Chapter 162: The Final Blow

At this moment, Rod had decided to unleash Burnheaven. Even if he were recognized, there was nothing he could do about it. At such a critical moment, he could no longer afford to hide—doing so would only put him at a greater disadvantage.

Moreover, Burnheaven was no longer just the little creature hatched from the egg laid by that fire dragon. Before it even hatched, Xuan Yuan had used a secret technique to implant the soul of a divine dragon into it. Thus, this little creature had undergone tremendous changes. Even the mother dragon might not recognize it if it stood before it, let alone these students. Perhaps those elders would suspect something, but without evidence, what could they say? Besides, the little creature had already formed a contract with him, so no one else could interfere.

With that in mind, Rod gritted his teeth, silently calling out the little creature’s name while channeling his mental energy deep into his dantian, urging it to emerge and help him fight.

A thunderous dragon roar echoed through the air, and a powerful aura radiated from Rod’s body, spreading outward and instantly covering the entire arena.

Another high-pitched roar followed, and combined with the overwhelming aura, it even made the attacking Sayer stop and stand opposite Rod, cautiously observing the situation. Everything was happening so suddenly that caution was necessary.

The spectators below, the elders on the stage, and even the referee ready to end the match couldn’t help but look up at Rod. Especially those elders—they could sense the sheer power of that aura, an aura befitting a king. Under its influence, Rod’s figure seemed to grow even taller in an instant!

At the same time, everyone was filled with confusion. What exactly was going on? They had no idea what Rod still hadn’t used yet to create such a huge disturbance.

As they were stunned and puzzled, another roar came, seeming to get closer this time, more vivid and real. With the third high-pitched roar, a red light surged upward from Rod’s body, rising several meters before stopping under everyone’s gaze. Within that red light, a voice roared fiercely.

The red light gradually dimmed, revealing what was inside to everyone’s eyes—a deep red creature covered in scales, resembling a long snake, coiled around Rod. It stood upright, its head raised high as it gazed down at Thiel. No, it wasn’t a long snake; such a creature had never been seen by anyone before. It looked like a snake but had forelimbs and hindlimbs. Its head was oddly bulging, as if something was about to grow from it. Its presence was awe-inspiring, yet also suspicious.

Especially the few elders on the stage exchanged glances. They were familiar with that kind of aura, yet it also seemed strange to them. Among them were those who had encountered powerful dragons before, and this aura was extremely similar to what dragons emitted, though slightly different—seemingly purer, more powerful, and more shocking! Even its scales appeared very similar to those of dragons.

What exactly was going on? A huge question arose in everyone’s mind.

“This little guy seems to be the main figure in the Iron Fence Town incident?” Suddenly, a voice came through, drawing everyone’s attention.

“It seems this kid really has quite a few secrets, hard to figure out. Look, this match has just really begun—unexpected results might arise!” With a sigh, another elder spoke with a complex expression after a moment of silence.

…

“Fantasy beasts? I didn’t expect you to have one too!” Thiel said in a deep voice as he looked at Knightrod. The aura emitted by this creature made him feel a bit afraid, something he couldn’t explain even to himself.

“Hmph, enough talk—take this!” Gathering his strength, Rod didn’t give Thiel a chance to act first. Instead, he rushed forward first, instantly using the Autumn Wind Sword with great force.

Behind him, Furnace Sky also received Rod’s command. After a loud howl, it transformed into a red streak and rushed toward Thiel at lightning speed, astonishingly faster than Rod.

A small fireball was first spat out from its mouth, signaling the start of the battle. Followed by successive small spells. Rod was surprised that Furnace Sky could use these spells as well. Instantly filled with confidence, it arrived right in front of Thiel!

