I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

Chapter 113: Two against one, the teamwork was decent, but still a bit lacking.

First there was Spinter, then Zod.

Axel gritted his teeth and twisted his body to let the slash graz his side.

His uniform was torn open, and a bloodstain appeared on his skin.

Although he wasn't seriously injured, the impact still caused his movements to falter slightly.

This slight pause was the opportunity Spente was waiting for.

Captain Spinner's longsword, like a viper's tongue, stabbed from an extremely tricky angle!

Captain Axel dodged to the side, but couldn't completely avoid the attack; the sword sliced ​​through his arm, and blood splattered.

Axel's face darkened.

Sure enough, a one-on-two battle was too disadvantageous for him; if it were just one person who could 'unleash potential,' he would still have a chance to win.

But with both Zod and Spinter able to use 'Potential Unleashed', Axel will have absolutely no chance to catch his breath.

While fighting one of them, he must always be on guard against the other's attacks.

This put him at a significant disadvantage in the battle.

However, Axel could not fully demonstrate his decline.

Otherwise, he had no doubt that Spent and Zod would take advantage of his weakness and beat him while he was down.

"That's interesting."

He feigned composure, licked the blood off his arm with a cold smile, and glanced back and forth between Zod and Spinter: "Two against one, not bad teamwork, but still a bit lacking."

Although he said that, he secretly cursed the two for their lack of sportsmanship, for two people fighting against one person.

The smile on his face didn't last long.

Spinter gave him no time to waste, and swung his longsword again, his attack as fierce as the wind!

Zod also made his move simultaneously in perfect unison.

"Flying Tooth!"

A potential bullet came from the side, forcing Axel to dodge.

The moment he turned to the side, Spinter's longsword was already slashing at him!

"Clang clang clang—!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out one after another.

Axel's fists clashed repeatedly with Spinter's sword, the explosions from the explosive punches causing the surrounding air to tremble.

But every time he tried to suppress Spinter with all his might, Zod's attacks would come from the side or behind.

Sometimes it's a "Crescent Moon Slash", sometimes a "Flying Tooth", and sometimes it's a "Shadow Step" that suddenly attacks from the side, with the sword tip piercing straight for the vital point!

Axel gradually found himself in a passive position.

These two—they work together so well!

Moreover, this young man lacked martial ethics, deliberately targeting angles that were difficult for him to defend against to launch sneak attacks.

Axel wanted to curse, but his powerless rage couldn't change his current disadvantage.

On the contrary, it may provoke the other party, causing him to suffer even more intense attacks.

Therefore, he endured it.

Captain Spent's swordsmanship was steady and experienced, forcing Spent to face each strike head-on.

Zod's attacks were cunning and fierce, always striking Zod from the most unexpected angles when he was at his most vulnerable.

He was like a wild beast trapped in a net, possessing great strength but constantly restrained, becoming increasingly frustrated with each fight.

"Step 1"

He used his quick movement again to try and create distance.

But Zod seemed to have anticipated this, and at almost the same time activated "Shadow Step", closely following his trajectory and catching up with his sword, which was aimed straight at his back!

"Damn it!"

Axel gritted his teeth and had no choice but to turn and block again.

In that instant, Spinter had caught up to him, his longsword sweeping across, forcing him to retreat repeatedly!

One step, two steps, three steps—Axel's steps began to falter.

His breathing became heavy, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Although his wounds were not deep, the loss of blood was gradually draining his strength.

To make matters worse, his rhythm was completely disrupted by the two of them, and he was being led by the nose by them.

I was just thinking of taking a short break.

Another sword strike came!

Axel parried with a punch, but the explosion of the Explosive Punch sent Spent back half a step.

But in that instant, Zod's figure appeared to his side and behind him.

"Crescent Moon Slash!"

A sharp slash aimed straight at his ribs!

Axel hastily sidestepped, barely managing to avoid it.

But before he could even catch his breath, Spinter's longsword was already slashing at him again!

Axel raised his arm to block, and the impact of the explosion when his fist collided with the sword made his arm go numb.

But at that very moment, he felt that familiar sound of wind breaking through the air coming from behind him again—it was that Imperial lieutenant!

How annoying!

"Clang!"

Axel twisted his body forcefully, attempting to deal with the attack from both sides simultaneously.

But this time, he couldn't completely dodge it.

Zod's sword sliced ​​across his back, tearing a long gash in his uniform, and blood gushed out instantly!

"Well--!"

Axel grunted, stumbled, and took a few steps forward before regaining his balance.

