Chapter 5: Calmness

With a long howl, Rod took the lead—riding his horse, wielding the Dark Dragon, clad in battle armor infused with combat energy, he transformed into a red figure and charged toward Nightingale and the others with tremendous momentum. He then plunged into the crowd fighting fiercely against the magical beasts, engaging in brutal combat.

“He’s not human!” Watching Rod storm into the battle circle and resume fierce fighting, Curly couldn’t help but mutter inwardly. After the dangerous battle just now, aside from Rod’s current condition, the wounds he sustained were truly alarming. Though his body was now covered by the armor formed from combat energy, making them invisible, everyone had seen them clearly before—several deep scars were still visible. Yet even in such a state, nothing could stop his fierce combat prowess. He charged back and forth, spilling blood into the air. Amidst howls, roars, and screams, he brought one magical beast after another to its knees—something that made Curly admire him deeply.

Not only Curly but also the others stared in astonishment at Rod’s unwavering energy. His ability to maintain such high levels of combat strength and fighting spirit truly earned their admiration and respect. Killing two wolves in one strike caused another huge sensation. Although there had been wolves and vampires dying at human hands during these days of fighting, those victories came at a tremendous cost and with countless sacrifices. Compared to the damage inflicted by vampires and wolves, those were insignificant—practically worthless. Rod’s achievements were completely different; he always achieved the greatest results with the least effort. That was his hallmark—and why he commanded such reverence from so many people.

“Let’s fight too!” Seeing Rod fighting fiercely in the distance, Nightingale shouted at Curly and the others, leading them toward Rod to join the battle once more.

On the western wall, two vampires escaped, while two wolves were killed. By eliminating these biggest sources of uncertainty, the warriors’ combat spirits soared, showing great determination and confidence. They pushed back the army of magical beasts layer by layer. With Nightingale and the others joining forces, Rod and Team Death Scythe No. 1 wreaked havoc on the western wall.

Wherever they went, disaster struck among the magical beasts—hell descended upon them. Amidst screams and dull thuds, countless magical beasts died at their hands. By moving back and forth, they strengthened the western defenses absolutely, turning what was once considered the most dangerous area into the strongest and most secure of the three defense systems.

The battle lasted nearly an hour. Eventually, Rod had to stop his fierce attacks due to excessive consumption of his combat energy as his Combat Energy Avatar faded away. As the Avatar dissipated, Rod’s true appearance became visible. Wiping the blood from his face, he took a deep breath. The intense fight had filled him with unprecedented excitement and enthusiasm; the long-lost sense of pleasure he felt was similar to that invincible feeling he had in the early days in Blaze City.

Contrary to Rod’s excitement, Nightingale and the others couldn’t help but gasp in shock when they saw Rod after his Combat Energy Avatar disappeared. His body was covered in wounds, his clothes were in tatters, and his once-pristine armor was now riddled with holes. Those wounds were particularly glaring, and it was hard to imagine how someone could continue fighting so fiercely despite such severe injuries. Nearly one-third of the magical beasts killed had perished at his hands.

“Head, are you… are you okay?” Curly Hair asked anxiously, noticing Rod’s pale complexion. By now, the battle on the western city wall had subsided, and most of the magical beasts on the wall had been dealt with. They only needed to defend against those that still rushed forward, giving them a much-needed respite.

“Huh… I’m fine. I can keep going!” Rod panted heavily, swallowing hard and licking his dry lips before speaking in a deep voice.

“Hmph, still the same—unkillable. Creating an Avatar mid-battle? How did you even think of that?” Nightingale, who had held back until now, finally started complaining. The scene from earlier was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat. This guy never seemed to give anyone a moment’s peace.

“Sister Nightingale, you…” Hearing her tone and especially the way she looked at their leader, Curly Hair and the others seemed to realize something and smiled ambiguously.

It was then that Nightingale seemed to realize her own tone and expression. Her face turned red. “If you have nothing to do, go kill some magical beasts! What are you fussing about here? And you—go rest if you’re tired. We can handle it here. Let’s check your injuries!”

Rolling her eyes, she scolded Curly Hair and the others before shifting her attention back to Rod.

