Chapter 745: Super Magic

It's incredibly powerful.

Liszt felt that the power behind Acheronides' spell could rival one of his charged attacks while riding a dragon, though it was still a bit weaker than a Dragon Slash.

If he were to unleash a Dragon Slash, not only would the rocky shore be split in two, but the surrounding boulders would be completely obliterated—the techniques from the Dragon Aura Manual contained truly explosive force.

"Can’t you cast it instantly?" Liszt asked, jumping onto the rocky shore and closely inspecting the rock sliced open by the water saw. The cut wasn't smooth, but the force during the attack had been highly concentrated.

Through his Magic Eye, he could still see traces of lingering magic.

Based on his experience, this kind of power could seriously threaten a dragon knight—it definitely surpassed the level of advanced magic.

Acheronides shook her head. "Not yet. Sustaining this spell is really tough; it requires very complex rune calculations. Its power doubles when near the sea, but on flat land, the casting slows down and the power drops a lot."

Liszt instinctively reached out and ruffled Acheronides’ azure-blue hair. "Keep practicing. Once you’ve mastered this move, you’ll be able to hold your own against a peak-stage dragon knight in a battle at sea." When she was with Liszt, Acheronides would take off her hood, revealing her flawless face.

It was a pity that since she started wearing clothes, she had never shown her natural figure to him again—which he often found disappointing.

"Oh right," Liszt added, "did you come up with a name for this spell? And how would you rate its rank?"

"What do you think, brother?"

"I don’t really understand the mechanics behind it, so I can’t say. You decide." After all, you can’t make something out of nothing—Liszt couldn’t even begin to grasp how this spell worked, and trying to figure it out was giving him a headache.

Acheronides thought for a moment before speaking.

"Then let’s call this spell 'Chainsaw-Style Ultra-High-Pressure Water Cutter.' It works similarly to a chainsaw and high-pressure water cutter. As for its rank, we’ll classify it as a super spell. Based on the principles of the magic circle, it should fall under dynamic acceleration magic circles—or maybe high-speed magic circles."

At this point,

The categories of magic were now fully defined.

The magic cultivation system and the knight cultivation system stood in stark contrast.

Basic Magic - Proto-Magic Circle - Magic Apprentices VS Knight Apprentices - Primary Combat Aura - Basic Combat Aura Techniques.

Ordinary Magic - Static Magic Circle - Magicians VS Earth Knights - Intermediate Combat Aura - Aura Technique Manuals.

Advanced Magic - Dynamic Magic Circle - Grand Magus VS Sky Knight - Advanced Combat Aura - Advanced Aura Manuals.

Supreme Magic - High-Speed Magic Circle - Archmage VS Dragon Knight - Dragon Aura - Dragon Aura Manuals.

With this comparison, Liszt noticed with sharp insight that whether it was Dragon Knights or magicians, the two distinct cultivation systems shared a similar hierarchical structure. This indicated that in terms of utilizing mana, whether it was knights who primarily refined their own combat aura or magicians who absorbed ambient mana, they reached comparable heights via distinct paths.

"No wonder magicians once ruled the world—now it’s the knights’ era. It seems both cultivation systems possess highly efficient mana utilization."

Survival of the fittest, adaptation ensures survival.

That’s probably how it works.

On the way back, Liszt raised another question: "Acheronides, the cultivation methods of magicians and knights are similar, and Archmages utilize the Magic Web while Dragon Knights form their own. Do you think there are even higher levels of magicians and knights beyond these?"

"I don’t know, brother. I haven’t even mastered the Archmage tier yet."

"Alright." Liszt himself hadn’t fully grasped the Dragon Knight level either, so he stopped worrying about the future and instead asked, "You’ve been working on element-switching. Have you found any clues about how to achieve it?"

Acheronides was a water-element Archmage, unable to cast spells from the other seven elements, which made her feel cripplingly restricted.

Given that she can utilize magic energy to channel and release natural magic belonging to chaos magic, as well as recently developing enchanted gear capable of storing clothes, theoretically, an Archmage leveraging the Magic Web could forcibly switch their elemental form to achieve the release of various elemental magics.

However, she shook her head: "I feel there are many clues, but upon closer study, I find too many constraints. So, Acheronides is still struggling with it."

"Alright, take your time. No hurry."

...

The current situation indeed doesn’t require urgency.

The Kingdom of the Eagle struggling to contain news of the Lightgreen Gem Dragon indicates the kingdom’s weakness, completely unable to launch another dragon-slaying war. The Kingdom of Steel Ridge sending a diplomatic envoy suggests an intent for friendly relations rather than resorting to war. With the two major kingdoms influencing this sea region stabilized, Liszt is on even firmer ground.

He patiently awaits the arrival of the diplomatic envoy. However, before their arrival, Marquis Merlin, accompanied by Meopo and Angela, arrives at Black Horse Island early.

Without stopping at Tulip Castle, at Marquis Merlin’s request, the fleet heads straight for Black Horse Harbor.

Liszt personally welcomes them at the port.

As the royal swift sailboat docks, Meopo and Angela assist a white-haired old man slowly disembarking—none other than Liszt’s beloved grandfather, Merlin Longtuber.

"Grandfather."

"Good!" Marquis Merlin grasps Liszt’s hand firmly, though his body has deteriorated completely, rendering even his tight grip feeble.

His complexion is worryingly pale, making one wonder if he’ll survive the coming winter.

Yet the old man’s spirits are high. When news of Liszt becoming a Dragon Rider reached him, he instantly understood that the Longtuber family now had a rock-solid foundation. The family may not remain eternally prosperous, but at least during Liszt’s lifetime, it will remain untouchable.

Given Marquis Merlin’s frail condition, they don’t linger at the harbor and immediately board a carriage bound for Thorn Castle.

Liszt rides his landstrider Loki—he usually avoids riding Leo for short trips due to inconvenience, preferring Loki for travel.

Meopo rides a fine horse alongside Liszt, brimming with excitement.

"Liszt, you’re incredible!" he exclaims enthusiastically. "A Dragon Rider—and you’re my cousin! I couldn’t sleep properly for days; it’s just unbelievable."

"Nothing special."

"Do you know how many noble ladies are now chasing after me just because I’m the Dragon Rider’s cousin? All for a flimsy excuse to get close to you!"

Liszt zeroes in on the key point: "You’re still messing around?"

"Not at all! I’m very proper. Oh, and I have great news I can’t wait to share!" Meopo grins from ear to ear. "Thanks to the life-energy potion you sent, I finally succeeded—Angela is pregnant! Haha!"

"Ah, congratulations!" Liszt is genuinely happy for his cousin.

Meopo grins widely. "Thank you, thank you!"

Upon returning to Thorn Castle, Liszt gets Marquis Merlin settled, dispatches a knight to send word to Tulip Castle, and arranges a luncheon.

Marquis Merlin has come to Black Horse Island for the winter festivities. With Thorn Castle fully constructed and plenty of room to spare, hosting the entire Longtuber family is no issue. However, Mexiro and his wife won’t arrive until the eve of the festival, as they must handle affairs on Red Crab Island.

A short while later.

As snow continues to fall heavily, Marquis Merlin stands on Thorn Castle’s balcony, watching Liszt summon the Fire Drake Rio.

His dim eyes suddenly brighten. "Stunning! What a splendid Fire Dragon!"