He tightened his grip around his glaive. It was like him, battered and beaten, marred by countless battles. This weapon had accompanied him for so many years, and it too was reaching its limit. Sentinel Kong had almost destroyed it with the last attack, so it would not last much longer. He smiled wryly because the same could be said about him. His 'fire' would flare out one last time before disappearing. Sir Winstin locked eyes with his two opponents. He knew that beating them was unlikely, if not outright impossible. They would whittle away at his remaining strength, and then kill him like a dead dog. He was bound to lose. Therefore, much to the surprise of Sentinel Kong and the other Perception Realm, he pivoted on his heel and charged away! This legendary knight, the one standing at the pinnacle of Perception Realm Master, had fled! They had not expected this. However, Sir Winstin did not care about their mocking gazes. He would rather not waste his precious time fighting them. There were better uses of his energy than that.
Blood splattered, as Sir Winstin targeted and killed a nearby soldier. Although this soldier was a newly advanced Perception Realm Novice with Martial Energy, it was still nothing against Sir Winstin, who now stood at the pseudo-Half-Instinct Realm. He could easily overpower them! That was the overwhelming difference between Realms! That said, despite managing to kill five Perception Realms, the enemy side had many more to spare… He could not overturn the odds. Moreover, Sentinel Kong and the bald man raced at him. They would not let him do as he pleased! Sir Winstin managed to kill another soldier, before they caught up. His speed was ridiculous! Swoosh! Sentinel Kong slashed his glaive down again with monstrous power.
This time, Sir Winstin dared not to block it, but decided to dodge. The blade narrowly missed his body, except the bald man saw through it. He charged in at that perfect time, right when Sir Winstin was recovering and struck out with deadly accuracy! Sir Winstin gritted his teeth, after realizing that he could not dodge in time. Left without a choice, he raised his glaive to block. Boom! His glaive exploded under the impact as the bald man's staff plunged deep into his chest plate. A large shockwave erupted. Unlike last time, the bald man felt his blow connect! Sir Winstin did not emerge unharmed! And as expected, the knight vomited a fresh pile of blood, his complexion growing several shades paler. Although he wore plate armor, which should have mitigated the damage, the bald man had perfectly concentrated his power into a single point, thereby explosively increasing its penetrative power. The vibrations were enough to wreak havoc on his innards! Furthermore, since his chest armor was dented from the previous blow, this squeezed his body in the middle. The damage was amplified even further! It was a brutal hit! The knight was briefly knocked out cold.
They say that when heroes die, they should die without regret. After all, they were 'heroes', and heroes always won in the end, right? A fairy tale did. However, the world was not quite so black and white. By all definitions, many considered Sir Winstin a true living legend, a hero of his own era, a person who stood at the zenith of the Alzar Kingdom. Everyone looked up to him. Everyone aspired to be him. He was the shining example for all soldiers, knights, and even Royal Guards. Even his enemies, the Xingyuu Empire, feared him. His name had become a household staple. Yet, his life was like his body and weapon: scarred, beaten, and bruised. It was nothing like the glamourous tale people made up.
For one thing, he was not born into some Grand Nobility Household or blessed with some heaven-defying abilities at birth. He was not given any special resources or guidance to become a Perception Realm Master. No… In reality, he was just some filthy brat that you could find anywhere in the slums. His parents had pawned him off when he was young after they gained a massive debt. It was unknown what they did or who they angered, but they did not return after that. He never even knew their names, much less what they looked like. Who knows? Maybe they were living happily somewhere else, having forgotten that they had a son at all. That was fine though. He would not consider those people his 'parents'. They had simply birthed him. That was it.
After that, he was raised by the very same shopkeeper who bought him. That woman looked crooked and unreasonable, owing to her mad appearance and scrappy voice, but she was surprisingly soft on the inside. She raised him like a son. Thanks to her business, they had a bit of money, so he was fortunate to have met her. However, to have money without not the means to hold it, especially in the slums, was a tale as old as time. They were bound to suffer for it. A group of thieves broke in one afternoon and killed her. As her cold lifeless corpse sank into a pool of her own blood, the young Sir Winstin was forced to watch these thieves vandalize everything. He was too afraid to even breath. Eventually, the city guards came, but instead of arresting the thieves, they began chatting like old friends. That was when Sir Winstin realized everything was planned from the start. They had worked together to steal some money, and even killed someone for it… How ridiculous was that? Was there no justice in this world?
The young boy ran. They would discover he was alive sooner or later, so he had to escape, but where could he go? He had no friends nor family, no money nor skills. He had nothing. Therefore, the military academy became the next best option. Despite what people thought, the academy was a great place to be. You were given a warm bed, regular meals, and a small salary. No one would question your background or history. It was a fresh start. The only 'slight' drawback was that you would have to serve in the army for several years. Back then, the First Great Kingdom War was heating up again, due to the rise of Lord Jungang Tzu. Lord Jungang Tzu, later known as Emperor Jungang, had allied with the Li Family to overthrow the previous dynasty, and dominate the other Great Nobility Families. This created chaos throughout the Xingyuu Empire, and the entire world in general, as the Alzar Kingdom tried to take advantage of this. This meant there was a large push to recruiting soldiers and offering more benefits to entice fresh blood. However, looking at it somberly, it also meant that few survived to reap the rewards. War was, and still is, that brutal.
To prevent that from happening, he did double, if not triple, the normal training. He would practice with his sword, while everyone else was chatting. He would imagine swinging in his sleep, while everyone else was dreaming. He would thoroughly drown himself in ways to get stronger, by any means possible. He would push his body, mind, and spirit to their absolute breaking points! It was honestly cruel to see from the outside. People would think he was crazy, and avoid him, which was in a sense true. No one else would subject themselves to such mental or physical torture. It was like he was a machine. He had discarded everything else and focused entirely on one thing! His dedication had become an obsession! To be honest, even Sir Winstin did not know what came over him. Perhaps, he wanted to take revenge on those who killed his foster mother. Perhaps, he wanted to start anew and forget about everything. Perhaps, he wanted to be the justice in this lawless world. Who knew what the young Sir Winstin was thinking?
Regardless, his insane efforts did bear fruit, as he advanced from Fundamental Realm Novice to Fundamental Realm Master in a few years. That was the equivalent of jumping from a normal soldier to a Great Knight of the Realm! This speed was already absurd, breaking almost all records, yet he continued to push himself until he finally became a Half-Perception Realm at fifteen years old. His monstrous potential and ability were noticed by the knights, who granted him the temporary title of Grand Knight of the Realm. Their condition was that he must break into Perception Realm before he became twenty, and only then would he be granted a permanent position of Royal Guard. From then on, the rest was history… He had surpassed everyone's expectations, and officially became a Perception Realm Novice in three years. After proving himself over many years of service, he had climbed the ladder to finally become the next Leader of the Royal Guards. He had even earned his spot as King Harth's Protector. His name became known throughout the lands!