Ding ding ding… A series of crisp clashes rang out instantly, with sparks flying everywhere. Soon, the fire dragon joined the battle. This time, it was Rod’s turn to launch a relentless barrage at Cael. Backed by his imperial-level strength, although Rod’s Autumn Wind Sword didn’t cause any substantial damage to Cael, it still left several wounds on him. Blood splattered everywhere, mixing with Cael’s blood and staining a large area red. In an instant, the arena was filled with flashes of swords and blades, gusts of wind, swirling dust, soaring magic, loud roars, the harsh sounds of weapons, and thunderous shouts! Three figures clashed together, making it impossible to discern the exact situation. The only one clearly visible was Burnheaven, whose striking deep red color was truly eye-catching. His strength and abilities shocked and amazed many, as he was a fantasy beast with both magic and martial skills—his power was self-evident. It was surprising that Rod could barely hold his ground with his help. By now, the battle between Rod and Cael lacked complex moves or dazzling sword techniques; there were only the simplest attacks, even those akin to beastly assaults, focusing entirely on direct confrontation. As the battle continued, both men suffered more and more wounds. The loss of blood and stamina had pushed them to their limits. If not for their unwavering will, they would have collapsed long ago—especially Cael, who was burning his life force and combat energy, with his energy reserves running low. Moreover, the negative effects of burning his life force became apparent now, as his imperial-level strength was gradually declining, something Rod could sense most acutely. Just like the sharp eyes of those veterans on the stage, it was clear that over time, Cael showed signs of weakening. The color of his combat energy faded slowly, and his speed in casting moves decreased. Now, under Rod’s careful observation, his attacks could almost all be blocked.

After all, fighting energy burns life force; it is a means to unleash extraordinary power through fighting energy, at a great cost. Everyone’s fighting energy is limited, even those at the divine level are no exception—let alone someone like Cael, whose strength is only that of a Gold Warrior. Although he rose to the level of an Imperial-level warrior in a short time, the fighting energy he used was still that of a Gold Warrior. Such intense use of fighting energy couldn’t last long, and its drawbacks were gradually becoming apparent.

As long as he could hold on, he might even win without fighting—this was something Rod firmly believed in. Realizing this, a confident smile returned to his face. At the same time, he had a rough plan in mind: waste time. Time was the key to victory. As long as he could persevere, the opponent would surely be defeated within ten minutes, he was certain of it.

With this thought, he took action. On one hand, he relied on Fen Tian to attack from behind, while he himself fought while retreating at the front, focusing on defense. Using his limited abilities and the terrain, he waged guerrilla warfare across the entire area. He was no longer eager to win or focused on defeating the opponent quickly, as it was too difficult.

As time passed, Cael’s condition became increasingly obvious, even to people like Kiro. Cael himself grew anxious, glaring fiercely at Knight Rod and launching furious attacks. Though his body was covered in new wounds and horrific scars, Rod’s heart was filled with joy—victory was within reach.

“Damn you! Die!” Unable to hold back any longer, Cael unleashed all his remaining strength, placing all his hopes on his final move.

How could he not know that his situation had been discovered by the opponent? How could he not understand Knight Rod’s intentions? Though filled with hatred, he was powerless. All he could do now was pour every last ounce of his strength into this final gamble. If he won, great; if not, it meant he would lose this battle, and all his efforts would be in vain.

“Tornado Slash!” With a roar, his fiery red sword emitted intense light as it slashed through the air in a swirling motion, carrying a fierce momentum like a tornado, launching a wide-scale attack at Rod.

“Blocking this move will win it!” With a determined look, Rod thought to himself. He knew he was already under attack and was in a dead corner of the arena—there was no way to avoid it. All he could do was counterattack and resist; this would be the decisive strike. Seeing this, he focused all his remaining combat energy into one point, channeling it into the Dark Dragon, holding his breath, and gathering strength to strike back. A black light surged instantly, and the Dark Dragon emitted a deep humming sound. A beam of black light shot straight into the sky, casting darkness over everything. The Dark Dragon slowly raised its spear—seemingly extremely slow—but everyone in the audience’s seats paled. Even Viski and Kiro below looked grave. This seemingly ordinary move contained terrifying power.