Chapter 178: Confrontation

Hearing these words, everyone couldn’t help but look toward the entrance of the training ground. Familiar voices brought excited smiles to Alice, Lucia, and the others—it was Kiro’s voice. Turning quickly, they knew Kiro must have brought that guy, Knightrod, with him.
A commotion arose inside the arena. Nils stared at the entrance with a darkened expression, feeling as if he had fallen into an abyss. His earlier excitement and smiles vanished, replaced by frustration and anguish.
That bastard Knightrod had appeared! His sudden arrival ruined all his plans. He had thought he could watch him be despised by others, but now that seemed impossible.
“Heh, what? You’re planning to make a judgment before I even arrive?” Sensing everyone’s eager gazes and seeing Nils and Sean’s frustrated expressions on the stage, Rod knew he couldn’t avoid this anymore. Even if he didn’t want to accept such a challenge, being here was like being a bride forced into a wedding procession—there was no room for resistance.
“It seems pretty lively. I’m not late, am I? If I heard correctly, there should have been only one second left!” Rod slowly stepped toward the arena, murmuring to himself. His voice was clear to everyone.
“I told you he’d come!” From the stands in the distance, Ciel said with bright eyes upon seeing Rod appear. To be honest, he had been worried a bit earlier when Rod didn’t show up, fearing the guy might not appear after all. Now that he had shown up, Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. Knightrod was one of the few people he truly respected.
“You can deal with your own problems later, Sean. Since you’re so eager to bring shame upon yourself, or maybe you just can’t stand still—whatever. I’ll fulfill your wish. Enough talk, let’s start!” In just a moment, under everyone’s attention, Rod stepped onto the arena. His gaze turned cold toward Nils, who let out a cold snort before turning to Sean with a sneer.
Rod’s appearance and words sparked cheers, along with boos from Sean’s supporters. But Rod paid no attention to any of this. He stood there calmly, his Dark Dragon Sword already in hand, unshaken by the breeze blowing through his clothes, as steady as a rock.

“You… Hmph, I’ll see if you still have such confidence in a bit!” Rod’s words left Nils speechless. Shaking his hand fiercely, he spoke in a deep voice before walking toward the arena floor. He wasn’t in a hurry. From what he knew, Knight Rod was merely a beginner-level Golden Warrior, while Sean was a late-stage Golden Warrior on the verge of reaching the ranks of imperial-level experts. Moreover, the rankings themselves proved it—fifth place versus eighth place—showing clearly his confidence in Sean.

“I’ll make you kneel and admit your mistake!” As for Sean, he also responded with a cold snort and words of dissatisfaction. Rod’s arrogant attitude filled him with rage.

As the two faced off, the atmosphere instantly turned tense. The audience’s hearts were held in suspense as the battle was about to erupt. Everyone held their breath, waiting for that moment to come.

“Go first!” Holding his greatsword, Sean looked calmly at Rod with disdain, seemingly ignoring Rod’s strength altogether.

“Is that so? Heh, then don’t blame me for not being polite!” Without any intention of yielding, Rod smirked coldly. Being polite in battle was foolishness—he despised it greatly. At least he didn’t consider himself some so-called great and noble warrior, let alone a Western cowboy. What era were we in? Still doing that kind of thing?

His expression darkened, his gaze sharpening instantly. Wielding his long sword, he let out a loud roar and charged straight at Sean with fierce momentum. At the same time, his combat energy erupted, with golden-colored energy enveloping him like armor, making him stand out like a glowing light bulb.

His roar echoed through the sky, deafening in intensity. The Dark Dragon transformed into a streak of dark light, becoming blurred due to its extreme speed. It emitted a humming sound, as if a giant dragon had opened its mouth, ready to swallow its enemy in its light.

“Just in time!” Seeing Rod charging at him, Sean snorted coldly. He raised his greatsword and pushed off hard with his back foot, leaping forward. He raised the sword above his head, creating a pale blue glow. Against that light, it resembled a curtain of water. His water-type combat energy was fully unleashed at this moment—truly worthy of being the fifth-ranked strongman in the academy!

