Chapter 3: The Dragon Hidden in the Marshes
“What’s going on?” Komer stared in astonishment ahead. Such a massive fluctuation in power could not be caused by just one person. Rebrí and Sorenberg no longer looked as relaxed as before; especially Rebrí, whose aged face seemed to have suddenly been infused with stimulants—shock mixed with anticipation, a complex emotion that made the wrinkles on his face seem to fade.
The group of jellyfish-like warriors, who had remained silent around Komer and his companions, also grew slightly agitated. Clearly, they had noticed the anomaly as well. But faced with these unexpected visitors, they seemed unsure whether to investigate what was happening or continue to watch them. In the end, the jellyfish warriors left five of their fighters on standby, while the rest transformed into countless water arrows and vanished swiftly into the reed marshes amidst ripples.
A massive tornado seemed to have swept through the reed marshes. Countless broken leaves and branches, along with huge columns of water, shot into the sky. The entire marsh trembled as if hit by a hurricane, with turbulent waves forming giant vortices that emitted shrill screams. A dark shadow appeared and disappeared within them, and a deep roar echoed across the sky. An oval mass of water slowly formed in the air, at least a hundred meters in diameter, less than a hundred meters above the water’s surface. Its color shifted from blue-white to dark blue, then to pitch black. The intense water currents spun wildly under some unseen force, carrying fierce winds and storms.
Komer could hardly believe his eyes. Was this also a magical storm created by a mage? Was it water magic or wind magic? Could there be such powerful mages among the jellyfish people? If so, why had no one on the continent ever heard of such outstanding individuals among them? Before he could fully process this thought, another anomaly appeared in the reed marshes. Two beams of sword energy shot into the sky like comets, cutting through the clear sky and heading straight for the mass of water. They shone brilliantly like starbursts, grand as if the Milky Way had been inverted—blue and white intermingled, blue like green curtains, white like snow bands. The radiant light scattered everywhere, illuminating the sky. In Komer’s eyes, those two beams of sword energy were powerful enough to split the heavens and earth.
Not only did Komer’s face turn pale with shock, but Lebray and Sorenberg also showed expressions of utter astonishment. Such a powerful sword energy was far beyond ordinary levels; it certainly couldn’t be produced by mere combat skills. Even Sorenberg, who had made rapid progress under Komer’s guidance, admitted he was far behind. Yet the sudden appearance of such a master in the Jellyfish People’s territory, which had never accepted outsiders, was truly incredible. Could this also be a master among the Jellyfish People?! And who was that dark figure forming the misty mass? Everything before their eyes was simply astonishing.
Two sword energies, one green and one white, sliced through the air and pierced the swirling water masses. The faint dark figure seemed to sense the approaching danger as well. Under some immense force, the water masses suddenly retracted, becoming smaller and tighter, with their rotation speed increasing even further. They even split into two vortices, one positive and one negative, creating powerful currents of water and wind. The previously shrill screeching sound diminished, but it still struck deep into people’s hearts, leaving them utterly awestruck.
It was as if magical fireworks suddenly exploded in the sky. The water masses turned into towering mists, forming a rainbow under the sunlight as they met the two sword energies. But the power of those sword energies was so formidable that they instantly turned the massive mists into vapor that scattered everywhere. The dark figure seemed to have no place to hide. Leveraging the force of the massive mist, it leaped into the air, drawing a brilliant arc before just barely plunging back into the water.
It was only then that everyone could clearly see that the dark figure wasn’t human at all but a massive dragon. Its long neck curved gracefully like that of a swan, while its enormous wings were a deep purple. As it flapped its wings, intense dragon energy made the fish in the water and insects in the grass scatter in panic. Its dark blue scales shifted with the movement of its body, appearing particularly striking. Its feet, as thick as pillars, had black steel claws like anchors. Especially its ferocious dragon head, with its gleaming eyes scanning around, and the breath coming from its nostrils like white frost, which turned into a tangible mist once it left its body. Its gaping maw, with sharp teeth clicking together, clearly showed its extreme anger at this attack.
In surprise, Komer turned his gaze toward Rebrí and Sorenborg. Though they were also astonished, they didn’t seem shocked—clearly, they had recognized this as an outright dragon even before it appeared. Sorenborg’s strength had been pushed to its limit, while Rebrí, unusually, held a magic staff in his hands. Judging from the faint glow emanating from the staff, Rebrí must also have realized the danger of their situation and immediately activated his magic to prepare for any possible emergencies.
