The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 53: The Opponent's Counterattack (Part 1)
After Henwell's smooth and fierce combo takes down his opponent, he leans on his lance, waiting for his teammates to finish their battles.
The spectators from the five major arenas, who were mocking Henwell earlier, now fall silent. Meanwhile, those who already admired Henwell cheer loudly, shouting and clapping in wild excitement over his swift and decisive victory.
A few minutes later, the rest of the Insect Squad members also defeat their opponents. The entire gladiatorial match, though intense, unfolds as Bloodhorn expected. He now looks smugly at the managers of the other five arenas.
Afterward, each member of the Insect Squad receives a share of four thousand gold coins. This isn’t due to Bloodhorn’s generosity; it’s simply the arena’s rule. When outside gladiators engage in bloody combat through betting matches, the victorious gladiators earn twenty percent of the betting amount.
Henwell spends all his earnings on knightly body-strengthening potions. It's not that he doesn't want to save some money, but he senses danger. The counterattack organized by the five arenas, though targeted, seems too weak to Henwell.
The young gladiators they faced, though skilled, were clearly no match for the Insect Squad. Henwell finds it hard to believe that the opponents wouldn't realize this. Being experts in the field, they should know that even without leaked information, it would be tough to beat the Insect Squad.
Spending a fortune to initiate a bloody betting match and boost Bloodhorn’s reputation doesn’t quite add up. Regardless of their intentions, Henwell knows he must be cautious and prepare for the worst-case scenario.
For the next two months, everything seems normal. The Insect Squad competes twice more, delivering the same overwhelming performances. But on this day, something unexpected happens.
During a training session where Bloodhorn's adult gladiators spar with the younger ones, a few suddenly turn violent.
By the time the guards react and protect the young ones, several have already fallen victim to the attack.
When Bloodhorn sees the seven young gladiators' bodies, he remains calm.
However, the senior gladiators present tense up, some with sweat on their foreheads, others trembling slightly. These elite fighters are just a step away from becoming professionals, and their keen senses pick up the fierce aura Bloodhorn emits, putting immense pressure on them.
At this moment, no one notices Henwell in the crowd, frowning and clenching his fists, as if angered by the death of his comrades. In reality, Henwell also senses Bloodhorn's formidable presence. Bloodhorn says nothing, merely instructing all the gladiators to return and rest.
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For the next two weeks, the Bloodhorn Arena remains closed, with no gladiatorial events. Bloodhorn himself is absent from the arena, leaving his assistant, Jafari, in charge of various affairs. When Bloodhorn returns, he brings several severed heads, declaring them to be the masterminds behind the young gladiators' deaths.
Henwell dismisses this as nonsense. Clearly, there's more to the situation than meets the eye. The ability to bribe or threaten Bloodhorn's adult gladiators into a suicide attack suggests that the true mastermind is no small player. However, since this isn't his business, Henwell has no intention of getting involved.
The remaining members of the Insect Squad are heavy-hearted. In the recent attack by adult gladiators, the young fighter codenamed Tarantula succumbed to his injuries. Scorpion Tail and Flying Ant were also injured and are still recovering.
Henwell was one of the targets during the attack but sensed something was off from the start. The adult gladiator sparring with him aimed for his vital areas without holding back. Henwell could feel malice, or rather, a murderous intent from him.
So, Henwell stayed alert, cautiously keeping his guard up and maneuvering the fight closer to the guards.
This foresight allowed Henwell to react quickly when the attack happened, disrupting his opponent's rhythm with a counterattack and holding out until the guards intervened, all without revealing his true strength.
The attack cost Bloodhorn several promising young gladiators. Including the casualties from over a year of battles, the number of young gladiators has dwindled from the original 53 to just 27. The Insect Squad, now down by one member, needs restructuring.
Bloodhorn selects the most outstanding young gladiator from the remaining group to join the Insect Squad, giving him Tarantula's mask to take the fallen member's place as the new Tarantula. The remaining 22 are divided into four teams of five, with two kept as substitutes for rotation.
Bloodhorn wants to request more young recruits from the organization but is repeatedly denied. Despite his promises of the wealth these youths could generate, the higher-ups refuse to let him draw newcomers from the training base.
Over the past year, Bloodhorn has tried purchasing slave children to train himself, but the results have been disappointing. Their demeanor and combat skills fall far short of those from the Forge Furnace base.
Thus, these young gladiators have become irreplaceable assets for Bloodhorn, with each loss being irreplaceable. As a result, Bloodhorn shifts his arena strategy to minimize their appearances. The Insect Squad still competes once a month, but the stakes are raised significantly.
On the eve of Henwell's twelfth birthday, they are set to participate in a grand gladiatorial festival for the midsummer celebration. Thanks to the fame of his young gladiators, Bloodhorn secures the hosting rights for the event. Over the course of a month, seven consecutive gladiatorial performances will be held at the Bloodhorn Arena.
Henwell's Insect Squad will perform at the opening and deliver a grand finale at the closing event. During the opening ceremony, each member of the Insect Squad showcases their skills individually. Important figures draw lots to decide Henwell and his team's opponents.
Henwell draws a challenge to fight several wild wolves barehanded.
Although the situation appears perilous and he sustains minor injuries, it’s all part of the performance. Henwell’s hand-to-hand combat skills are impressive, and he feels little pressure facing the wolves. After snapping the neck of the last wolf, he lifts its body and basks in the audience's cheers.
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Chapter 53: The Opponent's Counterattack (Part 1)
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