Chapter 608: Actually 1 vs 2

Icypear City is the viscount's fiefdom, with Frostpear Keep as the viscount's castle.

Steeldam City is the earl's fiefdom, and its castle is named Little Riverheart Keep. The earl, Deborah Yuhuashi, is known as the RiverSlaying Sword Saint, reputed to have once cleaved a roaring river with a single strike. She is the niece of Marquis Dimaria Yuhuashi, the Marquis of Raging Tides, though not Yevich’s lord.

The Clearwater Sword Saint is a follower of the Marquis of Raging Tides.

When the Coral Island Knights arrived at Little Riverheart Keep, Earl Li William immediately sensed the difficulty. "No wonder it's called Little Riverheart Keep—it's practically built on an island in the river. Taking this castle will be extremely challenging, especially with these four massive stone bridges spanning the river. A knightly charge would turn us into sitting ducks."

Little Riverheart Keep was connected to the riverbanks by four stone bridges, each wide enough for four horses to ride abreast.

Liszt, however, only needed a glance.

A plan formed in his mind, and he promptly declared, "If we can't take the castle, then we'll demolish these four bridges, cutting off Little Riverheart Keep from the banks. That should draw out Deborah... If she refuses to emerge, we'll move on to other castles."

"That could work."

Demolishing the bridges naturally fell to the Blizzard Beast squad.

"Hiddleston!" Liszt called out, and Hiddleston immediately led his eight sons to the front of the bridges, awaiting orders. "Aim for the bridge piers—launch rock grenades!"

"Woof!"

The Blizzard Beast squad, now disciplined as military hounds, unleashed a relentless barrage of rock grenades, bombarding the bridge piers. Despite the bridges' formidable sturdiness, they began to crack and crumble under the onslaught. A few more moments, and collapse was inevitable.

Mounted on his war-strider Loki, Liszt silently observed Little Riverheart Keep. His target was inside—last night, his Blood Servants had scouted the castle. Though they dared not get too close due to the presence of two sword saints, they had still caught sight of Yevich.

As he watched the castle,

someone inside was watching him too. One pair of eyes burned with hatred—none other than the Clearwater Sword Saint, Yevich. The other, younger gaze belonged to the RiverSlaying Sword Saint, Deborah.

"Deborah, this Liszt from Sapphire is incredibly powerful. I was nearly killed by a single sneak arrow shot from him atop Snowpear Keep's walls. You should hold Little Riverheart Keep and wait for reinforcements from Greatriver Keep, not recklessly charge out!"

"Yevich!"

Deborah turned to Yevich, her lips curling in a sneer. "You were ambushed by a single arrow from that Liszt, and now you're cowering in fear?"

Yevich's jaw twitched. "I'm speaking the truth. You should know I was once a candidate for Dragon Knight—I don’t misjudge an opponent’s strength."

Deborah scoffed. "You *were* a candidate. Now, you're not."

Yevich clenched his fists, shaking off the terror of that arrow. "Regardless, I still advise you to hold Little Riverheart Keep instead of attacking."

"They're destroying my bridges! Those four earth-aligned beasts are a massive threat to the stone bridges! Do you realize the cost of those four bridges alone equals half the castle's value?" Deborah abruptly drew her sword, her eyes glinting coldly. "Pass my order—the knights are to assemble immediately and charge with me!"

"Yes, my lady!" The knight standing behind her saluted and hurried off.

Deborah turned back to Yevich. "I was never a Dragon Knight candidate, but I've never lost my courage. Yevich, if you don’t want me to think less of you, show some backbone and fight by my side! I’ll swat every Sapphire pest on my land!"

Her gaze bore into him,

making it clear—if Yevich dared to retreat, he would find no place left for him in the vast territory of the Riverplain. As the Marquis of Raging Tides’ niece, Deborah held more sway than an ordinary follower. Kicking Yevich out would be trivial.

Yevich took a deep breath,

shaking off the terror of that arrow two days prior, and nodded. "If you insist, I’ll prove my courage."

"Good!"

Moments later...

As Liszt was directing the Hiddleston unit to bombard the stone bridges relentlessly, the gates of Little Riverheart Castle swung open. The knights charged forth instantly, bellowing their war cries, their aura blazing as they raised their lances high, storming across the four broad and sturdy stone bridges.