Two streams of sword energy suddenly turned backward. The sharp beams sliced through the blue sky, cutting through the air with immense force, sealing off the dragon’s path into the water before it could dive in. If the dragon wanted to enter the water, it would have to confront those white sword beams head-on. The dragon lightly twisted and spun in the air to avoid the incoming beams, but the blue sword beams behind it let out shrill screams as their wielder was clearly determined to kill the dragon, even resorting to the most potent sacred energy of a warrior. At the last moment, the blue beams became faintly transparent, and the air elements around them dispersed rapidly, clearly distorted by the intense energy of the swords.
As the dragon raised its head and shook its tail, its thunderous roar made Komer feel as if he were deaf. Then, the dragon’s head lunged forward in anger, releasing an indigo-colored aura that collided with the transparent sword beams following closely behind, which emitted a vibrating hum. It was like a sky lantern shattering into fragments of light and shadow, bursting into a magnificent glow before fading away. The dragon’s breath turned into thin layers of mist that spread slowly in all directions like ripples. The extremely cold mist instantly condensed into ice droplets in the air, which fell down with a rustling sound, creating countless tiny splashes on the water’s surface.
That fierce sword energy also vanished under the unstoppable force of the dragon’s breath. What could possibly withstand such power? This was the true dominance of a continental king—how could mortals even compare to it?
Just as the dragon searched for the other wielder of sword energy with its head raised and tail swaying, turmoil arose again in the reed marshes. Thousands of arrows surged forth from the reeds, dense as swarms of locusts, all aiming at one target: the arrogant ice dragon, which had descended to less than twenty meters above the water’s surface. The ripples caused by its breath made the first wave of arrows do little more than turn into ice shards that fell into the water. But the second and third waves of arrows flew one after another, relentlessly targeting the dragon’s body, sticking to it like a persistent plague.
In panic, the Ice Dragon realized that its opponent had clearly come prepared this time, not by chance as it had thought. Although its thick body was unafraid of those arrows, which felt like mere tickles, its keen sense of smell detected a faint fragrance in the air. It was ambergris—a low-quality substance from the dragon world, the sap of a special plant nurtured by the saliva of turtle dragons. Yet for those weak humans, it had become the most expensive spice. It seemed to be a matter concerning those weak humans alone and unimportant, but for all dragons, it was an excellent drug that could induce unconsciousness, especially when mixed with dragon blood, producing even more astonishing effects. No dragon species had immunity to this strange plant fluid. The only solution was to avoid it, and if one were to be exposed, the only option was to hide in a safe, uninhabited place for several days until the drug’s effect wore off before returning. And those damned jelly ant creatures knew this tactic—how could this not fill the Ice Dragon with shock and anger? With a fierce flap of its massive wings, thousands of arrows were blown off course by the strong wind. Yet wave after wave of arrows continued to target every possible escape route of the Ice Dragon. Its wings and underbelly were its weak points; if hit by those arrows laced with ambergris, it would have to flee immediately. But the Ice Dragon knew that the guy it had defeated with its sword energy was still lurking deep in the reeds. Its breath attack had only injured the other’s internal energy and not been fatal. That guy was very cunning; he had sealed his vital energy meridians as soon as he sensed its breath attack, and its counterattack with sword energy hadn’t caused much damage. And worst of all, there was also the owner of the white sword energy—it could sense the two creatures’ mental locking techniques firmly targeting it. If it were hit by those poisoned arrows, no matter where it fled, those two would track it down, leaving no chance of escape.
The dragon’s tail, as thick as ancient giant trees, suddenly rose high and swept across the reed beds just as the dragon’s body neared the water’s surface. The immense force of this strike was so powerful that even Komer and his group, two hundred meters away, could clearly feel its terrifying intensity. The huge dragon tail seemed to aim to flatten the entire reed bed; broken leaves and branches mixed with water exploded in that moment. What an overwhelming and ruthless blow! Dozens of jellyfish warriors hidden in the reed beds and water were instantly crushed flat by this fierce strike. Even though they could swim freely in the water like fish and shrimp, under the immense pressure of this brutal strike, even they would be reduced to powder. Pools of dark red blood gushed up from the water, and shortly after, countless corpses slowly floated to the surface.