Seeing Henwellâs armor barely scratched, the three widen their eyes in disbelief as they stare at him.
Henwell flourishes his swords and says, âMy turn now!â
With that, he suddenly vanishes.
His speed is so fast none of them can catch a clear glimpse or guess his target.
They all quickly take defensive stances, silently hoping Henwell isnât coming for them.
Jeremyâs heart races. Instinctively, he conjures a glowing shield in front of him.
Henwell appears abruptly before Jeremy, crossing his two greatswords in a strike against the glowing shield.
The blades instantly shred Jeremyâs defense, slicing it into four pieces.
At that moment, a strange explosive sound echoes through the air.
Fierce gusts swirl around Henwell, blowing everything nearby away.
Seeing the body parts in the air donât bleed but turn into broken wood, Henwell realizes this strike didnât kill Jeremy.
Jeremy used a special technique to avoid Henwellâs charged blow.
From about ten meters away, Jeremy falls hard to the ground, coughing blood and shouting, âOld Crucible, slow him down! Heâs too fast! Donât face him head-on! His strength is immense, and his weapons can break magical defenses. Donât try to block him!â
Old Crucible finishes his second spell.
The stone slab beneath Henwell suddenly softens, turning into mud.
At the same time, Old Crucible crushes a talisman.
The temperature around drops sharply.
Ice forms rapidly all over Henwell, quickly freezing him solid.
Old Crucible roars, âAttack! This is our last chance!â
Lady of Calamity radiates a chilling aura as she shifts her aim toward Henwell.
The Abyssal Berserker Demonâs decapitating greatsword blazes with eerie flames as he leaps high to strike the trapped Henwell.
Jeremy scrambles up, tracing gestures in the air as glowing energy surrounds him, radiating powerful extraordinary waves.
Just as Old Crucible prepares to lift the binding so his teammates can land hits, cracks suddenly appear in the ice around Henwell.
Then the ice shatters explosively.
Old Crucible suffers a backlash from the spell, coughing up blood and collapsing to his knees.
Lady of Calamity transforms into a streak of eerie light and rushes toward Henwell, but Henwell reacts faster.
The moment the binding breaks, his Dawn Greatsword slashes sideways.
The blade clashes with her dagger, tearing several gashes in Henwellâs armor, blood spraying out.
Lady of Calamity is blasted away by the strike, spewing blood wildly as she crashes into a corner.
Next, the Abyssal Berserker Demon leaps high, swinging his decapitating greatsword down.
Henwell raises his Dusk Greatsword to block.
The tremendous force pushes the Dusk Greatsword down onto Henwellâs body.
Henwell pulls back his Dawn Greatsword and braces it on his shoulder, using the swordâs spine to catch the rebounding Dusk Greatsword.
The impact strikes the Dawn Greatswordâs blade, sparing Henwell injury.
But the fierce shock drives Henwellâs feet deep into the mud.
The explosive force scatters the muddy ground beneath, revealing solid earth and effectively breaking Old Crucibleâs mud spell.
After all, Sunflower Fortress has extraordinary protection; the mud spell canât soften much ground here.
Henwell roars and lifts the Abyssal Berserker Demonâs greatsword.
Seizing the moment when the demonâs strength falters, Henwell delivers a powerful kick to his chest.
The towering demonâs body cracks audibly like breaking bones and flies out like a cannonball.
Henwell pushes off the ground, causing a web of cracks beneath his feet, and charges fiercely.
In an instant, he reaches Old Crucible, still reeling from the spellâs backlash.
Seeing Henwell, Old Crucibleâs soul seems to flee in terror.
âWait, IâŠâ
Henwell slashes off his head with a single strike, uninterested in hearing any last words.
Then Henwell changes direction and launches a second charge, aiming for Jeremy, who is still gathering extraordinary energy for a big move.
But this time, Henwell passes right through him.
Jeremy seems like a mere illusion, and Henwellâs attacks cause no harm.
Henwell looks at Jeremy in surprise, then spins around to slash at the rising Abyssal Berserker Demon.
With his left hand, he swings the Dawn Greatsword upward from behind, severing the demonâs remaining right arm.
He kicks hard again, sending the demon flying.
Henwell approaches Jeremy cautiously and tries several times to strike him, but none land.
Itâs as if Jeremy exists in a different space altogether.
Jeremy smiles. âDonât bother. This is a spatial shield. Iâll teleport away soon. You canât kill me now. Since we have some time, how about we talk cooperation?â
âTo show my sincerity, hereâs a tip. Donât kill that Abyss Familiar. Itâs the beloved companion of Abyss Sin Shepherd Morris. Heâs only ever contracted three Abyss Familiars in all these years. If you kill it, Morris will notice and probably come after you immediately.â
As he speaks, the armless Abyssal Berserker Demon rises again, eerie flames gathering on its twin horns.
It lowers its head and charges at Henwell.
Henwell plants both swords into the ground and grabs the demonâs horns.
The massive force pushes Henwell back wildly, smashing him into a wall where he disappears from view.
Seeing this, Jeremy slows his spellcasting.
Moments later, the demonâs roaring echoes.
A huge figure appears from the dust, still lowering its head to butt, but Henwell is slowly retreating.
Henwell steps out, gripping the demonâs horns and pushing forward step by step.
Each heavy footstep shakes the ground and leaves a deep imprint.
Bit by bit, Henwell pushes the massive demon back.
Watching Henwell hold his own and even gain the upper hand in this head-to-head struggle, Jeremy falls silent for a moment before hastening his spellcasting.
At last, the demonâs strength runs out, and Henwell forces it to stumble backward.
Near where his swords are planted, Henwell roars and slams the demonâs head into the ground.
The stone shatters with the crunch of breaking skull.
Blood pours from the demonâs mouth and nose as it loses all strength to rise.
Henwell turns to Jeremy. âYou said it yourself. Iâm already an Iron Knight. I wonât compromise with anyone.â
With that, he gestures, and his two greatswords fly from the ground into his hands.
Crossing the blades, he cuts off the demonâs head lying on the ground.
Stepping on the massive head, Henwell says, âAbyss Sin Shepherd, huh? Iâm waiting for you.â