Second Assassination of the Sapphire Dragon (Fourth Update, Bonus for 200 Monthly Votes)

Snede was not dead.

Leewilliam's sword had pierced straight through his chest, yet the formidable physique of a Sky Knight still sustained his life. He had merely lost the ability to fight and was gravely wounded, on the brink of death.

The battlefield swiftly came to an end with Snede's curtain call. The knights of Parsley Castle vanished like smoke—these knights, cultivated at the cost of countless resources, had all met their end here because of the Grand Duke's wrath.

Once he had calmed down, Liszt could not help but sigh in regret.

The number of knights sacrificed over several years of the Development Orders probably did not compare to the number killed in this single battle on Iron Hoof Island. Earth Knights, lofty figures in the eyes of commoners, had their lives harvested as though slaughtering dogs. The shock weighed upon the hearts of every victorious knight.

Yet this was how nobles operated under the knightly system. Traitors had to pay with their lives in order to intimidate more knights into remaining loyal to their own lords.

"Gather the names of every fallen man and deliver them to me." The Count rode slowly across the blood-soaked battlefield, his voice low. "Their lives will not have been sacrificed in vain. Their glory will continue through their descendants, and you will likewise enjoy the supreme glory after this war!"

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The victorious knights raised their lances and swords, shouting loudly in response to the Count's promise.

Once the cries died down, the battlefield cleanup continued. Captain Raiden and Viscount Yunus were busy tallying the casualties when Marcus rode up beside Liszt and reported solemnly, "My lord, Rase Scale Weight has fallen."

Rase Scale Weight.

An Earth Knight who had pledged himself to Liszt alongside Rondo Water Jug, he had been