Chapter 257: Doubts

“Is that him? I feel like…” Curlie asked Skora beside her, puzzled, as she watched Rod standing in place in the distance, staring blankly at the long sword in his hand.
They had all witnessed what had happened earlier—the shock it caused was beyond description. He didn’t resemble the captain they had known before at all. The horror of that move was beyond their imagination. Although they were also imperial-level warriors, they had no confidence in being able to withstand such an attack. Perhaps even the entire camp couldn’t manage to resist it.
“Yes… he’s very strong!” Skora said in a low voice, staring at Knight Rod with complex emotions. Though he had seen Rod’s monstrous strength before, this time it still shocked him greatly. He understood the terror of the Flame Lion, especially an adult one—its strength was beyond ordinary people’s imagination. Its defensive power was hardly inferior to that of a Earth Bear. Although it was only at the quasi-saint level, its strength was comparable to that of a saint-class magical beast. It was unbelievable that it could be killed with just one move! Those who had never fought against a Flame Lion wouldn’t understand the difficulty and power of that move.
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s go and take a look!” Hearing the two murmuring beside him, Krod frowned. A fierce battle had just ended here. Without Rod’s leadership, there were still problems with the formation. After all, Skora wasn’t familiar enough with it, resulting in some gaps. After the intense battle, three comrades died and six members were injured—nearly one-tenth of their strength lost, a devastating loss. And the result of all this was merely the killing of six gold-level magical beasts and three imperial-level ones! It was shameful. They needed to reunite with Brado as soon as possible; otherwise, more problems might arise if they continued fighting.
……
“It’s him! It’s really him!” Seeing Knight Rod standing there in a daze, Nightingale struggled to speak, breathing heavily, with a hint of joy in her eyes as she muttered to herself. She had confirmed the identity of the man before her. Though she was puzzled as to why he was here, it didn’t matter anymore. She had finally found him.

He might deceive others, but he certainly can’t deceive himself. He had fought against him twice and had a deep impression—there was no way he could mistake him. The familiar figure, the familiar moves, the identical combat style—especially that long sword. Though it seemed altered with deliberate decorations and thus somewhat unfamiliar, its essence and aura remained unchanged. It was still a pitch-black blade, just slightly dark purple in color—no mistake possible.

Gasping for breath and enduring the pain in her body, she staggered forward slowly toward Rod.

“You…” Reaching this man, she saw him still standing there, examining his weapon as if pondering something, his brows slightly furrowed in confusion. Nightingale couldn’t help but speak first. “Leader, what are you waiting for? Hurry over there! Damn it, there are so many monsters over there. How could this happen? We can’t stop their advance at all—we definitely won’t be able to hold the city walls!” Before the man could reply, she heard a call from behind, followed by footsteps. She sensed a large group of people approaching quickly.

“You’re here!” Drawn back to reality by the shouts, she looked up and saw that her camp’s troops, led by Skora and Keroth, had arrived. It was clear they had fought fiercely along the way—everyone was covered in blood, whether it was their own or the monsters’. They all looked battered. Just over ten minutes apart, and so much had happened. Several wounded were visible, their injuries severe, and a few members were missing!

“Leader, you were absolutely awesome just now. Damn, you were so strong! What was that move called again? Remember to teach it to me when you have time! Hehe, it made me jealous!” Walking up to Rod, Curly said with a lecherous grin.

“Enough, leader! Hurry over there to help them—they’re about to give up!” Skora interrupted Curly, speaking anxiously as she watched the intense battle ahead. The situation was critical. If no more reinforcements arrived, things would really get bad!

“Okay, let’s go! Quick!” Without asking what exactly had caused such heavy losses, Rod simply said so. The battlefield wasn’t a training ground—casualties were inevitable. Those who couldn’t adapt to this would never survive in battle. So he didn’t pay much attention.

