Chapter 67

"Snap!" A slender golden dragon tail with a diamond-shaped blade at the tip swept through the air, striking the white tiger Troy, who had left four scratches on Muria.

The powerful dragon tail left a long mark under Troy's chest and belly. The crimson bloodstain was stark against his snow-white fur.

However, thanks to the white tiger's formidable constitution, the bloodstain quickly scabbed over and soon fell off to reveal tender, freshly growing white fur.

"Roar!" The young tiger lowered its head and roared, sending blades of wind slicing through the air towards Muria. He too charged at Muria again, his top-tier lineage granting him a robust physique, fearless in close combat with any creature.

"Roar!" Muria opened his mouth and let out a dragon roar, shattering dozens of wind blades facing him. The remaining wind blades struck his dragon body, sparking like metal on metal.

Muria roared and spread his wide dragon wings, taking to the sky to meet Troy. He refrained from using his magical spells against the tiger, knowing they would be futile.

Their immunity to elemental attacks was too high; low-tier magical attacks were utterly ineffective, as Troy's earlier attempts had proven by being instantly neutralized. Close combat proved more straightforward.

"Roar!" "Roar!" "Howl!"... The golden dragon and the pure white giant tiger clashed fiercely. Though their battle was not as colossal as that of the titan Atrein and the celestial scion, it was intensely fierce.

The already ravaged ground suffered further as it was churned anew by the dragon and tiger's assaults. The trees in the area had already been destroyed by their combat.

The battle gradually moved from the ground to the sky. Given that both Muria, in his dragon form, and Troy, possessed wings, aerial combat allowed them to fully leverage their strengths.

Bloodstained white fur and golden dragon scales occasionally fell from the sky.

"What kind of defense is this? It's outrageous."

"Exactly!"

"Troy's claws can't even scratch Muria's dragon scales. Only his teeth can break a few of the smallest scales."

"Troy is at a disadvantage."

"Is the defense of the Dragon King's lineage really that strong?"

...As they watched the battle unfold in the sky, the exotic beasts and titans murmured among themselves, astonished at Muria's seemingly cheat-like defensive capabilities of his dragon scales.

"Ouch!" In the sky, Troy bit into Muria's dragon arm, "Clang!" His sharp white tiger teeth barely penetrated Muria's thick dragon scales.

"Roar!" Muria grabbed Troy's furry tiger head with his other dragon claw, trying to pull him off. Titan Gerald had previously shattered his dragon armor, so Troy could potentially penetrate his scales if he persisted.

"Let go," Muria growled, pulling at Troy, who stubbornly clung on. Golden dragon flames and lightning surged over Troy's body, scorching black marks into his white fur.

"Crack!" Fine cracks appeared under the young tiger's sharp white teeth. "Pssh!" Pale golden blood spurted out, and Troy, refusing to let go, finally penetrated Muria's dragon armor.

"Boom!" Intense pain surged through Muria as the golden dragon grabbed the "big cat" and slammed him down from the sky, scattering rocks and creating another massive crater in the already battered terrain.

"I finally broke through your scales." Inside the crater, Troy released his bite, having endured the tremendous impact.

"Sigh!" Muria bowed his head, his four dragon claws firmly grasping the white big cat, restraining his movements. The bleeding wounds on his injured left front paw had stopped bleeding, the flesh healing, and the penetrated dragon scales slowly regrowing.

"Give up, you're no match for me."

"Roar, if it weren't for your scales, you'd be no match for me at all. You couldn't even see my initial attacks."

"Big cat, it's not that my defense is too strong; your claws and teeth just aren't sharp enough." Muria, recalling how Heloise had once easily shattered his head armor, looked down at Troy with a teasing tone.

"..." After a long silence, Troy reluctantly spoke, "I've lost this battle."

Hearing the white tiger concede, Muria released his claws and transformed back into his titan form, "I'll still seek a fight with you, in my current form, without using my dragon armor."

"Then be prepared to be soaked in blood." Troy stood up from the twenty-meter-deep crater, his singed fur falling off to reveal tender skin, and soon, new fur began to grow.

