The Imperial Scepter of Glory

Chapter 9 Iron Fist

"Are these the people from the Iron Fist Mercenary Group?" Lin Tan quietly asked Garabaron beside him.

At this moment, the Fleck Mercenary Group, consisting of thirty-four people, had gathered outside of Herco Town, including Lin Tan and Garabaron. Opposite them was another mercenary group, approximately forty strong. This group was well-equipped, and their leader, a muscular man, was bare-chested even though winter was approaching. He had a bald head and his body was covered with tattoos of fierce animals like lions and dragons. He carried a massive battle axe over his shoulder and was staring fiercely at Lin Tan and his group.

"Yes, these are our competitors for the mission, the Iron Fist Mercenary Group," Garabaron said in a deep voice. "This group is tough. The guy with the axe, Hansen, is a level 5 warrior. It's said that he can take down a whole squad of orc infantry by himself."

An elderly man, dressed in a refined manner with a monocle and meticulously combed gray-white hair, stood between the two groups. He turned to the bald Hansen and said, "We’ve already hired the Fleck Mercenary Group. You..."

Before he could finish, the large man interrupted loudly, "No need to say more. I know what you’re going to say." His voice was as powerful as his imposing figure. "Mercenaries live by their fists. If they can’t beat us, then the job will naturally belong to us!"

It was a simple matter. After Lin Tan’s group accepted the mission, the Iron Fist Mercenary Group arrived in Herco Town, just returning from the eastern battlefield to rest. If they could take on a simple escort mission, they could repair their equipment and even make a little extra money. It was a win-win situation. As for the conflict with the Fleck Mercenary Group, if it had been a few months ago, Hansen might have considered it, given that Old Fleck was a seasoned knight who had fought on the orc battlefield. However, with most of Fleck’s key members gone and the young guy in charge looking unremarkable, Hansen thought he could just take the mission without hesitation.

Fighting for missions was not uncommon among mercenaries. After all, when the number of jobs was few, everyone wanted to take the lucrative ones. Many mercenaries were no saints and some even worked as bandits on the side. They had no qualms about showing off their strength in this way.

The elderly man was the consul for the merchants. His persuasion to Hansen was just a formality because, often, employers couldn’t stop such conflicts from happening. In fact, some employers even secretly welcomed them, hoping that the mercenaries they hired would be stronger.

The consul approached Lin Tan and said, "Mr. Edward, I’ve tried to persuade Mr. Hansen, but he insists on proceeding. What do you think?"

"Heh, it’s fine, Consul. Mr. Hansen is right. If we can’t handle them, how can we claim we can guarantee your safety along the way?" Lin Tan replied with a smile.

"Then I wish you good luck." The consul smiled slightly, took a few steps back, and moved aside to watch the scene unfold.

Hansen took two steps forward and addressed Lin Tan, "I know you, Edward. You’re old Fleck’s son. I fought alongside your father on the battlefield. He even took the head of a squad leader from me, causing me to lose a few gold coins. Let me give you some advice: take your people home and drink some milk. Playing with swords and axes is for grown-ups." He then raised his axe and made a provocative gesture toward Lin Tan.

"Words are always sharper than axes," Lin Tan retorted coldly. "How will we know who’s stronger unless we fight?"

"Hmph, kid," Hansen said, "I’ll show you how powerful my axe is. I heard you’ve awakened your fighting spirit? Don’t think just because you have that, you’re anything special. I’ve chopped the heads of fighting spirit users before!"

Hansen returned to his group, and the Iron Fist Mercenary Group immediately drew their weapons, glaring at Lin Tan and his mercenaries. The Fleck Mercenary Group members didn’t back down either, drawing their weapons. Ten spearmen positioned themselves at the front, and twenty two-handed sword soldiers stood behind, all eager for a fight. Both mercenary groups had just returned from the eastern orc battlefield, having been tempered in blood and fire. They were no rookies, and a brawl like this was nothing.

Garabaron unsheathed his longsword and stood beside Lin Tan at the front of their formation, whispering, "I’m not sure I can handle Hansen. His strength is immense."

"Hansen is mine. There are a few strong ones in their group. You watch the rest and make sure they don’t disrupt our formation too much," Lin Tan replied softly. For him, this battle was perfect for testing the soldiers he had trained through the system. Though the spearmen and two-handed sword soldiers were only basic units, Lin Tan didn’t want to waste the faith energy without seeing results.

Soon, at a signal from the leaders of both sides, the two teams began advancing. When they were about a hundred meters apart, both sides suddenly accelerated towards each other!

At fifty meters, the Fleck Mercenary Group immediately stopped. The front spearmen quickly raised their shields and pointed their spears forward in a defensive stance. The two-handed sword soldiers hid behind them, waiting to strike when the enemy faltered.

The Iron Fist Mercenary Group didn’t slow down. Instead, three burly men, slightly smaller than Hansen, charged forward, carrying heavy weapons like warhammers and large axes. They let out a roar and prepared to smash through the spearmen’s formation. Garabaron leaped out of the formation, his longsword descending from above to block one of the attackers’ charge. With a sweeping motion, he blocked another two. The four of them collided in a clash of weapons, creating a brief moment of space around them. Generally, lower-ranked soldiers would avoid interfering with stronger fighters, not wanting to get in the way or risk dying. After all, this was just a brawl, not a life-and-death battle.

On the other side, the warriors of the Iron Fist Mercenary Group had already clashed with the spearmen's formation!