Knight: Becoming King of the World

Henry’s assault finally ceased. Glock’s body was unrecognizable; his limbs and torso had been utterly obliterated, leaving only shattered fragments scattered across the snow.

Henry panted, his breath ragged. He scanned his surroundings to ensure there were no other anomalies. Caladia was proving to be more complex and dangerous than he had imagined.

Henry picked up Glock’s war banner. Though tattered, he suspected it might hold clues about the Chaos Power.

He decided to take the banner back for careful study. ’If this were just a worthless rag, Glock wouldn’t have made a point of taking it like it was some kind of treasure.’

Henry froze, suddenly realizing how unnervingly quiet his surroundings had become.

The stillness was a stark contrast to the expected clamor of battle, and it struck him as strange.

If not for the distant, occasional battle cries, Henry would have almost thought he had been transported to another world again.

Looking up, he scanned the area. The soldiers of his infantry, the steppe horsemen, and the scattered members of Ratifa’s Personal Guard were all standing perfectly still, their gazes locked on him.

Whether they were the soldiers who had undergone his "Overlord Training" or the regular Caladria People, their faces all wore expressions of undisguised terror.

Even the Inferior Horned Beasts—creatures that should have been incapable of fear—had stopped their advance, their eyes betraying a dread of Henry.

Henry was still spattered with the blood and gore of the Inferior Horned Beasts. The blood and visceral fragments from Glock had become his new fashion statement.

His great axe and warhammer were likewise caked in blood!

Henry’s own soldiers were fine, merely stunned by the sheer brutality of the scene. The members of Ratifa’s Personal Guard, however, found it much harder to stomach.

What they felt toward Henry was more than anything a terror of a Warrior’s ultimate fighting capacity!

’Is that how you kill an enemy? Is that even how you fight a war?’

Henry took a deep breath. He could feel the soldiers’ eyes on him, but he had no time to soothe their nerves.

More Inferior Horned Beasts were waiting to be annihilated. Henry raised his great axe and bellowed, "Don’t stop! The enemy isn’t completely defeated! We can’t stop here! Follow me and keep fighting!"

At Henry’s cry, the soldiers gradually snapped out of their shock.

As long as they followed Henry, nothing was impossible.

The infantry reformed their ranks, the steppe horsemen remounted, and Ratifa’s Personal Guard regrouped.

Following Henry, they resumed their charge against the enemy.

The soldiers of Ratifa’s Personal Guard had truly felt an unprecedented level of pressure and demoralization during this battle.

From the moment they left Tiyaer, they had been constantly outclassed by Henry’s army!

Whether in marching Endurance or speed of assembly, they always seemed to be a step behind.

They consoled themselves with the thought that Henry was, after all, a young military noble renowned throughout the empire; it was only natural that his troops were of a higher caliber.

’We can’t beat them in marching and assembly, so we’ll just have to beat them in combat!’

Then, when they witnessed Henry, a single man on a single horse, cutting a swath of destruction across the battlefield, a sense of helplessness washed over them.

’It’s fine, it’s fine,’ they thought. ’Henry is a young noble renowned throughout the empire. This is all normal.’

But when the fighting subsided and they spoke with the allied troops they had fought alongside, their composure finally cracked.

Their own combat prowess was merely on par with the Skilled Infantry and even the new recruits of Henry’s army. This dealt them a blow of unprecedented frustration.

’Seriously, man? This is how it’s gonna be?’ they thought. They had to admit their pride was wounded, though just a little.

Fortunately, they hadn’t completely disgraced Ratifa. Otherwise, they’d be afraid of losing their livelihoods upon returning to Tiyaer!

As members of the Personal Guard, they were considered a cut above the common folk in Tiyaer. They lived in fine houses, wore fine clothes, and ate and drank the best food and wine. Who wouldn’t look upon them with envy?

This position was their very lifeline!

So, they had hoped to reclaim some dignity in this battle. After all, the enemy numbered a full sixty thousand! No matter how strong Henry’s army was, they couldn’t possibly slaughter them all, could they? Surely there would be a chance for them to prove their worth!

