Chapter 227: The Beast Tide Arrives

“Who’s there? Come out!” As the group fell silent, Rod’s expression suddenly changed, and he shouted toward the woods in the distance.
At the same time, Hori and the others tensed up, ready to strike at any moment, like leopards eyeing their prey. In fact, they reacted even faster than Rod, quickly realizing something was wrong.
“Brother Yin and Sister Ye, are you okay? How did this happen? Damn bastards! Did you do this? I’ll kill you!” As Rod spoke, footsteps came from the woods ahead, and soon several voices rushed over, shouting anxiously in front of Yin Yi and Nightingale.
Seeing these people, Rod was slightly surprised. Weren’t they the older teenagers he had seen in Yin Yi’s small courtyard before? There were even two children around five or six years old with them. They were now surrounding Yin Yi’s group! This surprised Rod greatly. He hadn’t expected them to find out about this and come here. More importantly, they only noticed their presence after getting so close. Rod sighed inwardly—seemingly, he had focused too much on Yin Yi and the others, causing him to neglect his surroundings.
“How did you get here? Go back quickly!” Not only Rod but also Yin Yi and the others were very surprised. Their expressions changed drastically as they looked at the newcomers, nervously glancing at Knight Rod and Hori, as if afraid they might harm those innocent people.
“We’re not leaving! Hmph, we’ve seen everything! You bad guys, why are you bullying Brother Yin and Sister Ye? Stop it!” A childish voice rang out. The boy, about six or seven years old, crossed his arms and stood in front of Nightingale, shouting at Rod. His clear voice and stubborn expression made Rod pause for a moment.

“Xiaohu, come back quickly! Be good! Otherwise, your sister won’t want you anymore!” The words of this child surprised Rod even more and made Nightingale break into a cold sweat. He knew these people very well—better than anyone else. Each of them was covered in blood from past battles, not to mention the existence of that demon, Knight Rod, who was a merciless killer. If they were angered, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill a child like him—there was no doubt about that. This made him gasp in shock and break into a cold sweat for Xiaohu standing in front of him.

“No, Sister Nightingale, go quickly! I’ll hold off these bad guys so they can’t hurt you!”

“Hmph, you scoundrel! I’ll hit you!” After saying this to Nightingale, the little kid clenched his fists and rushed at Rod. He punched and kicked him, but his weak blows didn’t cause Rod any harm. Clearly, Nightingale’s words had been ignored by this child at that moment.

“Xiaohu! Knight Rod, don’t hurt him! I’m begging you—say whatever you want, just make them leave!” With a pale face, Nightingale shouted anxiously at Knight Rod, who stood motionless, fearing that the demon would harm such a child. She had placed all her hopes on these children and didn’t want to see them die at the hands of that devil. He was just a child after all.

“I’ll come after you for our grudges when I have time. That’s enough for today. I hope you can protect this place!” Rod looked at the child who was punching and kicking him with complex emotions. After sighing, he knelt down and placed his hands on the child’s shoulders. Amidst the screams and shouts of Nightingale and the others, and just as Silverwing was about to act, Rod actually smiled faintly. “Study martial arts well from your sister and become a useful person in the future! Remember, be a good person and use what you’ve learned to help others!” He patted the child’s head, took a deep breath, and, under the astonished gazes of many, turned and walked away from the forest. He passed by Hori, patted his shoulder, and sighed—making it clear that this operation was over.

There was no scene as imagined, no bloody aftermath—just an entirely unexpected outcome.

