Chapter 26: It’s Not Over Yet!

“You… take care of yourself first!” Hearing Rod’s words, she paused, turned around, and saw his weak state. Nightingale sighed, a hint of pity and concern flashing in her eyes, though her cold gaze softened slightly. Taking a deep breath, she spoke calmly before turning back and continuing on her way.
Seeing Nightingale’s expression, Rod sighed inwardly. That girl! But he knew she had taken his words to heart, as evident from the change in her eyes earlier. He really had nothing more to say about her—if she went crazy, she might do anything, and who knew, she might even attack Camp 11 today! That would really escalate things out of control.
But for now, he could breathe a sigh of relief—nothing serious seemed to have happened. With Curly helping him, he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his face pale and sweat beading on his forehead. Regardless of anything else, that mask was truly amazing—it could reflect everything about one’s condition, even sweat. Its craftsmanship was absolutely superb! Rod could only marvel at how generous the masked figure was; such a thing must be priceless.
“Head!” As Rod stepped back, Jim and the others rushed over, surrounding him and calling out in concern at his disheveled state.
“It’s fine, it’s no big deal! No one will die! Give me another chance, and I’d do it again!” With a slight smile, Rod reassured them, knowing they felt guilty.
Their bodies tensed slightly as they looked up at Rod, their eyes reddened. His words struck them once again with force—“I’d do it again” was a simple statement, yet its certainty left no doubt. It expressed his true feelings, bringing them the greatest comfort and emotion.
“Alright, let’s check on the situation over there,” Rod said with a knowing smile at their expressions.
Turning ahead, they saw that Carter and his group were now surrounded by Kerode, Skora, Nightingale, and their allies.

“Carter, we meet again!” Scora smiled coldly at Carter across from him and spoke in a tone so icy it sent chills down everyone’s spine. His words also surprised those present—it seemed the two of them must be old acquaintances.
“Scora? I didn’t expect you to join the Reaper Scythe Squad and be used as a weapon. Where’s your pride gone? Heh, have you really gotten old?” Carter replied with a cold laugh.
“I don’t need your input. Today, I’ll settle old and new debts at once. As for your bunch, you’ve done plenty of evil deeds over the years—oppressing the innocent, bullying the common people. One less of you means one less threat!” Scora narrowed his eyes at the group and whispered loudly.
“Don’t hold back. These people deserve to die. Kill them!” Scora then shouted at the people around him.
He grabbed his weapon and was the first to charge forward, plunging into the crowd and starting a fierce battle.
“Go! Don’t spare any of them!” Nightingale followed suit.
“You must be the one who hurt our leader! Let me take on you!” Korode also didn’t idle away, targeting Carter directly. He knew exactly how strong Rod was—only a man of Saint-level power like the one before him could have left him in such a condition.
A battle erupted instantly. Carter’s group numbered over thirty, and together with the hundred or so members of the Reaper Scythe Squad, the fight between them was both spectacular and brutal!
Using the most direct, ruthless tactics and simplest combat methods, the Reaper Scythe Squad, thanks to their coordination, quickly gained a decisive advantage. With two Saint-level warriors and six Imperial-level fighters, along with nearly a hundred Gold-level warriors, their strength was overwhelming. In front of them, Carter and his once-arrogant gang seemed insignificant.
Cries of pain echoed continuously as people fell one after another. The bloody struggle left onlookers staring in disbelief.

The nightingale stood out the most among the crowd, especially that white bone whip, which was truly fearsome—like a nimble venomous snake winding its way through the sky! Its agility was beyond doubt; wherever it passed, blood sprayed everywhere. This time, he was truly angry! It was the second time he’d felt such anger—once when he saw his elder brother Silverwing and the others die, and now again when he saw Rod injured. He didn’t even know why he was so enraged. All that remained in his mind was killing and hatred; only by killing all these people could he quell the fury within him.

Having come from a background as a killer, her moves were simple and decisive—no fancy techniques, just the most direct and effective methods of attack. Among the hundred people present, she exhibited the strongest offensive ability, which even Rod, watching from afar, found embarrassing.

“Skora, do you really want to exterminate us completely! It’s my fault this time. I admit it, I apologize—how about we end this here?” Watching his brothers fall one after another, with less than half left and all injured, Carter was furious. He hadn’t expected the combat strength of the Death Scythe Squad to be so astonishing. Fearing and trembling now, he said, “Hmph, easy to say. What about what happened to our leader? Didn’t you just say you wanted to destroy our Death Scythe Squad? Only a third of us are here—go ahead and try to destroy us!”

With a cold laugh, Skora intensified her attacks, refusing to back down—clearly not willing to let it go this easily. “Damn you, you bastard Carter! Still talking like this? Has a donkey kicked you in the head? This is blood for blood—no negotiation!” Another burly man beside Skora roared.

“Damn you, you bastards! I’ll fight to the end! Brothers, let’s kill them! We won’t stop today! If we die, we’ll take a few more with us—it’s not a loss! Let’s fight them!” Seeing Skora and the others so determined, Carter’s heart sank. Knowing there was no hope left, he also roared loudly, trying one last desperate effort—otherwise, he’d truly have no chance.

Among the crowd, there was only one person whose gaze wandered around furtively, avoiding the most dangerous areas and using the chaos to retreat further back. His actions were so stealthy that, in such a chaotic scene, he barely caught anyone’s attention and quickly reached the edge of the fighting area.

“Brado, we’ll settle this another time!” Glancing coldly at the distressed Rod in the distance, the man muttered silently before turning and rushing into the crowd, heading outside.

“There’s another one over there! Don’t let him get away!” This time, it caught attention. Ke Ruode shouted loudly, and immediately two people rushed after him.
A scream… Vivid blood was shocking to see. Karl was the first to die, and the one who killed him was Nightingale!
“Hmph, the first one!” Looking at the man lying lifeless on the ground, Nightingale muttered to herself. That man had been one of the main conspirators in the siege of Rod. She remembered all of them and began to hunt them down and take revenge on each one.
With Carter’s death, most of the others involved in this matter soon died at Nightingale’s hands, with only a few dying under the weapons of the rest out of resentment.
In just a short while, less than three members of Carter’s group were left. After another fierce battle, only Carter remained alive—excluding the man who had escaped. Even so, Carter was covered in blood, in a pitiful state, gasping for breath, with blood constantly flowing from his mouth. Under the siege of Skora and Ke Ruode, he was no match at all.
Boom… Rapid footsteps approached from afar. In an instant, a massive army appeared before everyone’s eyes.
“Cough, cough… Skora, you guys are ruthless. I’m done. My brothers are done too. You won’t fare any better. The Black Tooth Legion has arrived. Hmph, fighting openly inside the barracks, killing so many… You’ll regret this. I give up today! Don’t think you’ll get away unscathed!” With a cold laugh at the sight of those figures, Carter sneered. Then he charged again, with an unyielding attitude, but beneath his sneer lay a heart full of regret.
He regretted offending Brado and the Death Scythe Squad! Not only had decades of his hard work been ruined, but his life was also in danger! Everything had failed—nothing but regret remained, along with endless hatred.
But how could he, wounded beyond measure, possibly compete with Skora and the others? In less than a breath, he met his end, killed on the spot by Ke Ruode.
“Surround them! No one is allowed to leave!” By now, the footsteps had reached them. A furious roar was heard, followed by soldiers quickly dispersing to encircle Rod and his group in the center.

In an instant, everyone stopped what they were doing. Even before they could celebrate their victory in the battle, they were stunned by the sudden occurrence. They helped each other support the injured and quickly gathered in the center to confront those who had come to surround them, turning the situation instantly tense and serious.