Bab 79: Ashbourne BloodBlades
Asher almost lost his decorum the moment he saw the grade of this troop, but he held himself.
What this meant was that each and every soldier would eventually become saint-ranked armored swordsman knights!
He trembled.
If he could nurture them properly, they would become a dreadful force known throughout the Tenaria continent.
"It's His Lordship." Nero nudged his father, who gazed at his dream to come alive. He had always dreamed of leading armored swordsmen but training such a rare troop was a bleak dream. Swordsmen had a pitiful durability, but armored swordsmen were several folds more durable; unfortunately, they were hard to train.
Hearing his son, he turned his head toward the gate and saw Asher walking in.
Before he could speak, the King Swordsmen, over 100 of them, had their Centraks bow toward Asher while they lowered their heads.
Asher smiled.
"Arise, my swordsmen."
For the first time he spoke more than just arise, and it made Alex's confidence in the power of his troop soar.
At their right pauldron was the crest of a howling golden wolf head. It was an ornate, a symbol of authority and rank to the swordsmen, but it could also be removed, stripping the swordsmen of their duty should they break military code.
These King Swordsmen had received decades worth of training that made them able to give their lives for their lord without batting an eyelid. They were almost cut out of the world, as they would only train, live, and die inside the castle.
They could only be ordered by their commander despite the circumstances, and their commander could only act when the lord had given him an order.
The King Swordsmen could not go to a war that lacked the presence of their lord, as they were meant to protect him for the rest of their lives.
All 109 of them were gold-ranked sword knights.
Asher approached one of them, grabbed his sword, and pulled it out. Before Alex could understand what Asher wanted to do, Asher swung the sword toward the swordsman by the one he pulled the sword out of.
The swordsman's breath didn't even shake, yet his eyes were strangely fast enough to follow the movement.
But he wasn't built to respond to attacks performed by his lord, so he remained passive until the sword's tip stopped right at his Adam's apple.
"Impressive restraint." Asher commended.
The swordsman nodded.
After admiring his personal troop, his eyes went toward the 10-year-old silver-ranked dual swordsman, who must have been waiting for an upgrade.
[Host has intentions to upgrade Nero?]
'He's amongst the King Swordsmen troop. Why doesn't he look like the rest of them?'
[He's greater. He's the greatest talent you have, and his best position is the position of a BloodBlade.]
Asher raised both brows.
BloodBlades were extremely skilled professionals whose only job was to be by the lord's side. They were literally everywhere the Lord could be found.
BloodBlades were ancient warriors that diminished after the forgotten era. They were introduced by beastmen and were copied by the other races.
Some powerful nobles might still have BloodBlades, but Ashbournes had pet beasts, so no BloodBlade had ever been found since the Ashbournes became a noble household.
A BloodBlade had to enter a contract that once the lord dies, they also die. This made them different from casual bodyguards.
Asher did not think that was what Alex wanted for his son.
'Is there no other option?'
[The option of making him a King Swordsman is still open, but it would never allow his full potential to reach its peak.]
Seeing Asher looking at Nero for a long time, Alex was puzzled. Nero was excited, as he expected an upgrade, but it was taking too long.
"Have you ever heard of a BloodBlade?"
Alex's eyes widened, and he fell on one knee.
"I will be honored to be your BloodBlade!"
[Ding! Would you upgrade Sir Alex to become your BloodBlade? Yes or No?]
'What?! He's already a commander!'
[He can still command as a BloodBlade.]
Asher frowned deeply.
"I was speaking to Nero. Do you know who a BloodBlade is?"
Nero shook his head.
"They're warriors whose lives are connected with their lord. Once the lord dies, they die. Their duty is to protect the Lord at all times. Your father is married; I can't have him be my BloodBlade because he will have to leave my side to tend to his wife…"
"We can both be your BloodBlades. When he is not by your side, I shall be there, and when I am not there, he shall be there."
Nero suddenly spoke.
Asher looked at Alex.
"Like I said, it's my honor."
Asher didn't know what to say. 100 percent loyalty wasn't just numbers; it made people do crazy things, and in this case, a father and a son were about to become Ashbourne BloodBlades.
[Alex and Nero are available for upgrade. Would you upgrade Alex and his son, Nero, to become your BloodBlades? Yes or No?]
Asher hesitated.
'Yes.'
Swoosh!
Crimson rings appeared around the white, blinding light that swalloed both father and son. On the other hand, Asher felt dizzy, as if he had lost a good amount of blood.
When the light died down, two figures appeared. One was about 7 feet tall, while the other was almost 6 feet tall. Both of them wore dark silver armor, which had a thick convex chestplate.
The chainmail underneath their thick, dark silver armor, which looked like it was made out of mythril ore, could be seen at the gaps at their elbows and necks.
The layer of armor they donned was both amazing and stunning, yet they had only blue cloaks and no crest nor plumes on their helmets, which only revealed their eyes.
There was a bloodstain mark on their right pauldron and on the right eye part of the helmet. Alex hung his broadsword, weighing over 2000 catties on his back, while Nero sheathed two longswords on both sides of his waist.
The solemn aura they exuded flooded the barrack. Their presence was so daunting that no one could ignore them for fear that they might strike at any moment.
.....
Inside the sacred hall, Asher sat with his BloodBlades at his sides and his pet beast lying lazily at the left end of the hall.
Boom!
The doors opened and a man, a silver-ranked soldier from the Flameheart territory that came after there was no response from the falcon, walked into the hall.
He had seen the sudden changes and was shocked for hours.
The current state of the stronghold made him almost not want to return to Flameheart domain. A land he once prided in! As he kept walking, one of the fearsome-looking knights that had bloodstains on his armor focused on him.
"Kneel before the authority and Lordship."
His voice was tender, like that of a teenager, but the undertone carried so much dread that the soldier's knees became weak.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone