The Lord Of Blood Hill

Garcia and the others look grim as they toss the unconscious Iron Knight Janet to Henwell. “Protect him!”

The Western Regions’ Iron Knights grip their weapons tightly, bracing for the life-or-death battle ahead.

Jeremy waves his hand lightly. “Then we’ll just wipe out all your little friends first.”

With that, dozens of fully armed Veil members step out behind him. Among them are eleven Grand Knights, with the rest all elite Battle Knights.

This clearly shows that Veil’s Iron Knights don’t intend to fight personally. Instead, they let their subordinates handle the work of eliminating Henwell and his group.

It’s a calculated move. If Garcia and the others watch helplessly as their subordinates get slaughtered, they’ll be in an even weaker position once their forces are depleted. But if they intervene to rescue them, Jeremy and the other Veil experts will seize the chance to launch a deadly attack.

Just as this dilemma is about to unfold, Henwell hands Janet to one of his wounded comrades. Then he picks up a longsword from the ground.

“Pakrik, lead the brothers in forming a defensive formation. McComb and Diara, you two block their advance with me. Sosie and Leician, support our fight.”

Henwell turns to Leician. “I don’t care if you’re a traitor or not. Now you see the situation clearly. They don’t intend to leave survivors. No matter whose side you’re on, you have to fight for yourself now. I swear by the lord of Blood Hill, if you stand with us through this, and if we’re lucky enough to survive, I’ll take you to Peace Haven for permanent shelter.”

Leician says nothing but shows his stance through action. He steps forward, positioning himself just behind Henwell’s side, exposing his back to Sosie. This means that if he betrays them, Sosie can strike him down instantly.

Henwell’s decision to let Leician fight is because he’s sure Leician isn’t a spy. His senses tell him Leician harbors no murderous intent or malice toward him.

Henwell grips his longsword tightly and steps forward. “Let’s fight!”

Jeremy from Veil chuckles. “Heh heh… you new guy have some spirit! Hey! I remember your name is Henwell, right? You’re one of us Veil, after all. Just happened to leave the Veil Organization by chance.”

Henwell replies coldly, “That was in the past! And you were the ones who captured me!”

Jeremy smiles and continues to persuade. “Henwell, you’re smart and talented. Many in the organization speak highly of you. You see the situation now. They all die here today, that’s our goal.”

“For you, I can offer a chance, a way home. Just come back, and we’ll make good use of you. Talents like you are precious to Veil. We’ll provide plenty of resources and support. Unlike the church, who are stingy, only giving you a title with no benefits.”

Henwell takes a deep breath. “I said before—fight! Didn’t you hear me?”

Jeremy shrugs. “Such a stubborn young man! Then I’ll help you fulfill your dream of being a hero!”

With that, Jeremy waves his hand, and the Veil warriors behind him file out in formation, advancing toward Henwell and his group. These Veil soldiers even swagger past the Western Regions Iron Knights without any sign of caution or avoidance.

Yet throughout, the four Western Regions Iron Knights hold back, showing no intention to strike. They already sense the mental lock Jeremy and the others have placed on them. Any move they make would immediately draw a deadly counterattack from Veil’s experts. If they strike first and become passive afterward, the situation will only worsen.

Once the Veil warriors form their ranks, Henwell takes a deep breath, raises his sword, and charges straight into their formation.

His longsword clashes with one of the enemy, a Battle Knight whose strength pales in comparison to Henwell’s. However, Henwell’s sword is cut in two by the opponent.

Henwell and his comrades use standard issue equipment from the royal guard. Though decent, these are not extraordinary weapons. Extraordinary equipment grants significant advantages to church knights.

On the other hand, Veil’s warriors are fully prepared, all clad in extraordinary gear.

Henwell takes this initial loss as part of his plan.

After his blade breaks, Henwell twists his wrist, sliding the broken sword down under the opponent’s blade. Before the enemy’s longsword can strike his shoulder, Henwell slices off several fingers on the enemy’s sword hand.

He then closes in, driving the broken sword into the opponent’s neck and using the corpse as a battering ram to push forward.

Knocking down several foes, Henwell seizes the longsword from the fallen enemy’s hand and hurls his broken sword at a Veil warrior rushing from the side.

With the longsword in hand, Henwell blocks several stabs and kicks the corpse flying aside.

After blocking the enemies’ attack paths, Henwell delivers a powerful backward kick to a Veil warrior wielding a war hammer who tries to strike him opportunistically.

The force leaves a footprint on the warrior’s chest armor. Energy surges into the chest, bursting open a basketball-sized hole in the back.

Flesh, blood, and shattered spinal fragments spray out, splattering the Veil warriors behind him in the face.

Immediately, Henwell thrusts his longsword fiercely at a Veil warrior attacking from the left. This one is a Grand Knight, his strikes fierce and relentless. Henwell shows no intention of dodging, standing ready to trade his life for the opponent’s.

At the last moment, the enemy hesitates and chooses to parry Henwell’s stab with his longsword. That retreat seals his fate.

Henwell steps forward, flicking his sword upward to deflect the enemy’s guard before he can fully exert his strength. Then, with his sword hand, he slams hard into the opponent’s chest, while his left fist crashes into the enemy’s kidney.

These two blows inflict severe damage.

Just then, another Veil Grand Knight rushes in, stabbing Henwell through the back of his shoulder.

Henwell barely reacts, pushing the Veil warrior before him onward, knocking aside all enemies in his path.

At the same time, his left fist pounds repeatedly into the attacker’s right ribs.

Henwell keeps going until one punch shatters the enemy’s chest. He slides his fist inside, crushing the heart.

Pulling back his left hand, he even extracts a bloodied rib.

Infused with Blood Will, Henwell swings the rib like a weapon, slicing off the corpse’s right arm along with the shoulder.

He raises the severed arm, crushing the wrist with his fingers to seize the enemy’s longsword.

Now he’s ready.

With both weapons in hand, the dual-wielding berserker is about to take the stage.

Henwell grins fiercely and charges at the incoming enemies, unleashing his unparalleled sword dance!