Chapter 254: The Nightingale in Peril

“Hold on! We can’t let these beasts get through!” Another wave of fierce attacks ensued, with an increasing number of magical beasts swarming up the city walls. Seeing more and more beasts approaching, Nagran shouted anxiously.
“Everyone, charge forward! Remember not to scatter!” Rod also shouted loudly at Skora and Curly Hair as he watched the group of magical beasts charging toward them.
Everyone in the camp gathered around him, forming the formation they had practiced regularly, and charged at the beast horde under Rod’s leadership.
They plunged into the beast horde like a sharp blade, forming a triangular formation as they fought fiercely. Cries of pain filled the air, and with Rod’s group joining in, they quickly took control of that area. The rest could only provide support from the sidelines.
At the forefront were Rod, Skora, and Krod—two Royal-class warriors and one Sacred-class warrior—forming the vanguard. Followed by two wings composed almost entirely of Golden Warriors, with a few Royal-class fighters in the rear to act as a deterrent.
Once they charged into the beast horde, they began slaughtering instantly. Thanks to their tight coordination, the horde was divided into smaller groups, with three to five people taking on each beast while the rest kept watch and provided cover.
Under such conditions, the beasts couldn’t pose any threat and were killed one after another amidst their howls! Soon, over a dozen beasts were eliminated!
“Go, over there!” After dealing with the beasts here, Rod shouted to the group as he looked at the remaining horde.
The first battle was a success, and their easy victory greatly boosted everyone’s morale and confidence. Hearing Rod’s command, they roared and charged forward.
Wherever they went, chaos and bloodshed ensued! As the battle progressed, Rod’s group became the most active and eye-catching team on the entire city wall. Wherever the situation was most critical, they could be found; wherever there were the most beasts, their fighting formations could be seen. This assault team, like a sharp blade, had captured everyone’s attention.
“Kill them! Left side! Head on—let’s go left and fight our way through!” Skora shouted at Rod as they fought with enthusiasm.

An unprecedented sense of pleasure enveloped him entirely. Having lived for so many years, and including this time, this was the third time he had faced a horde of monsters. Yet never before had he felt such pleasure, never before had he fought with such intensity and satisfaction, and never before had a battle been so smooth, easy, and joyful. Without worries, he could trust his companions completely, entrusting his back to them without fear of what might happen behind him.

By now, they had been fighting for dozens of minutes. At least eighty monsters had died at their hands, while their own casualties remained zero. It was a miracle, an unbelievable miracle. There were only three injured, and none of them seriously—just minor injuries. They were still capable of fighting and continued to battle there.

Everyone was extremely excited, feeling no fatigue or strain. Each person was full of fighting spirit. The thrill of fighting had made them somewhat addicted to it.

“West side! Brado, hurry and take your team to the west to provide aid. Something’s gone wrong there—quick!” Nagran’s urgent call came from ahead. Rod even stopped those who were about to join the battle nearby and headed forward.

“What happened?” he asked, puzzled, looking at Nagran.

“The situation in the west is critical. The general wants you to go to the east to provide aid. Earth Bears and Sabertooth Tigers have appeared and are concentrated in that area. If we don’t hold them off, we’re done!” Wiping sweat from his forehead and taking a deep breath, Nagran said anxiously.

“You brats, go to the west right now! Go help them!” Nodding in understanding, Rod quickly turned around and shouted at the group waiting for his orders behind him.

At his command, the group of nearly a hundred people let out excited cries and rushed after Rod through the crowd toward the west. Under everyone’s gaze, they left the east, where they had achieved great victories, and headed to the west.

Upon arriving in the west, the scene before Rod’s eyes made him frown. The area was in complete chaos. The reinforcements were in a terrible state, and monsters could be seen everywhere in the city. Fierce battles were taking place everywhere, with many powerful monsters such as Sabertooth Tigers, Cheetahs, and Thunder Eagles.

“Stay alert! The situation here is worse than before. If you don’t want to die, pay attention! Remember, don’t disrupt the formation!” He glanced back at everyone and shouted softly.

Only after they confirmed they understood did he lead them into the heart of the battle.

