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

Chapter 99 The Belated Popularity Points Calculation

Meanwhile, Hitis and Cassius were leading the Imperial soldiers in a fierce battle against the Holy Kingdom's army.

The difference in troop strength between the two sides was not significant, and with warrant officers Hitis and Cassius personally leading the front lines, the individual combat skills of the "Imperial Blade" legion soldiers were also clearly superior to their opponents.

As the fierce battle progressed, the imperial army gradually gained the upper hand.

The Holy Kingdom's soldiers began to retreat steadily under their fierce attack.

However, everyone knew that this advantage wouldn't last long.

Just as the front lines had stabilized, a sudden burst of footsteps came from behind.

The team led by Lieutenant Lucien and Warrant Officer Fersent was already closing in from the flank and rear.

A three-pronged attack is rapidly taking shape.

The gunfire gradually intensified, weaving a deadly net of fire from three directions.

Hitis gritted her teeth and glanced back at the direction where Zod and Patrick were locked in combat.

Now they must do everything in their power to halt the Holy Kingdom's attack and prevent Zod from being distracted.

Only if Zod wins will they have a chance to win this battle.

Hitis and Cassius also believed in Zod, that he would lead them to victory.

She and Cassius exchanged a quick glance, reaching a consensus without a word.

They had to split their forces.

One force continued to suppress the front, while the other immediately turned to intercept the enemy forces flanking from both sides.

Hitis and Cassius each led their own teams to meet the newly arrived enemies.

The slight advantage that was just gained on the main battlefield will soon be lost as the troops are dispersed.

Zod saw all of this.

Although he was also anxious about the situation with Cassius and Hitis, he simply couldn't spare the time right now.

Zod knew he had to find a way to defeat Lieutenant Patrick quickly.

Otherwise, as time goes by, the situation will become increasingly unfavorable for them.

There were no more reinforcements behind him, and they couldn't retreat. Zod could only rely on himself.

Just as Zod was distracted and looked in the direction of Hitis,

"You still have time to care about others!" Lieutenant Patrick's free right hand, with its five fingers together in a fist, aimed at Zod.

"lark--"

With a low shout, Lieutenant Blanchard's four right fingers suddenly shot out, 'potential' gathering at his fingertips.

It shot out suddenly.

The familiar "Skylark" spread its wings once more, trailing a faint trail of flame, like a real lightning bolt, aiming straight for Zod's throat!

Almost simultaneously, the chain sword he wielded in his left hand, like a resurrected venomous snake, twisted its body made of countless blades and viciously "bite" at Zod's ribs from the side.

Two deadly attacks, one in front and one behind, sealed off all of Zod's escape routes.

That "Lark" is a condensation of "Potential Shaping," making it faster and more penetrating; a hit to the throat would be fatal.

While chain swords have a wide coverage area, their blades are scattered, so even if you dodge in time, you may not be able to hit a vital spot.

In a flash, Zod suddenly raised the Imperial sword in his hand, the blade held horizontally in front of his throat.

"boom!"

The "Skylark" slammed into the sword.

Then, to counter the momentum of "Skylark", Zod stepped back to avoid the sharp edge of the chain sword.

However, the sharp blade of the chain sword was still faster than Zod had anticipated.

"Iron Defense—" Zod shouted, activating his potential to harden his abdomen.

The sharp blade tore through his uniform, slicing a gash in his waist, and blood gushed out instantly, staining half of his uniform red.

Zod gasped for breath, feeling a sharp pain in his lower back.

The situation is already as bad as it gets.

He knew that only by fighting Patrick in close combat could he have a chance to defeat him.

But now, he can't even close the distance.

As soon as Patrick senses that he is trying to get closer, or catches him catching his breath, he will immediately swing the chain sword and, in conjunction with the "Hakuja's" "Skylark" skill, quickly create distance.

Not only that, Patrick constantly disrupted his rhythm, forcing him to maintain a high speed, causing his stamina to deplete at an alarming rate, without giving him even a chance to catch his breath.

Zod is now caught in a vicious cycle.

His stamina was depleted too quickly, and his speed was much slower than when he was at his peak, let alone closing the gap with Patrick.

The other party, however, was like an exhausted hunter waiting for its prey, always keeping a safe distance.

The blades connected by the chain repeatedly repelled his attacks.

The Lieutenant Patrick before him might be just as strong and fast as Zod, and he might not even be entirely confident of defeating him head-on.

However, it must be admitted that Patrick is the most difficult opponent of his class that Zod has ever encountered.

His cunning, his patience, and his control of distance all turned this battle into a suffocating war of attrition.

Just when Zod was at his wit's end.

A system message popped up in Zod's mind.

[The popularity score for this system session has been tallied. Your popularity score for this session is: 64204!]

This popularity score calculation came just in time.

Zod vaguely remembered that once you had over 30000 popularity points, you could draw a blue-quality martial arts technique.

However, upon further reflection, the popularity score of over 64000 was more than double the previous 28000.

Zod gasped in shock; his 28000 popularity points had already dragged him into the vortex of war in the city of Sarlom.

He had no idea where his popularity score of over 64000 would lead him.

To be honest, Zod had mixed feelings about this sudden surge in popularity.

He'll be very happy to accept it if you don't get him involved in any plot.

But the thought that his increased popularity would inevitably drag him into extremely dangerous storylines made him feel uneasy.

But in any case, these 64000+ popularity points might be able to solve his immediate problem.

As for other issues, let's consider them after he's safely out of the battlefield around Sarlöm!

Congratulations! Your popularity score has reached 30000!

[You will receive a free chance to draw a blue-quality martial arts technique, and your appearance chance in later episodes will be increased by 25%!]

[Distribution complete, please check your account!]

Great, I have a chance to draw a blue-quality physical skill for free. It all depends on this.

Congratulations! Your popularity score has reached 50000!

[You will receive a 60-day Virtual Dream Training Ground, and the development team will create a special bonus episode just for you!]

[Distribution complete, please check your account!]

Zod thought to himself, "The number of training days in the Virtual Dream Training Ground is enough. Let's forget about creating extra side stories!"

Never mind all that, let's extract the essence of blue-quality physical techniques first!

It's blue quality, after all, and it's the rarest physical technique I've ever encountered. I hope it's not some useless move!

Zod opened the panel in his mind to draw upon physical techniques.

[Drawing random martial arts techniques for you]