Chapter 164: Champion

It was only when they heard Rod’s screams that everyone remembered he had just finished fighting. Seeing his condition at that moment, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Rod’s face was pale, his entire body covered in blood, with wounds of varying depths—a horrifying sight! His disheveled hair added to the eerie atmosphere. The intense smell of blood was almost unbearable. It was then that they realized they had been so blinded by victory that they hadn’t noticed his condition. In that moment, it could only be described in one word—horrible, heart-wrenching to watch. Seeing Rod on the verge of collapsing, they quickly supported him and called for emergency help.
“Sorry, it seems the next match will have to rely on you! Remember to coordinate well, don’t rush. Thiel surely can’t continue fighting either. Under these circumstances, we’ll have the advantage. As long as we play steadily, nothing unexpected should happen!”
As the paramedics rushed over, Rod said to them with a bitter smile. He was well aware of his own condition—internal and external injuries everywhere. The fact that he could still stand was already quite remarkable; he didn’t dare hope for much in the upcoming fight.
Yet despite this, he was full of confidence for the next match. The opponent’s mage, Paul, and captain Thiel had both withdrawn, destroying most of their team’s strength, leaving them almost powerless. On his side, though Anna and he had also withdrawn, their main mage was Kenny, and in terms of warriors, Viski was the former captain. With him, along with the three main warriors from before, they were more than enough! Considering their overall coordination over time, both collectively and individually, they were stronger than their opponents. Coupled with the psychological advantage, winning the match should not be a problem if they performed normally.
Even in the worst-case scenario, if they lost the team match, they must not forget that after three singles matches, their score was already 2-0. Even if they lost the team match, the overall score would still be 2-2. In the final overtime, Viski would undoubtedly shine. Under such circumstances, victory was almost guaranteed! So there was no reason for him to worry. It was precisely because of this that he could calmly follow the medical staff to the infirmary for treatment.

“Don’t worry, leave it to us. Don’t be concerned!” Viski said in a deep voice, looking intently at Rod. After that match, he had to admit that the captain far surpassed him in every aspect. If it were him facing such a situation and opponent, he would surely lose, but Rod not only withstood it but also emerged victorious. This surpassed his imagination and completely won his respect.

“Then I’m leaving!” Rod said with a bitter smile. With the help of medical staff and under everyone’s gaze, he and Ciel, who was in a semi-comatose state from Wind God Academy, were taken away from the arena.

As Rod stepped out of the barrier, loud cheers and applause greeted him. Kiro and the others had been waiting at the exit for a long time. Upon seeing Rod, they rushed over, greeted him with concern, and followed him to the infirmary.

Lucia looked anxious, with tears barely hidden in her eyes. Alice was unusually silent, without any mockery or sarcasm. Her worried and concerned gaze and tone reminded Rod of his time in Iron Bar Town!

……

Rod’s departure weighed heavily on everyone’s mood, but on the other hand, it greatly boosted their morale.

The arena was in ruins. The supposedly indestructible arena had been shattered in the clash between Rod and Ciel. Clearly, the match could no longer continue there, so the final team match was forced to be held at the backup arena, Number 4.

After some rearrangements, the match resumed. After several intense individual matches, several key members withdrew, dulling the excitement of the team match. The audience’s attention remained fixed on Rod and Ciel’s earlier confrontation, leaving the team match somewhat quiet.

Amid this quiet atmosphere, the team match proceeded smoothly and ended without any accidents. Holy Light Academy, with its strong strength, dominated the match once again and secured the victory. The entire process was extremely steady.

Just as Rod had predicted, without Ciel and Paul, Wind God Academy became a team even weaker than Clear Stream Academy. Under Viski’s leadership, Holy Light Academy easily defeated them. Of course, the championship brought endless speculation and awe to everyone. It truly deserved the title, delivering several spectacular matches that left a lasting impression.