“Can you still fight? If so, come with me!” He then turned to look at Nightingale beside him, who was staring at him blankly with confusion on her face. Without time to think further, Rod rushed to ask.
“Mm!” Nightingale nodded firmly, pressing her lips together. She had to put aside her doubts for now—the situation was too serious to ask such questions. Besides, the arrival of these people meant she couldn’t keep asking. It seemed she would have to find another opportunity. As long as she had figured out his identity, things would be easier; there was plenty of time.
…
Leading the large group, Rod rejoined the battlefield, putting his doubts aside for now. Investigating the Dark Dragon could wait until after the battle. Though he wasn’t sure of the specifics, he could tell that the Dark Dragon had changed—and surely for the better. A sense of excitement arose in his heart.
With Rod’s return, the fighting force underwent a significant transformation. Morale was high, formations were tight, and defense was solid.
On the dangerous western city walls, they were like sharp spears, leaving no survivors in their path, blood flying everywhere—turning whatever area they passed into a hell of magical beasts!
In just one night, they had become the most prominent group in the entire city. The western city walls were filled with their presence. Wherever the situation was most critical, there they were, fighting bravely.
As people around them kept falling and changing, Rod and his group persisted. As far as Rod knew, two waves of reinforcements had already arrived, and this was the third wave. But for them, as long as they had a shred of strength, they would fight to the last moment.
By dawn, after a whole night of battle, they had slain over sixty imperial-level magical beasts, hundreds of gold-level ones, and countless others, leaving behind piles of dead beasts. The cost, however, was twenty-one lost members and nearly twenty-seven injured, reducing their strength by half. Fewer than fifty people were still able to fight.
“Brado, the general wants you all to go rest first. After a whole night, you deserve a break. We can hold our own here. There’s no problem today. Continue at night!” As Rod slayed the last magical beast and stood there wiping the sweat from his forehead, watching his comrades pant and sweat heavily, he heard Moro’s voice.

Last night, the western city wall was in extreme danger. With no other choice, only President Fang could see their figures. Throughout the night, they rescued the situation from multiple critical points. It can be said that the western city wall has now seen its pressure reduced and can continue to maintain its close connection with them. A group of a hundred people killed hundreds of magical beasts—a performance that would be astonishing in any beast invasion. Undoubtedly, they are the most outstanding and remarkable among the entire defense force. Now, no one is unaware of this Death Squad. That’s right, the Death Squad—so named privately by others after witnessing their battles last night.

“Hmm, keep an eye on this side. We’ll continue at night!” After checking the situation on his side, Rod agreed without hesitation, then turned to Moro and said, “Retreat!” He then turned to his comrades behind him and, with a single order, led the entire force back toward the city.

“To have such a formidable general is the pride of the empire and an honor for our guards. It’s a pity he ultimately doesn’t belong to our Black Tooth Legion or the empire—he’s just a mercenary. What a shame!” Watching Rod’s retreating figure, Moro stood there, sighing secretly. He wished so much that this guy could be an officer in his Black Tooth Legion or even an official of the empire—what a great fortune for the empire!

Rod and his group’s departure also drew everyone’s attention. Last night’s battle left a deep impression on everyone, revealing their formidable side. Their images were firmly etched in everyone’s minds. Now that they were going down to rest in the city, although they knew they would return soon, there was still a sense of sighs and reluctance. Their presence had undoubtedly become a source of comfort.

“Good boy, time to rest at last? Hehe, hope you come back soon!” Even Emio couldn’t help but mutter these words upon seeing this scene.

“That guy! He’s strong. It’s a blessing for the empire to have such a newcomer. It seems we’ll be replaced soon!” In an attic below the city, several elders watched as the bloodied and disheveled group descended from the city wall, focusing on the leader, Knight Rod. One of them couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

“They have already surpassed us and will surely reach this level in the future—perhaps even stronger! Keep an eye on him this time; don’t let him perish here!” The others nodded upon hearing this, and then another elder spoke calmly, his words immediately gaining everyone’s agreement. Rod obviously had no idea that he had already caught these people’s attention! If he had known, he wouldn’t know how astonished he would be, for these people were none other than the Ice God Matthew, the Sword God Gary, the Warrior God Bob, along with several elders he had never seen before—yet it was clear at a glance that they were no ordinary people. The battle throughout the night came to an end at dawn; perhaps the beast herd was tired, or maybe the arrival of day reduced their attacking power, temporarily easing the defensive pressure and giving them a rare chance to catch their breath! At least they could rest for a while until the dragons returned. Last night, Rod and his group’s actions had also drawn their attention—and now, Rod had already caught their interest.