Chapter 503: Extreme One-for-One
Watching Henwell fiercely fight in the middle, surrounded by four Grand Knights yet still showing relentless courage, Jeremy from Veil turns to his companions and says, “Look at that! This young man is fierce. No wonder he wanted to negotiate with us earlier, he actually has some real skill.”
A Veil member dressed as a spellcaster scoffs, “That’s just youthful arrogance.”
A ranger-like Veil member retorts, “How old is he? I heard he’s not even twenty-five yet. Judging by the fighting power he’s showing now, in ten years at most, he could become an Iron Knight. That kind of confidence is justified. When I was twenty-five, if I had that ability, I’d have been arrogant beyond measure. I would have wanted to be the leader of our organization!”
A burly Veil member laughs, “Heh heh… but that kind of arrogance doesn’t last long! Take Henwell here, he’s definitely a genius, no doubt. But he’s a genius so arrogant he’s lost all reason. People like that never make it to Iron Knight.”
“I’ve lost count of how many such geniuses I’ve killed over the years. Looks like today we’ll add another one to the list. It’s a pity. But just thinking about crushing such talent gives me a thrill. Don’t you feel the same?”
The ranger rolls his eyes. “Blacksmith, not everyone’s as twisted as you. We don’t enjoy killing geniuses. You’re the one with a problem.”
The Veil member codenamed Blacksmith shrugs. “I’m doing it for everyone’s good! We’ve struggled to get where we are now, endured so much hardship. Why should these young upstarts catch up just because they’re talented? By eliminating them early, I’m reducing our competition. Maybe you haven’t heard, but I’ve noticed a pattern, these geniuses usually rise by stepping on the heads of us old-timers!”
Several Veil members can’t help but laugh at this.
Meanwhile, the Western Regions Iron Knights have no reason to laugh.
In the chaotic battle, Henwell slays two Grand Knights.
With Sosie’s support, McComb kills a reckless Grand Knight who overextended.
Diara teams up with Leician to severely wound another Veil Grand Knight, forcing him to retreat from the battlefield.
Counting losses, Veil has lost four Grand Knights.
Of the seven remaining, three are attacking Henwell, two are held off by McComb and Diara, and the last two, along with Veil soldiers, are charging the church and empire knight formations.
Although Veil has the advantage of numbers and prepared ambushes, the church and empire warriors are more elite. After all, these two powers possess more extraordinary resources and can select and train more promising talent.
Just judging by the fighting strength of the Grand Knights, the captains of the church and empire squads are peak Grand Knights.
Right now, they’re injured and don’t have their own equipment. Otherwise, it would be an understatement to say one of them could take on two Veil warriors.
Henwell holding his own against three attackers is not surprising.
Otherwise, the church and empire wouldn’t assign these fighters to lead the pursuit of Veil members.
As the battle reaches a stalemate, Veil’s members begin to lose face.
Blacksmith, the burly man who enjoys crushing geniuses, steps forward. “See? I told you we can’t let these geniuses live! I’ll deal with that kid. You all watch our old friends. Don’t let them sneak up on me!”
Jeremy waves his hand. “Blacksmith, if you’re itching for a fight, stop making excuses and go!”
Blacksmith swings his war hammer and vanishes, instantly appearing in front of Henwell. He brings the hammer down with a heavy blow.
Henwell, already prepared, flips and dodges the crushing strike with agility.
As he retreats from the fight circle, Henwell counters with a brutal strike to the thigh of one of the Veil Grand Knights attacking him.
If his weapon were a bit better, he would have severed the leg.
Even so, flesh tears and blood sprays from the opponent’s thigh, Henwell clearly cuts an artery.
Such an injury forces the Grand Knight to limp away from the battlefield.
Blacksmith looks disdainfully at the wounded man. “What a loser, getting hurt like that!”
Then he turns to the remaining two Grand Knights. “You two hurry and deal with the others. I’ll take care of this troublesome kid!”
With that, Blacksmith taps the palm of his hand with the handle of his war hammer, a mocking grin fixed on his face as he looks at Henwell. “Kid, one last time, are you willing to return to Veil? This is your final chance to live. Honestly, I don’t want you to say yes, because I’m eager to kill you.”
Henwell lightly flicks his sword in a flourish, his left hand holding a defensive stance while his right hand prepares to strike.
That clearly shows his answer.
Blacksmith’s grin twists into something sinister. “Troublesome kid, you’re really sensible! Since you’re cooperating, I’ll give you a lesson worthy of your last moment alive. See this iron hammer? I’m Blacksmith. I’m going to forge you, this genius, hammer blow after hammer blow, shattering your bones.”
With that, Blacksmith swings his hammer and charges at Henwell.
Though wielding a heavy weapon, he moves with surprising agility. His body flows with the hammer, the hammer following his intent.
He’s a seasoned fighter with countless battles under his belt. Unless Henwell releases his Will Lock, dealing with this Blacksmith won’t be easy.
Luckily, Henwell uses nimble footwork and masterful combat skills to keep up with Blacksmith for a while longer.
But over with McComb and the others, things start to fall apart.
After two more Veil Grand Knights reinforce their side, the battle intensifies. The knights of the empire and church clearly fall behind.
The first to falter are the Grand Knights under siege.
With Henwell no longer holding them back, only Diara and McComb remain fully capable of fighting, struggling against four Veil Grand Knights’ assault.
Sosie, already badly injured, makes a misstep and a Veil Grand Knight seizes the chance to strike him in the back with a sword.
Sosie staggers forward, but McComb intercepts the Veil warrior chasing him.
Suddenly, the Veil Grand Knight suppressing Leician darts over to Sosie and drives a sword straight through his chest.
Sosie’s fate is sealed, his heart is destroyed.
Yet Sosie drops his weapon and desperately grabs the Veil Grand Knight’s hands.
Leician catches up and slashes the Veil Grand Knight’s neck.
With the cervical vertebra severed, the Grand Knight’s head, still attached by skin and throat without bone support, hangs limply against his chest.
An extreme one-for-one exchange!