The entire playground was silent. Everyone's eyes were on Zhang Tie, and all they could hear were the quiet sound of Zhang Tie's footsteps and the scraping of that terrifying battle sword on the ground.
Zhang Tie's strike captivated all the onlookers. Seeing the power and skill displayed in Zhang Tie attack, the soldiers of the 3rd Platoon, 5th Company of the Iron-Blood Battalion all shrank back. With such strength, no one dared to object to Zhang Tie becoming their platoon leader. At that moment, recalling Zhang Tie's words when they first met—that he would do his best to protect them on the battlefield—many felt a surge of warmth in their hearts.
Zhang Tie spoke very sincerely at the time, but no one listened because no one felt the strength behind Zhang Tie sincerity. Now that everyone has witnessed Zhang Tie's true strength, his sincerity has gained a heartwarming value.
Zhang Tie's strike had a greater impact on the Iron-Blood Battalion soldiers than his ability to single-handedly wield " Proof of Manhood " that morning. The former demonstrated mere strength, while the latter showed the ability to inspire confidence and trust among his brothers on the battlefield. There was a difference between the two!
At this moment, Sode lay miserably on the ground, blood flowing from the webs of both hands, which were torn open. His wrists and forearms were broken and twisted. His face was as pale as paper, and he was spitting blood.
He was mentally alert, but completely incapacitated. He stared with empty, terrified eyes at Zhang Tie, who was slowly dragging the terrifying Death Sword toward him.
Zhang Tie raised the sword with one hand, the tip touching the ground, the blade resting against Sode's neck. At this moment, if Zhang Tie simply let go, without even applying force, " Proof of Manhood " could slice off Sode's head like a guillotine.
"Do you know why I killed Zu Haier?" Zhang Tie asked Sode.
"I know!" After a two-second silence, Sode answered wearily in a hoarse and trembling voice.
"If you were me, and someone wanted to harm you like that, and you had the chance to kill them, wouldn't you kill them?"
"Yes!" The word came out of Sode's mouth with great difficulty. "But Zu Haier is my brother..."
"If you had just said no and tried to reason with me, trying to use your cleverness and tricks, I would have cut off your head right now. You said yes, so I won't kill you today!" When Zhang Tie uttered these words, everyone was stunned. Even Sode, lying on the ground, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Zhang Tie abruptly removed the sword that had been hanging over Sode's neck and slung it over his shoulder.
"I killed Zu Haier because of a personal grudge between us. You sought revenge and a duel with me because you are Zu Haier's elder brother. Your brother was killed by me, and whatever the reason, you had to stand up for him. Otherwise, you would have no face to live in Black Flame City, nor would you be able to face your family, relatives, and friends. People would see you as a coward and a spineless coward, and you would never be able to hold your head high again. This duel is your duty as an elder brother to your brother. I also have an elder brother, and I also have brothers, so I acknowledge and respect your choice to duel me. Now the duel has been decided. Your choice has come to an end, and you have done your best. So, let's end it here."
"You... you really won't kill me?" Sode asked, his voice trembling.
"You should be grateful. As someone who grew up in Black Flame City, I don't want the first life I take after donning this Norman Empire uniform to be someone who once lived in Black Flame City like me. So, I won't kill you today. But remember, you only have this one chance to live off me. If you ever want revenge for Zu Haier or try anything against me again, as long as I hear a whisper or notice any sign of it, I will kill you without hesitation!" Zhang Tie said coldly to Sode.
Seeing Zhang Tie's icy gaze, Sode trembled and didn't dare to meet Zhang Tie's eyes.
Zhang Tie turned and walked off the stage, no longer bothering with Sode. Jerome and Colin exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of relief in each other's eyes.
Many teachers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After such a setback and lesson, if Sode still wanted to cause trouble for Zhang Tie, he would be courting death. Zhang Tie Zhang Tie's strength, his identity, and the laws of the Norman Empire —any one of these was an insurmountable deterrent for him. If he wanted to harm Zhang Tie, whatever he wanted to do, regardless of success or failure, he would face certain death. There was no other possibility. Judging from Sode's appearance, he wasn't the kind of hero who could face death without fear. For someone who cherishes their life, few would do something that would inevitably lead to death.
Zhang Tie's reason for not killing Sode revealed the bright and kind side of this young man's heart. Everyone, including the soldiers of the Iron-Blood Battalion, sincerely respected Zhang Tie's choice not to kill Sode.
Sode and the few men who had come with him were now bowing their heads, sheepishly and alone, as they helped Sode leave the dueling arena. Some of Sode's drinking buddies who had come with Sode had even slipped away as soon as Zhang Tie stepped onto the stage. Getting involved in a duel between Norman officers on territory newly incorporated into the Norman Empire Norman Empire hardly a wise choice; who knew what trouble it might cause later?
At this moment, the most dazzling presence on the entire campus was Zhang Tie. Zhang Tie was surrounded by a circle of the Norman Empire soldiers who were maintaining order. Many people wanted to come over, but dared not push their way into the Norman Empire soldiers.
Zhang Tie spotted his brothers from the Airplane Brotherhood in the crowd, as well as Bruce, Peter, and Pandora and the others. Each of them had a flushed face from excitement.
