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"Gained 900 EXP!"
The second the man hit the ground, the system message only Leo could see flashed across his vision.
Even in the middle of this insane melee, knocking enemies down still counted.
Leo didn't have time to celebrate. The guy who had just stabbed Robert lunged at him with a spear.
Leo twisted fast, but the blunt tip still scraped along the seam of his rib armor.
He answered with a quick slash. The attacker dodged.
Then a warhammer slammed into the man's face like a cannonball and sent him flying. He tumbled across the dirt and lay still.
Robert stood there sweating, one hand pressed to his bleeding gut, the other gripping his hammer for support.
"Your Grace!" Leo stepped in close, shielding the king while checking the wound. "You all right?"
The other royal guards saw the blood and fought their way back, weapons swinging, desperate to reach Robert even if it cost them.
The fighters circling them paused. No one wanted to be the idiot who actually killed the king.
"Damn it… I'm not what I used to be," Robert spat, then forced a ugly grin at Leo. "It's nothing. Just a scratch. I've taken worse."
A knight from House Massey looked panicked. "Your Grace, your health comes first. We should withdraw."
"Get the hell out of my face!" Robert roared, shoving the man aside, eyes blazing. "This is a melee! You want me to quit like some whimpering woman because of a little blood? I won't have it!"
"But—"
"No buts!" Robert lifted his hammer again, stubborn as ever. "I can still fight. If you want to run, go ahead."
His right hand shook harder on the hammer grip—clear sign he was running on empty.
The other knights traded uneasy looks.
"Protect the king!" Leo snapped. He knew Robert's pride wouldn't let him leave. "I'll take point!"
He had checked the wound. It wasn't deep, no major arteries, bleeding wasn't bad. If the king wanted to stay, fine. Time to change tactics.
"I don't need protecting!" Robert growled, trying to push his guards away. The sudden movement pulled at the wound and twisted his face in pain.
The stab hurt like fire, and the exhaustion was hitting him hard. He hated admitting it, but he really wasn't the man he used to be.
The other fighters saw the wound wasn't serious and that Robert wasn't leaving. They closed in again, even more aggressive now.
In their eyes, a wounded but still-standing king was perfect. They could carve up his guards without worrying about killing the king, then force him to quit honorably.
The pressure on Leo's squad doubled.
Leo became the spearhead, sword and shield working overtime, taking hit after hit while barely keeping his feet.
The other knights were in the same boat. The glory of "defeating the king's team" pulled every nearby fighter straight at them. With no fear of accidentally killing Robert, the attackers went all out.
"Neo, take this!"
Seeing Leo getting hammered, Robert hurled his warhammer over.
Leo dropped his blunted sword, caught the heavy hammer one-handed, and didn't miss a beat.
An enemy thrust at him. Leo blocked with the shield and swung the hammer at the next man with [Slam].
The attacker tried to parry with his sword. The hammer smashed it aside like a toy, kept going, and caved in his breastplate.
Blood sprayed from the man's mouth as he flew backward.
"Gained 800 EXP!"
Leo didn't even wipe the blood off his face. He spun and hammered the next target.
The sheer brutality made the rest hesitate.
Robert whooped. "That's how you do it!"
Leo felt the difference immediately. The warhammer was way more effective than the blunted sword. One solid hit and people went down.
Battle lust surged through him. He started swinging for real.
The moment the others saw him launch a man like a rag doll, they started treating the hammer with real fear.
Leo moved like a storm, hammer whistling through the air, forcing everyone to back off or get crushed.
He even remembered the old saying: Heavy sword has no edge, great skill looks clumsy. In the face of raw power, fancy technique didn't mean shit.
Spotting an opening, Leo triggered [Charge] and blasted straight into the crowd, bowling one man over.
The fighters around him couldn't believe it—one guy charging alone into the middle of a pack? It was suicide.
They swarmed him, weapons raised.
Leo didn't flinch. He roared, planted his feet, and unleashed [Whirlwind Slash].
Metal rang, armor crunched, men screamed.
Leo spun like a tornado, hammer whipping in a full 360-degree arc.
Anyone close enough got their weapon knocked flying, arms numbed, or took a direct hit that sent them crashing to the ground coughing blood.
In seconds the space around Leo was cleared. Half a dozen men lay groaning or unconscious in the dirt.
More EXP lines popped up in Leo's vision.
The fighters nearby froze, staring at the blood-soaked demon in golden armor like they'd just seen a ghost.