Chapter 45: Brothers! Breaking Through

“Our leader!” In the next moment, not only did all the soldiers of the Black Tooth Legion across from them change expressions, filled with extreme tension, but even the members of Rod’s Reaper Scythe Squad behind him paled and looked at Rod in disbelief, as if they couldn’t believe the outcome.
“Hehe, Knight Rod, just admit it. Demons must be eliminated—everyone deserves to hunt them down. Today, we’ll surely slay you right here to save the people!” Seeing Rod admit it outright, Vente was momentarily stunned before sneering.
He then turned to Amio beside him: “General, this demon has confessed. We can’t keep him alive—he must be killed. The situation is extremely critical now. Outside, there are beast hordes, demons, vampires, werewolves, and other dark races. Inside, we have this demon. Perhaps he’s an insider sent by the demons. We can’t let him stay!”
This time, he absolutely must not be spared. If he escaped, the consequences would be unimaginable. Vente warned himself silently—by putting him in such a situation, a feud of death and hatred had been forged.
“Damn it, Vente, you beast! Shut up! So what if our leader is a demon? He deserves respect—everyone has seen his bravery on the battlefield, fighting to the death. What about you? Where were you when fighting? Now you show up acting tough—what right do you have to speak? Just because he’s a demon, does that mean all demons are evil? What’s wrong with our leader?” A furious roar echoed as Curly Hair glared at Vente in indignation.
“Hmph, Vente, better shut your mouth, or I’ll be the first to kill you!” Skora also stepped forward at that moment, shouting at Vente.
Under their furious shouts, Vente’s face turned red, and he couldn’t say a word, only seething with anger.
“Boss… it really is you! Is it really you?” Suddenly, several figures appeared behind him, surrounding Rod and asking excitedly. These were Jim and the others! From the moment Vente revealed Rod’s identity, their breathing quickened, their eyes lit up, and their bodies trembled slightly.

“Alright, Knightrod, do you have anything else to say?” Taking a deep breath, Emio across from him finally spoke. This was the outcome he least wanted to see. He knew all too well how Rod performed. Unless Rod admitted it himself, he would never believe he was a demon. Even if he were a demon, without his admission, he would treat him as such. Deep down, he refused to accept this reality. The Scythe of Death Squad had helped Iron Bar Town so much during this time, and Rod had also helped greatly—something he understood perfectly.

“Nothing else. If you want to kill me, come ahead—I’ll take it all!” Taking another deep breath and looking at the people surrounding him, Rod showed a faint relieved smile. To still stand by his side at this moment, without leaving him, was enough. With such brothers, what more could one wish for in life?

“Hey, you… Enough. Demons cannot be kept. That’s the rule of the continent. If we keep you, our empire will surely face an attack from the entire continent. I can’t bear such consequences. I’m sorry!” With a sigh, Rod’s words left Emio utterly desperate. Looking at the people around him, he said again, “Now that a demon has appeared, we must kill it. Everyone in the Scythe of Death Squad, follow orders—immediately draw a line between us and this demon. Otherwise, you’ll all be considered its accomplices!”

These words clearly meant death. Either they chose to stand together as accomplices and be killed together—what a ruthless statement, making Rod’s heart ache intensely.

Without turning around, he knew that if he did, the result would only disappoint him further. It was better not to look.

Sure enough, as Emio finished speaking, the reinforcements and soldiers surrounding him tightened their encirclement, while the members of the Scythe of Death Squad behind him began to waver. One by one, their faces showed hesitation.

With a sigh in his heart, Rod secretly smiled bitterly. The battle outside hadn’t ended yet, and now a civil war was about to break out so quickly. People fighting each other—this battle really wasn’t worth it.

Footsteps behind him made Rod’s heart sink. With another sigh, the first person stepped forward. After that, came the second, third, and fourth. In an instant, the Scythe of Death Squad began to split.

“Idiots, what are you doing? Have you forgotten who you are? Who has fought alongside you to this day? Who has risked their life every time to help everyone? Have you forgotten what we once said? We are brothers, and together we can bear everything. Are you really going to do this now?”

