Lord: I can see loyalty.

"You've come at the perfect time."

Vio did not rush to attack, but stood still, gripping the Southern Will tightly, his gaze calmly fixed on the behemoth.

The reef lizard's biological instincts seemed to make it sense some kind of threat from Vio, and it did not choose to pounce on him immediately.

The sea monster arched its body, its scales slightly open, making a soft rubbing sound, and its eerie green vertical pupils shifted back and forth between Vio and old Balo.

"Your Excellency, you..." Old Barlow's voice trembled.

"Get back on the ship." Vio said without turning his head. "Sail the ship a little further away."

Old Barlow opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Vio's calm expression, he swallowed his words.

He gritted his teeth, turned and ran towards the sea. He stumbled, nearly tripping over tree roots several times, but dared not look back.

The reef lizard's vertical pupils followed Old Barlow's retreating figure, its limbs slightly bent, as if it wanted to catch up.

Vio took a step forward.

This small step was precisely positioned in front of the reef lizard's line of sight.

The monster abruptly withdrew its gaze, raised its head, and let out a low roar at him. A foul stench, thick with the smell of blood and seawater, assaulted his senses.

"You beast, your opponent is me."

Vio's voice was soft, yet it reached the beast's ears clearly. He wasn't sure if the beast could understand human speech, but it could always sense the provocation in his voice.

The reef lizard was indeed enraged.

Its hind legs pushed off the ground, and its massive body shot out at a speed completely disproportionate to its size!

The claws tore through the ground, sending shards of stone flying, and the massive jaws filled with sharp teeth snapped straight at Vio!

quickly!

Vio's pupils contracted slightly; this beast's speed was much faster than he had expected!

As expected of a born hunter, it is indeed far superior to ordinary humans on land.

He didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and drifted to the left. The giant mouth of the reef lizard grazed his shoulder, and the stench almost made him vomit.

But in the instant they passed each other, he had already swung his sword backhand, slashing at the monster's thick neck!

"puff!"

There was no armor penetration!

The Southern Will struck the dark blue scales, leaving only a faint white mark.

Vio's arm trembled, feeling slightly numb; the hardness of those scales was comparable to refined steel!

The reef dragon was in great pain, letting out a sharp hiss, and then its tail swept out fiercely!

Vio had no time to dodge and could only parry with his sword.

"Bang!"

The power of that whip was terrifying; Vio was sent flying and crashed into a large tree, which snapped in two.

He adjusted his posture in the air, and staggered back a few steps when he landed before regaining his balance.

My shoulders feel numb and my arms feel sore and swollen.

This beast's power was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

But the reef lizard gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Having landed a successful blow, it pounced again, tearing with its claws, biting with its massive jaws, and sweeping with its tail—each strike carrying power far exceeding that of the pirates.

Its speed increased and its attacks became more and more ferocious. Its huge body moved through the forest like an out-of-control logging machine, and trees fell one after another in its path.

Vio kept dodging and parrying, but he never found an opportunity to counterattack.

His sword struck the scales, leaving only shallow white marks. Although he was faster than the reef dragon lizard, he couldn't maneuver effectively in the narrow woods. The beast's strength was comparable to his.

Is this a sea monster?

A strange feeling welled up in Vio's heart.

It wasn't fear, nor anger, but an indescribable excitement.

He had never encountered such an opponent before.

Those human enemies, even the sea bear Arnold, all had predictable fighting styles, but the reef dragon lizard was different.

All its attacks are instinctive, without any pattern or method, pure and savage.

Every strike carries the deadly intent of a wild beast; every move is designed to kill the prey.

This battle gave him a new understanding of breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques are not just a set of formulas, nor are they just a method to deal with humans.

Its full potential has not yet been realized!

Vio took a deep breath, and his breathing began to accelerate.

It was no longer the same routine cycle as before, but rather it moved in rhythm with the Reef Dragon Lizard's attacks, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes strong, sometimes weak.

Like a sea monster.

His movements became erratic, no longer deliberately dodging, but instead moving with the monster's attacks.

