Chapter 151: The Strength of the Wind God Academy

Even Rod became nervous at this moment. Looking at the students from the Wind God Academy who seemed relaxed, he secretly prayed for good luck, hoping to draw the best card and avoid competing in this round. Perhaps he didn’t realize it himself, but deep down, he felt fear toward the Wind God Academy’s team, afraid of facing such a formidable squad.

These inner demons severely affected his mood and morale. In his anxiety, he finally waited for the announcement of the results. In the second round of the preliminary matches, the Holy Light Academy was fortunate enough to be exempt from competition. Hearing this news, Rod was almost excited enough to jump up. Like someone who had been given a treasure, he immediately relaxed. Then came the results of the intermediate round: the Holy Light Academy ended up in the same group as the Divine Martial Academy, which had also been exempt in the previous round.

In the third and most intense match, the Holy Light Academy tragically found itself in the same group as the Wind God Academy, turning this match into the focus of everyone’s attention.

As the results were announced, the venue immediately became lively. Everyone started preparing intensively, as the three matches were about to begin. The audience split into three groups, waiting in front of each arena for the matches to start.

“Rod, you’re really lucky, heh. I’m going to compete now!” Kiro said, looking at Rod with a hint of envy. Reaching the finals directly meant avoiding one match—a privilege they couldn’t afford. The Divine Martial Academy wasn’t to be underestimated, especially in the intermediate rounds. After all, they had won the championship at this level in the last continental competition! Looking back at previous editions, they had claimed almost all the championships. The only time they lost was when the Holy Light Academy narrowly won by sheer luck. They had an unparalleled advantage in these competitions.

Even the Wind God Academy, considered the top favorite to win this time, couldn’t match them at this level. It’s easy to imagine how heavy Kiro and the others’ hearts must have felt facing such opponents.

“I’ll be waiting for good news from you!” Rod said solemnly, staring intently at Kiro.

This match is also crucial. In this high-level competition, two traditional powerhouse teams, Holy Light Academy and Wind God Academy, will clash, with both having a chance to win. Yet the winner will surely pay a heavy price, facing the formidable Light Academy in the next round of finals—where the championship seems almost certain to go to Light Academy.

To ensure success and crush the ambitions of Wind God Academy’s team as well as those of the Austrian Empire, they must win to have a better chance.

The outcome of this match directly determines the points for each team: first place gets four points, second place two, and third place one. It can be said that only Holy Light Academy and Wind God Academy are competing for the overall championship, making every match absolutely vital.

“Definitely!” Taking a deep breath, Kiro spoke in a solemn tone before quickly leading his teammates toward the arena.

“We’re leaving too!” came a calm voice—Etoo, the captain of the high-level team. This man, who had never spoken a word to him before, spoke to Rod for the first time. He was said to have reached an advanced level of Martial Sainthood at just 29, making his strength unfathomable.

“Go for it!” Rod encouraged with a slight smile. The matches in this high-level competition would be intense, but he probably had little hope of seeing them through. Studying this match at his own level was what mattered most—after all, the winner would be his opponent next, and knowing more couldn’t hurt.

As the conference committee announced the start of the match and the barrier was closed, sparks flew inside, pushing everyone’s emotions to their peak.

The barrier couldn’t suppress the crowd’s enthusiasm or their vision. It was created jointly by the deans of several academies, using ancient contracts, magical elements, and combat energy. Only combat energy with similar properties could combine to form such a barrier, which is why the three barriers present had different colors: the blue water-element barrier of the lower level, created by two deans; the red fire-element barrier of the intermediate level, created by three deans; and the most terrifying gray barrier around the high-level arena, known as the strongest earth-element barrier, created by four deans. It was said that its defense could withstand a full-force attack from a Saint-level warrior for five minutes!

