Chapter 13: Battle of the Twin Lions

As the sea lion crashed onto the deck, Li Mingxing let out a roaring shout and sprang directly from the sea surface. Moving at the absolute peak of his speed, he vaulted straight onto the decaying vessel.

The moment Li Mingxing landed, the sea lion lashed out with a razor-sharp claw, attempting to swat him back into the water. Li Mingxing knew that once he fell into the ocean, his chances of winning would plummet. Gritting his teeth, he used his forelimbs to block the strike head-on, then roared fiercely back at the beast.

The sea lion possessed formidable reflexes. Realizing its initial claw strike had missed its mark, it slammed its front paw hard against the rotten deck, attempting to shatter the hull and accelerate the sinking of the ship.

Li Mingxing was not about to let the sea lion succeed. Whipping his scorpion tail backward, he thrust the stinger straight toward the beast's pounding paw. The instant the stinger moved, the venom prepared within was switched to a paralyzing neurotoxin; once pierced by this strike, even if the sea lion survived, it would be instantly rendered completely immobile.

The sea lion seemed acutely aware of the lethal danger posed by that stinger. It let out a deep bellow, and a visible shockwave rippled from its maw, momentarily slowing the descent of Li Mingxing's tail. That split second was all the opening the sea lion needed to scramble out of the attack's lethal radius.

Li Mingxing refused to let his prey escape so easily. As the sea lion retreated, Li Mingxing lunged forward once more. Beyond exerting his maximum physical strength, he fully unleashed his Level 2 Sovereign Aura.

Amplified by the Sovereign Aura, Li Mingxing's charge mirrored that of a true lion king, carrying a terrifying majesty absent from his ordinary attacks. The sea lion's momentum instantly faltered, forcing it to execute a desperate roll to the side just to evade the onslaught.

Having discovered the immense tactical advantage of the Sovereign Aura, Li Mingxing had no intention of reining it in. Riding the wave of psychological dominance bestowed by the aura, he relentlessly battered the sea lion's confidence from the front.

Watching the sea lion's presence weaken and its movements grow increasingly sluggish, Li Mingxing felt victory was already within his grasp. Suddenly, the beast seemed to snap out of its stupor. Rolling across the deck to dodge another strike, it raised its head and roared wildly toward the horizon.

Right at that moment, Li Mingxing's paw came crashing down squarely onto the sea lion's back. The creature offered neither defense nor evasion, a bizarre lack of resistance that caught Li Mingxing off guard. Instead of pressing his advantage, he glanced around warily, searching the surroundings for any reinforcements that might have come to the sea lion's aid.

Taking advantage of Li Mingxing's momentary distraction, the sea lion scrambled five meters away. Its body suddenly arched like a feline's, and its dual yellow, glass-like eyes slowly shifted to a deep, oceanic blue. Its formerly three-and-a-half-meter frame began to swell violently until its sleek skin could no longer contain the expanding mass, finally coming to a halt.

This transformation only served to excite Li Mingxing further. Crouching low, he let the combat techniques he had once learned from the fighting leopard flow through his mind like water. Battle strategies formed in his head one after another, only to be systematically discarded. What Li Mingxing needed right now was neither a sneak attack nor an ambush; he needed to fight upright and head-on, like a true lion king.

Yet, ever since he had been transformed into a spiritual entity, Li Mingxing had never actually studied orthodox, frontal combat methods. Thus, this style of battle presented a genuine challenge to him.

Sensing Li Mingxing's change in posture, the sea lion roared and kicked off the decaying deck with nimble agility. Moving with light, rapid footfalls, it circled Li Mingxing like a streak of black lightning, frantically scanning for an opening to strike.

Instead of panicking, Li Mingxing grew remarkably calm. He tracked the sea lion's blur of motion with intense focus, calculating whether the beast intended to launch a direct assault or was merely running circles to find a chance to flee.

Before Li Mingxing could finish analyzing the enemy's intentions, the sea lion launched its attack. Having enlarged its body, its physical strength now nearly rivaled Li Mingxing's own, while its speed had reached its absolute zenith during the encircling run. As a result, this explosive charge carried a destructive impact reminiscent of Li Mingxing's own Sovereign Aura-enhanced rushes.