"I will," Muria smiled, ready to suffer numerous injuries. Under the same conditions, lacking a suitable opponent had made Muria's titan martial arts far inferior to those of Gerald, who was only three years older than him. This was something Muria was unwilling to accept.

Using the ancestral blood given by his grandfather to enhance his dragon lineage, Muria had only managed to defeat the titan Gerald by relying on the abnormal defense of his dragon scales. Now, as then, he relied on this defense to overcome Troy.

Muria was aware of the role the Dragon King's ancestral blood played in his abilities. As he progressed to legendary levels, he knew his dragon scale armor would become even more potent. However, his opponents wouldn't struggle as Gerald and Troy had to break through his defenses.

The powers bestowed by the Dragon King's blood would diminish as Muria's strength increased, a predictable outcome. Therefore, for the future, Muria had to diligently practice the martial arts of his titan heritage.

"You're not like the other titans." Troy, staggering out of the crater, came up to Muria, who had donned a robe, and sniffed, "It's not that your physique is inferior to the titans, but if it weren't for your scent, I'd think you were a titan of pure lineage."

"What do you think makes me inferior to the other titans?" Muria crouched down and reached out to pet Troy's furry head. During the fight, he had been tempted to stroke Troy.

"Your reaction speed and your martial arts training are inferior to those of other titans," Troy bared his teeth, slapping away Muria's hand that had moved from his head to his back.

"I haven't encountered a creature of your level before; I was a bit unprepared for your attacks," Muria nodded, admitting his shortcomings. When on Taiji Island, facing the strongest storm giants, he could easily defeat them without needing to use martial arts.

That's why Muria's martial arts were far less advanced than other titans of his age, as Heloise had pointed out. On Taiji Island, Muria lacked a suitable opponent, one who could force him to fight with all his might.

But now, in the land of the titans, everything was different. Here, every creature with legendary lineage could be an opponent for a titan, and the titans raised in this land never had to worry about lacking challenges to hone their skills.

"Have you guys finished talking?" At this moment, a young titan spectator spoke up, "Troy, you lost, step aside. It's my turn to fight Muria."

"Hmph!" Troy snorted, glaring at the young titan who had spoken, then moved aside to let Muria face the eager young titan.

"Hold on, Barnett." Just as Muria was about to face another challenge, Heloise intervened, stopping the eager young titan.

"Let's call it a day. Muria has just arrived at the clan lands, and I need to show him where he'll be living. After he settles in, you can fight. For now, just get to know each other. There's plenty of time for that later."

"That's perfect! What better way to welcome Muria than with a thrilling battle?" Despite Heloise's words, Barnett, the titan youth, showed no intention of backing down, his fighting spirit only growing stronger.

"Are you greeting me with fists? My fellow titans are indeed enthusiastic." Muria, hearing the young titan's words, couldn't help but smirk. It seemed every titan he met wanted to communicate through fists.

"Muria has already fought once with Troy."

"Then fighting me once more won't matter," Barnett asserted, his resolve unshaken by Heloise's words.

"..." Heloise, expressionless, watched as Barnett completely ignored her, her fingers tightening into a fist, with bolts of golden lightning wrapping around it.

"Boom!" The athletic titan girl pushed off the ground with her left foot, creating a huge crater with her formidable strength, and her body vanished in a flash, charging towards the high-spirited young titan.

"Crack!" As Heloise disappeared from sight, Barnett crossed his arms in front of him without hesitation, followed by the harsh sound of bones cracking.

Heloise's punch broke Barnett's arm bones, and the tremendous force transferred from his broken arm to his entire body. Under Muria's astonished gaze, Barnett was sent flying, disappearing from sight and crashing into a mountain that had lost its upper half.

"Indeed, Lord Ansol's words were right," Heloise murmured after sending the young titan flying, then turned to Muria with a serious look. "Let me teach you something. If something can be resolved with fists, never settle it with words."

"Action over words, always," Muria quickly grasped the essence of her words. The surrounding titans, witnessing this scene, nodded in agreement.

"Is there anyone else who wants to fight Muria now?" Heloise asked, glancing around with a calm gaze.

The various beasts and titans meeting her gaze uniformly shook their heads. No one wanted to be the next to be punched into the air by a titan a level higher than themselves. They loved to fight, but not to be overwhelmed.