Moving westward, they plunged into the battlefield like a sharp sword, their massive movements drawing everyone’s attention. Their tactics came into play, and in an instant, several powerful magical beasts fell to the ground under their assault, letting out angry roars of defiance. Faced with even stronger beasts, Rod and his team opted to rely on numbers—three if not enough, then five; five if not enough, then ten. With their numerical advantage, they could always kill these beasts. So far, almost all the ones they had encountered were gold or imperial rank, making the battles relatively easy!

“Ah…” A sharp cry of pain rang out, especially jarring. It was a familiar voice. After dealing with the beast in front of them, Rod couldn’t help but turn to look.

His eyes narrowed instantly. An acquaintance—another one. He never expected her to end up here. Right now, she was in extreme danger. Facing a quasi-saint-level beast, she could no longer hold on. On the ground beside her lay two corpses, likely just killed.

“Skora, lead the team forward! I’ll go ahead first. Hurry up and join me! An old friend is in danger!” Seeing the perilous situation, Rod glanced at his team behind him, gritted his teeth, gave orders to Skora, and then rushed forward toward that acquaintance.

“Let’s attack! Hurry! The leader is waiting for us ahead!” Seeing Rod leave, Skora turned and shouted at the people behind her. Now that Rod was gone, she had to be the leader and ensure nothing went wrong.

“Roar…” A loud roar came as the flame lion opened its mouth, generating a huge fireball that rushed toward the humans in front of it.

“Bang bang…” Dull sounds followed. After two blasts, the fireball was shattered. The moment it dispersed, a figure swiftly darted forward, appearing in front of the giant lion. Swinging its long whip like a agile snake, it formed a net-like pattern and enveloped the flame lion.

“Damn it, this won’t work!” Watching the move used by Nightingale ahead, Rod grew anxious. The flame lion was known for its agility and strength, and its quasi-saint-level power was no joke. Yet Nightingale dared to spread out her attacks to cover all angles. Not to mention whether it could cause damage, even if it did, what effect could such attacks have? It was simply asking for trouble.

That’s right—this person is Nightingale, the one Rod had been searching for for so long. Ever since hearing what the man in black said last time, Rod had been asking them to track down Nightingale! He never expected her to appear here. Rod didn’t know what had happened during the time after three of his comrades died, but he had a vague sense that she had changed greatly, and it showed in her demeanor.

“Ah…” As expected, Nightingale’s attacks had no effect at all. After the Flaming Lion roared, it turned around and leaped swiftly, using its incredible strength to dodge Nightingale’s attacks before rushing up to her and knocking her flying with a single palm strike! In an instant, Nightingale flew backward like a kite with its string cut!

The Flaming Lion seemed determined not to give up. Before Nightingale could land, it chased after her again, turning into a shadowy figure and waiting ahead to deliver the fatal blow.

Watching this, Nightingale was desperate. Looking at the Flaming Lion below, its ferocious appearance made her realize she was done for. She had no way to avoid that attack! Floating in the air, she could only watch herself fall, forced to endure the Lion’s deadly strike.

“It’s over… Is it really over? But Big Brother Silverwing, Viper, you all! You can’t die in vain, and I can’t die like this either. What about your revenge? What about the souls of the whole village? They won’t rest in peace! They can’t die without justice!” With her eyes wide open, Nightingale screamed inwardly in defiance. She refused to die here—there were still so many things left for her to do. She couldn’t bear to perish here.

But as the Flaming Lion got closer and the ground around her turned blood-red, she knew it was useless to resist no matter how much she wanted to. It seemed fate had decreed that she must die here, that she couldn’t survive this ordeal. At that moment, she wished desperately for someone to descend from the sky and save her, to pull her out of the Lion’s grasp!

With her eyes tightly closed, Nightingale knew it was all just a beautiful dream. She still had to face reality. Perhaps she shouldn’t have survived that day in the first place. Living a little longer might have been heaven’s greatest gift to her.

“Brother Silver Wing, Brother Stinging Snake, I’m here. Are you waiting for me over there? It must be lonely, right? Little Nightingale has arrived, but I’ve let you down—I couldn’t avenge you. I’m truly sorry!” With unwillingness, she closed her eyes tightly, allowing tears to slide down her face. Nightingale murmured to herself, feeling heart-wrenching pain and resentment.
“Damn it!!” Seeing the situation ahead, Rod roared in anger. His combat energy burst forth instantly, and with a flash, he rushed forward at full speed. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Nightingale die right in front of him. At least not yet—he still had many questions to ask her.