Chapter 160: Just So-so

At this moment, both of them were in a miserable state. They were gasping for breath, their clothes in disarray, hair messy, with large drops of sweat streaming down their foreheads.

Especially Cael, whose two gruesome wounds were bleeding profusely, turning the surrounding clothes bright red. Due to the continuous fighting, his face was pale, and he looked extremely exhausted. Blood dripped from his clothes onto the ground below, staining a small area red.

The long snake surrounding him kept spitting out its fangs and panting heavily. After the battle, it was the most severely injured, with several wounds on its body and much of its fine scales knocked off, losing its once-imposing appearance.

“Huff… Huff… Knightrod, I didn’t expect I underestimated you after all. Don’t worry, I won’t give you another chance!” As everyone stared in shock at the battle, watching the two of them and anxiously awaiting what would happen next, Cael smirked coldly and said those words to Rod. In the silence, those words reached most people’s ears.

Hearing this, Rod’s expression changed slightly. Before he could wonder what was going on, he saw the other man suddenly thrust his sword at his chest, spitting out blood that landed on his sword, before chanting spells like a mage. This made Rod shiver slightly, unsure of what was happening, but an ominous feeling spread throughout his body.

“Could this guy also be skilled in both magic and combat?” Moments later, his heart skipped a beat as a surprising thought crossed his mind, surprising him greatly.

If that were the case, things would really get troublesome. But it didn’t seem that way—otherwise, he wouldn’t have lingered fighting against Rod until now.

Like Rod, many others wore puzzled expressions, unable to figure out what was happening or what Cael’s intentions were. They could only watch in confusion.

“Bad! The captain actually…” On the contrary, among the crowd’s confusion, a few people from the Wind God Academy showed surprise and shock, especiallyHill. Having grown up with Cael since childhood, no one knew his personality, strength, and abilities better than him.

He had heard of this move before, and Cael had also explained it to him. Now it was actually being used? Burning combat energy, spraying blood, using blood as a bond to connect with heaven and earth, unleashing potential, at the cost of life force!
Yes, it was that forbidden move. Cael had resorted to it for victory, pushed to this extreme when facing Knightrod, even using such a move. Seeing this,Hill couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Cael, are you crazy? Stop it now! Don’t do this!”
Although using this move could instantly boost one’s strength by a great deal, the damage it caused was enormous, no less than a mage using magic beyond their level. Burning combat energy was one thing, but spraying blood meant he wouldn’t be able to recover for a long time. The consumption of life force was the most critical aspect—using this move would cost the user a year’s worth of life force. Such a price seemed too high, and the more often it was used, the more life force would be consumed. It was also the family’s secret technique, the most terrifying and evil one, a move that should only be used in life-or-death situations.
Yet, Cael paid no attention toHill’s cries. With a cold smile on his lips, he stared intently at Knightrod across from him, his eyes somewhat mad.
“Damn it!”Hill’s words reached everyone present, including Rod. Though he still hadn’t fully understood the situation, he could roughly guess what was going on.
The move Cael was using surely wasn’t anything good—it seemed capable of greatly enhancing one’s strength in an instant! But it would likely come at a huge cost.
“No, we can’t let this guy unleash his full power, or things will get troublesome!” With that thought, Rod made a decisive decision. Indeed, if the opponent unleashed their full power, he would surely lose. The only option now was to fight desperately.
Without further hesitation, his expression turned cold as he swiftly swung his sword. The Autumn Wind Sword was instantly activated, sweeping forward like autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, raising clouds of dust and creating a fierce gust as it charged forward.
……
“Is that kid a member of the Osta family of the Orans Empire?” On the stands, an old man asked in a low voice, watching Cael’s actions below.
“It seems so. Only members of their family and those with their bloodline can master that secret technique,” replied another old man in his sixties in a deep voice.

“It seems that kid from Holy Light Academy is in trouble. Depending on the situation, if things go wrong, stop the match immediately and award it to Wind God Academy. Don’t let that kid from Holy Light Academy get hurt!” The old man frowned as he watched the situation below and spoke first.