He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, the sharp pain in his back causing cold sweat to pour down his forehead.

He raised his head and looked at the two people standing side by side in front of him, a look of fear appearing in his eyes for the first time.

Spinter and Zod exchanged a glance, said nothing, but simultaneously raised their swords.

Two swords, both pointing at the same enemy.

"Come on," Spinter said calmly.

Zod didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly.

The two attacked simultaneously!

Spinter thrust his longsword straight at Axel's heart with unparalleled ferocity!

Zod followed closely behind, his sword sweeping across, sealing off all of Axel's escape routes!

The two slashes, one after the other, were perfectly coordinated!

Axel's pupils contracted slightly.

He knew he couldn't escape it.

"Iron Wall—!"

He poured all his potential into his body, and his muscles instantly hardened like iron!

Spinner's sword pierced his chest, the immense impact forcing him to take a step back. The sword tip left a deep bloody gash on his skin, but failed to pierce through!

But Zod's slashes followed immediately.

The sword slashed fiercely at his side waist. Although the hardened muscles prevented a fatal penetration, it still tore open a wound about an inch long, and blood gushed out!

Axel grunted, his body slashed and he was thrown several steps to the side, nearly falling over.

He knelt on one knee, one hand covering the wound on his side, the other supporting him on the ground, panting heavily.

Blood dripped from between his fingers, pooling on the ground in a shocking red stain.

He raised his head and looked at the two figures standing side by side, his eyes filled with a complex expression—anger, resentment, and a hint of retreat.

He knew that if this asymmetrical battle continued, he might very well lose his life here.

We must retreat as soon as possible while we still have the strength.

The longer the delay, the more disadvantageous it will be for him, and the slimmer the chance of a successful evacuation will become.

With outnumbered forces, the situation is clear: continuing the fight will only drag us into an abyss.

Axel was never the rigid type of soldier.

Knowing they were at a disadvantage, they stubbornly persisted in pursuing the so-called honor of soldiers, until they died on the battlefield.

That's not his style.

Sometimes, retreat is simply a means to achieve a better victory next time.

Once you die, you lose everything, not even the chance to turn the tide.

There's nothing shameful about it.

Because he never believed that he could be invincible and survive before he was qualified to talk about the future.

Axel took a deep breath and made his decision.

Then, taking advantage of the moment when Zod and Captain Spent simultaneously launched their attack on Axel.

He suddenly threw out both fists, and the explosive punches created a burst of fire in front of him, temporarily forcing Spinter and Zod to retreat from their attacks.

Taking advantage of this brief opening, he retreated rapidly, shouting, "I'll let you off the hook today, but you won't be so lucky next time!"

What Axel said wasn't entirely false; in a one-on-one situation, he believed he wouldn't lose to either Zod or Spinner.

But one against two is indeed a bit of a stretch.

As a captain of the Holy Kingdom, even during a retreat, one must never lose the dignity of a soldier.

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned to his own camp and shouted sternly, "All soldiers of the Holy Kingdom, retreat immediately!!"

Upon hearing this order, the Holy Kingdom's army, which was engaged in fierce fighting with the Imperial soldiers, reacted swiftly, loudly relaying Axel's command: "Retreat! Retreat!"

They were clearly well-trained; without the slightest hesitation, they immediately broke free of their opponents and began to systematically retreat.

The front-line soldiers fired desperately to suppress the Empire's pursuit; the rear-line soldiers quickly assembled to cover the retreat route; the wounded were carried by their comrades and evacuated deeper into the Holy Kingdom's territory.

Since it was within the territory of the Holy Land, the difference in troop strength between the two sides was not significant, Axel was still alive, and the troops did not suffer serious casualties.

Therefore, the evacuation was very orderly and did not cause much panic.

Neither Spent nor Zod pursued Captain Axel during his retreat, as they both knew that Axel still had a considerable amount of energy remaining.

Even if they were injured, it wouldn't be so easy for the two of them to keep this Holy Kingdom commander away.

More importantly, they had other tasks to complete and didn't have much time to waste with Axel's troops.

Several imperial soldiers, their eyes bloodshot with rage, turned and gave chase.

Upon seeing this, Spent immediately shouted sternly, "Stop! Don't pursue them—!"

His voice carried an unquestionable authority, causing the soldiers to stop in their tracks, panting as they looked at their commander.

Spinter glanced at the orderly retreating Holy Kingdom army, then looked at Zod beside him, covered in blood and nearly exhausted, and said in a deep voice, "Let them go. Our mission is not to annihilate them, but to provide reinforcements!"