Chapter 152: On the Brink of Collapse

Sure enough, less than a moment after Rod finished speaking, changes occurred in the arena. Cael, who had been in extreme danger while dodging moments earlier, suddenly became agile, moving at twice the speed as before. In an instant, he broke free from his opponent’s attacks, his speed astonishing everyone.
“Enough playing—it’s time to end this!” Suddenly, he uttered these words, which many couldn’t understand. Though his voice wasn’t loud, it reached everyone’s ears clearly.
“He’s coming!” Rod thought to himself upon hearing those words.
Indeed, the moment those words left his mouth, his figure swelled dramatically. With a flash, he moved at such speed that it was hard to track, appearing instantly behind Loz! Loz didn’t even have time to react. Rod then swung his long sword, delivering three consecutive strikes followed by a powerful slash. Next, he pointed the sword tip at Loz’s weapon and, before Loz could react, used a method too fast for anyone to see to knock Loz’s weapon to the ground. His sword was now right in front of Loz’s throat. Standing beside him, sword pointed at his throat, the match ended in a bizarre manner.
Everyone watching felt as if they were in a dream—the rapid changes in the match were beyond expectation. Only then did they realize just how terrifying that guy named Cael was.
“It’s over… it’s really over!” Kenny and the others swallowed hard, staring in disbelief.
So fast—so fast that it was impossible to follow. Turning the situation around and securing victory in just a moment—what kind of strength and ability was that?
What was even more shocking was that at the moment Cael exerted his power, everyone clearly saw golden combat energy—the symbol of a Golden Warrior. It was indeed a Golden Warrior! Another one had appeared in a beginner-level competition, which was extremely rare.
Heavy breathing and strained swallowing sounds could be heard clearly. The scene was silent. Under everyone’s astonished gazes, Cael held his head high and slowly walked away from the arena amid the referee’s hesitant announcement, casting sharp glances in their direction, either intentionally or not.
“Very strong… truly very strong!” Finally, after seeing the truth, Kenny and the others said with difficulty. Now they understood why Rod had said those things the day before yesterday and why he cared so much about the Wind God Academy.

Such a powerful opponent is truly terrifying. Who could be stronger than Viski? Faced with such strength, they couldn’t help but turn to look at Viski. At that moment, Viski had a cold gaze, a serious expression, and furrowed brows, clearly also deeply worried. Yet time waits for no one. As time passed, the second match soon began—a direct confrontation between magicians. There was no hiding here; as soon as the match started, both sides’ magicians threw everything they had at each other. The magicians from the Wind God Academy once again stunned everyone. As advanced archmages and lightning-type magicians, they displayed their formidable offensive power. Coupled with their skilled combat techniques, it didn’t take long for them to break through the defenses of the mage from the Divine Martial Academy with a powerful attack spell. Even more surprising was that he was also a high-level warrior, skilled in both magic and combat, using his warrior abilities to defeat the mage from the Divine Martial Academy. With two wins out of two matches, they earned two points. “We won!” Rod said with a bitter smile upon seeing the result. Two points from two matches—there was no doubt about this outcome! In the third match,Hill from the Wind God Academy took part. This guy, who had pointed a sword at his own throat that day, left a deep impression on Rod. Without any hesitation, he launched a full-force attack. As expected, he defeated the member of the Divine Martial Academy in a very short time. Three wins in three matches, three points—so fast that everyone was amazed. This secured the outcome of the competition. There was no need for further matches; the result was already decided. Their astonishing combat styles and lightning-fast speeds demonstrated their sheer strength. Thus, the Wind God Academy advanced to the finals with ease. Seeing this, Rod and the others fell silent. They were even stronger than expected. Such opponents would be facing them in three days—how confident could they be? It was unpredictable. “They’re looking over!” Lucia’s soft warning made Rod look up. He met their gazes in mid-air. Their strong confidence and aura left Rod momentarily stunned. And the faint smiles they showed felt eerily strange, sending a shiver down everyone’s spine. Before Rod could react, they turned and left the arena, heading straight toward the training grounds. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, they left that area, disappearing from sight with the aura of kings.

