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

Chapter 122 features another "Hummingbird Barrage".

The threat from Captain Curtis is imminent.

Zod used all his strength to recall the feeling of fighting Captain Axel.

The shapes of those "hummingbirds," their outstretched wings, their flight paths, and the sensation of them crashing into me.

The image of the hummingbird in my memory is becoming more and more three-dimensional and clearer, as if it is hovering right in front of me.

At the same time, the ultimate control brought about by "potential liberation" allows him to materialize the images in his mind.

It's that time of year, "Hummingbird Combo!"

Zod suddenly opened his eyes and flicked out his four fingers in succession!

Four streams of potential energy shot out from the fingertips, instantly coalescing the moment they left.

They transformed into four miniature birds of light!

Each one was incredibly lifelike, with flapping wings, a sharp beak pointing forward, and a long, slender tail trailing behind it, as it pounced straight at Captain Curtis from four different angles!

The lightbirds cut through the air with a soft buzzing sound, much like a real swarm of bees launching an attack.

Upon seeing the four "hummingbirds," Curtis's face instantly showed a look of shock.

With Curtis's strength, he was naturally not shocked that Zod could use "Potential Shaping" to create a "Hummingbird", nor would he lose his composure because of the sudden "Hummingbird Barrage" attack.

What truly made his pupils constrict was something else entirely.

Why is Zod able to use "Hummingbird Barrage"?

This is Captain Axel's signature move, the "Explosive Fist" of the Holy Kingdom.

How could a lieutenant of the Empire be able to unleash Axel's unique moves?

He didn't think Captain Axel would personally teach an Imperial officer how to use the "Hummingbird Barrage".

The only explanation is that Zod fought Axel and learned his moves during the battle.

What amazed Curtis even more was that, judging from the timing of Zod's attack, the Imperial lieutenant had likely just temporarily mastered the "Hummingbird Barrage" technique in the heat of the moment.

Otherwise, he should have used this move the moment Curtis caught the blade, instead of waiting until Curtis launched an attack and was in imminent danger before hastily making his move.

Learn your opponent's moves before the battle begins —

This talent can no longer be described as "good".

Four light birds swooped in from four directions, blocking all of Curtis's escape routes.

Curtis raised an eyebrow and had to loosen his grip on the blade. Even though he could catch the sword with his bare hands, it was not the best solution to withstand such a shaping attack that condensed high-energy-density 'potential'.

His right palm was like a knife, slashing down two birds of light that were rushing towards him.

The light bird was slashed down the moment it touched the palm and dissipated into the air.

At the same time, he dodged to the side, avoiding the remaining two light birds that attacked from the flank.

However, in the instant he dodged to the side, Zod's figure had already appeared in front of him.

The "Shadow Step" in the "Potential Unleashed" state has an extraordinary speed.

He had already positioned himself in the path Curtis was trying to dodge, and suddenly thrust out his sword, aiming straight for Curtis's left eye!

The angle of this sword strike was extremely tricky, and the timing was just right; it was clearly a meticulously designed combo.

First, use "Hummingbird Barrage" to force Curtis to dodge in a specific direction, then use "Shadow Step" to seize the landing point and launch a fatal blow.

A mocking smile slowly crept onto Curtis's lips.

Even if Zod knows the direction I'm dodging, so what?

You think you can hurt him with just a small knife?

Using such a "trivial trick" to deal with him, did this Imperial lieutenant underestimate him?

He raised his right hand, fingers slightly spread, ready to catch the incoming sword with his bare hands as before. However, at that very moment, a strange chill suddenly rose from behind him.

Curtis glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye, his pupils contracting slightly.

Four familiar hummingbirds had somehow circled around to his back.

They flew in an arc, cleverly avoiding his blind spots, and were rapidly approaching from behind!

When?

Curtis's mind raced back to the point where Zod had only used "Hummingbird Barrage" once, and he had already cut down two of the four light birds and dodged two more. How could there still be more—

wrong.

He suddenly realized that he had been tricked.

The initial four "hummingbirds" were merely feints.

The real killer move is this second sneak attack.

After Zod made his first move, he took advantage of the moment when Zod's attention was drawn to follow up with another "Hummingbird Barrage".

This time, the "Hummingbird Barrage" did not attack Curtis head-on; the lightbird's flight path was an arc, cleverly avoiding Curtis's line of sight.

He was so distracted by Zod's use of Axel's techniques that he didn't notice the second attack at all.

With Zod's aggressive sword aimed straight at his face, and four "hummingbirds" close behind, blocking his retreat, he was caught in the middle.

If we deal with the light bird behind us first, the Imperial lieutenant in front of us will definitely keep attacking relentlessly.

However, if he manages to block the sword with all his might, the "hummingbird" behind him could pierce through his body at any moment.

It must be said that this Imperial lieutenant in front of me has a real talent for combat.

Curtis raised an eyebrow and, just as the sword was about to touch his left eye, abruptly turned his head to the side.

The sharp sword grazed his left cheek, the cold blade almost tearing his skin.

However, just as Curtis was dodging the sword, his left leg swept out, aiming straight for Zod's abdomen!

This kick came without warning, as swift as the wind.

Caught off guard, Zod was kicked into the air and crashed heavily to the ground three meters away.

But Curtis's actions did not stop.

Using the momentum of his side kick, he quickly twisted his body and headed towards the four "hummingbirds" that had already pounced on him.

With hands like knives, he slashed down from mid-air, and two, three—three birds of light were successively cut down by his palms, vanishing into nothingness with a crash.

But the fourth "hummingbird" swooped past his palm.

Curtis slightly turned his body, trying to avoid it, but the light bird was already close to him, its long tail swooping past his waist.

The sharp wingspan tore through the military uniform, creating a wound about an inch long in the flesh.

Fresh blood seeped out instantly.

Curtis glanced down at the bleeding wound on his side, then looked up at Zod, who was struggling to get up in the distance, a hint of surprise and amusement flashing in his eyes.

To Curtis’s surprise, just when he thought he had dodged Zod’s sword, he felt a slight stinging pain on his left cheek.

He raised his hand to touch it, and his fingertips touched something warm—blood.

The sword had somehow grazed his cheek, leaving a thin, long wound.

However, the thought only flashed through his mind for a moment before Curtis immediately understood why.

To increase the blade's lethality, Zod specially wrapped 'potential' around the edge of the sword.

The energy concentrated at the edge of the blade gives the originally sharp sword an attack range that transcends its physical form.

The sword's edge, which seemed to have been dodged, was actually extended by an inch by that invisible sharpness. It was that inch that left the wound on his cheek.