Chapter 144: Easy Victory

At this moment, Rod appeared exceptionally powerful in everyone’s eyes. The aura he exuded—a sense of being the undisputed ruler—intimidated all present! Holding his sword in one hand and pointing it at his enemy, he looked as mighty as a warrior god from the heavens!
“You lost!” Rod softly declared his victory as he watched his stunned opponent. The warrior’s forehead was covered in fine sweat, his face pale, his eyes vacant, as if his mind had been drawn out of his body, leaving no trace of his mental state.
“The match is over. The winner is Knight Rod, a student of the Holy Light Academy!” The referee, also pulled back by Rod’s words, swallowed hard before announcing the result.
“You won… You’re strong. I admit it!” Only then did Rod’s opponent regain his senses, his expression shifting rapidly as his emotions became complex. He spoke in a lowered, hoarse voice.
The audience below also came back to their senses, their cheers growing louder and louder, deafening in intensity. “Knight Rod… Rod… Rod… Rod…” Someone started the chant, and soon the entire venue was filled with such cheers.
With a sense of disappointment, the warrior walked slowly toward the audience. Each step seemed heavy. The members of the Qingliu Academy team and their supporters remained silent, just like the warrior, staring at Knight Rod holding his black sword on the stage—this strange man who filled them with deep sorrow.
This defeat meant they were certain to lose this match, and their chances of progressing further seemed to end here. The best they could hope for was third place.
After giving a final glance at the disappointed members of Qingliu Academy and their silent supporters, Rod turned and walked down from the stage. His victory in this match essentially meant victory for his team, so naturally, he was treated like a hero and cheered by everyone. The screams around him made him smile bitterly, especially those from the crazy female students. The flowers thrown at him were one thing, but the flying kisses and suggestive glances were truly unsettling.
“Captain, we won!” The first to greet him was the female mage Dya, who excitedly spoke to Rod, followed by the rest of the team members.

“Alright, don’t be complacent. Remember this—never get too happy until the very end of the battle. Well, let’s win the upcoming team matches outright, provided everyone takes care of their health. Remember, safety first—don’t forget there’s another match ahead!” Rod patted a few of them on the shoulder and said with a smile. With victory almost assured, the most important thing now was to keep everyone healthy, as only then could they give 100% in the next match.

“Victory is certain!” Everyone joined hands and cheered loudly at each other, their faces filled with determination.

……

“An impressive move! Knight Rod, go investigate immediately. I want all his information—fast!” At that moment, the excited Rod and the others didn’t notice that in the distance, several people were already watching them closely—not only the representative teams in this competition but also various figures from organizations who had come to watch! And the one speaking now was a mysterious man in black!

“Knight Rod, it seems it’s you. I didn’t expect you to grow so fast!” On the farthest stands, a woman watched Knight Rod, surrounded by others in the center, and spoke to herself. From this moment on, Knight Rod became the focus of everyone’s attention, a more threatening figure even than Wiski.

……

Perhaps influenced by the result of the previous match, the Qingliu Academy team’s confidence was severely shaken, or maybe they had already given up. As a result, the Holy Light Academy barely struggled to defeat them in the subsequent team matches. The powerful duo of Rod and Wiski fully demonstrated their strength, and with the opponent’s low morale, they secured victory without even having to use all their prepared tactics.

After four matches—three wins and one draw—they earned four points, sweeping aside Qingliu Academy and advancing to the next stage. In the next stage, they would face the outright winner of another group and the Ost Empire Wind God Academy team, which had skipped this round. They would draw to determine one team that advances directly to the finals and two teams that continue to compete.

Amidst cheers, everyone enjoyed the blessings and applause from the audience. Winning the first match easily made the Holy Light Academy’s junior team surpass the Ost Empire Wind God Academy team, becoming the top favorite to win the competition. Knight Rod became the brightest star.

“I didn’t expect we’d win the first match so easily!” Back in the locker room, the players began sharing their thoughts. Victory smiles adorned everyone’s faces.
“Alright, don’t get complacent. We were just lucky to draw Qingliu Academy, considered the weakest among them. Our next opponent won’t be that easy. Such arrogance will only harm us. Be careful in battle!” Rod said with a wry smile as he looked at the cheering crowd.
Rod’s words instantly silenced the joyful crowd, casting a heavy mood once again. Indeed, their easy victory was largely due to luck—Qingliu Academy was the weakest among the other schools, by far.
“Alright, there’s still time. The intermediate-level matches aren’t over yet. Senior Kiro and the others are fighting. Let’s go take a look!” Checking the time, it was still early. After a sigh, Rod spoke to the group.
They headed to the intermediate-level competition area. The match was at its most exciting moment. The team competition had just begun, and the results of the first three individual matches had tied the two sides at 2-1. It could be said that the outcome of these individual matches would directly determine the winner.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. It was the perfect time to go in. They quickly squeezed inside and arrived at the ring.
The battle had already started. Kiro played the role of the team’s mage. For the first time, they saw his magic skills—vibrant spells, immense power, and roaring sounds that remained dazzling even beneath the barrier.
The match was thrilling. Under Kiro’s leadership, Holy Light Academy managed to gain the upper hand. Two warriors served as the core of their attack. Seeing Kiro’s magic for the first time made them realize just how powerful he was. The opponent’s mages couldn’t compete with him and were quickly suppressed. Under such circumstances, the pressure on their warriors increased significantly. Seizing the opportunity, they launched a fierce attack, breaking the opponent’s formation. Kiro’s lightning magic was indeed powerful—roaring thunderbolts, pale blue lightning with a hint of purple, shattered the opponent’s defensive barrier. After a fierce clash between the warriors, the winner of the match was finally determined.

The Holy Light Academy managed to secure a victory thanks to Kiro’s outstanding performance, advancing to the next stage of the intermediate competitions. As for the advanced competitions, the outcomes have already been determined—the Wind God Academy team from the Ost Empire won decisively, easily advancing and demonstrating their strong capabilities.

With this, all three matches are now over, concluding the first round of matches on the opening day. The Holy Light Academy emerged as the biggest winner. Together with the teams that were exempt from the advanced round, all three teams have advanced to the second round. All they need to do now is wait for their opponents to advance before facing them in the matches.

After the matches, the teams gathered again in the dean’s office. The dean praised everyone for their excellent performance, gave some comments on today’s matches and highlighted points to be mindful of, before sending everyone back to rest and prepare for the next matches. Naturally, although there are no matches tomorrow, everyone is still required to be present to watch the other teams’ fights and learn from them, as they will eventually become their opponents.

After saying goodbye to his teammates, Rod walked alone toward the dormitory, moving slowly under the evening sunlight.

“Still following?” Frowning slightly, he slowed down and whispered to himself in a voice only he could hear.

Just after leaving the dean’s office and heading back to his dormitory, he hadn’t gone far when he sensed someone following him. At first, he didn’t pay much attention, but as he neared his dormitory and the pursuer showed no signs of giving up, he couldn’t help but frown.

He slowed down, focused his mind on the person following him, turned a corner, and headed straight for the small forest within the academy.

Sure enough, the person behind him continued to follow. Soon, guided by Rod, the two arrived in the forest. “Well? Still not showing up?” With his back to the pursuer, Rod spoke calmly. His voice echoed clearly throughout the forest. Perhaps because of today’s matches, there wasn’t a single person in the forest—complete silence!

“It seems you noticed us long ago!!” Sure enough, moments later, footsteps were heard behind him, followed by the voice of a middle-aged man.