"I propose a three-pronged attack." Marcus said as a purple magic circle appeared in front of him.

"Okay. I don't mind." Dark Silhouette nodded.

"I too. Destroy its defenses so I can do the rest." The Knight of the Bloody Rose spoke with an ice-cold look.

Roooooooaaaaaaarrrrr!

The dragon roared furiously as it dropped two paws on them, however Dark Silhouette, Marcus, and Knight of the Bloody Rose instantly turned into shadows and ducked.

"Die!" Marcus exclaimed as he activated the magic circle, so a shadowy raven with thundering violet eyes burst forth from it.

The raven, like lightning, flew into the dragon and exploded. The energy ripped through the dragon's sturdy armor, and many cracks appeared on the scales.

"Good job. To damage the scales of a dragon, even a shadow dragon, is a real achievement." The Dark Silhouette smiled as he waved his hand.

Several phantom jaws appeared beside him that turned into piranhas.historical

"Let's go." Dark Silhouette pointed at the dragon with a slight smile on his face before the piranhas turned into a deadly torrent.

The piranhas gnawed into the skin of the dragon and gradually made a fist-sized hole, given the size of the dragon, it was no wider than a needle hole, but it was more than enough.

"Great." Knight of the Bloody Rose swept past them like a whirlwind while nearby rose petals, sharp as blades, appeared.

The Knight of the Bloody Rose gradually accelerated, so when he reached the dragon, he looked like a scarlet flash that struck the dragon with tremendous speed.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The shockwave from the attack spread apart as the impact threw the dragon forward. The dragon's huge body pierced through the castle wall and reached the western barrier of the kingdom. A large amount of ink flowed out of the dragon's wound, it was like a real river, so life was slowly leaving the dragon, but it was not going to give up.

Roooooaaaaaaaarrrrr!

The dragon flapped its wings, and a powerful stream of wind blew several houses away, but no one was hurt because before the wind had had to reach the houses, there was a golden flash.

"Well, well, here comes the fun part. Isn't it?" The Dark Silhouette smiled as the Knight of the Bloody Rose jumped high.

Hundreds of petals made their way toward it, and in time it turned into something like a cocoon that completely covered the Knight of the Bloody Rose. Then the petals began to melt since blood streams like threads pierced the body of the Knight of the Bloody Rose.

Whooooooosh.

The Knight of the Bloody Rose swung his sword as he sliced the cocoon in two. His appearance changed as his hair became scarlet, as did his eyes, and massive wings of petals grew from his back. Also, his dark armor disappeared, exposing his torso with that rose tattoo.

"You will be the first dragon I kill." The Knight of the Bloody Rose said in a calm voice, and the petals made their way toward his sword.

The Knight of the Bloody Rose gripped the sword firmly by the hilt, sighed, and threw it at the dragon with all his might. The sword instantly pierced the dragon as thousands of petals pierced it from within. With each second, the number of small wounds increased until all the ink that for it was the same as blood for humans flowed out of the dragon.

"It was beautiful." The Dark Silhouette said while sitting on the castle's ruins.

"You think so? I never liked that power." Knight of the Bloody Rose muttered with an indifferent look before landing beside him.

"Then why did you use it?"

"Well... She once said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, so... I had to end it like this, no other way." The Knight of the Bloody Rose said as tears flowed from his eyes.

"Ah, even though we won it all, it's still kind of sad. You really are the Farewell Petal." Dark Silhouette said in a thoughtful manner while holding his head with his hand.

"You're leaving?" Knight of the Bloody Rose asked.

"Yeah... I'll call you when I need to."

Knight of the Bloody Rose nodded silently as the Dark Silhouette, along with the golden flash, disappeared.

"Brother! You're all right!?" Cecilia exclaimed as she ran up to him.

"Yes. It's finally over. I wish I could have dealt with the king in person, but maybe it's for the best." The Knight of the Bloody Rose muttered with a sad look.

"Well, well, now the throne is empty, that needs to be fixed right now." Marcus said as a sly smile appeared on his face and sat down on the half-destroyed throne.

"What?!" White Lily exclaimed with a dazed look, "Do you really think you can be our king?"

"Hahahaha." Marcus laughed, then his eyes became as sharp as blades, "Why not? Royal Blades are excellent warriors, but not rulers. In war, the strongest wins, and in politics, the most cunning."

"No! That's out of the question!" White Lily waved her hand, "Hey! Are you really going to let some outlaw become our king so easily!"

"Damn... Honestly, I don't even know what to say..." Lucian mumbled while chasing the back of his head, "Actually, that doesn't sound so bad, but I think we should do the same thing we always do."

"Hmm?" Everyone looked at him in a thoughtful manner.

"We are knights, so we must follow the code. As the strongest decides, so shall it be." Lucian smiled as he turned to the Knight of the Bloody Rose.

The Knight of the Bloody Rose was silent, he knew that everyone was waiting to hear from him, and they would do whatever he said, so he needed to think it over carefully.

"Why do I feel like you already know my answer?"

"Huh, I don't." Marcus smiled, "You have no idea how nervous I am right now, but I'm too good at hiding it."

"Eh, I can't believe I'm saying this myself, but Marcus can make this kingdom truly great. However, given your personality, I can't completely trust you, so in a year, I'll verify what you've accomplished."

"In a year?" Cecilia asked.

"Yes. It's time to travel as I definitely need a rest."