Chapter 173: Ignoring Completely

“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t forget, this is the Holy Light Academy—not a place where you can act recklessly. Can’t you see Brother Sean here? Or do you simply look down on Brother Sean?” At first, Nils was worried about Rod’s actions, but then, seeing Sean beside him and noticing his darkened expression, he smirked coldly and taunted him.
“Captain!” Seeing Rod’s situation and the attention it had drawn from many people, Kenny rushed forward to pull Rod back, hoping to stop him. Though he was also very dissatisfied with Nils’ behavior and words, he knew now was not the time to cause trouble. After all, Sean alone was a huge problem. The fifth-ranked among the academy’s top ten experts must be quite skilled—at the very least, he knew there was a gap between the captain and this guy. Fighting head-on would not yield any advantage.
“Nils, you bastard! Stop acting tough. Is it because you rely on my power? Who do you think you are? Nothing but trash! Hmph! I disdain you. If your so-called ‘great father’ is so impressive, let him talk to my old man—my old man is an Imperial General! It’s not that I despise you, but don’t let me see you again!” Unexpectedly, John’s intervention at this moment shocked Rod greatly, and his words also surprised him deeply.
The Imperial General—there were three supreme marshals and ten generals in the empire. There were many generals, but only ten could be called great generals. Each of them had numerous military achievements and a renowned reputation, holding absolute power.
At that moment, Rod wondered if he had entered an imperial noble academy. Why did everyone he met seem to be from noble families? Even the usually unremarkable John was like this—what about Veski and the others? Could they have even more powerful backgrounds? He couldn’t imagine. From Lucia, to Anderson, to Alice, and now John—Rod had been overwhelmed by so many surprises. It seemed everyone around him was a noble of power and influence. The Holy Light Academy had become nothing short of a school for noble privileges.

“Oh, it’s Young Master John. Heh, I really didn’t see you. Today’s incident wasn’t aimed at you. I hope you won’t get involved just because of some lowly scoundrel! If we leave Knightrod alone, how about I arrange a meeting next time to apologize?” John’s outburst still made Nils somewhat cautious, and he was quite troubled by John’s presence. Things were getting a bit tricky. Indeed, although his father had considerable influence in the capital, it still fell short compared to the John family. Offending John wasn’t a wise move.

“John, let me handle this myself!” Before John could respond, Rod spoke up first, revealing a cold smirk. With a cold expression, he strode forward, glancing back at Linda, who tried to stop him, before continuing on his way.

“Heh, Knightrod, this is what you said yourself—handle it alone, no one else needs to get involved. John, you heard that too. He refuses your kindness, so don’t blame me for not showing you respect. Brother Sean, it’s him! Hmph, it was he who caused me such humiliation in the capital some time ago. You must help me avenge this today! A lowly scoundrel daring to treat a noble like this—he’s clearly challenging our noble status. We can’t let him get away with it!” Nils still couldn’t let go of the humiliation he suffered at the Flower Fragrance Pavilion and spoke resentfully. However, his expression became extremely awkward as he recalled that incident, his face turning red.

The others also looked puzzled at his words, then stared at Rod, who was struggling to hold back his laughter. The culprit was right in front of them. Few people in the capital, especially at the Holy Light Academy, weren’t aware of Nils’ ordeal. By the day after it happened, almost everyone in the academy knew about it. The story spread far and wide, yet no one expected the culprit to be standing right there.

“Knightrod, I, Sean, as a warrior, challenge you to a life-or-death duel!” Standing in front of Nils, Sean finally spoke again, staring coldly at Rod and saying in a deep voice.

At these words, everyone’s expression changed drastically, except for Nils, who wore a triumphant smile. A life-or-death duel—fighting until one side wins—was the most serious challenge among warriors, akin to signing a pact of life and death! It was easy to imagine how fierce such a battle would be. No matter who won or lost, Knightrod was in trouble this time.