Watching the members of the Wind God Academy leave, Rod’s expression turned extremely serious. “Interesting. See you in three days!” As he spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a strange smile. The opponent’s formidable presence and strength shown in that battle, along with the look he gave Rod at the end, not only failed to defeat him but also dispelled his earlier worries and doubts, igniting his fighting spirit.

Since a battle had been decided upon, and two tigers couldn’t coexist on the same mountain, a winner must be determined. In such a tight situation, only the bravest would prevail—so let’s see who’s truly braver!

Turning his gaze back to the few people around him with solemn expressions, Rod said, “Let’s go and watch Kiro’s match!”

With that, he headed toward the second arena. As the match there ended, everyone rushed to the other two arenas. They were already packed so tightly that if they didn’t hurry, they wouldn’t be able to see anything.

Sensing Rod’s change and looking at his back, the group behind him was filled with confusion, feeling utterly bewildered.

“Has this thug been scared silly?” Alice couldn’t help but say, looking at Rod’s back, her eyes showing a hint of concern and pity. This guy had seemed preoccupied and gloomy these past few days. Initially, she thought he was overreacting, but now, after witnessing the opponent’s terrifying strength, he had suddenly adopted an indifferent attitude. How could it not arouse suspicion?

“No!” Viski, who usually stayed quiet, gave a firm answer and quickly followed behind.

Though they were puzzled, after spending some time together, they had come to know Rod to some extent, so they followed him quickly with trust. Needless to say, Lucia had trusted Rod from the moment he saved her, and she followed without hesitation this time as well. Seeing this, Alice didn’t dare say much and also went along.

After struggling to get into the arena, they found that the single-player matches at the intermediate level in Kiro’s arena were nearing their end. The final match ended with the Divine Martial Academy winning. Looking at the score on the podium, the Divine Martial Academy led 2-1 for now. Her heart sank—as expected, the Divine Martial Academy was terrifyingly strong, having won two rounds. The only victory for the Holy Light Academy came from Kiro’s abnormal strength in both magic and martial arts.

The team competition has already begun, and the outcome of this match will directly determine the final result. Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the arena, praying silently, with cheers and applause filling the air, reaching heights comparable to those from the third arena. It was clear how intense the battle was.

In the team competition, Shenwu Academy demonstrated its formidable strength, befitting its status as an academy under both the Warriors’ Association and the Mages’ Association. It produced many talented individuals, and many of their techniques were ingenious, simple, and practical.

After a fierce struggle, Holy Light Academy could barely hold its ground against Kiro’s persistence. After barely enduring for twenty minutes, they ultimately lost regretfully. Faced with the powerful Shenwu Academy, they succumbed. Seeing the team walk off the arena with heads down and gloomy expressions, Rod couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

The final match will be between Shenwu Academy and Wind God Academy. At this level of competition, Holy Light Academy can only compete for third place against the winners of the other two eliminated teams. They are already behind in this match!

Under such circumstances, their attention turned to the third arena. With a loss already incurred here, the outcome of that match became crucial.

It was then that cheers and applause erupted from the third arena. Hearing these sounds, a few people turned to look. It turned out that the result there had also been decided. They rushed over to check—if Holy Light Academy lost again, everything would be in trouble! If they lost this match, Wind God Academy would almost certainly remain undefeated overall. In the best-case scenario for Holy Light Academy, Rod and the others might finish first at the beginner level, while the other two teams competed for third place, ensuring that Wind God Academy didn’t win any championships. Only then could they tie the overall score, leading to a head-to-head comparison. The situation remained grim. Yet this was already the best outcome—indicating just how important the third match was!

Pushing through the crowd, they looked toward the podium on the arena. The shocking score made their hearts tighten.

“We won! Great, we won! So great!” Alice cheered first, followed by Lucia, and then all the team members. The score was 3 to 1—one win, one draw, and one loss in the individual matches, one draw in the team match, and a victory in the overall score! The numbers were clear and eye-catching. Having defeated Wind God Academy, Rod felt slightly relieved—they still had a chance to turn things around. He inwardly thanked fate.