Chapter 242: Iron Knight

Besides Newwood, Henwell is also deeply curious about the strange creatures that came out of that creepy little house.

Are they some kind of biological weapons?

If that’s the case, that’s pretty terrifying.

But the information Arius shares next makes Henwell shiver even more.

Those creatures are called Berserker Demons—a monstrous race from the depths of the Hell Abyss.

These terrifying evil beings have long sought to invade the human world.

That creepy little house is just a gateway.

Through a special blood ritual, it tears open the barrier between the two realms.

Under normal circumstances, those demons can’t reach the human world.

Archbishop Atwood reassures everyone on this point.

But to prevent the area from being tainted by the demonic aura—which could eventually spawn some kind of evil cult or cursed land—they must purify every trace of the Berserker Demons, leaving no hidden dangers behind.

After covering these secret and critical matters, the conversation shifts to the kingdom’s affairs.

During that chaotic day, many nobles lost their lives.

The highest-ranking victim was a duke, along with three counts—talk about bad luck.

That duke was an honorary titleholder, with limited lands and power—more of a symbolic status.

People like him, and even his personal guards, have very limited combat ability.

Facing Berserker Demons that start off already at the knight rank, they obviously stand no chance.

The two counts fared no better—in fact, their situation was even worse.

These three high-ranking nobles barely lasted a moment before meeting their demise.

That’s beyond just bad luck.

Besides them, many mid- and lower-ranking nobles also perished.

In total, over fifty noble lords died.

That doesn’t even count some unfortunate noble family members.

Altogether, thousands died in this disaster.

Most were servants at the banquet—maids, guards, and so on.

Some were guards from various factions, and others were soldiers who arrived later to hunt down the Berserker Demons.

Among the fallen nobles was someone Henwell knew—Evans, the viscount for whom Henwell once searched for a secret child in the Path of Honor.

Or rather, Evans the count—he was one of the two unlucky counts who died.

Besides the dead, many were seriously injured.

Whether these injured survivors can make it back to their territories to settle affairs remains a big question mark.

Later, lying alone in bed, Henwell can’t help but sigh.

Is getting engaged or married in this world really this dangerous?

He’s faced it twice already—both times marked by bloody battles and countless lives lost.

Henwell starts to worry: when his wedding comes next year, he’d better prepare well in advance and take every precaution!

There’s no way he’ll let his wedding turn into a bloodbath.

On this front, Henwell feels somewhat confident.

Right now, no one knows he’s already reached the Iron Knight rank.

During the fierce battles against high-level Berserker Demons, Henwell realizes he’s broken through to a new tier.

Three years ago, when he became a Grand Knight, he thought it would take seven or eight years before his next promotion.

But unexpectedly, at just twenty-three, he attains the Iron Knight rank.

And he seems to understand the path he must follow from here on.

After becoming an Iron Knight, Henwell is certain of one thing: the blood-red mist he wields is definitely not Fighting Spirit.

It’s a purer form of life force, infused with unyielding willpower.

And this power, which Henwell calls Blood Will, often falls short of Fighting Spirit in many applications,

However, Blood Will grants Henwell far greater physical strength than others at his level.

On top of that, he has incredible self-healing abilities and stamina that border on the absurd.

Henwell gains another major insight—he witnesses firsthand how Iron Knights fight.

He forms a rough comparison in his mind: even within the Iron Knight rank, there are varying levels of strength.

Iron Knights from the Land of Abundance generally surpass those from the Eastern Continent in personal power.

The strongest, like Bridge—the archbishop’s chief guard—can hold their own against a madman like Newwood for several rounds.

On the weaker end, there are Iron Knights like the one from the Rhine royal faction who got beheaded right at the start.

Once Henwell recovers, he’s confident he can completely take down such weaker foes.

But if he faces a high-level Iron Knight like Bridge in combat, he’d probably be on the receiving end of a serious beating.

Henwell also gets a glimpse of the Glory Knight’s combat prowess.

A true one-man army!

If he ever ran into one of those guys, he will be killed without any resistance!

As for that special “Cool” coin, Henwell is pretty sure the guy carrying it comes from the same place as him—Earth, even.

And when they met, that guy actually gave Henwell a solid kick!

But Henwell never sensed any hostility or murderous intent from him.

If Henwell had gone all out back then—before he became Iron Knight—he probably wouldn’t have survived the kick.

That move felt more like a way to distance himself from Henwell.

Later on, even though a horde of Berserker Demons was sent to attack him,

Henwell keenly notices that every time he kills one, his body gains a huge boost.

That’s one of the main reasons he manages to break through to the Iron Knight rank just before turning twenty-three.

As for the final threat, outsiders might think Henwell has seriously pissed off Newwood.

But Henwell knows the truth: Newwood is secretly helping him.

Not only has Henwell’s own strength skyrocketed, but his Lord Iron Guards have also grown tremendously in this battle.

More than fifty Lord Iron Guards at the knight rank are now gradually breaking through to the Battle Knight rank.

The five who fought the longest, like Simon and the others, have surged ahead even faster.

Simon is already a Grand Knight, and squad leaders Freyr and Hankson have also reached Grand Knight status.

The other two Lord Iron Guards are just one step away from Grand Knight.

Even Dalton, the deputy captain who came to support later, achieved Grand Knight rank just yesterday.

Every guards who fought has made clear leaps in strength—equivalent to shaving off several years of grueling training.

All this leaves Henwell puzzled. Could it be because of him?

Is it possible that his guards are absorbing experience or something similar from the enemies they kill?

What baffles Henwell even more is that most of the remaining Lord Iron Guards didn’t even take part in the fighting.

Yet over the past few days, some of them have been breaking through ranks one after another.

Those who hadn’t yet reached the knight rank are now crossing that threshold.

Others are steadily and noticeably growing stronger, showing no signs of slowing down.

Henwell has been thinking about this for a long time but can’t piece it together.

Maybe there’s one person who could explain it all—most likely his fellow “earth” man, Newwood.

But when it comes to Newwood, Henwell’s feelings are complicated...