Thus, the first round of the Continental Competition came to an end. Under Rod’s leadership, the Holy Light Academy successfully claimed first place, while the Wind God Academy had to swallow its defeat and settle for second place. The Divine Martial Academy, as expected, finished in third place.

As the champion was announced, cheers filled the entire venue—some joyful, some sad. In particular, the members of the Holy Light Academy wore smiles of satisfaction. The weight on their hearts had finally lifted. Thinking of their dean, their fellow students, and their team leader, Knight Rod, they felt they had fulfilled their mission and delivered a satisfactory result.

With this round concluded, the final matches in the other two categories also determined their winners. In the intermediate level, the Divine Martial Academy once again demonstrated its strength, continuing its decades-long, even century-long dominance and retaining its throne as champions, forcing the Wind God Academy to accept another bitter defeat. The Holy Light Academy followed in third place.

In the advanced level, the Light Academy, resting comfortably, once again took first place, with the Holy Light Academy in second and the Wind God Academy struggling to finish in third.

As the final results were announced, the overall champion was revealed. Surprisingly, it was the Divine Martial Academy that won the championship. Although their total score was equal to that of the Wind God Academy, they edged them out in the final tiebreaker to claim second place. This was quite unexpected— the Wind God Academy, which had consistently held first place in previous editions, now had to settle for third place. The Light Academy finished in fourth, and the Clear Stream Academy in fifth.

After the competition, all participants gathered at Arena No. 5, where the results were announced on the stage. Amidst the cheers from the audience, they received their awards.

As everything came to an end, darkness gradually settled over the area. Everything had finally come to a close. Today’s events were over, and what happened next had little to do with these students. Tomorrow, a high-level conference would be held in the Imperial Capital, bringing together leaders from various countries and powerful figures invited from across the continent. The main topic, of course, would be discussing the accuracy of the recent news and strategies to address it.

A few deans would also attend, but this was no longer related to the participants. So, after the dismissal was announced, this edition of the Continental Competition came to a successful close.

This edition was filled with many highlights. Compared to previous editions, it produced numerous talented individuals, and the high-quality matches kept the audience entertained throughout.

Leaving the field, Viski and the others rushed toward the medical room without hesitation, carrying their honor with them—there, their teammates and captain were waiting. They needed to share the joy of this victory with them as soon as possible. It could be said that most of the credit for this honor went to them, especially captain Knightrod. Without his efforts and hard work, everyone was sure the outcome of this competition would not have been what it was now; they would not have won the championship. Perhaps it would be the guys from the Wind God Academy who ended up smiling last.

Following the academy’s paths, they quickly arrived at the medical room! They rushed in, asked around, and soon found Rod’s ward. Coincidentally, Anna had also been placed in the bed next to Rod’s. Of course, since this was a treatment room, both of them were together for now, but eventually they would have to be separated—men and women couldn’t stay together.

Next door were Ciel and Paul’s wards. When they entered, they saw the members of the Wind God Academy as well.

“You’re here!” Rod said in a low voice, struggling to sit up as he saw them enter. His pale face made it hard not to feel pain for him.

“Yeah, we’re here, captain. Anna, are you two okay?” The group asked worriedly. It seemed Anna was in slightly better condition—her face was pale too, but her condition wasn’t as severe. She only suffered mental shock and injury; with some rest, there should be no problem. Her magical elements and essence could recover as well. But the captain was severely injured, and it would be difficult for him to move around for a while.

“We’re fine. The captain is more seriously injured. Did we win the match?” Anna asked with a slight smile, anxious to know.

Her question was exactly what Rod wanted to ask. Though he had guessed the result, hearing it confirmed his thoughts. He stared at them, expecting their answer.

“We won. Our academy has also won the championship. The Divine Warrior Academy defeated the Wind God Academy in the intermediate level matches. The Wind God Academy finished last, while the Divine Warrior Academy came in second!”

“Really?” This answer surprised Rod. He frowned slightly but soon smiled. It didn’t matter what happened to others—as long as they had won, all their efforts hadn’t been in vain. It was a reward in itself.