Chapter 158: You’re Wrong

After some adjustments, the third match was about to begin. Knightrod, the newly rising star who had gained prominence recently, was set to face Ciel from the Wind God Academy—a genius who had only joined the Holy Light Academy that day. Their duel might be the most exciting match in today’s junior finals. One was a rising star who had stunned everyone in the preliminary rounds by defeating a warrior from the Clear Stream Academy without giving his opponent any chance to react or even strike back, ending the fight in an instant and leaving a terrifying impression, thus becoming the most mysterious contestant. The other had shown terrifying strength in the previous match, humiliating his opponent by manipulating him at will. The clash between these two extraordinary individuals piqued everyone’s interest.

“I’m going!” Rod said in a low voice, looking at his teammates, though his smile seemed stiff.
“Captain, go for it!” His teammates encouraged him, though their faces showed concern. Everyone had hoped that Wiski would face Ciel, as that would have been more certain. Unexpectedly, they drew the worst matchup, forcing the captain to face Ciel. Ciel’s terrifying strength was well-known—how could anyone not worry with such a golden warrior on the other side?

“You’ll win!” Suddenly, a calm voice came through—it was Wiski. He looked at Rod calmly, without the concern shown by the other teammates. Instead, his eyes reflected confidence. Everyone could doubt Rod’s strength or question whether their captain had the ability, but not him, because he knew his captain’s strength best. The first time they fought officially still lingered vividly in his memory. He had faith in Rod.

“Of course! Hehe, wait and see me return victorious!” With a slight smile, he looked at his teammates, then paused on Wiski, nodding at him before speaking firmly.

With that, he turned resolutely toward the stage. As he stepped onto the arena, Ciel also arrived. The two stood facing each other, and the atmosphere instantly froze.

“Wiski…” Watching the situation on stage, the teammates couldn’t help but look at Wiski, as if he might have the answer.

“Stupid! If you have no confidence, leave right away!” In response to the crowd’s cries, Viski turned to look at them. How could he not understand their feelings? Frowning, he turned and spoke coldly.
Those words turned their faces red with embarrassment, leaving them at a loss for words. Standing there with ashamed expressions, they didn’t know what to do, eventually fixing their gaze on the arena. Indeed, if they had no confidence in their captain, Viski was right—they should leave immediately, as they didn’t deserve to be there.
The two fighters in the arena were called by the referee to the center. Looking at them, the referee warned sternly, “Remember the meaning of this match—life is most precious, friendship comes first, and the match is second. Don’t repeat what happened just now!”
It seemed Anna and Paul’s previous match had worried the referee, who couldn’t help but remind them.
Though both nodded in agreement, they secretly sneered inwardly. Friendship first, the match second? Ridiculous. Such an outcome was only acceptable in normal circumstances, not at such a critical moment.
Looking at his opponent, Thiel, Rod’s gaze was sharper and more piercing than ever. The results of the first two matches had put immense pressure on him, especially Anna’s performance—such determination from a young girl. If he failed, he would truly have no face to face his fellow villagers.
More importantly, winning this match would eliminate all worries, as victory would then be firmly theirs.
So now, Rod was like an arrow nocked on a string, with no room to turn back.
After giving some final instructions, the referee left, leaving only Rod and Thiel in the arena. Facing each other, the match was about to begin, the atmosphere reaching a critical point—crowds cheering, excitement high as everyone watched the two fighters with anticipation. A thrilling match was about to unfold, and their enthusiasm was at its peak.
“Knight Rod?” Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, the two didn’t rush to start the match. Instead, they stood in the center as if acquaintances, chatting. It was Thiel from the Wind God Academy who spoke first.

“We’ve met before. I said we would fight! I have to admit, you’re strong. I watched your match that day; that move was truly impressive. But today, you’ll be defeated by me!” Before Rod could reply, Ciel continued.

