The Lord Of Blood Hill

Regarding the Marquess of Nothing, Henwell decides he must handle it himself.

Though he worries about the safety of the Lord Iron Guards he left behind, now is not the time to dwell on that.

He has already secured enough backup; there’s not much more he can do. No matter what, he must get through the current challenge.

At present, Veil’s six Iron Ranks have suffered heavy losses, two dead, one escaped, one seriously injured, leaving only two survivors.

It’s nearly impossible now to crush the Western Federation’s Iron Ranks.

Not to mention threatening Henwell himself. Even if he encounters them, he’d hesitate to kill.

But if he doesn’t meet them, Henwell won’t go out of his way to hunt them down.

After all, if all those experts died, the Western Federation would surely grow suspicious.

Still, there are two hours left before the castle fully activates.

Inside, there’s a Glory Rank bloodline Warlock, a very real threat.

Henwell has fought and killed Nangong Yaoyun in the eastern world before.

But the extraordinary power in that world isn’t as strong as here, so Henwell isn’t sure if he can defeat this Abyss Sin Shepherd.

Still, he plans to try.

He’s already slain one of the enemy’s Abyss Familiars.

He can feel a strange mark burned into him, hard to remove quickly.

Even if he escapes, the enemy will soon lock onto him.

Before long, he’ll know he killed their Abyss Familiar.

If he started sabotaging his territory, it’ll be a nightmare to deal with.

Rather than leave this hidden danger and be on the defensive later, Henwell chooses to take the risk and confront the enemy.

Newwood told him long ago that he can fight undefeated against those newly entering Glory Rank.

Newwood also emphasized that those so-called powerful bloodline users are surprisingly fragile against him.

Though Henwell doesn’t know why, he trusts Newwood won’t deceive him.

Besides, much time has passed since Newwood’s assessment.

Henwell has spent a year training quietly in this world and three years in the eastern world.

His travel allowance is secured, and he’s adapted to enhanced weapons and his newly gained abilities.

His chances of victory remain strong.

After settling his thoughts, Henwell sends Catherine to a secret shelter.

He then prepares himself to face the biggest boss he’s encountered in this world so far.

Henwell doesn’t go straight to Morris. Instead, he returns to the corridor where he first entered the castle.

At this moment, there are three groups inside the castle: one is the Western Federation’s warriors, another is Veil’s fighters, and the last is the castle’s own guards who aren’t involved in this conflict.

These guards are now caught between both sides, trying to stop each other.

Unfortunately, they lack the strength and top-tier fighters, so they’re forced to sacrifice lives just to hold the line.

If they run into Western Federation members, it might be a bit better, the opponents usually just scatter them and escape elsewhere.

But if they meet Veil’s forces, it’s bad news. Those fanatics tend to kill every royal guard they encounter.

Though Henwell wears his own armor, very different from the royal guards, he carries something new now.

Catherine gave him a royal decree that authorizes him to act as a member of the Billie royal family.

Many of the castle’s guard captains recognize Henwell’s face.

Earlier, when Ulysses learned Henwell was coming, he had portraits of Henwell made and shown around to prevent Henwell from sneaking into the palace and taking Catherine away.

So now, when guards encounter Henwell, they know he’s an intruder.

But because he carries the royal decree, they can’t attack him recklessly.

Otherwise, it would be like attacking a royal family member.

Everyone understands that Henwell has an unclear relationship with the princess.

They know he’s not a true assassin, unlike the Western Federation, and even more unlike Veil’s members.

So the guards avoid provoking Henwell on purpose.

This allows Henwell to quickly reach the corridor bridge and arrive at the large gate.

Under the tense gazes of a squad of guards, Henwell approaches overturned carts that once carried fruits and vegetables.

After searching, he pulls out a finely crafted box about half a meter square.

The box is made of metal, glowing a deep crimson.

Its surface bears shallow carvings about half a centimeter deep, forming many precise geometric patterns.

Most of these patterns are triangles of various sizes.

At the top, near the handle, there’s a delicate floral design.

The box looks heavy, but Henwell confidently lifts it and strides away from the corridor bridge once again.

The guards left at the gate exchange glances but ultimately do not pursue him.

A few minutes later, Henwell arrives at the King’s Hall.

Through a hole in the massive door, he sees Morris, the Abyss Sin Shepherd, still inside.

At this moment, the hall’s protective spells have restored themselves.

Earlier, when Morris sent the Abyssal Berserker Demon to attack Veil’s elites, he forcibly tore open a breach in the protective spell again.

Now, it will take some time before anyone can attack Henwell.

Morris spots Henwell and waves at him.

“Come here, little one. Didn’t expect you to still be alive!”

Henwell doesn’t back down. He walks straight to the door, and the two face each other across the protective barrier.

Morris studies Henwell for a moment.

“You’re already an Iron Knight? What a promising young talent! I can make you my follower. I’ll provide you with resources to advance and open the path to even greater power.”

Henwell ignores him, instead leaning in curiously to carefully observe the King’s Hall.

Seeing this, Morris shakes his head gently.

“You’ve missed the greatest opportunity of your life. It’s all fate.”

Henwell remains unmoved, his eyes burning with blood-gold flames as he scans the hall.

Morris looks at him with curiosity.

“I wonder, why aren’t you running yet? Soon I’ll break through this protective spell, and then you’ll die.”

Only then does Henwell shift his gaze fully to Morris.

“Hm! I know. But who dies first? That’s still up in the air.”

Morris laughs.

“Heh… little one, you really know how to joke! Should I say you’re naturally humorous? Or that you’ve grown so well you’ve become arrogantly unaware of your limits?”

Henwell shrugs.

“Old man, you’ve lived long enough. It’s time to make way for us young ones.”

Morris falls silent, waiting for his spell to be ready.

Seconds tick by. Neither side makes a move, but both are prepared for a thunderous strike.