Preparation

First of all, these hills were far from fertile. Otherwise, there would not have been no dire beasts or high-ranking aberrations around, allowing even a young dragon like Caesar to become the overlord of the waters.

During the rainy season, animals had too many places to go and would never think of entering the hills. During the dry season, the pool that would normally attract prey to drink had become filthy, poisonous water due to the black dragons dwelling there.

Coupled with Caesar's terrifying appetite, after one huge feast, food in this area became increasingly difficult to find. The shortage of food forced his range of activity to keep expanding.

And an expanded range of activity meant danger for a black dragon of his age.

That was only one reason. What truly made him make up his mind was that, not long ago, Caesar had discovered traces of humanoid activity in the southern forest. To be precise, they were humans.

In order to gather reliable information, he had even lost quite a few Terror Wolf lackeys.

Caesar guessed that they were most likely human adventurers drawn here by the Green Dragon. Those people had been gathering in the south for some time, making preparations to launch a dragon-slaying campaign.

He was indeed quite capable in a fight now, probably stronger than a young red dragon. But against spellcasters, berserkers, and the like, he would still be dead meat. Neither the Green Dragon called the "Emerald of the Green Capital" nor the human adventurers were foes he could afford to provoke right now.

The pool where the young dragons lived lay directly on the route humans had to take to reach the Green Dragon's lair.

They had to migrate as soon as possible.

It was obvious that the Terror Wolves sent south to scout had become more anxious with each trip. These little creatures possessed beast instincts even sharper than those of dragons and could smell hidden danger.

The Terror Wolves' behavior made Caesar realize that the humans had probably finished their preparations and could go to war with the Green Dragon at any moment. If they did not leave soon, he and the two young dragons might be inevitably swept into the turmoil.

Although the other two black dragons were of little help to Caesar by this point, he still had no intention of abandoning his fellow sufferers. After huddling together for warmth for so long, some bond had formed between them—though the young dragons spent most of their time asleep.

After Garon and Blakeshia had developed Corrosive Aura, Caesar rarely entered their underwater nest. This time, he unusually returned to inform the young dragons to prepare for migration and explained the reasons in detail.

There was not really much to prepare. It was just the gold nuggets they had somehow acquired—heaven knew how two young dragons had found gold in the hills. Dragons truly had astonishing talent for digging up treasure.

The two were extremely reluctant to part with their first fortune and insisted on finding a way to take it with them. Their love of treasure rivaled even their love of life. For that reason, Blakeshia had been quite wary when she saw her brother arrive.

At that moment, a faint tremor came from the underwater nest. Blakeshia was still packing her treasure, while Garon quietly rose to the surface, stealthily poked his little black head above the water to look around, then immediately shrank back down.

"A dire tiger."

Garon gestured quietly at Caesar. This kind of large dire creature was clearly a beast that young dragons found difficult to deal with. Its strength and speed were on an entirely different level.

But that did not apply to Caesar. He slowly surfaced, revealing his increasingly formidable body.

Caesar had never found traces of dire creatures in this region before. No one knew where this dire tiger had come from. Perhaps it had escaped from the rainforest where the Green Dragon dwelled.

This large creature was far bigger than an ordinary wild tiger, measuring over seven meters long, even slightly larger than Caesar. Its forelimbs were much thicker than its hind legs and clearly more powerful, while long, narrow saber teeth protruded from its mouth.

In the jungle, this dire tiger was unquestionably an apex predator. No wonder Garon had immediately tucked his head in like a turtle upon seeing it. Even ordinary young black dragons would find it difficult to defeat this beast; they would need to reach adolescence before having any real confidence.

The dire tiger immediately spotted the black dragon who had climbed ashore. Dire creatures were not simply savage beasts without brains. They at least knew how to assess a situation. This genetically mutated monster of a black dragon was clearly absent from the dire tiger's memories; it had never seen a black dragon grown like this.

The dire tiger was somewhat confused, so it shifted two steps and let out a threatening low growl.

This was how animals judged danger. If the black dragon turned and fled, then it could pursue and kill him. If the black dragon roared back without yielding, that would mean the opponent did not fear it, and it would need to consider probing with an attack or retreating.

But what caught the dire tiger off guard was that its opponent neither fled nor roared in confrontation. Without another word, he lunged straight at it with speed that did not match his size.

While the dire tiger roared, Caesar had already run through the possible developments in his mind.

The best outcome would naturally be to launch himself forward and kill the big tiger with one swipe of his claws. But that was too wishful. As a dire beast, this giant tiger was far faster than its ordinary kin, and its reactions were nearly perfect. With a roll, it evaded Caesar's sudden assault, leaving the black dragon's pounce empty.

The dire tiger rose again and shook its head. Though it did not roar again, its fury was plain to see. Its back arched high, and its over-seven-meter body curled into a full crouch, ready to counterattack.

Felines had far faster neural reactions than dragons. So even after Caesar's genetic modifications, at his age, it was difficult for him to match the dire tiger in speed. By the time he turned around, the giant tiger had already pounced.

A direct hit.

After pinning its prey, instinct drove the dire tiger to use the hunting technique engraved in its bones. Its powerful forelimbs locked Caesar's joints tightly, and it opened its jaws wide. With sharp saber-like fangs, it was confident it could easily bite through the scales of the black dragon before it.

Yet what terrified the dire tiger out of its wits was that it actually fell behind in the struggle. Its prized forelimbs lost their strength before the black dragon, slowly forced upward inch by inch, then brutally twisted and broken.

Its hard tiger claws all snapped and bled.

For the first time, the dire tiger's prey broke free from its hold.

At the same time, after breaking free from the giant tiger, Caesar braced his limbs against the ground and used his tail to support his body as well. Then, with every ounce of strength in his body, he violently thrust upward.

At this close range, there was no dodging!

His head was like a battering ram covered in spikes. The moment he made this move, the dire tiger let out a mournful howl. Its heavy body was lifted off the ground by the black dragon, and the big cat spun once through the air before crashing heavily back to the ground.

The dire tiger was now barely breathing, grievously wounded. Four enormous holes had appeared in its chest, and blood dyed its pale yellow fur red.

Its dark yellow eyes trembled slightly, and it could no longer roar. In the dire tiger's wide black pupils, a mouth opened to ninety degrees, its gleaming fangs drawing ever closer.

The outcome was decided. Caesar bit through the dire tiger's neck.

Killing this dire tiger had not been an impulsive act. Caesar had long wanted to fight a large dire creature like this, to determine his place in the food chain and prepare for the coming migration. On the journey, he needed to know what he could fight and what he had to avoid.