"Hiddleston, fall back and regroup!"

Liszt acted decisively, withdrawing the Hiddleston unit to a strategic withdrawal point from the bridges.

Meanwhile, behind him, Earl Li William had already commanded The Coral Island Knights to form up for the counterattack. "Block the bridges! Don’t let them cross!"

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

A tide of warhorses and armor surged forward, heralding the clash of knightly forces.

Liszt patted the neck of his Chocobo, Loki, who let out 'kweh' in acknowledgment before spreading its wings and activating its levitation, soaring into the sky.

He was searching for Yevich.

During a knightly charge, Sky Knights usually provided aerial support, so Liszt quickly spotted Yevich astride a splendid warhorse. Yevich, too, looked up and saw the Chocobo ascending. His body stiffened as the memory of that terrifying arrow flashed through his mind.

Beside him, a knight clad in ostentatious gilded armor followed Yevich’s gaze and locked eyes with Liszt. Unlike Yevich, he showed no fear—only a burning, challenging stare, as if silently issuing a challenge.

"Interesting."

Liszt, still mounted on Loki, remained unhurried. He was gauging the exact range—one that would prevent either of them from retreating to the castle. He had no intention of letting Yevich escape again.

BOOM—

At the riverbank end of the bridge, the two knightly forces finally collided. With the Hiddleston unit withdrawn, this was a direct, brutal collision. Tides of battle aura intertwined in an instant as lances pierced formations, unhorsing dozens of knights in an instant.

But Liszt paid no attention to the battle. With the Earl commanding the assault, failure was impossible.

Instead, he silently measured the distance. The moment Yevich and Deborah reached the midpoint of the bridge—far enough from Little Riverheart Castle—his brow twitched. Advanced fire-attribute Dragon Aura surged through his body, and he leaped from Loki’s back, diving toward the bridge’s center.

No fear, no reckless fervor—just an irresistible force as he drew his Skysunder Greatsword and unleashed a perfected technique from *Crimson Sunflare Surge*: *Sunset Descent*. All five of its charging stances had been honed to instinct.

With a roar, his Dragon Aura transformed into flames, cloaking his body.

He truly resembled a sun plummeting toward the horizon.

...

On the bridge, Yevich—who had been watching Liszt closely—shouted in alarm the moment the man leaped from his Chocobo. "He’s coming, Deborah! He’s coming!"

"Daring to take on two alone? He seeks death!"

Deborah drew his knightly longsword in a reverse grip, aura blazing as he launched into the sky.

Though titled the River-Slaying Sword Saint, he was a lightning-attribute sword saint, wreathed in lightning as he fearlessly met Liszt’s flaming descent.

Beside him, Yevich—hands shaking—gnashed his teeth and channeled his water-aligned aura, following Deborah into the air. He kept repeating to himself: *Maybe he’s only strong with a bow. With two Sky Knights against him, he stands no chance!*

Yet the next moment—

In his vision, Liszt had already collided with Deborah.

Before his self-hypnosis could take effect and his mindset could adjust, Deborah—who had been swaggering with confidence just moments ago—was hurled backward with a piercing shriek after a single clash. She plummeted onto the stone bridge at three times the speed of her ascent, landing with a thunderous *boom* and blasting up a huge dust cloud.

At the sight of this,

what little courage Yevich had summoned ebbed away like a receding tide. His eyes widened in shock as he wrenched his mana into reverse, abruptly halting his ascent.

He turned and fled toward Riverheart Keep.

But just as he had put some distance between himself and the battle, a deafening howl ripped past his ears, followed by a searing blast of heat that smashed into him.

"Ah!"

A similar scream escaped him.

Copying Deborah’s earlier plunge, he plummeted at high speed, crashing hard onto the ground. Even with the robust physique of a sky knight, the impact jolted his guts into a sickening twist, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Clenching his teeth through the agony of shattered bones, he struggled to rise and continue fleeing.

But then, a weight pressed down on his back—a foot stepping firmly upon him—as a cold voice rang out: "Yevich Shui Huasheng, did you really think you could run?"