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The reef lizard swung its claw at him, but he dodged to the side, the blade slicing across its forelimb.

The beast swept its tail, and he used the force to leap backward, leaving a long scratch on its scales with the tip of his sword.

He no longer sought out weaknesses and vulnerabilities, but instead flowed like water with the reef lizard's attacks.

Each collision deepened his understanding of the power of both himself and his enemy!

Finally, just as the reef lizard missed its target once again, Vio saw an opportunity!

The beast pounced too fiercely, and when it landed on its forelimbs, it lost its balance, revealing a small patch of skin under its armpit that wasn't covered by scales. .

Vio's eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he unleashed his full breathing technique and instantly appeared beside the Reef Dragon Lizard!

The will of the Southern Realm, accompanied by a whistling sword wind, pierced straight into that piece of land. !

"puff--!"

The moment the blade pierced through, blood gushed out!

The reef lizard let out a mournful hiss and frantically twisted its body, trying to shake off the tiny enemy on its back.

Vio, however, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his whole body swinging wildly in the air, yet he never let go.

He gritted his teeth and pushed the blade in a little further.

The reef lizard's struggles grew weaker and weaker, its movements became sluggish, and the luster on its scales gradually dimmed.

Finally, the massive body swayed and crashed to the ground.

Dust flew everywhere, and the ground trembled.

Vio drew his sword, staggered back a few steps, and gasped for breath.

He was covered in blood, it was hard to tell if it was his own or that of the sea monster, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.

In the distance, old Ballow had stopped his boat sometime earlier and was staring in disbelief at the scene.

"Count, Your Excellency..." His voice trembled.

Vio ignored him and just looked down at the enormous creature at his feet.

The reef lizard was dead; its eerie green vertical pupils had lost their luster, but its scales remained as hard as iron.

He crouched down and began to deal with the sea monster's carcass.

Scales can be made into protective gear and may even be used in medicine.

Bones are also good materials for forging weapons, blood is also material from his bathtub, and the core hidden in his chest cavity is an invaluable treasure.

Old Ballow staggered over, his eyes wide as he watched Vio expertly dissect the sea monster's carcass.

"Your Excellency, you...you used to do this?"

"No." Vio didn't even look up. "It was completely dead, so I just chopped it up casually."

Old Barlow's lips twitched, but he didn't dare ask any more questions.

Vio took out the useful parts one by one, wrapped them in the sea monster's skin, and handed them to old Ballow.

"Bring it on board."

Old Barlow took it, weighed it in his hand, and a pained expression appeared on his face. "Your Excellency, this thing is quite heavy..."

Vio glanced at him.

Old Barlow immediately shut up, picked up his leather bag, and ran towards the sea.

When he returned, Vio had already cleaned up the battlefield and was standing on the reef, gazing at the deep blue sea in the distance.

"Your Excellency," old Ballow said, panting, "everything is put away, we..."

"Isn't this just a young reef lizard?" Vio interrupted him.

Old Barlow paused for a moment, then nodded.

"You actually noticed?" He scratched his head. "This one is indeed not yet an adult, and it's rather small. In fact, in our seas, the reef lizard is only considered a small to medium-sized marine animal. There are many larger and stronger ones."

Vio turned around and looked at him.

"Take me to try it."

Old Ballow was stunned. "Your Excellency, you...you're still going?"

"Let's go." Vio jumped off the reef and walked towards the speedboat, his eyes full of anticipation. "This kind of battle will be more rewarding than I imagined."

He paused, turned around, and looked at old Ballow.

"What, scared?"

Old Barlow opened his mouth, then grinned, revealing his few chipped, yellow teeth.

"What's there to be afraid of? I, old Ballow, have been sailing these seas for forty years. What haven't I seen?" He strode after him, patting his chest. "Wherever you want to go, I'll take you! I guarantee we'll find something big!"

Vio's lips curled up slightly, but he didn't say anything more.

The two boarded the boat, and old Ballow hoisted the sail. The speedboat slowly sailed away from the broken reef island and headed towards deeper waters.