Garcia and the others look grim as they toss the unconscious Iron Knight Janet to Henwell. âProtect him!â
The Western Regionsâ Iron Knights grip their weapons tightly, bracing for the life-or-death battle ahead.
Jeremy waves his hand lightly. âThen weâll just wipe out all your little friends first.â
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 Veilâs Iron Knights donât intend to fight personally. Instead, they let their subordinates handle the work of eliminating Henwell and his group.
Itâs a calculated move. If Garcia and the others watch helplessly as their subordinates get slaughtered, theyâll 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.
âPakrik, lead the brothers in forming a defensive formation. McComb and Diara, you two block their advance with me. Sosie and Leician, support our fight.â
Henwell turns to Leician. âI donât care if youâre a traitor or not. Now you see the situation clearly. They donât intend to leave survivors. No matter whose side youâre 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 weâre lucky enough to survive, Iâll take you to Peace Haven for permanent shelter.â
Leician says nothing but shows his stance through action. He steps forward, positioning himself just behind Henwellâs side, exposing his back to Sosie. This means that if he betrays them, Sosie can strike him down instantly.
Henwellâs decision to let Leician fight is because heâs sure Leician isnât a spy. His senses tell him Leician harbors no murderous intent or malice toward him.
Henwell grips his longsword tightly and steps forward. âLetâs fight!â
Jeremy from Veil chuckles. âHeh heh⊠you new guy have some spirit! Hey! I remember your name is Henwell, right? Youâre one of us Veil, after all. Just happened to leave the Veil Organization by chance.â
Henwell replies coldly, âThat was in the past! And you were the ones who captured me!â
Jeremy smiles and continues to persuade. âHenwell, youâre smart and talented. Many in the organization speak highly of you. You see the situation now. They all die here today, thatâs our goal.â
âFor you, I can offer a chance, a way home. Just come back, and weâll make good use of you. Talents like you are precious to Veil. Weâll provide plenty of resources and support. Unlike the church, who are stingy, only giving you a title with no benefits.â
Henwell takes a deep breath. âI said beforeâfight! Didnât you hear me?â
Jeremy shrugs. âSuch a stubborn young man! Then Iâll help you fulfill your dream of being a hero!â
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 Veilâs 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 Henwellâs. However, Henwellâs 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, Veilâs 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 opponentâs blade. Before the enemyâs longsword can strike his shoulder, Henwell slices off several fingers on the enemyâs sword hand.
He then closes in, driving the broken sword into the opponentâs neck and using the corpse as a battering ram to push forward.
Knocking down several foes, Henwell seizes the longsword from the fallen enemyâs 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 enemiesâ 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 warriorâs 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 opponentâs.
At the last moment, the enemy hesitates and chooses to parry Henwellâs stab with his longsword. That retreat seals his fate.
Henwell steps forward, flicking his sword upward to deflect the enemyâs guard before he can fully exert his strength. Then, with his sword hand, he slams hard into the opponentâs chest, while his left fist crashes into the enemyâs 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 attackerâs right ribs.
Henwell keeps going until one punch shatters the enemyâs 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 corpseâs right arm along with the shoulder.
He raises the severed arm, crushing the wrist with his fingers to seize the enemyâs longsword.
Now heâs 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!