Seeing Rod’s expression, Hori and the others hesitated for a moment. They glanced at the disheveled Silverwing group across from them and finally, with a sigh, followed Rod’s lead toward the edge of the forest.
Nightingale and the others, left with gaping mouths, could never have imagined such an outcome. Knight Rod actually stopped there—coming and going so suddenly that it seemed like a dream. If not for the pain in their bodies, no one would have believed it was real!
Looking at Little Tiger standing ahead, Nightingale didn’t know what to say. This little guy probably still didn’t realize he had just been to the Underworld and become a dead man for a while.
Everyone was astonished and puzzled. No one noticed that one person had a sly smile of triumph on their lips, as if everything had been arranged by them, within their expectations.
Seeing Rod and the others leave, he let out a long sigh of relief, knowing he hadn’t guessed wrong—this time he had made the right move.
“Let’s end things here. No one is allowed to reveal anything, especially Knight Rod’s whereabouts! We owe him a favor!” Taking a deep breath, Silverwing said solemnly to his companions. He was a man who distinguished right from wrong—what was owed was owed, and hatred was hatred; they were two separate things.
The others nodded firmly in agreement, showing they understood. At least today’s events had changed their previous views of the demons and Knight Rod.
With exhausted bodies, supported by the children, the group headed back to the village. Everything that had happened in this forest was just a secret; no one would know unless they spoke.
Perhaps it should have remained a secret forever, but due to sudden changes, it soon spread across the entire continent. Some reasons and events even made Knight Rod a true demon in the eyes of the world, his reputation completely ruined, earning him the title of a demon without question! But that was all for later.
……
“Is there nothing to say?” Leaving the village and coming to the carriage, Ron stood quietly, gazing at the distant houses and feeling the presence of the people standing behind him. He spoke in a low voice.
“Your Lordship was right—you wouldn’t intervene!” It seemed everything was within expectation; there was no sign of surprise, Hori said calmly, though his eyes looked somewhat strange.

“He? Did he guess it?” Rod murmured to himself, his expression changing. He always felt as though everything about him was within someone else’s prediction. Towards such people, Rod only felt fear and wariness. If they were enemies, he didn’t know how many times he had already died at their hands. He had no secrets left in front of them at all.

As for Rod’s feelings, wasn’t Horie the same? On the night before they set off, when the lord came to talk to him, he had already anticipated such an outcome, predicting that Rod wouldn’t actually go ahead and kill Nightingale and the others. Back then, he hadn’t believed it, only half-believing out of respect and trust for the lord. But now, he realized it was all true, just as the lord had predicted.

A look of reverence flashed in his eyes as he gazed at the distant sky, filled with deep emotion.

As for the three men in black behind him, they didn’t say a word, expressionless and silent like robots. For killers like them, orders were everything. Horie was their captain, and his words were orders—they simply followed them without questioning the results or reasons.

“Since he guessed it, did he say anything?” Rod asked in a low voice, with a self-mocking smile.

“Go back and prepare for the beast horde. He’ll discuss the rest with you personally. It’s beyond my knowledge!” Horie replied, standing there calmly, his expression unchanged and cold.

“Go back.” With a sigh, Rod turned and sat quietly in his seat inside the carriage, closing his eyes as he felt the others enter and the carriage jolt along. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Today’s events had only deepened his confusion. What exactly were Horie and his group? Why did he always feel so lost? This feeling was uncomfortable—being kept in the dark was unpleasant. Perhaps it was time to find that man in black and talk to him properly. Rod knew he couldn’t continue like this. He couldn’t waste time in such confusion. There were still many things unfinished, waiting for him! He needed to hurry and figure everything out.

Amid the jolts of the carriage and the noise outside, the group moved quickly. In just three days, they had covered most of the distance. But a sudden message that day made their mood even heavier.

It was because of this message that their itinerary changed drastically, with their pace being accelerated to the highest level.

That’s right; it was the outbreak of the beast horde. Signs of its arrival had already appeared. It is said that small groups of magical beasts have begun to attack the town outside Iron Bar Town in Collins Forest. With the unrest caused by these beasts, the full-scale horde is on its way.
This news has spread to every corner of the continent in recent days. Even Rod and the others have received messages and instructions from the man in black, telling them to return to Iron Bar Town as quickly as possible to prepare for potential dangers and events.