The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 56: The Terms for Staying
Shortly after Duke Raymer's comment, the situation in the arena shifts dramatically. The young knight blocks Henwell's thrust with a horizontal sword, then mistakenly uses the pommel of his heavy sword to strike Henwell's chest.
This move reveals a critical error in judgment, suggesting that the young knight's teacher has likely never experienced the chaos of battlefield combat, especially against a well-armored regiment.
Such a pommel strike is typically used against enemies who are too close, usually unarmored peasant soldiers. The pommel can easily shatter the ribs of these unarmored foes, incapacitating them or even killing them outright. But Henwell is clad in knight's heavy armor, complete with a breastplate.
When the pommel strikes Henwell's chest plate, producing a crisp sound, the young knight realizes his fatal mistake.
Henwell, however, doesn't give him a chance to recover. He absorbs the blow, steps forward, and grips his sword with both hands. He crouches slightly, slipping beneath the opponent's arm, and slices through the knight's underarm, rendering one arm useless.
Henwell moves behind the opponent, swiftly thrusting his sword backward to exploit the gap between armor and helmet, piercing through the chainmail and driving the blade into the young knight's neck and spine. The lethal strike causes the young knight to stiffen, unable to control his body, and he collapses to the ground.
Henwell doesn't follow the bloody gladiatorial tradition of decapitating his opponent. Instead, he drives his sword into the ground and bows his head to the fallen knight, honoring the final gesture of a knightly duel.
All the nobles present rise to their feet, bowing to acknowledge the honorable duel they have witnessed between knights. Henwell's etiquette and the techniques he employed in battle convince them that this was not a mere gladiatorial clash but a true knightly combat. In their eyes, Henwell is not just a gladiator, at least not in this fight.
The arena is unusually silent, devoid of the typical cheers. Instead, the spectators follow the nobles' lead, standing to applaud Henwell in congratulations. The bowing is to mourn a knight who died for honor, while the applause is for another knight who has proven his honor and valor.
Duke Raymer, seated in the VIP stands, turns to Count Obiken beside him, "So, was I right or not?"
Count Obiken, clapping lightly, smiles, "Haha! Alright, you win. This young gladiator is indeed impressive!"
As Obiken offers his praise, Henwell happens to bow in this direction, paying his respects. Unbeknownst to him, the person responsible for his current predicament is sitting above, watching his fierce battle unfold.
After Henwell's victory, the next to step into the arena is Scorpion Tail. It's only a few moves in when Henwell notices something off—Scorpion Tail isn't fighting with full force. In a brutal gladiatorial match, how could he dare hold back?
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Quickly, Scorpion Tail takes a hit from his opponent's sword, not lethal but enough to affect his performance. The opponent's advantage grows more apparent, and two minutes later, Scorpion Tail is struck again.
At this point, Scorpion Tail raises his right hand, declaring his surrender. In these bloody matches, surrender is allowed, but one's fate depends on the opponent's decision and the wishes of the challenge's sponsor.
The young gladiator sheathes his sword and turns to his employer. One of the five arena managers stands up with a smile, giving a thumbs-up. Just as Scorpion Tail breathes a sigh of relief, the manager suddenly turns his thumb downward.
"Wait..." Before he can finish, the young gladiator swings his sword, beheading Scorpion Tail.
Henwell turns to his somber companions and then to the furious Bloodhorn. He understands what's going on now and can only sigh in resignation.
Next up is Tarantula, facing a formidable opponent. Despite giving it his all, Tarantula finds himself at a disadvantage. Even in a desperate counterattack, though he severely injures his opponent, Tarantula suffers more grievous wounds and passes away before he can be carried off.
With two losses in a row, Bloodhorn's anger intensifies.
Fortunately, in the following two matches, Flying Ant manages to kill his opponent, sustaining only minor injuries.
Michelle, on the other hand, plays a bit of a rogue strategy. She deliberately exposes herself slightly, and though still young, her developing figure distracts her opponent just enough. In that moment of distraction, Michelle strikes, wounding her opponent critically.
With three wins and two losses, Bloodhorn's side still claims victory. However, due to the one-on-one nature of the matches, Bloodhorn can only claim three-fifths of the wagered prize.
After the closing ceremony, Bloodhorn approaches Henwell and the other two. Generously, he hands over 120,000 gold coins to them, not interfering with their decision to stay or leave.
Henwell turns to the others, "Each of you take 30,000 gold coins. I'll handle the remaining 60,000."
The two say nothing, and Henwell pulls out two slips of paper from his pocket, handing them to Bloodhorn.
"These are the people Scorpion Tail and Tarantula cared about. Please, Lord Bloodhorn, find them. They had a stake in this fight, and even though they lost, they deserve the reward they earned with their lives."
"Deliver their compensation to those they cared for. Deduct the cost of finding them from my share. As a token of appreciation for your trouble, I'll remain in the arena for at least a year."
Bloodhorn smiles, "That's quite honorable of you! I accept, and you don't need to cover the cost of finding them. I can handle that—I'm not heartless. Moreover, I promise you that Scorpion Tail and Tarantula's families will be under my protection. I won't say much, but for the next five years, they'll have no trouble."
Just as Henwell is about to bow in gratitude, he suddenly coughs up a mouthful of blood. His two teammates rush over to check on him, while Bloodhorn calls for a doctor. Henwell shakes his head, "I broke a rib. Took a hit from the opponent's sword hilt weight. Even with armor, it slammed into me."
When the doctor arrives, it's confirmed that Henwell has four fractured ribs. Bloodhorn advises them to rest and recover before anything else.
The final blow from the young knight was fierce, but Henwell managed to deflect some of the force, leaving only his chest shaken. Those four ribs, however, were broken by Henwell himself. After Scorpion Tail's death, while changing armor, he had pummeled his own ribs.
Late at night, Flying Ant and Michelle come to find Henwell. Michelle speaks first, "The Flash, are you really not leaving?"
Henwell shakes his head, "No, I'm not leaving! I don't want to, and I can't right now!"
Seeing their silence, Henwell hesitates for a moment before continuing, "Before the fight, Bloodhorn approached you, didn't he? He must have told you that even if you surrendered, you'd survive, and he would let you go!"
The two look at Henwell in surprise, and Flying Ant asks, "He didn't tell you?"
Henwell replies, "He wanted to, but I didn't give him the chance!"
Chapter 56: The Terms for Staying
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