The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 216: Face To Face
Just after the new year, the Ika Kingdom’s two elite legions arrive at the Southeastern Marshal’s 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 one’s dared to test them.
Both are counts who’ve fought their way up through the ranks within their legions—not 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 wouldn’t 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 king—or rather, to the Ika Kingdom itself.
Upon meeting them, Grand Duke Kolen welcomes them into the Marshal’s headquarters.
The commanders waste no time. After brief greetings, Douglas asks straight up, “Grand Duke, what’s the current situation? How many enemies? What’s their overall strength?”
Kolen doesn’t blame their bluntness.
These legions usually guard the capital or other key cities.
Deploying them far away for long periods isn’t ideal.
First, maintaining their combat effectiveness demands costly supplies and training.
They can’t 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 Haven’s 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 Kolen’s review.
As Kolen oversees all military and political affairs in the southeast, it’s only proper he sees it.
He refrains from interfering with the plan’s 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 side—they get straight to deploying their troops.
The battlefield is an open plain, perfect for a massive clash.
Seeing how quickly Henwell’s forces line up, everyone in the kingdom’s legions—from commanders down to the lowest soldier—knows Peace Haven’s army isn’t some soft target.
Henwell rides along the front, shouting to his troops, “Across from us stand some of the continent’s best legions. Today, they become our opponents—and I stand with you all in this fight.”
”We’re about to show everyone there’s another elite force on this land. That force is you—the Peace Haven Peacekeepers! The blades of the lord of Blood Hill! After this battle, our name will echo across the world!”
”Anyone thinking of messing with our lives better think twice about Peace Haven’s power. Whatever they want to do to us from now on, they’ll have to reckon with the will of every single one of you here.”
Then, Henwell draws the Dawn Greatsword. “Follow me! Together, we’ll break through the darkness and welcome the dawn!”
He pulls out the Dusk Greatsword next. “With me! We’ll bring the enemy their twilight!”
The response is a thunderous pounding on chestplates—first scattered, then unified.
The kingdom’s 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 kingdom’s 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 Haven’s two legions start advancing.
Amid the relentless blast of horns, the cavalry battalions also move out.
Every 500 riders form a cavalry cluster—six clusters in total—patrolling around the battlefield’s edges.
Meanwhile, the kingdom’s 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 fight’s outcome first-hand.
The repercussions of this battle will be massive.
Whether it’s 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 Henwell’s lead-from-the-front style but think he’s a bit reckless.
A leader’s 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 Blade’s archers launch their first counterattack.
But the Golden Blade’s 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 side’s formation breaks.
However, compared to the Golden Blade Legion dragging away or outright leaving their wounded, Henwell’s side handles battlefield triage with impressive speed.
Armored medics rush to treat the injured amidst the chaos.
By now, Henwell has reached the enemy’s 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 soldier’s shield.
The kingdom soldier flies backward, crashing into several rows behind him.
It’s that Henwell uses a special technique to deliver that kick; otherwise, it would’ve smashed both man and shield to bits.
This powerful strike tears a gaping hole more than ten meters wide in the Golden Blade’s front line.
Henwell roars, swings both swords, and charges headlong into the enemy ranks...
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Chapter 216: Face To Face
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