Zhang Tie waved to the acquaintances, then tossed the greatsword to Beckham and Mus, saying, "You guys go back first. This is my old school; I have many friends here. I'll go back tonight!"
The duel wasn't particularly exciting, but all the brothers in the Iron-Blood Battalion felt it was worthwhile. This duel allowed them to understand Zhang Tie better and gain more respect for him; everyone began to see Zhang Tie as a trustworthy partner.
After giving a shout, the brothers from the Iron-Blood Battalion started getting into the vehicles. The two squad leaders who were on duty here came over, greeted Zhang Tie, and then prepared to leave. Zhang Tie's classmates and the crowd of onlookers gathered around.
This wasn't the place to talk, so there was no need to say anything. Zhang Tie simply opened his arms and hugged Barry and the others one by one.
Barry, Baghdad, Sista Light, Shavin, Doug, Bruce, Peter, and Bond, among others.
Seeing that Zhang Tie was still as warm and friendly as ever at this time, all the brothers and old friends laughed heartily and felt happy.
"You rascal, you really fooled us so much! How did you become so amazing?" Bruce asked Bruce, patting Zhang Tie on the shoulder as they hugged.
"This is a long story. Tonight it's my treat. Let's find a place to eat and chat, and I'll introduce you to some of my good buddies!"
"Great. I've heard that soldiers in the Norman Empire receive good benefits, so I don't have to worry about eating you out of house and home!"
Zhang Tie smiled.
Pandora and Alice originally wanted to come over too, but the girls watching were even more proactive than them at this moment. Those girls didn't care who Pandora and Alice were. They quickly pushed the three women to the side.
She's just a girlfriend, and we haven't known each other for very long. We might not have even slept together yet. Since Zhang Tie already has three, a man as fickle as him, and as outstanding as him, probably wouldn't mind having a few more.
The three women glared angrily at Zhang Tie, who was instantly surrounded by a group of girls.
"They're all those filthy bitches from the Rose Society!" Alice's hair was all messed up by the girls. While fixing it, Alice said nervously, "Help me fix this! I don't want him to see me with my hair all messed up like a crazy woman!"
"No need, he's already seen it!" Beverly smiled.
"No one can take your man away!" Pandora laughed too.
Zhang Tie looked at them and walked straight towards the three of them. At this moment, Zhang Tie had a sharp yet focused aura. None of the girls who surrounded him dared to block Zhang Tie way. When they saw that Zhang Tie was not their target, they quickly made way.
Pandora and her two companions, who had been pushed to the back of the crowd, suddenly stood out again.
Zhang Tie walked up to the three girls, opened his arms, and smiled. "I didn't tell you that day because I wanted to surprise you when I showed up in this outfit today! Alice, actually, your hair looks good no matter what you do with it!"
The three girls were both touched and amused.
Just as Zhang Tie was about to hug all three girls, Zhang Tie smile on his face froze. At that magical moment in time, which cannot be described in words, everyone and everything around him seemed to disappear.
In that instant, Zhang Tie's surging spiritual power made him feel as if a sharp killing intent was about to envelop him and the girls. He suddenly felt as if he had stepped into a thicket of thorns, and it felt as if something sharp was about to pierce his clothes and penetrate his body.
Only one word can accurately describe Zhang Tie's feeling at that moment—like having a thorn in his side.
In fact, at this moment, the mental warning gave Zhang Tie several ways to dodge this sudden attack, but if he ran away, the three unprepared women in front of him would inevitably have difficulty dodging.
So, in that brief moment, which was far shorter than a second, Zhang Tie only did two things: he forcefully shoved the three girls aside, then turned around...
Two blood blossoms bloomed on Zhang Tie's body almost simultaneously, while a crossbow bolt grazed Zhang Tie's body and missed the spot where Alice had just been standing.
Zhang Tie did not fall, but instead watched with a calmness that was absolutely incomprehensible to ordinary people as the person who suddenly dropped the crossbow and sprang into action in the crowd.
"Give me back my son Gelis's life!" The man who suddenly appeared charged forward like a tiger, wielding a dagger, with a huge Black Spider Battle Qi Totem appearing behind him.
Damn it! Zhang Tie knows who this person is...
At this moment, Zhang Tie was as if he were in the Soul Tribulation Realm, as if this body did not belong to him at all. When the person rushed to within two meters of him, Zhang Tie pulled out the crossbow bolt that had been shot into his left shoulder, and then flung it out with all his might. The crossbow bolt that Zhang Tie flung out pierced straight into the brain through the person's left eye socket. The huge Centipede behind the person instantly dissipated, but the body still maintained its forward momentum and collapsed in front of Zhang Tie.
The sudden, lightning-fast turn of events caught everyone off guard, and it wasn't until then that the girls nearby screamed loudly...
As the two wounds on his body instantly began to feel numb and stiff, and that stiff, cold feeling spread throughout his body in an instant, the last image Zhang Tie saw was a group of Iron-Blood Battalion soldiers charging towards him like angry tigers, and he seemed to hear Alice's cries.
That bastard actually poisoned the crossbow bolts!
What a waste of my life! I was still a virgin when I died!
Mom and Dad, I'm so sorry...
Zhang Tie face was already turning blue, stiffened and fell backward, causing chaos throughout the school.