“Look, it’s not enough. Even with a strength gap, that kid won’t be in trouble in the short term. Don’t worry. But it seems like you, old man, have a fancy for him? Really? He’s from Holy Light Academy, and I heard those old guys are eyeing him too. I doubt you can get him, haha—very difficult!” On the contrary, another old man seemed quite relaxed. Seeming to understand something about the two people below, he turned to the old man beside him and asked teasingly.

“What do you know? Hmph. Watch—those old guys can’t beat me. As for you, old man, aren’t you jealous? Let’s see how you try to show off in front of me again! Alright, watch—that kid has launched an attack. Hmm, this move is quite good. It seems powerful, not inferior to his last move. Who is this kid? Who is his master? How does he know such powerful moves? Have you heard of anyone on the continent who can use these moves?” The first old man wasn’t bothered at all by the attacks from the other old man. He smiled slightly, his eyes suddenly lighting up! At that moment, he saw Knightrod on the arena moving—it was Rod using the Autumn Wind Sword. Seeing this move, his eyes shone, but he also grew more puzzled. Such a move couldn’t be performed by an ordinary person.

Considering the two moves Knightrod had used before, his confusion deepened. Logically, these were extremely powerful moves whose strength increased as one’s ability grew. Yet here they were used by this young man, and no one seemed to know his origin. He knew all the famous people on the continent, and none of them seemed to use these moves. And someone who could use such moves couldn’t be an unknown person—this filled him with doubts.

“I don’t know, haven’t heard of him. It seems this kid has some skills!” Another old man also narrowed his eyes as he watched Knightrod below and spoke in a deep voice.

Then there was silence as everyone focused their attention on the arena.

As Knightrod unleashed the Autumn Wind Sword, dust filled the air, along with terrifying power, striking Ciel’s body. This time, Rod showed no mercy.

“Hiss… Hiss…” However, the attack was far from easy. Just as Rod had imagined, he encountered trouble—the damned long snake came out again to disrupt him.
“Get lost!” With a furious roar, he swung his sword casually. Along with a crisp sound, along with the shedding of scales, splashing blood, and agonized screams, the six- or seven-meter-long body of the snake was sent flying, suffering a massive wound and writhing in pain on the ground.
After repelling the snake, he charged straight at Thiel. Seeing Thiel, who was already changing, he felt a bit worried.
At this moment, Thiel had become extremely eerie. His originally light yellow hair had turned into a vivid blood red, fluttering in the strong wind as he stood there with his eyes tightly closed. His muscles and bones kept writhing and swelling, and in just a short while, he had grown taller and stronger.
Without time to think further, Rod only hoped to end this disgusting battle as soon as possible. Thiel’s transformation reminded him of his own two previous transformations: the first time against the Earth Bear, he lost consciousness, and the second time against Viski, he unleashed unimaginable strength. Although Thiel’s transformation was somewhat different from his own, his strength must have also increased greatly.
“It’s too late!” Just as his long sword, Dark Dragon, was about to pierce Thiel’s abdomen, a cold voice came through, as if from the depths of hell, making people shiver involuntarily and filling them with awe.
Ding… Before Rod could react, a crisp sound was heard. His long sword let out a sharp groan, followed by numbness in his hand and intense pain, almost making him drop Dark Dragon.
Affected by the immense force, he stepped back several times before barely stabilizing himself. Looking at Thiel, who stood there calmly, his heart was filled with shock.
Red combat energy—having enabled him to reach the rank of Martial Saint in such a short time. Such strength… was beyond description.
In just one move, it had easily broken his Autumn Wind Sword. When had this move become so fragile? He wasn’t sure; his mind was a bit confused.

In fact, Rod didn’t know that there were two reasons why the Autumn Wind Sword could be easily broken. First, the initial attack on the Long Snake weakened its power, allowing the opponent to figure out the trick. Second, the brief hesitation before attacking Ciel’s body caused the move to stall, giving the opponent a perfect opportunity. Of course, the more important reason was the difference in strength.
“Well, is it over? It wasn’t that great. Now it’s my turn!” Seeing Rod’s surprised expression, Ciel’s lips curled slightly as he spoke coldly.