One by one, people stepped out of the group. Curly Hair and Skora grew anxious and started shouting loudly at them.
“Leader, it’s okay. These ungrateful bastards—let them go. We’re not afraid. What’s the worst that could happen? Death? I’m not someone who gets scared! We won’t leave!” Curly Hair turned to Rod and said firmly.
“And me!”
“And us!” One after another, people spoke up.
“Alright, Lei Ao, Brother Skora—let them go. You guys leave too! I’m fine alone. Don’t force others; they have their own lives to live!” A warm feeling spread through Rod’s heart. He was relieved that these people remained loyal at this moment. He remembered them and vowed to repay them if he got the chance someday.
“Leader, what nonsense are you talking? We’re brothers. We should face this together. I, Lei Ao, am not someone who fears death!”
“Me too! I, Skora, have lived for decades—only you are my leader!”
“Me too!”
In an instant, Curly Hair and the others began to express their stance.
“Leader, I’m sorry. We have families we can’t abandon!” As Rod spoke, those who had been hesitant made their choice this time—most of them decided to leave the large group!
In less than a moment, fewer than thirty people remained. Most of them were members of the First Squad, under his command. To Rod’s surprise, the Second and Third Squads left only seven or eight people. Watching those who left, Rod felt a sense of sadness and loneliness—losing brothers who had shared life and death was never easy for anyone.
Curly Hair, Skora, Ke Ruode, and Nightingale hadn’t left him, and that was what truly comforted Rod.
Looking at Kiro across from him, Rod’s heart sank. This once-best friend had left him for the second time. He wouldn’t complain, as Kiro had the right to choose. Yet, he still felt uneasy.
“Rod…” Seeming to sense Rod’s mood, Kiro spoke softly.
“No more talk. Enough. If you’re going to kill, then do it! Come on!” Rod raised his hand to stop him from speaking further and ordered in a deep voice.
Turning to look at Viski and Sayer behind him, Rod was surprised to find that they hadn’t left either. This gave him some comfort.
“Alright, Knight Rod. Since you’ve chosen this path, I’m sorry! Kill them!” With a fierce roar, Emio also ordered in a deep voice.

Some of the members who left the Death Reaper Squad still had some conscience and did not join the chaos; instead, they chose to observe or leave. Those who surrounded them were still the same soldiers and reinforcements from before.
“Kill!” Rod, with bloodshot eyes, roared as well, his Dark Dragon swirling as he charged forward. To survive, he had to fight back—he couldn’t die; there were still many things left to do.
“Break through! Charge out!” Skora also shouted loudly at the same time.
The nearly thirty people who stayed behind were quite strong, including six Imperial-level warriors and three Sacred-level warriors. Apart from Jim, Sambik, and Kambi, who were Silver Warriors, the rest were Gold Warriors—truly a formidable small team.
Their combat strength was extremely high! Under Rod’s leadership, using a well-trained tactic, they broke through and charged straight outward. In less than a moment, most of them had escaped.
“Vente, I’ll destroy you!” Ke Ruo De, with sharp eyes, spotted Vente and, unusually, cursed loudly. With a single swing, Vente was killed on the spot with a scream as he couldn’t dodge in time.
“Break!” Now that his identity was exposed, Rod saw no need to hide. After a move called “Shadowless,” he followed up with “Autumn Wind.” The combined power of these two moves was immense, knocking over dozens of people in front of him as he led his team forward again.
Thanks to their overwhelming strength and intimidating presence, they successfully broke free in less than a moment.
“Go, follow me!” Relieved, Rod shouted loudly and led his team in a sprint toward the city. Fortunately, most people were still fighting on the city walls at that time, so the resistance wasn’t strong. Few were willing to risk their lives facing them here, so it didn’t take much effort to break out of the camp and enter the center of Iron Fence Town.
Looking back, they saw that their pursuers were left behind. Only then did they slow down, panting heavily, all out of breath. This breakout was incredibly successful—no one was killed or injured. All twenty-seven members were still there, which brought Rod some relief.
Leading this group, he carefully made his way toward that mansion. In no time, they arrived in front of it.
Opening the door and entering, Hori was already waiting there, seemingly aware of everything that had happened before.
“You’re here?” Hori asked lightly, with a hint of a smile.
“You knew about this all along!” Rod asked coldly, his face stern.

“You’ll be fine! They don’t have the energy to chase after you, nor do they want to! Otherwise, do you think just a few of you could break through? Or are you really that confident in your strength? They simply have no intention of killing you—think about it yourself!” Sensing Rod’s anger, Hori shrugged and explained with a bitter smile.