“Enough for today. There should be no problems with the western wall tonight. The trials are over—let’s all go back and rest! Nightingale, go inform Skora and Krod to withdraw as soon as possible!” Looking at the situation, the west side was now stable, so there was no need to continue fighting. Out of the 87 members who had fought, only 72 remained—10 dead and 5 seriously injured. It was their first battle, and the lack of coordination had resulted in heavy losses. More training was clearly needed! As Rod thought quietly, he wasn’t sure about Skora and Krod’s situation, but it likely wasn’t much better. This made him feel somewhat depressed—each battle brought losses they couldn’t afford. It seemed they still had to start with basic training; only by achieving perfect teamwork could they minimize losses!

Fortunately, in today’s battle, Rod could clearly sense that the magical beast army’s offensive force had weakened. Perhaps after over ten days of fighting, they had suffered such heavy losses that they couldn’t sustain a strong attack anymore. Or maybe, as time passed, the peak of the beast tide had passed and it was gradually subsiding, causing the magical beast army to retreat. The situation was slowly improving!

If it weren’t for the threats from the vampires, werewolves, and demons, one might say the beast tide had already faded and posed no threat. But because of them, everyone had to stay on edge and couldn’t relax even for a moment!

After resting for a while, Rod couldn’t help but grunt in pain as he moved around, his wounds starting to ache. Looking at his body covered in injuries, he cursed those damned wounds. There weren’t any serious injuries—mostly minor ones that wouldn’t hinder his fighting. But still, they hurt! Rod didn’t worry too much about them; relying on his abnormal healing ability, he believed he’d recover in two or three days. The real problem was the internal injuries—after being attacked relentlessly by that damned werewolf, his internal organs had been shaken and damaged. These internal injuries were the most troublesome; it would likely take ten days to half a month to fully recover and regain his strength. Thinking back to the dangers of the previous battle, he shuddered in fear.

If it weren’t for his good luck, exceptional skills, and the help of the Dark Dragon, he might already be dead.

Leading his team toward the city walls, the fighters around him had already been replaced once—after all, such a prolonged battle required constant turnover! Rod’s departure certainly didn’t draw any dissatisfaction or objections from anyone! On the contrary, the combat members they passed by would give them friendly looks and smiles if they were free, with some even calling out loudly!

Upon reaching the city walls, the construction of the moat was still in progress. It seemed that as time went on, there was no longer any rush to complete it. They then began striving for perfection, adding some auxiliary defensive structures alongside the moat—something Rod was naturally pleased to see.

Dragging his exhausted body, Rod led his team back to the camp. With the battle paused, the wounds on his body started to ache intensely. Previously, the pain had been ignored due to the fighting, but now it seemed to flare up all at once, causing Rod to frown. Looking at the other members, they too appeared battered, having sustained various injuries from the fierce battle.

After settling in, Rod quickly began treating his own wounds. If he didn’t act soon, it might lead to more serious consequences that could affect future battles!

Camp Number 19 was currently the location where Rod and his team were stationed, so it was relatively empty. Finding a quiet tent and delegating external matters to Nightingale, Rod began to heal alone.

The dozen or so wounds on his body made him sigh inwardly. The werewolves were truly formidable—just one battle had left him in such a dire state, almost costing him his life! Yet, there were gains as well. The battle had greatly improved the formation of his combat qi true form.

At this critical moment of life and death, his potential erupted, leading to an unexpected breakthrough. In just four or five seconds, he managed to fully form his combat qi true form. Such speed meant he had reached a new level—a perfect formation, indeed.

Recalling that feeling, a faint smile appeared on Rod’s lips. It was a wonderful sensation. He knew that from this moment on, his strength had improved once again!

Holding his breath and focusing intensely, putting aside all distractions, Rod sat in lotus position and entered a state of cultivation. It had been some time since he had devoted himself so fully to cultivation. Due to the ongoing battles, he had only managed to briefly cultivate over the past ten days to restore his combat energy, never even reaching his peak condition. He could only rely on continuous self-cultivation to bring his combat energy back to its best state. Thus, at this moment, fully immersed in it, this wonderful sensation completely captivated Rod.