CHAPTER 25

Rhodes brandished his spear and advanced toward Bell.

The most straightforward and effective way to defeat a fighter is to confront them head-on, without any fancy tricks.

Rhode gripped his guardian spear with one hand, clashing it against Bell's spear.

*Boom...*

The two spears collided, unleashing their full force.

A thunderous crash echoed, sending a spray of sand and rocks flying.

Even the heroic warriors standing thirty to forty meters away could feel a gust of wind and the sting of small stones hitting their faces.

Many of them retreated hundreds of meters to ensure their safety.

When the dust settled, Rhode still held his spear with a single hand, pinning Bell's spear beneath his guardian's weapon.

A massive crater, three to four meters in diameter, marred the ground.

Bell struggled to reclaim his spear from Rhodes's hold, but despite his bulging muscles and cracked armor, he couldn't dislodge it.

Seeing Bell's futile efforts, Rhodes nonchalantly shifted his guardian spear.

In an instant, Bell regained his long spear, but he couldn't control it due to the immense force acting on his body, stumbling back and landing on the ground.

Bell's face flushed with humiliation as his once unwavering strength failed to match Rhodes's one-handed control.

Rhodes remained composed, not even breaking a sweat, revealing that he hadn't exerted his full strength.

Bell, seething with humiliation, charged at Rhodes with his spear.

Rhodes still held his weapon with one hand, effortlessly deflecting Bell's spear strikes.

Bell employed all the spear skills he had honed over his life: tricky angles, feints, special moves, even stirring up sand to obstruct Rhodes's vision—every possible, albeit less honorable tactic.

But Rhodes stood unwavering, maintaining his original stance.

He neither retreated nor allowed a single crease in his clothing during Bell's relentless assault.

It was as if Rhodes were leisurely gardening, his clothes remaining immaculate, as if he didn't deem Bell worthy of disheveling his attire.

Bell continued his assault, attempting hundreds of techniques, but none made a dent in Rhodes's defenses.

Rhodes spoke, "Your moves are outdated. Don't you have any new tricks? Let me show you."

Rhodes casually countered Bell's attack, causing Bell's spear to fly out of his grasp and embed itself in the massive stone pillar at the Hall of Heroes' entrance.

The pillar, made of Asgard stone, thousands of times harder than ordinary rocks in the Nine Realms, held the spear firmly, leaving only a meter exposed.

This feat was clearly Rhodes's doing, not Bell's.

Rhodes held the spear's end with his right hand, its tip pressed against Bell's forehead.

At that moment, Bell felt the specter of death, more terrifying than Queen of Death Hela's aura.

Bell's colossal body seemed paralyzed by the slender spearpoint; he dared not move, fearing the spear might pierce his skull.

He remained frozen in place.

Meanwhile, the countdown Rhodes projected in midair ticked down its final seconds.

As the dust settled, the heroic warriors watched, petrified, not daring to breathe.

They gaped at the scene unfolding before them.

Bell, whose immense combat power resembled a giant bear, had been bested by Rhodes wielding a single spear.

And it appeared almost effortless.

Bell stood motionless for a full minute before finally dropping to his knees.

"Master Rhodes, I concede. I am willing to pledge my allegiance."

Rhodes withdrew his guardian spear and stood beside him.

"Bell, is it time to fulfill your promise?"

Bell bowed deeply to Rhodes.

"Yes, Lord Rhodes. Bell pledges his unwavering loyalty to you, even if the world crumbles and the gods fall."

Bell was now completely convinced by Rhodes.

"Very well."

Rhodes headed toward the Temple of Valor's steps, hands behind his back.

"Everyone, assemble. From now on, anyone who disobeys Lord Rhodes's orders will answer to me, Bell."

Bell's fierce expression and shout terrified the hesitant heroic warriors, who scrambled to gather, as if death itself spurred them on.

Rhodes's tone remained steady.

Rhodes stood on the temple steps, facing thousands of heroic warriors filling the square.

These warriors, adorned in solemn golden armor, gripped golden spears over three meters long.

Among them, a few, clad in tattered rags, struggled to conceal their private parts. Their weapons were missing, yet they stood solemnly.

While the sight might be comical, no one laughed.

All eyes shifted between the spear embedded in the temple's stone pillar and the tremors still shaking their bodies.

Rhodes surveyed them sternly.

He pointed to the spear behind him.

"Regardless of who emerges as a heroic warrior in the future, inform them of the rules here. Should anyone repeat the previous incident, Bell will deal with it."

"Yes, Lord Rhodes, Bell remembers."

Bell's resonating voice echoed across the vast square of the Temple of Valor, lingering.

"Very well, I have a question for all of you. What are you?"

"We are soldiers!"

The warriors roared in unison.

"What is a soldier's duty?"

"Obedience!"

"Then what did you just do?"

Confronted with Rhodes's incisive question, the heroes hung their heads in shame.

"You should be ashamed of your actions."

"From now on, you remain cowards unless you fulfill the responsibilities of soldiers. You are nothing but cowards."

"If you aspire to be warriors, your trial by fire starts today. Only those who emerge from the flames of adversity are worthy warriors. You are cowards seeking self-redemption."

"You will pay for your mistakes. Do you understand?"

"We understand."

Though humiliated, the heroes' eyes burned with unwillingness and anger, eager to reclaim their lost soldier's honor.

This was the shared sentiment among these heroic warriors.

"Very well. As of today, you will run ten laps around Asgard daily. Your physical training, combat drills—they will meet the highest Protoss fighter standards."

"If anyone fails, the consequences are theirs to bear. They will wash the servants' clothes and tidy their chambers in the fairy palace."

"Let everyone in Asgard witness the noble warriors, forged anew in the Hall of Valor, as they clean and serve the gods' servants, toiling in their rooms."

"I can bear the loss. Can you? Remember, those who falter will wear their noble armor while serving."

"Understood, Lord Rhodes. We will complete the tasks, even if it costs us our lives."

Rhodes's actions were far from indifferent. Running around Asgard Palace alone was an arduous task that would take an indefinite amount of time. Asgard was vast, even larger than the entire capital of Midgard.

Their training was no less demanding.

But Rhodes intended for them to experience the life of serving the servants of the gods, to understand the humility that came with their once lofty status.

Rhodes aimed to ignite their potential by first exposing them to shame.

"Very well, let's begin today."

Rhodes bellowed.

Adorned in armor and wielding weapons, the heroic warriors commenced their daily circuit around the fairy palace. Their route focused mainly on the gods' palaces, such as Odin's, given their sheer size.

If they circled the entire Asgard area, it might take three to five years to return.

The Valhalla warriors, equipped with weapons, raced through the palace grounds.

Their heavy armor made their footfalls resonate like thunder on the fairy palace's firm surface.

Curious servants tidying the courtyards felt the ground tremble as the warriors approached. The vibrations alarmed both servants and resting gods.

Bolder servants gathered at the doors to watch the Hall of Valor soldiers dash by. Their immense physical strength and speed caused the ground to quake as they sped past, quickly disappearing.

Meanwhile, Odin, the God king, stood atop his towering temple, observing the disciplined and vigorous warriors running along the towering walls.

He stroked his beard and smiled approvingly.