Chapter 870: Earth-shattering

From Hot Spring Island to Dodo Island was not a short distance.

Liszt had ample time to take a nap, wake up, wash up, enjoy a hearty breakfast, and then gear up.

The Dragonlance *Thunder's Rage* was stored in his spatial ring, while the armor *Thunder's Wrath* adorned his body, and the *Frostbite Dragon Slayer Sword* hung at his waist. Along with various gemstone accessories that enhanced strength, recovery speed, and mana, as well as a three-colored cloak of red, black, and gold trim, he looked every bit the hero.

Acheronides still wore her magic cloak, similarly adorned with numerous gemstone accessories—all crafted from the gems sent by the royal family of the Iron Ridge Kingdom.

In her hand, she gripped a longsword—the divine artifact *Eight Dragons Divine Sword*.

In the end, Liszt chose not to wield this sword himself, instead gifting it to Acheronides. The reason was simple: the *Eight Dragons Divine Sword* was less a sword and more a magic staff. Originally the weapon of an ancient Archmage, it greatly amplified the power of eight elemental magical affinities.

In Acheronides' hands, the *Eight Dragons Divine Sword* could achieve its maximum effect.

As for Liszt himself, fighting atop a dragon with the Dragonlance as his primary weapon allowed for better unity between man and dragon.

"Brother, with the archmagic amplification of the *Eight Dragons Divine Sword*, my water and ice magic will become even more powerful, surely reaching the level of archmagic. It can deal devastating damage even to dragon knights," Acheronides said confidently, feeling the sword's enhancement on her elemental forms.

The once timid little siren, who had been relentlessly chased by the young six-headed leviathan Dulu-Mickita and hid weeping by the reef, had now become a confident and great Archmage, reigning supreme in magic.

No trace of her former fear remained.

"Still, your role should primarily be supportive. Don’t recklessly engage in the dragon knights' battles. You haven’t fully honed your magic, and your combat methods aren’t varied enough," Liszt reminded her.

Acheronides' water elemental form had developed three archmagic spells: Chainsaw Hydraulic Cutter, Spiral Ultra-High-Pressure Water Drill, and Centrifugal Water Molecular Shield.

Her ice elemental form had only developed one archmagic: Aegis of Absolute Zero. This involved infinitely compressing ice into a shield—technically simple, but the shield's defensive power was immense, especially against physical attacks, ranking supreme among all defensive magic.

Her spatial elemental form had only just been mastered, yet she had barely managed to develop an archmagic: Void Rend, inspired by the invisible dragon's breath that shattered space, utilizing spatial cutting to inflict damage.

Additionally, there was the basic archmagic—Magic Eye.

"Acheronides knows how to protect herself, brother. Don’t worry. During battle, I’ll cast water and ice shields on you and Bard, ensuring the dragon knights can’t harm you. Then, I’ll control the battlefield with advanced magic, only striking at the dragon knights when the right opportunity arises."

"Hmph." Liszt smiled and unleashed his signature head-pat, unconcerned about patting her bald spot. "Let’s go. Time to fight!"

...

The serfs working on Dodo Island had no idea a legendary dragon hunt was about to unfold. They were busy laying the foundations of the town.

Meanwhile, their lord had already taken to the skies on his dragon, patrolling the waters around Dodo Island within the border of the material plane, attempting to spot the invading dragon knights in advance.

It was unclear what principle allowed dragons to sense each other, but even while concealed within the border of the material plane, the invisible dragon could still be detected by other dragons at close range—though the detection distance was shortened.

This greatly crippled its stealth advantage.

Otherwise, Liszt would have acted long ago.

"I bet the Eagle Kingdom plans to flank us. So, I plan to locate one group first and see if we can take them out fast!"

He said this to Acheronides.

No sooner had he spoken than his pulse spiked—the invisible dragon had sensed the magic power aura of another dragon, approaching Dodo Island from the sea ahead.

"Let’s go!"

Liszt was not one to hesitate. Upon detecting the enemy, he immediately communicated with Bard and surged forward. In a flash, they covered the gap, the dragon’s presence growing clearer. Likely, the opponent had also sensed the invisible dragon. But this only hardened Liszt’s determination.

Then—

In the vision of Crystal White Trace, a bright magic aura suddenly appeared—a copper-like luster with a subtle violet glow.

"Copper Dragon Knight, Loyel Zitong!"

He had already identified the opponent. At this moment, the Copper Dragon Knight was flying at a slow speed, adopting a defensive posture while nervously glancing around—clearly sensing a dragon but unable to spot it visually, which left him puzzled.

No other dragon's presence or aura could be detected around him.

This meant Loyel was acting alone.

Such a heaven-sent opportunity—how could Liszt pass it up? "Charge, charge, spiral assault maneuver!" Man and dragon were in perfect harmony, united in a single thought: to strike. Instead of a straight-line approach, they opted for a spiraling charge to obscure their position in the dragon's magical senses.

The distance closed inch by inch, and the dragonbond grew ever more profound.

Within the Crystal White Trace, every subtle flow of the Copper Dragon Knight's magic power was etched into Liszt's consciousness, revealing his next move.

"His magic power is surging—prepared for a Wrath of Thunder strike. It seems Loyel isn’t as nervous as he appears... Truly befitting a rare dark-attribute Dragon Knight, his deceptive tactics align well with his combat style. Too bad he ran into me!"

Loyel's information flashed through Liszt's mind—a dark-attribute Dragon Knight whose mana carried corrosive, clinging properties, clinging like tar. Once struck, the dark-attribute mana would cling like a curse, inflicting continuous damage.

But no matter how bizarre, it was still a physical attack.

Against the invisible dragon, capable of phasing through the material boundary, it posed little threat.

Wrath of Thunder raised, rider and mount surged forward in a spiral, mana and magic power resonating and accumulating, priming their "Ghost Strike."

Closer!

Nearly in striking distance.

Now, Liszt could see the predatory gleam in Loyel's eyes, as if he had long anticipated this sudden assault. Before Liszt could thrust his Dragonlance, Loyel swung his own—an obsidian lance from tip to tail.

"Die!" Loyel roared. The Dragonlance cut through the silence, as if even noise had been corroded by the dark-attribute mana.

Facing this strike brimming with deadly force, Liszt barely afforded a look. Man and dragon blinked out of existence from the attack path, appearing behind the Copper Dragon Knight.

Wrath of Thunder thrust forth.

Ghost Strike.

A light graze.

Crimson blossomed like a wound-flower.

"Roar!"

The copper dragon let out a shriek of agony as Wrath of Thunder cleaved a deep trench along its spine, exposing bone. Dragon blood sprayed, scattering over the open sea.

Thirty-five meters in length and wingspan, the copper dragon towered over the fifteen-meter invisible dragon—yet it was the copper dragon that suffered the wound.

Often, bulk meant nothing in combat prowess!

Spine searing in agony, Loyel's face flushed crimson, eyes burning with dragonfire. "Insolence!" he bellowed.

The black Dragonlance shifted abruptly, lashing out at the now-visible invisible dragon. Dark-attribute magic power erupted in undulating shadows—but struck only an afterimage.

After the strike, the invisible dragon vanished back into the material boundary, coiling for the next strike.