Just after the new year, the Ika Kingdomâs two elite legions arrive at the Southeastern Marshalâs headquarters.
Douglas, commander of the Golden Blade Legion, and Ampton, commander of the Third Guard Legion.
Both hold the level of Battle Knight and are rumored to have broken through to Grand Knight.
Neither has officially proven it, and no oneâs dared to test them.
Both are counts whoâve fought their way up through the ranks within their legionsânot parachuted in from outside.
These elite units never get high-ranking commanders dropped in from above.
Each legion has its own pride and traditions; soldiers and junior officers wouldnât respect an outsider imposed on them.
The two commanders are personally selected by the Ika King, naturally from within the promotion system of their legions.
Even Grand Duke Kolen must show them full respect.
No one but the king can mobilize these elite legions.
They steer clear of political factions, pledging loyalty only to the kingâor rather, to the Ika Kingdom itself.
Upon meeting them, Grand Duke Kolen welcomes them into the Marshalâs headquarters.
The commanders waste no time. After brief greetings, Douglas asks straight up, âGrand Duke, whatâs the current situation? How many enemies? Whatâs their overall strength?â
Kolen doesnât blame their bluntness.
These legions usually guard the capital or other key cities.
Deploying them far away for long periods isnât ideal.
First, maintaining their combat effectiveness demands costly supplies and training.
They canât get that in remote postings.
Second, placing such legions on noble lands will terrify local lords, upsetting the delicate balance between nobility and royalty.
So they prefer quick strikes and rapid returns to their own bases.
Kolen calls in Roderick to brief the commanders on the current situation.
The two commanders show keen interest in Peace Havenâs forces and deployments.
They spend the entire night talking with Roderick before returning to their troops.
After three days, they present a detailed battle plan for Kolenâs review.
As Kolen oversees all military and political affairs in the southeast, itâs only proper he sees it.
He refrains from interfering with the planâs specifics, instructing only Roderick to cooperate fully.
Ten days later, the two armies face off on the front lines.
Henwell sets up his formation: three standard legions, one cavalry battalion, plus three border guard battalions.
No bullshit from either sideâthey get straight to deploying their troops.
The battlefield is an open plain, perfect for a massive clash.
Seeing how quickly Henwellâs forces line up, everyone in the kingdomâs legionsâfrom commanders down to the lowest soldierâknows Peace Havenâs army isnât some soft target.
Henwell rides along the front, shouting to his troops, âAcross from us stand some of the continentâs best legions. Today, they become our opponentsâand I stand with you all in this fight.â
âWeâre about to show everyone thereâs another elite force on this land. That force is youâthe Peace Haven Peacekeepers! The blades of the lord of Blood Hill! After this battle, our name will echo across the world!â
âAnyone thinking of messing with our lives better think twice about Peace Havenâs power. Whatever they want to do to us from now on, theyâll have to reckon with the will of every single one of you here.â
Then, Henwell draws the Dawn Greatsword. âFollow me! Together, weâll break through the darkness and welcome the dawn!â
He pulls out the Dusk Greatsword next. âWith me! Weâll bring the enemy their twilight!â
The response is a thunderous pounding on chestplatesâfirst scattered, then unified.
The kingdomâs troops watch on, their expressions growing noticeably serious.
Henwell jumps down from his Night Charger, twin swords in hand, striding to the very front of the garrison legion, inching toward the Golden Blade Legion.
The kingdomâs troops watch the lord in his blood-red cloak walking straight at them.
On dozens of massive war wagons, giant war drums begin to boom slowly.
With the pounding rhythm, Peace Havenâs two legions start advancing.
Amid the relentless blast of horns, the cavalry battalions also move out.
Every 500 riders form a cavalry clusterâsix clusters in totalâpatrolling around the battlefieldâs edges.
Meanwhile, the kingdomâs forces begin a slow, steady push forward.
Their two cavalry units maneuver, hunting for any flaw.
Watching these perfectly aligned formations, everyone following the battle holds their breath.
Many factions send observers, want to catch the fightâs outcome first-hand.
The repercussions of this battle will be massive.
Whether itâs the Ika Kingdom, the Vorry Duchy, the Ogiro Kingdom, or even the minor Lumir Duchy, all watch closely.
Victory or defeat here will shape the future balance of power.
The two kingdom commanders respect Henwellâs lead-from-the-front style but think heâs a bit reckless.
A leaderâs job is to command from the back, not to charge into the fray swinging swords.
Henwell knows this too.
But facing such a legendary elite force for the first time, boosting morale demands he lead by example.
More than ten minutes later, the front lines of both armies close in within arrow range.
Without Henwell even giving the order, the heavy crossbows of the garrison legion unleash a storm of bolts on the Golden Blade Legion.
The heavy arrowheads pierce through the armor of countless kingdom soldiers with ease.
Holding the range advantage, the garrison legion fires two volleys before the Golden Bladeâs archers launch their first counterattack.
But the Golden Bladeâs heavy bowmen are well-trained and armed to the teeth.
Their faster firing rate gradually evens out the earlier losses.
Facing the dense hail of arrows, Henwell raises his hand and flicks his cloak, deflecting the incoming bolts away.
After several rounds of this back-and-forth, neither sideâs formation breaks.
However, compared to the Golden Blade Legion dragging away or outright leaving their wounded, Henwellâs side handles battlefield triage with impressive speed.
Armored medics rush to treat the injured amidst the chaos.
By now, Henwell has reached the enemyâs front lines.
He takes a deep breath, raises his sword to bat away incoming arrows.
With the Dusk Greatsword, he slices through several spears thrust at him, then plants a heavy kick on a soldierâs shield.
The kingdom soldier flies backward, crashing into several rows behind him.
Itâs that Henwell uses a special technique to deliver that kick; otherwise, it wouldâve smashed both man and shield to bits.
This powerful strike tears a gaping hole more than ten meters wide in the Golden Bladeâs front line.
Henwell roars, swings both swords, and charges headlong into the enemy ranks...