February 26, 2025 — 11:37 am

The count was utterly stunned.

Liszt, however, felt completely in control. He unleashed his full power, giving the count almost no time to react. The advanced fire-attribute Dragon Aura attached to his Skyrend Greatsword, cutting through the air with devastating force.

Taking advantage of the slowed dissipation of mana, he saturated the surrounding dozens of meters with his aura.

"Crimson Sunflare Surge!"

He bellowed internally, the Skyrend Greatsword dancing like a fiery red sun. The dense mana continuously compressed, setting ablaze all the fire-attribute energy around within the next tenth of a second. With a thunderous explosion, a vast sea of flames instantly erupted, engulfing the count.

The blue-white water-attribute mana was confined to within a few meters in front of the count.

Facing such a raging inferno, his mana couldn't undergo a transformation to become seawater. It could only vanish into the flames, and even if he wanted to replenish it, he had to face Liszt's relentless attacks. He was forced into a passive defense, utterly overwhelmed.

He wanted to counterattack but couldn't break through the all-consuming fire.

This made his anger build up more and more, feeling as if he wasn't receiving Liszt's guidance but being beaten down by him, as if trapped in a steamer, completely humiliated.

However, having experienced countless sword battles, he was battered but unbroken.

Unable to match the mana consumption, he focused on defense, biding his time for the perfect moment. Finally, amidst Liszt's overwhelming attacks, he found a flaw and immediately launched a devastating counterattack. The water-attribute mana, channeled through his Eternal Resilience Sword, deflected the Skyrend Greatsword's attack.

Then, with a burst of mana, his body propelled hundreds of meters into the air.

Leaving the flame zone, it truly felt like the vast sea and sky opened up before him. The howling cold wind blew against his face, instantly soothing his flushed complexion that had been nearly steamed by the flames.

The refreshing sensation fueled his roar, "Liszt, my son, the true battle of the sky knight has just begun!"

But before he could assume his stance, he spotted four fiery red arrow trajectories heading straight for him.

One in front, one behind, one to the left, and one to the right, cutting off all escape routes. Being high in the air with no leverage, it was nearly impossible to evade the arrow attacks.

"Archery has little lethality against a sky knight!" The count remained calm, using his Eternal Resilience Sword to form a defensive arc, preparing to block.

However, the next moment, when the Eternal Resilience Sword made contact with the arrows, they suddenly exploded.

The power wasn't devastating, but it was entirely unexpected. Never had arrows from such a distance been infused with energy. Thus, the count, taken by surprise, was hit by the fire-attribute mana explosion at close range. The shockwave chaotically impacted him, nearly knocking him out of the air. Even though he stabilized his posture in time, a strand of his brownish-yellow hair on his forehead was still set ablaze by the flames.

"My hair!"

The count's just-cooled complexion visibly flushed red again.

Unfortunately, before he could begin his rage, Liszt, who had quickly put away his Swift Shadow Bow, stomped on the ground, burst with mana, and soared into the air as well. Transforming into a red rocket, he charged straight at the count, the Skyrend Greatsword swinging in the air. With a move called "Rising Sun Surge," he struck the count fiercely.

The next second.

The count let out a cry and flew towards the distant sea in a free-fall trajectory.

Liszt adjusted his posture and followed the count closely, not planning to give him any chance to retaliate. He had entered the state of sword combat, fully immersed in the battle. He clearly understood that his opponent was a powerful sword saint, and only by giving his all could he defeat him.

Even in a sparring match between father and son, there should be no holding back in sword combat.

Strong warriors always fight with their full strength.

"Sunset Descent!"

The charged move of "Crimson Sunflare Surge" was released again. Catching up to the count, Liszt delivered another fierce strike. Even though the count had adjusted his posture mid-flight and met it with his strongest combat power, he was still heavily struck by this move. The explosive fire-attribute mana was simply beyond what his water-attribute mana could resist.

There was a fundamental difference in their levels.

"Why is this happening?"

With a puzzled thought flashing through his mind, the Earl crashed towards the ground. He couldn’t understand why, even after taking to the skies and fighting as a Sky Knight, he still couldn’t fend off Liszt’s attacks. His water-based mana, known for its toughness, was completely overwhelmed by the fire-based mana.

"I’m a Sword Saint! This shouldn’t be happening—my mana should be stronger!"

Thud!

At the moment of landing, the Earl twisted his body at the last moment, stepping hard on the rocks of the gravel beach, shattering them. Using the recoil and a burst of mana, he launched himself back into the air.

He narrowly avoided Liszt, who was using his fall to speed up his attack.

Boom!

The fire-based mana exploded on the ground, blasting away the rocks of the beach within dozens of meters. Even after missing, Liszt didn’t hesitate. He swung his Void Slayer sword again, mana gushing from the blade, spraying dozens of meters.

"Crimson Burn!"

The mana flared into flames, catching the Earl’s back as he rose, stopping him from rising further.

"Blazing Sun Thrust!"

With a forward thrust of his Void Slayer sword, Liszt closed the distance to the Earl in an instant. The flames formed into a drill, easily shredding the Earl’s hastily summoned blue-white mana. Throughout the fight, the Earl’s mana failed to transform, unable to trigger natural phenomena.

Every clash of mana ended with the fire-based mana overwhelming his.

What’s more, he had to expend far more mana to withstand the seemingly slow but actually fast erosion of the fire-based mana, a situation he’d never faced in all his battles.

Boom!

The mana was blasted apart again.

Before the Earl could summon more mana, it was too late. The Void Slayer sword pierced out from the flames, aimed straight for his neck. Just one more inch, and it would pierce the skin. He could already feel the sting and burn on his neck, the pressure formed by the sword tip compressing the air.

He even felt the faint shadow of death.

It was a profound sense of helplessness, a feeling he had hardly ever experienced in his sword battle career, which usually ended with him defeating his opponents. Even in the few failures, he could easily escape.

This time.

It was a crushing defeat, almost without any ability to fight back, being passively beaten from start to finish, until the mana collapsed.

The blade pressed against him.

No more moves left.

...

At the critical moment.

The Void Slayer sword stopped and slowly retracted.

The flames in the sky quickly dissipated, revealing the handsome face in front, panting heavily: "Father, you were careless." Liszt suppressed his rapid breathing, breaking the silence with a calm tone.

His eyes were as bright as stars, his face had returned to a composed demeanor.

In fact, he was ecstatic inside. He’d expected a tough fight, but it turned into a one-sided domination. The Sword Saint of the Sapphire Duchy, ranked in the top ten in combat power, was so easily defeated by him, not even able to escape.

A burst of energy, and the battle was over.

He won decisively, solidifying his position as the strongest on Coral Island.

At this moment, he felt an indescribable exhilaration. If it weren’t for the complex expression on the Earl’s face, he might have burst into laughter. Instead, he had to duck his head, stifling a laugh as he sheathed the Skyrend Blade.

Yet his peripheral vision was fixed on the Earl.

A mix of anger, regret, fear, relief, excitement, and confusion flickered across the Earl’s face, twisting into an awkward, tangled expression.

After a moment of this emotional turmoil, the Earl finally looked up at the sky painfully and stammered, "Yes... I was careless."