Failure is certainly good; even if one doesn’t die, they’ll suffer severe injuries. So what if one wins? If Sean is hurt, will Sean forgive him? Will Sean’s family forgive him? Everything can be settled without even lifting a hand—Nils was overjoyed!
“Sean, don’t go too far. Don’t forget you’re a third-year student. How can you dare challenge a first-year student like this? You’re shameless!” Even Linda, standing by, couldn’t stand it any longer and spoke up.
“Will you accept it or not?” Ignoring the words and expressions of the others, Sean stared intently at Rod and pressed on. Once a warrior issues a challenge, it cannot be withdrawn—he was waiting for the other party to accept it.
“Captain!” Kenny and John also grew anxious. A life-or-death battle? Such things were almost never seen in the academy—at least they had never seen them; they had only heard of them.
“Accept it? Hah, am I an idiot? Why would I waste time fighting you to the death? My target is Nils. Better not stand in his way! I’m not idle; if you have energy, go run and exercise so you don’t get in my way.” Unimpressed by Sean’s repeated questions, Rod replied indifferently as if hearing some joke.
At these words, everyone was shocked, including Nils. He had refused Sean’s challenge in such a manner, rejecting a challenge issued in the name of a warrior.
“C-Captain, you… you…” John, who wanted to step forward to argue, was speechless. He stared at Rod with wide eyes, his expression full of disbelief.
A challenge issued in the name of a warrior is considered the most sacred and serious. The challenged party must accept it; otherwise, they’ll be despised and seen as having surrendered automatically. If they possess a warrior’s medal from the warrior association, they must hand it over as a trophy to the challenger, showing their incompetence and cowardice.
However, such challenges can’t be issued arbitrarily—they must come from warriors of the same rank. Coincidentally, both Sean and Rod were gold warriors, which led to this situation. Everyone thought Rod would accept the challenge; who would have expected such an outcome?
“You… you…” Sean’s face turned pale and red alternately, but he couldn’t say a word. The other party’s actions and words had insulted his dignity, deeply humiliating his status as a warrior.

The murmurs around him made him feel utterly ashamed; an urge to go crazy surged within him. He breathed heavily like a fire-breathing bull, his eyes blazing and nostrils flaring. “What do you mean? I said I won’t fight you. Stay wherever it’s cooler. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I become ruthless!” He wasn’t afraid of just a warrior at the late golden stage—Rod hadn’t feared the Earth Bear even when he was a silver warrior, nor had he backed down against Cael, who had risen to the imperial level. How could he be afraid of such a person? Ridiculous. He didn’t care about others’ expressions—of course, that was because he didn’t know the rules. All he thought about now was teaching that contemptible guy, Nils, a lesson. Seeing his arrogant attitude only fueled Rod’s desire to torment him. At this moment, he had no mood to deal with this unknown guy—Shawn? Even if it were Chopin, he wouldn’t care!

A dark dragon suddenly appeared in his hand, tracing a black trail that hurt the eyes. A chill instantly spread throughout the area. Rod walked forward very slowly, yet even at such a pace, he exerted immense pressure on Nils. Although Shawn was right in front of him, Nils felt as if he were a naked lamb standing before a gray wolf, the coldness spreading deep into his heart.

Seeing Rod’s actions, Nils couldn’t help but retreat!

“Boom…” Suddenly, a sharp sound was followed by a muffled groan. There were stairs behind them. Without paying attention, Nils rolled down the stairs, emitting crash sounds and screams. This scene made many of the onlookers laugh.

“Knight Rod, are you seeking death?” Finally, Shawn exploded in anger. With a roar, the great sword he carried appeared in his hand as he prepared to swing at Rod. At this moment, he had no time to care about Nils, who had fallen. Having always been looked up to since childhood, being insulted like this made him lose his mind slightly.

“Whatever!” With a cold gaze, Rod also challenged Shawn. Battle was imminent, and the situation became extremely tense. Many people quickly stepped back for fear of getting involved, even those around Shawn moved away. The clash between the top ten experts from the two academies was beyond their interference. Behind Rod, Linda, John, and Kenny were anxious, like ants on a hot pan, not knowing what to do.