Indeed, they hadn’t even considered the possibility of losing a five-thousand-against-sixty-thousand fight. Such was the terrifying impression Henry and his army had left on them.

Just as they mustered their morale, ready to redeem themselves, they were once again stunned by Henry’s tactics: leading a charge on foot, his infantry phalanx advancing at a terrifying speed.

’Like sweeping away dead leaves! It’s an absolute rout!’ the guards thought. ’The infantry is fighting with the momentum of a cavalry charge!’

’How utterly terrifying!’

’Forget it. Let them be strong. At least they’re on our side.’

Though they felt a sense of resignation, they had to admit that having a powerful ally was better than having a weak one.

However, when they witnessed the scene of Henry butchering Glock, their feelings grew complicated once more.

They didn’t even have time to be shocked by Glock’s tenacity; their eyes and hearts were consumed with a fear of Henry’s own savagery.

’Does Baron Henry have such a vicious streak?’ A cold shiver ran down their spines. ’Gods... he won’t lose himself in the killing and come after me, will he? If he did, I wouldn’t stand a chance!’

Some of the Personal Guard couldn’t help but harbor this fear. It was common for warriors to see red on the battlefield, to go mad and cut down anyone in their path, friend or foe alike.

And Henry’s display had undoubtedly made them very uneasy.

Thankfully, Henry’s shout proved he wasn’t a madman; he was still in control of his senses.

’Henry... he’s a normal person!’

The looks of post-catastrophic relief on the faces of these men from the Northern Lands baffled Henry’s own soldiers.

’Are these guys idiots or what?’

「In the rear」

Selas had his eye pressed tightly to the spyglass Henry had temporarily entrusted to him, observing every movement on the battlefield.

His heart hammered in his chest as he watched the scene unfold. When he saw Glock’s body swell and purple patterns emerge on his skin, his jaw nearly hit the floor.

"My heavens, what is that thing?" Selas muttered, breaking out in a cold sweat for Henry.

Selas couldn’t help but worry as he watched Henry face an enemy that defied all logic.

Soon, Selas’s worry turned to astonishment. He saw with perfect clarity how Henry utterly defeated Glock.

"The lord is still the lord... absolutely badass!" Selas praised, his admiration for Henry overflowing.

’He’s never won a fixed match in the arena, but he’s never lost a real battle on the field!’

Selas recited the phrase in his mind; it had become the perfect summary of Henry’s invincible image.

Watching Henry’s heroic form on the battlefield, Selas felt a powerful surge of pride. He was truly fortunate to follow such a leader.

’My family’s fief went bankrupt, we lost our noble title... I thought that was it for my life. But who would have thought... Life is truly full of ups and downs!’

He lowered the spyglass and turned to issue new orders to his cavalry.

’The enemy’s defeat is only a matter of time,’ Selas thought, ’even if there are still around twenty thousand of them, a dense, dark mass stretching as far as the eye can see.’

’But at the rate Henry is clearing them out, they’ll be down another thousand in ten minutes.’

’Looks like our Lord Henry has won again!’

With a hint of ease in his voice, Selas commanded, "You’ve all been itching to get on the battlefield and kill some enemies, haven’t you? Good! We can’t just sit here and do nothing. Cavalry, prepare to move out! We’re going to make sure not a single one of them gets away!"

The cavalrymen roared in agreement. Every time they watched the infantry racking up merits and military honors—exchanging them for rank, Dinars, official posts, and land grants—they itched with envy!

Under Selas’s command, the Cavalry charged onto the battlefield like a black whirlwind, the thunder of their hooves beating like war drums!

Selas knew that even though Henry was unrivaled on the battlefield, winning the war still required the combined effort of every single soldier.

After all, there were still too many enemies. Even if Henry never tired, his soldiers would. Their weapons would dull, and their armor would break.

In Henry’s army, there was no such principle as being Immovable as a Mountain while an ally was in peril!