength, it could still charge forward with its unyielding, ferocious fighting spirit against Dragons.

Blown away by the shockwave of the explosion, the Claw Dragon merely thrashed on the ground for a blink of an eye before getting back up. Even though its tail had been severed, the damage seemed to have no effect on it. With a powerful push from its limbs, it charged towards Xingyan's throat.

But Xingyan was no longer the inexperienced him of the past. He was all too familiar with the Claw Dragon's combat style and attack patterns. Thus, the moment the Claw Dragon landed, Xingyan, without any hesitation, twisted and slashed diagonally forward.

And this slash landed precisely on the Claw Dragon that was charging at him again!

If time could slow down, at this moment, one could clearly see Xingyan's sharp Sword Tail first land on the tip of the Claw Dragon's forepaw. The sharp claws and serrations offered no resistance as they were sliced open, the severed part flying through the air with inertia.

And blood.

It cleanly cut off half of the Claw Dragon's forepaw. This strike didn't stop there. The Claw Dragon seemed to charge into Xingyan's Sword Tail on its own. After its forepaw was severed, it swung its Sword Tail in an arc, opening a wide wound on its chest.

"Roooaarrr!!"

This time, it was a genuine cry of pain.

Its feet left the ground, its body felt pain, and only when it realized it couldn't win did its intelligent mind take over again.

Whether the book is long or short, the Claw Dragon's two charges and Xingyan's two slashes all happened within seconds. By the time the Claw Dragon was sent crashing back to the ground by the Sword Tail, it didn't charge at Xingyan again. Instead, it howled in pain and, enduring the agony, fled towards a cave on the other side.

The Miasma Valley is filled with numerous holes and passages of various sizes. These are the paths the Claw Dragon knows best. It's by freely traversing these holes and passages that the Claw Dragon treats the Miasma Valley as its own backyard.

It's going to escape.

The Claw Dragon's escape speed was fast, but Xingyan's speed was even faster.

Like a drop of water falling into a calm lake, ripples spread out in concentric circles.

Mirror Water Heart!

Iai--

"Rooar!!"

As Xingyan roared the word "Iai," his Iai was already complete.

The Sword Tail, released from his mouth, cut through the air with unstoppable speed. Harnessing the power of this Iai, Xingyan, who unleashed his full strength in an instant, crossed the distance at this moment.

A second before the Claw Dragon leaped into the hole, Xingyan's Sword Tail severed its nape!

The Claw Dragon's body instinctively continued to leap forward, successfully reaching the hole—but it collapsed after only a couple of steps, hot Dragon blood gushing from the severed flesh.

Wasting no time, Xingyan directly pulled the Claw Dragon's corpse from the hole, bit directly into the severed neck, and inhaled the Claw Dragon's blood like a storm.

So delicious.

For the current Xingyan, an ordinary Claw Dragon is not an opponent that requires serious caution. After all, according to the setting, even a Deviljho might not easily defeat a Dragon Slayer, let alone Xingyan, who is a Dragon Slayer among Dragon Slayers.

Honestly, in this Claw Dragon, Xingyan saw another version of himself. Even when facing an absolute powerhouse far exceeding its strength, it dared to fight. However, he had to face Elder Dragons, while the Claw Dragon faced Dragon Slayers.

But are they essentially the same...?

One has to fight to evolve to a higher level; if given a choice, it wouldn't fight an uphill battle.

The other doesn't have such good fortune. Even if it fights stronger monsters madly, it gains nothing but injuries and disabilities, possibly leading to death.

Dragon Slayer, Brute Dragon, Deviljho, Kirin—it's as if there's no Dragon the Claw Dragon wouldn't challenge, even if it knew it couldn't win.

With its vigorous and ferocious fighting spirit, insane courage, and fearless bravery, the Claw Dragon warns every strong enemy it encounters with its full power, even its life—Dragons like me are not to be trifled with.

Perhaps this is the way of the honey badger's survival.

"Roar." (Thank you.)

Finishing the last bite of meat, and considering the hygiene of the Miasma Valley, Xingyan did not swallow the stones on the ground stained with the Claw Dragon's blood, which were, uh, marinated. However, he ate the Claw Dragon's meat cleanly, not even leaving the bones or the previously severed tail.

It was indeed a respectable opponent. The Claw Dragon's only disadvantage was its small size; it belonged to the small Dragon class.

If only the Claw Dragon were as large as a large Dragon, with increased size and strength, then with its fighting style and aggressive nature, this battle today would have been a tough fight.

Even Xingyan wouldn't dare to say he was guaranteed to win. Imagine a Claw Dragon the size of a Brute Dragon going berserk... it would be a nightmare.

(Size comparison, full image cannot be displayed due to restrictions)