Ding… A shrill sound instantly filled the entire training ground, as intense collisions sparked countless sparks that flew in all directions. Two massive forces collided, and as sound waves spread, the combat energy radiated outward, leaving behind terrifying traces wherever it passed. Watching this scene, the spectators were both cheering and excited, yet they dared not be careless—both fighters were too strong, and getting caught up in their clash could have unimaginable consequences. As a result, they quickly scattered to avoid being drawn into the chaos. Boom… After a brief struggle, both fighters exerted their full strength at the same time, producing a loud roar. Dust flew everywhere, and the force from their feet caused cracks to spread across the ground like a spiderweb, a sight that was truly alarming. Their feet even broke through the ground, causing their support points to collapse. Under such immense force, both fighters were flung backward, taking several meters before they could stabilize themselves. Two deep footprints remained where they had stood. “Cough, cough… Knightrod, not bad!” With a cough, after that move, the two were tied, with no clear winner. At that moment, Sean’s expression turned serious. In that recent duel, he had faintly felt that he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength, which surprised him greatly. He immediately reevaluated his opponent—his strength exceeded his expectations. “Hmph, it hasn’t even started yet; this is just warming up. Now, watch this move—Shadow Sword!” With a cold sneer, Rod’s expression turned fierce. He raised his sword, drew a circular arc, and then charged forward with renewed force. Moving swiftly across the arena with eerie and complex steps, his figure split into two, then four, quickly turning into ten figures that attacked Sean from all directions. The use of this move immediately triggered screams of awe. It had become Knightrod’s ace move, his signature skill. During the continental martial arts competitions, its use had left a deep impression on everyone, earning genuine admiration and respect with every appearance.

“No, Thiel, do you think Rod is hiding his true strength?” Seeing this move,Hill on the distant stands frowned and asked Thiel beside him. He remembered using this move during their last confrontation with Thiel—both times there had been sixteen figures, but this time there were only ten. Clearly, Knight Rod wasn’t giving it his all, which leftHill puzzled about his intentions.

“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t seem simple!” Thiel also frowned deeply as he watched Rod on the arena, equally confused. Some inexplicable feeling made him sense that something was off—this move didn’t seem straightforward; he couldn’t figure it out, feeling that there had been a change, though he couldn’t pinpoint it right away.

“What’s going on, captain? Why hide your strength?” Not onlyHill but also John and the others shared the same confusion. They could see the flaw in Rod’s move—none of the additional figures had appeared!

“Let’s wait and see,” Kiro said in a low voice, seemingly having noticed something as well.

Many who had seen Rod’s move were also puzzled, but time didn’t allow them to think much longer, as the two sides had already started fighting.

The next moment, something happened that left everyone stunned—many felt as if they were dreaming, convinced they must be in a dream.

Although Rod had only created ten figures, his movements suddenly slowed down. Every stroke and sword swing was clearly visible, yet it gave the impression of uncertainty and unpredictability, as if it were playing in slow motion like a slide show.

Sweat beaded on Sean’s forehead as he realized he couldn’t move. To be precise, he didn’t know where to start moving or counterattacking. He couldn’t distinguish between reality and illusion, nor could he devise any defensive moves. It seemed that every corner and nook of his body was under the opponent’s control—any slight movement would invite a full-force strike. Though those movements seemed slow, they trapped him completely.

“Damn it! Die!” Anxiously, Sean finally couldn’t hold back and roared, launching a reckless attack based on his instinct.

He couldn’t bear that oppressive atmosphere, the feeling of waiting and resignation was driving him crazy. If he didn’t take action soon, just that pressure alone would defeat him.

“Ah, that’s it. This move has changed—so that’s how it is. I never expected it! Knightrod is truly powerful!” It was only at this moment that Thayer finally realized the problem. His eyes lit up as he spoke in awe, his expression grave. This move had undergone a huge transformation—although its size had decreased and it didn’t seem as impressive as before, its power and range of control had actually improved significantly! Realizing this, he felt ashamed. He knew that if it were him, he wouldn’t have any way to deal with it at this point and would be forced to take hits passively. This filled him with dread—had he used the improved Shadow Sword during their fight back then, the outcome might have been completely different; perhaps he would have been utterly defeated by him.