Chapter 699: Missing Inheritance

KABOOM!

Liszt's attack struck where Acheronides had been, but she sank into the sea and vanished from the Dragon Eye's sight, slipping out of its trajectory.

The Dragon Aura slowly faded over the ocean, and calm returned.

Liszt alone remained, riding the Fire Dragon as he patrolled the sea surface. The Dragon Eye's vision was formidable, but it lacked true penetration—so when Acheronides submerged, she successfully escaped his view.

"Is Acheronides trying to stall? Does she think my Dragon Rider Resonance has a time limit? Probably not. The purpose of this combat drill is to sharpen fighting skills; how can we improve without actual battle? Besides, I can end the Dragon Rider Resonance early and return to normal anytime."

He had long mastered Dragon Rider Resonance—Liszt and Leo could enter Dragon Rider mode whenever needed, with no time constraints.

But just as he considered ending the resonance, the sea surged again.

Innumerable watery blades rose from the surface, forming a web-like formation that slashed toward Leo with overwhelming force, fierce and unrelenting as a tempest.

Advanced water magic—Water Blades!

Riding Leo, Liszt nimbly wove through the air, darting between the massive blades of water while searching for Acheronides. In Dragon Rider mode, his reflexes and judgment were greatly enhanced. His perception was heightened, allowing him to clearly trace the flow of magical energy.

Suddenly—

Amid the towering water blades, a thick, solid jet of water shot upward with lightning speed—advanced water magic: High-Pressure Water Jet!

These spells, normally wielded only by great magicians, were as casual to Acheronides as tossing simple Water Arrows, cast without sparing a drop of mana. And after connecting with the Magic Web, she deeply understood dynamic spell formations, elevating her control of magic to new heights.

All her spells had undergone a qualitative leap in power and nature.

A sky knight—even a Domain Knight—would be helpless against such overwhelming magic. A single volley would send them straight to the glory of knighthood.

But her target was a Dragon Rider.

"Impressive, but you’ll need more than that to take me down!" Liszt remained calm, scanning the churning sea as he traced the spell trajectories to pinpoint Acheronides' location. "She moves fast underwater—near-teleportation speed. Tricky."

Even the most skilled human Archmage couldn't navigate the ocean so freely.

But controlling water was Acheronides' racial gift—the sea was her true domain, making her nearly invincible.

And she used this advantage well, hiding beneath the waves and ambushing Liszt with spells. Make no mistake—Acheronides was no delicate princess. She'd hunted countless sea monsters in these waters. As a child, she'd evaded a Six-Headed King Sea Serpent—a mid-level sea monster—for miles on end. She was far from inexperienced.

"Not good enough!"

Using the Dragon Eye's sharp observation, Liszt quickly identified Acheronides' underwater path. He analyzed their relative positions and movement routes, calculating the optimal strike point. Then, in perfect sync, Leo folded his wings and dove like a weightless rocket, slicing through layers of water blades.

Just before plunging into the sea, Leo twisted sharply, spread his wings, and flapped hard. At the same time, Liszt raised the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword and released a burst of mana straight into the depths.

The fire-based Dragon Aura flared even underwater, striking Acheronides mid-movement. When it collided with her Water Wave Shield, a violent explosion shattered the shield like glass, sending Acheronides hurtling deep into the sea.

The moment her shield broke, Acheronides used the impact to propel herself away.

While retreating, she raised her hand and unleashed wave after wave of advanced water magic—Hydro Fusion—churning the surrounding waters into chaos. Chaotic eruptions of magic shredded everything around, blocking Liszt’s renewed charge.

The spray of shattered waves blinded him, and Acheronides disappeared once more.

At Liszt’s command, Leo soared skyward—just as a thick, solid jet of water erupted from the turbulent sea, hitting empty air where Leo had just been.

So it continued.

Acheronides kept casting spells, but none found their mark—or if they did, they barely scratched Leo. Liszt occasionally landed hits, but the resistance of the water blunted their impact, leaving Acheronides largely unscathed. Neither could break the stalemate.

Roughly half an hour later.

Liszt signaled the end of the combat drill and walked with Acheronides to the beachside cabin.

Leo let out a cheerful “whoop” and soared toward the volcanic crater of Dodo Island, eager to test his newly condensed fire-attribute super magic, leaving Liszt and Acheronides behind to analyze the gains and losses from the exercise.

“Brother, an Archmage’s combat prowess is clearly far weaker than that of a Dragon Knight. Acheronides’ spells deal too little damage against a Dragon Knight. If it weren’t for the sea’s advantage, I wouldn’t stand a chance against you at all. When it comes to the dragon-slaying battle with Alonso the Wayfarer, Acheronides might only be able to play a supporting role.”

She spoke the truth.

Through this exercise, Liszt had also clearly realized that while an Archmage’s attacks might seem overwhelming—capable of devastating large areas—they barely fazed the Dragon Knight’s formidable physique. Even if Leo took a few direct hits from magic, he wouldn’t suffer serious injuries—maybe a few broken bones at worst.

Yet, a Dragon Knight’s attacks could easily shred through spells and strike the Archmage directly.

Had this fight taken place on land instead of at sea, Acheronides would’ve been crushed by Liszt in no time.

“I also feel something lacking in an Archmage’s combat prowess,” Liszt said. “Magic texts mention ancient Archmages who could duel dragons one-on-one—their offensive power shouldn’t be this weak. It must be due to lost knowledge. Acheronides, you’ve only mastered high-level magic, which even a great mage can wield.”

He made his judgment: “An Archmage should command more advanced magic; otherwise, such legendary tales wouldn’t have endured.”

“Acheronides agrees, but there are no leads on more advanced magic.”

“Perhaps soul research might hold the key. Back then, the mages of the Capricorn Assembly relied on soul studies to severely wound the Sapphire Dragon.”

Liszt sighed.

After a moment of thought, hesitating over whether to proceed, he pulled several books on soul-related magic from his spatial ring and handed them to Acheronides.

“These are books I’ve collected over time about the soul. I originally didn’t want you to delve into this, because soul research is… too dark.”

He wanted Acheronides to remain as pure and innocent as she was now, rather than becoming a mage twisted by soul obsession and defying the natural order.

According to legend, many ancient mages turned to sorcery—or even transformed into liches—after delving into soul studies. Liszt disliked sorcerers and liches, always feeling it was a desecration of life. Perhaps, deep down, he feared mages using soul magic to harm him.

After all, the Sapphire Dragon was proof—a group of great magicians nearly succeeded in slaying it, showing just how deadly soul magic could be.

Seemingly sensing Liszt’s concern, Acheronides solemnly accepted the books and giggled. “Brother, Acheronides will always be your little siren.”

Liszt was momentarily dazed—Acheronides had never spoken in such a coquettish tone before—but then he chuckled. “That’s right! Acheronides will always be Acheronides, and I’ll always be your brother, Liszt!”