The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 211: The Net Tightens
Two days after Henwell personally took to the battlefield to rally morale, he receives an official response from the Vorry Duchy.
In simple terms, the duchy admits their own forces are stretched thin and sympathizes with Henwell's predicament. But they firmly believe Peace Haven will overcome these hardships and deliver a crushing blow to the invading Ika Kingdom.
Damn it! That’s the confirmation Henwell’s been waiting for!
With the duchy’s backing, everything Henwell does now carries their permission.
That very day, Henwell issues the order: prepare to close the net.
The second legion, stationed in the Hidden Workshop district and led by deputy legion commander Gevana, slips through mountain trails into Ika Kingdom territory. The mountainous region once housed Wind Raider’s main camp, where supplies for the second legion have long been stockpiled.
As for the so-called second legion under Arnold?
Most of its troops are barely three months out from training—captured Ogiro soldiers pressed into service.
In reality, Peace Haven’s true second legion hasn’t even faced the kingdom’s army yet.
Meanwhile, the first legion, led by Rawkins, moves from the southwestern edge of the new territory through mountain passes and into Ika lands.
At the same time, Count Jansen commands 20,000 elite troops, abandoning defensive caution to take the fight to the two border legions invading Ika Kingdom.
Henwell pulls the troops who’ve been fighting for over half a month back, leaving Dominic in charge of the garrison legion deployed on the front lines.
For the next two days, Rifidi’s side senses nothing out of the ordinary.
But on the third day, the two northern border legions and a reorganized kingdom legion are crushed by Count Jansen. Only then do they realize the tide of battle is shifting.
Still, they don’t sense the full danger. They only know they must break through Peace Haven’s defenses quickly—dragging this out any longer would be disastrous.
If Count Jansen reinforces Peace Haven, things will turn ugly fast.
At this moment, Peace Haven’s first and second legions are fully deployed, ready to encircle nearly 100,000 kingdom troops from behind at any time.
It’s no wonder Rifidi and his commanders didn’t anticipate this. From their perspective, even if Henwell had hidden forces, thinking two legions could trap their entire army was just plain arrogant.
But when they launch their next attack, they’re stunned to find Henwell absent from the battlefield.
Before they can celebrate, Dominic leads Peace Haven’s garrison legion in a shocking move. Instead of holding a defensive line like before, two infantry regiments from the garrison surge forward into the fray.
Rifidi sneers and orders the 33rd Legion to split and counter these two advancing regiments.
What follows is downright embarrassing. The 10,000 troops of the 33rd Legion barely engage before being smashed to pieces.
Still dazed, Rifidi fails to grasp the gravity of the situation and sends in the 37th Legion to plug the gap, while ordering two border legions to flank the advancing Peace Haven regiments.
Half an hour later, watching yet another formation crumble with ease, Rifidi senses trouble.
Unlike him, the other commanders already realize the severity—they’re facing an elite assault force.
Ignoring Rifidi, the commanders quickly rally troops to form a defensive line, aiming to halt the enemy’s advance.
But it’s too late. Peace Haven’s garrison legion pushes forward relentlessly, like a bulldozer leveling every kingdom soldier in its path.
Watching the garrison’s mechanical blocks and stabbing strikes, kingdom soldiers fall like grass under a scythe. Everyone knows damn well—they’re fucked.
As the garrison legion pushes forward, a core force of 10,000 New City defenders, under Agnico’s command, advances from the left flank. On the right, another 10,000 from the Industrial District defenders, led by Kivel, move in.
The entire Ika’s armies teeters on the brink of collapse.
With the center breaking through and the flanks engaged, just as expected, the kingdom’s army begins to rout en masse.
Rifidi refuses to accept defeat—he still has one last ace up his sleeve.
He pulls together nearly 10,000 mixed cavalry, originally meant to counter Henwell, now thrown into the fray to try and salvage the situation.
But since this cavalry is a hodgepodge formation, command and control are a mess.
Before Rifidi can even order the charge, the whole battlefield rumbles underfoot.
He shouts excitedly, “Our cavalry’s moving! Crush them! Crush them!”
His adjutant quickly warns, “Sir, we need to retreat! Those hoofbeats aren’t ours—they’re coming from the enemy! It’s Peace Haven’s cavalry cluster!”
Rifidi freezes, then roars, “No way! No fucking way! How could they have a cavalry cluster? It must be some bullshit thrown together! It’s not a real cavalry force! We still have a chance, as long as our cavalry…”
He trails off, unable to finish. Because in the distance, he sees a dark, dense mass of horsemen, dust billowing behind them.
Even someone clueless about warfare would know from that tight triangular charge formation—they’re not some ragtag mob.
Henwell slowly urges his horse forward, signaling to the standard-bearer, “Raise the flag! Send the signal—First Cavalry Regiment, charge in my direction!”
Turning to his personal guard commander, Simon, he commands, “Lord Iron Guards! Charge with me! Break through the enemy center!”
Lowering his faceplate, Henwell hefts his war spear.
Around him, two hundred Lord Iron Guards raise their war spears, settling into their charging stance.
The fighting spirit flows through the greensteel threads wrapped around the spear shafts, channeling into the broad blades over half a meter long.
Snowflakes begin to drift softly from the sky. As Henwell’s charge quickens, the snowfall grows heavier.
In the blizzard, Henwell leads the way, his crimson cloak billowing flat behind him—a vivid slash of blood-red against the white. Right behind him, the Lord Iron Guards follow, their navy cloaks guiding the cavalry’s path. Beyond them, a dark sea of black-cloaked horsemen surges forward.
Henwell doesn’t seek a direct confrontation with the enemy cavalry cluster. His goal is to smash Rifidi’s center.
Without their core infantry, those cavalry units can’t hold the field alone.
Cavalry isn’t for head-on brawls—it’s for exploiting speed, slicing the battlefield, and creating favorable conditions.
The moment Henwell crashes into the enemy center, the battle’s fate is sealed.
What follows is a catastrophic rout amid the swirling snow, as long as the enemy can’t regroup into an effective defense.
Capturing prisoners is a priority—killing isn’t the goal.
Henwell never intends to annihilate the Ika Kingdom’s troops. They’ve already been sown with the seeds of fear.
Now, it’s time to strike at the reinforcements, making them fear Henwell too.
Chapter 211: The Net Tightens
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