“You’re strong too. Today, you’ll honorably become my defeated opponent. Wind God Academy? It’s destined to be nothing but a stepping stone for us.” Hearing Ciel’s words, Rod retorted defiantly.

“Then let’s see who’s stronger! I won’t hold back today. Heh, get ready to take hits.” With a hint of a mysterious smile, Ciel spoke calmly.

Immediately after speaking, he stepped back swiftly. A fiery red long sword appeared in his hand, glowing with intense light. Standing there with the sword, he looked at Rod across from him. Rod’s lips curled slightly, and his body trembled as a long snake, about several meters long, appeared behind him, coiling around him and staring at Rod with a cold gaze.

The snake slowly moved, winding around Ciel and surrounding him, as if protecting him.

“A Bronze-level magical beast, the Green Snake!” Seeing this beast soul, Rod couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly. Things were getting more complicated. He hadn’t expected this guy to have his own magical beast, and it was even at the Bronze level! His scalp tingled at the thought.

Although he also had a fantasy beast at the Bronze level, he couldn’t use it yet—after all, it wasn’t the time to reveal it. He quickly drew out his Dark Dragon and held it tightly, staring at Ciel and the long snake with a cold look in his eyes.

“Has it started? Fine, then let’s fight!” Seeing Rod ready to attack, Ciel smiled slightly before speaking calmly. He waved his sword in a circle before bringing it back in front of him, his gaze sharpening instantly.

The next moment, he struck first. With a loud roar, the snake beside him turned into a shadow and rushed at Rod. He didn’t fall behind either, swinging his sword wildly, creating dazzling sparks as he charged forward.

“Shadow Sword!” Seeing this situation, Rod knew dodging was useless. This tough battle was bound to be difficult from the start, so he used his strongest move, the Shadow Sword, without any hesitation.

In an instant, combat energy surged throughout his body, creating a dazzling display that made almost everyone present gasp in awe. The appearance of sixteen figures not only shocked everyone immensely but also made the high-ranking officials from various countries on the stage, the deans of different academies, and numerous powerful fighters who had come to watch widen their eyes in disbelief.

Such techniques and such strength should not belong to an eighteen-year-old boy at all, so they could hardly believe what they saw.

“A Golden Warrior? The captain actually… How… How is that possible!” Even Kenny and the others in the audience murmured in disbelief, then looked at their teammates in astonishment after realizing what was happening.

“The level he reached yesterday was extremely strong! I have no chance against him now; I don’t know how to counter this move!” Viski’s commentary from the side only made everyone swallow hard, their eyes filled with disbelief.

After a brief discussion, cheers erupted from the audience as the match had already shown such a high level of skill from the start, making everyone realize their expectations had not been in vain—things were only going to get more exciting from here.

On the stage, Rod’s Shadowless Sword created sixteen figures that instantly spread across the entire area, surrounding Thiel and his serpent in the center, forming a siege.

“Damn it! He’s become a Golden Warrior? Heh, things seem to be getting troublesome now! But this move of yours won’t work on me!” Seeing this, Thiel was momentarily stunned before a scornful smile appeared on his lips.

After witnessing Knight Rod’s move that day, he had spent a long time studying it. Finally, through his research, he understood many things and grasped some of its mysteries. So at this moment, he was full of confidence, without any sense of guilt or fear.

Soon after, he let out a loud shout, and the serpent that had rushed forward quickly retreated back to his side. He himself stood still, tightly gripping his sword and watching the surroundings, seemingly determined to wait passively for Rod’s attack.

“Hmph, Shadowless Sword? It’s just a feint. There’s only one real attacker in the end. I’m curious to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!” Thiel thought to himself coldly.

“Really? You’re wrong!” Just then, when everyone thought Thiel had truly figured out this dazzling move, Knight Rod suddenly spoke, causing everyone’s hearts to skip a beat before collapsing in shock.

“How is that possible! It’s impossible, absolutely impossible!” As expected, in the next moment, Thayer’s exclamation was heard as well—filled with disbelief and shock.