The instant the sea lion lunged, Li Mingxing snapped his body backward, coiled his hind legs, and propelled himself forward with an explosive burst of force. Thrusting his forelimbs directly at the charging beast, he simultaneously opened his jaws as wide as possible, aiming a ferocious bite squarely at the sea lion's throat.

The sea lion's reaction was equally lightning-fast. Swiping its front paw through mid-air, it struck Li Mingxing directly on the head, sending a constellation of golden stars flashing across his vision and nearly knocking him out of the air.

At this critical juncture, the vestigial wings on Li Mingxing's back—which he still barely knew how to use—saved him. Utilizing the subtle aerodynamic correction of the wings, he avoided being slammed into the deck and losing the initiative. Regaining his aerial balance mid-flight, he snapped his jaws down onto the forepaw that had just flashed past his face, dropped his center of gravity, and dragged the sea lion crashing down to the deck.

With one of its forepaws clamped firmly in Li Mingxing's jaws, the sea lion roared in agony. Its remaining paw lashed out toward Li Mingxing's face, while its jaws lunged relentlessly toward Li Mingxing's neck, clearly intent on tearing his throat out.

However, Li Mingxing was far too protective of his own vital weak points to let that happen. The moment the sea lion opened its maw, Li Mingxing's scorpion tail whipped forward, stabbing directly into the beast's gaping mouth. Simultaneously, the two concealed flying swords hidden within Li Mingxing's mouth shot straight down into the sea lion's interior. While they couldn't navigate the bloodstream to pierce the heart or other vital organs, severing the sea lion's remaining forepaw was well within their capability.

With a violent jerk of Li Mingxing's head, the sea lion let out a miserable shriek as its remaining forepaw was severed and sent flying. Seizing the opening, Li Mingxing surged forward, vaulted onto the beast's back, and clamped his jaws onto its neck. This time, his intent was clear: once his teeth locked onto the throat, he would use the flying swords to decapitate the creature entirely.

Robbed of its forepaws, the sea lion's reactions did not slow down in the slightest. Knowing that being bitten meant certain death, it slammed the stump of its remaining limb against the deck, surged forward by several meters, and broke free of Li Mingxing's attack range, desperate to plunge back into the sea.

With a thunderous roar, Li Mingxing planted his body squarely across the sea lion's escape route. As he opened his mouth, his two fangs instantly transformed into a pair of flying swords, piercing straight toward the sea lion's eyes from the front.

Hampered by the loss of its forelimbs, the sea lion's balance and speed were critically compromised. It managed to dodge only one of the incoming blades; the second struck squarely between its brows. Though the blow was not immediately fatal, it completely shattered the beast's combat capability, leaving it to watch helplessly as Li Mingxing lunged forward and locked his jaws around its neck.

After tearing the sea lion to pieces and killing it, the half-demon mermaid approached Li Mingxing's side. "The battle is essentially over. Aside from the vessel the mage was riding, every other ship has been sunk. About ten percent of the enemy managed to escape, but those who got away are all elites. Do we need to pursue them?"

"No need. Let them live to spread the news," Li Mingxing replied. "Besides, that ship holds little value for us. Send some people aboard to scavenge whatever is useful, and sink the rest into the ocean. By the way, that lion creature I just fought—is that a local specialty of your waters?"

"You could say that," the half-demon mermaid mused thoughtfully. "It's a rather rare species found near the southern seas. Apparently, it's just a single family clan. Word has it that the entire population consists of a single male lion and over thirty lionesses. The female cubs grow up to become the male's mates, while the young males are driven out of the territory upon reaching a certain age to fend for themselves. Of course, if a young male is strong enough to return and usurp the lion king, he inherits the entire harem of lionesses."

"Alright, spare me the lecture on their domestic habits," Li Mingxing interrupted with a sweat-drop. Imagining himself tangled up with over thirty female lions made his skin crawl. Shaking his head to banish the thought, he barked, "If I go conquer a male lion and make myself the king of this pride, wouldn't that work?"

"In a lion pride, an outsider's minion cannot become king," the half-demon mermaid replied casually. "Actually, my lord, you have no reason to waste time on this oceanic pride. If you travel north from here, there's a large fishing ground. Word has it that two races, griffins and manticores, are locked in a territorial war in that vicinity. If my lord can broker a peace between them, you might just be able to recruit some truly formidable troops from their ranks."