Chapter 704: Easy Capture

"Order the Tulip fleet to steer starboard ahead!"

While the Marquis was off hunting monsters to level up, Liszt became the highest commander aboard the Tulip and immediately ordered the fleet to shift its attack course.

"I’ve got unfinished business with Dimaria Yuhuashi!"

The fleet wheeled hard toward Marquis Niuwei’s fleet. With Liszt and Acheronides guarding them, the Tulip fleet had not lost a single ship so far and remained at full strength. In boarding actions, especially, Acheronides would unleash a few spells that easily shattered enemy vessels.

The sea obeyed her—cross her, and you’d regret it.

Dozens of Tulip ships surged ahead, charging toward Marquis Niuwei, who was busy tearing through enemy vessels. The distance closed rapidly—now close enough to see unaided. Marquis Niuwei, who had been wreaking havoc, noticed his fleet's course change and promptly returned to the deck of the Tulip.

"Liszt! What’s the meaning of this course change?"

"Father, look over there."

Lee William looked up and spotted Marquis Niuwei: "That’s… Dimaria Yuhuashi, that Domain Knight!"

"Him, alright." Liszt gripped the hilt of the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword with one hand, his expression slightly excited. "As a powerful Domain Knight, he possesses not only aura techniques but also inherited family skills. Capture him, and his secrets are ours!"

The Marquis asked, "Can you take him down without revealing the dragon?"

Liszt raised his head and gazed skyward. "Father, you underestimate Dragon Knights." With his current strength—his formidable physique, surging Dragon Aura, and the ability to channel the draconic will through the Fire Dragon Leo within him—his combat prowess was beyond the imagination of ordinary knights.

"Then I’ll draw Dimaria out," the Marquis said eagerly, having never faced a Domain Knight before.

"Do it."

"Go!"

As the two fleets drew near enough to see the expressions on Marquis Niuwei’s men, Lee William suddenly launched himself skyward, charging toward the unstoppable Marquis Niuwei.

The gap vanished.

Marquis Niuwei naturally saw him too—he recognized Lee as the father of the brat who had turned him into a laughingstock in the Kingdom of the Eagle. A top-tier Domain Knight, a high-ranking noble humiliated by some brat from a backwater—unforgivable.

His eyes swept the deck but found no sign of Liszt.

Marquis Niuwei sneered and flew toward Lee. This time, he’d paint the sapphire seas red and wash away his shame!

Lee met him head-on, just as confident.

Moments later, the two clashed violently—their water-attribute auras exploding like colliding tsunamis, sending droplets flying everywhere.

Then—

A scream tore through the air.

Lee plummeted like a stone.

"Acheronides, save the Marquis!" Liszt barked, then erupted in Fire Dragon Aura, launching himself toward Marquis Niuwei like an arrow.

Marquis Niuwei, having just sent Lee crashing down in a single strike, was about to press his advantage when a flicker of flame caught his eye. That flame—it matched the face burned into his mind, igniting the fury he had long suppressed.

"It’s him!"

"Liszt!"

"The Ancient Warrior’s heir!"

"Back then, you only won by a fluke with that sneaky arrow strike. Now you dare try the same trick again? Do you really think I, the Sword Saint of Surging Tides, earned my title for nothing?" Marquis Riptide gripped his ordinary-looking greatsword, his eyes locked onto the azure greatsword in the fiery silhouette’s grasp. "And my Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword—return it to me!"

A storm of thoughts raced through his mind.

Marquis Riptide mustered every ounce of his mana, gathering it within himself, ready to face the challenge head-on and prove his might.

Yet the fiery figure before him dimmed rapidly, its flames extinguishing, replaced instead by a glacial mist swirling around it.

KABOOM!

Fierce mana clashed with the icy cold.

But the expected cataclysmic impact never came. Instead, Liszt effortlessly flourished the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, releasing countless ice-attribute mana in an intricate rhythm. Upon contact with the mana domain, this frost energy swiftly froze and shattered the chaotic energies within.

Through the Magic Eye's vision, Marquis Riptide’s surging mana domain visibly disintegrated at an alarming rate.

Clang!

The ordinary-looking greatsword met the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, unleashing a soul-numbing frost that rippled outward in waves, sweeping through more of the mana domain.

"How is this possible?!"

Marquis Riptide felt his power faltering—his strength was ebbing away like a receding tide.

Even worse, Liszt before him wasn’t being pushed back. Instead, he was unleashing even greater force, hovering effortlessly midair as they fought.

This sent a jolt of disbelief through him: "How can you also float in the air? Without a mana domain, flight is impossible—you can only leap!"

"Take a guess." Liszt smirked, not immediately switching back to his Fire Dragon Aura. He continued weaving the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword’s ice-conversion and frost-sealing techniques, dancing around Marquis Riptide.

He didn't want to overwhelm the Marquis outright and expose his full strength too soon. Besides, this was the perfect opportunity to grow more familiar with the sword’s frost-sealing techniques.

"Impossible! Why is my mana domain collapsing?!"

"Because I wield the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword—it naturally seals mana domains with frost."

"This…?"

"The innate properties of Grand Sprite-forged arms are beyond your comprehension. Naturally, you wouldn’t grasp frost-sealing techniques either," Liszt replied with mocking calm.

For him, the sky duel was like a leisurely walk in the garden. Chatting while fighting did not hinder his performance in the slightest.

Countless waves of ice-attribute mana cascaded outward, relentlessly eroding the mana domain. In just a few exchanged words, Marquis Riptide’s domain was teetering on the brink of collapse, forcing him to stop speaking and focus.

Though deeply humiliated,

he began weighing his escape: "Liszt! Without the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword, you’d never stand a chance against me in direct combat! Savor your victory while you can. Soon, when the Sapphire Duchy falls, I’ll ensure you taste the prison fare of Riverheart Keep!"

With that, he summoned the remnants of his mana domain, hurling himself backward in a desperate bid to flee.

Eyes narrowing,

Liszt swiftly abandoned the ice-conversion technique and reignited his Fire Dragon Aura, blazing after the fleeing Marquis Riptide like a comet. "Since you've come all this way, Marquis Diamantia, why not sample Thorn Keep’s prison fare first? The flavor will be... *memorable*."

"Get lost!"

Marquis Riptide swung his blade, sundering the air with a gleaming arc, like a wave cleaved from the sea.

Liszt wielded the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword one-handed, flames erupting as he shattered every ripple and surge before striking Marquis Riptide squarely in the back.

Thud.

The Marquis Raging Waves instantly spat blood, his body plummeting.

But he was no match for Liszt’s speed.

Liszt grabbed his armor, the Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword sweeping around his neck, flames licking along the blade, forcing the internally wounded Marquis to stay perfectly still. Just like that, Liszt carried him toward the Tulip, while his followers could only watch helplessly as their lord was captured.

The battle seemed complex.

Yet it was over in mere moments. With the Marquis taken prisoner, the fight swiftly concluded.

Typical dragon knight—total domination. Had he not been putting on a act, Liszt could have captured the Marquis in a single move.

The power gap was simply too vast.

Tossing the Marquis onto the ground and letting the knights bind him with thick iron chains, Liszt offered a gentlemanly smile. “Welcome aboard the Tulip.”