But even so, it is said that during a continental competition a hundred years ago, in a high-level final match, such a barrier was shattered by the intense fighting between the opponents, resulting in the deaths of many spectators and a great tragedy!
Looking at the aqua-blue barrier and the two parties standing inside it, Rod and everyone else grew anxious. The competition had begun—first with a one-on-one duel. As expected, the three members sent by the Wind God Academy were the same trio they had studied: Captain Thell, memberHill, and mage Paul.
The first match had already started—Thell, the captain of the Wind God Academy team, against Loth, the captain of the Divine Warrior Academy team! From the start, Loth launched a fierce attack. Roaring sounds came from within the barrier as two figures moved swiftly. This Loth was no ordinary opponent—he possessed the peak strength of a Silver Warrior with terrifyingly high attack power.
At such extreme speeds, two blurred figures kept flashing around inside the barrier.
“Hmph, rascal. I think your worries are unfounded. Is Thell really that good? He gets beaten into a frenzy by Loth anyway—wasting your time!” Alice, watching the match from the side, spoke in a tone of disdain.
At that moment, many shared her thoughts. Almost all the spectators held similar views, even Rod’s teammates looked puzzled and glanced at him as if asking whether such a person was really worth their concern. Was this the terrifying foe the captain had spoken of—someone who could defeat the captain with a single move through teamwork? They couldn’t believe it, especially since this guy was currently in grave danger and could lose at any moment!
However, not everyone felt the same. At least a few others looked serious, such as Rod and Wiski, as well as Lucia on the other side and a few spectators.
“He’s not ordinary… He’s truly strong!” While everyone was puzzled, Rod’s frown deepened, along with Wiski’s. At that moment, Wiski’s words filled everyone’s eyes with even more confusion.

Watching him and the captain’s furrowed brows, even Kenny, who was known for his calmness, couldn’t help but ask, “How is it not simple?” Nearly five minutes had passed since the start of the match, and that Saiyan had been on the defensive the whole time, with no energy left to counterattack. He could only desperately dodge, facing several life-threatening situations. How could such a person be considered anything but simple?

“Look at the members of the Wind God Academy!” Without answering everyone’s question, Viski said calmly.

Hearing Viski’s words, they followed his gaze and saw that in the Wind God Academy’s resting area, all their members showed no signs of worry. Instead, they watched the match with a smirk, appearing utterly relaxed.

“Their expressions? No way… Is it really because of those expressions that they’re so strong?” Anna asked, looking at Rod in confusion.

“It’s not that simple. Haven’t you noticed? Although they’ve been on the defensive from the start, that Saiyan hasn’t shown any signs of panic. His dodges, though perilous, are precise, never giving his opponent any chance. Look at his expression—he’s calm and unfazed, showing no urgency! Moreover, he doesn’t even seem to intend to attack. What does that mean?” Rod finally spoke, his brows tightly knitted and his face filled with concern. If it was indeed as he thought, this situation was extremely dangerous.

“How… How could this be? Is it really true!?” Under Rod’s guidance, everyone also noticed something unusual and couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s simple. He’s not using his full strength. He’s just playing around with Loz!” Viski’s calm words were like a bucket of cold water dumped on them, extinguishing all hope and leaving them feeling a bone-chilling coldness.

“No way!” Alice was the first to exclaim in shock. To treat a match like this as just playing around with the opponent, showing no respect at all—what kind of attitude was that?

There was only one explanation: he simply didn’t regard Loz’s strength as significant and had no interest in going all out. If that was the case, then this person was truly dangerous.

“Damn it, how could this happen!” Kenny, who had finally seen some flaw, also couldn’t help but exclaim in dismay.

Immediately, everyone realized this. The expressions from before vanished, replaced by worry, surprise, and concern. Such an opponent was terrifying—a Silver-tier warrior who didn’t even seem to be at the top of his class. What kind of strength did he possess? A Gold-tier warrior? Yet his combat energy was clearly white. How was that possible? Countless doubts filled everyone’s minds in that instant.
“The real show is about to begin. Let’s see just how strong you are!” As everyone was puzzled, Rod muttered to himself, his voice reaching every ear, causing their expressions to change drastically. They quickly widened their eyes, staring intently at the arena without daring to look away.
According to Rod, that Sayer was about to go all out. Just how strong would he be? They would have to wait and see. They believed Rod wouldn’t be lying.