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

Chapter 121 Your luck is terrible

Curtis slightly clenched his fingers, bringing his five fingers together in a chopstick motion, and 'potential' began to gather in his palm.

He stared at the figure with its back to him, a cold smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the spot and reappeared behind Zod.

That undisguised killing intent surged from behind like a tangible force—cold, sharp, and carrying a condescending mockery.

Curtis did not restrain his murderous intent, perhaps out of disdain, or perhaps because he felt that dealing with a lieutenant was not worth taking seriously.

It's only satisfying to hunt when the prey is struggling in its death throes.

For Curtis, taking down an opponent silently from behind was the most boring way to fight.

Of course, if this Imperial lieutenant couldn't even dodge such an attack, Curtis didn't think there was any need to continue fighting.

Just as Curtis's chop was about to touch Zod's back.

Zod, who was always extremely sensitive to murderous intent, instantly sensed the strangeness behind him.

The air behind him seemed to suddenly cool, and a chill ran down his spine.

Such a powerful and domineering aura of killing intent could only have made Zod feel that his life was under an extremely deadly threat, except for Curtis, who was just watching the battle.

He didn't turn around, or perhaps he didn't have time to turn around at all.

Driven by instinct, the body suddenly burst forth with astonishing speed.

"Unleashing Potential"

That familiar power instantly swept over his entire body, Zod's pupils contracted sharply, and the whole world seemed to slow down in his eyes.

He clearly sensed the approaching killing intent behind him, the impending hand strike, and the breath of death pressing against the back of his neck.

"Shadow Step—!"

His figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.

Curtis's chop missed its mark, his fingertips slicing through the air with a slight hiss.

"Oh?"

Curtis raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. It wasn't because Zod was able to dodge, but because his reaction speed and decisiveness far exceeded the level expected of an ordinary lieutenant.

Even if Captain Curtis's move was somewhat mocking, its speed was still something that an ordinary lieutenant could not avoid.

interesting.

The moment his thoughts raced, Zod reappeared in Curtis's left blind spot.

The sword flashed, piercing out in an extremely strange arc, aiming straight for Curtis's vital ribs.

The angle, timing, and speed of this sword strike were all perfect—fast, accurate, and ruthless, without the slightest unnecessary movement.

If the opponent were merely a lieutenant skilled in using the first-level 'Hakuja' ability, this sword strike would be fatal.

However, Curtis merely turned his head, his gaze sweeping indifferently over the incoming sword blade.

His face showed no panic, not even a hint of emotion.

He simply raised his right hand, fingers spread, and then, with his bare hand, grasped Zod's blade as easily as drinking tea.

That is the composure of the strong!

The falling blade abruptly stopped between his fingers, like a venomous snake whose vital point had been pinched, unable to advance any further.

The 'potential' gathered on those two fingers formed an invisible barrier, keeping the sharp blade out.

Without blood or wounds, he effortlessly caught Zod's full-force thrust with just two fingers.

Zod's pupils suddenly contracted.

He tried to draw his sword, but found that the blade remained motionless. The strength of those two fingers was astonishing, locking the blade tightly like an iron clamp.

No matter how hard Zod tried, he couldn't break free even a fraction.

Curtis looked at the young lieutenant in front of him, and his smile deepened.

There was a playful, cat-and-mouse-like quality hidden in that smile.

"Good reaction." His voice was as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "The sword is fast enough too."

He exerted a little force, and the sword emitted a soft groan as if it could no longer bear the weight.

"It's a pity—you're still too green." Curtis shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. "If I had given you more time and space to grow, this battle might have been more interesting."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Zod's face for a moment, as if admiring a piece of porcelain about to be shattered.

"You're incredibly unlucky." His face suddenly darkened. "Today you've run into me."

From a personal perspective, he wouldn't mind going easy on the young man and letting him grow for a while.

In that case, we might be able to have a more exciting showdown in the future. The more fiercely the prey struggles, the more interesting the hunt will be.

But as a captain in the Holy Kingdom, he sometimes has his own stance.

Allowing the enemy to grow unchecked would not only betray Brigadier General Olgat's trust, but also the "Black Sheep Saint Chief" Division.

Every time Zod grows stronger, it means that more Holy Kingdom soldiers will die at his hands in the future.

He cannot allow such a thing to happen.

Then we'll have to extinguish this nascent spark.

Curtis gripped Zod's longsword with one hand, while his other hand reached for Zod's neck.

The movements were unhurried, even elegant, as if a cat were toying with a dying mouse.

The color drained from Zod's face instantly, and the chill of death shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

He knew he must never let go of the sword in his hand.

Even with a weapon in hand, he was at a significant disadvantage. If he lost his sword, he couldn't imagine how he would face this terrifyingly powerful opponent.

My brain instantly went into overclocking mode.

His breathing, his heartbeat, and all the sounds around him seemed to fade away, leaving only one thought echoing wildly: he wanted to live.

Having traveled such a long way, from Hesse to Saarlom, the journey was fraught with difficulties, and I narrowly escaped death countless times.

It wasn't to throw my life at Curtis's hands.

There is only one chance, and failure is not an option.

Using "Flying Gear"?

No, those kinds of tricks are probably not even enough to slow Curtis down for a moment, and he probably wouldn't even dodge them.

At that critical moment, a scene flashed through my mind.

The "Hummingbird Barrage" used by Captain Axel of the Holy Kingdom!

Indeed, with the weapon firmly under his control, he couldn't think of anything else that could pose a threat to Curtis besides the 'Potential Shaping' skill.

The power of ordinary "Hakuja" abilities is too weak; it would probably not even be enough to tickle Curtis.

We have no choice but to give it a try.

Fortunately, he is currently in a state of 'potential release'.

The control over the body and its potential has reached a whole new level.

This is the source of his confidence to attempt the "Hummingbird Combo".

If it were his previous level one 'Hakuja' strength, he wouldn't even dare to think about it, let alone expect to succeed on the spot.

However, Zod in his "potential release" state is different; his control over his body is completely different from that of a level one "Hakuja".

Time seemed to stretch out.

Curtis's hand was closing in, a hand that held the potential to kill with a single blow.

Zod took a deep breath, mimicking Captain Axel's gesture, raised his right hand, and brought his five fingers together to form a half-fist.

He focused his potential on his four fingers, and just before the shot, he suppressed the instinctive urge to release it violently.

Ordinary "flying teeth" simply shoot out potential energy like bullets, lacking "potential shaping", with low energy density, and it will dissipate rapidly during flight.