Rody and his elite squad passed through the teleportation gate, but they still walked through the land of evil for nearly half a month before returning to the Saint Song base camp.
Along the way, soldiers cheered for them, and generals from various battle zones personally led their most elite soldiers to escort them. Sergeant Rody and his elite squad's reputation represented not only the glory of human victory but also the pride of human intelligence. Defeating the orcs with brute force and armies would not be the most commendable achievement as it would result in a heavy cost and numerous human casualties.
Like Rody, defeating the enemy with intelligence, manipulating them, killing countless enemies while keeping his own troops unharmed, was truly praiseworthy.
In history, no human war against invasion was ever made public to civilians, as whether the human allied forces won or lost, it would lead to grief, with people lamenting their sons, husbands, and fathers dying on the battlefield.
But now, all countries were broadcasting the footage of Rody leading his elite squad in guerrilla warfare against the orcs.
Especially the kings of the nineteen countries, who had commentators highlight the elites of their own nations and promote their national war heroes. Soon, millions of people were familiar with Rody and his elite squad. In streets and alleys, people talked about their battles, and in markets, excited youths spontaneously gathered to cheer for the miraculous boy and celebrate the human victory.
Rody and his elite squad had returned...
This news spread across the continent, and countless youths flocked to the Saint Song base camp, ready to welcome the returning human heroes.
When Rody and his team returned, seeing tens of thousands of people lining the roads to welcome them, with people everywhere and banners displaying classic quotes from Rody, Chris, and the elite squad. Phrases like "Let us die in battle," "Let us die under the orcs' axes! We hope to die like heroes," "We are men of steel, even if boiled in the orcs' cauldrons, chewed on, beheaded as trophies, we won't cry," "We prefer to stain the land of evil with our blood, not our tears," "We are the rising sun of the East, unstoppable, this is our era..."
As for banners and flags with slogans like "Salute to Sergeant Rody," "Long live wisdom," "Long live humanity," "Victory forever," there were countless.
All nineteen countries sent their delegations to grandly welcome their national elites.
Other nations also sent representatives to congratulate them.
Flags of various countries fluttered in the sky, and everyone's faces beamed with joy.
As Rody and Chris rode at the forefront, escorted by soldiers, the excited crowd welcomed them with the warmest applause. Young men and unmarried women had already gone crazy. Not only were flowers scattered in the air, but continuous screams also filled the atmosphere.
"Rody, I love you..."
"I want to marry you, handsome Chris, I love you! I am madly in love with you!"
The cheers of the girls were different from those of the men. While men mostly cheered or shouted classic slogans together, girls, apart from screaming, desperately threw flower petals and used their screams to express their feelings for Rody and the elite squad. Rody and Chris were the most popular, but Jesse, Stanley, and Cary also had their admirers. Some older women, apart from supporting Rody and Chris, also had a certain preference for strong and rugged men like Stanley; some women liked men with a melancholic look like Cary; others liked the fearless type like Lopek; and some liked Jesse, who recited triumphant poetry after battles…
In short, the screams were incessant, rising and falling continuously.
The soldiers lined up on both sides saluted ceremoniously as Rody led the elite squad past.
Many people had volunteered to join the army after seeing the prestige of Rody and his elite squad; many soldiers, who were initially fearful and anxious of dying in the land of evil and being buried in the wilderness, were inspired by Rody's miraculous performances and fought bravely; many people, who were initially opposed to the war fearing for the lives of their sons and husbands, changed their minds after witnessing the unyielding resistance and the glory of victory of Rody and his team, and personally sent their sons and husbands to join the army and fight.
For the first time, humans united so strongly against the orcs and demons.
Although there were a few dissenting voices, they quickly disappeared under the overwhelming wave of enthusiasm and oath-swearing by the young people and the military, fully supported by the kings and the public.
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No one could stand against the unity of all humankind.
Of course, the biggest orchestrator behind this event was the extremely patient Marshal Ferdinand.
Normally inactive, but when he acted, it was with thunderous force. Many dissenters were simply overwhelmed and silenced by the massive campaign he initiated. As one of the three great marshals of the Human Alliance and the only one still active on the battlefield, the one-armed War King who had survived two hundred-year holy wars, he was not only deeply respected by various kings but also given due deference by the Church that governed justice and faith in the world.
Mages shot magical fireworks into the sky, and magical reporters desperately recorded with memory crystals, jostling for good positions.
Some countries' mages, regardless of the cost of magic crystals, directly broadcast the grand welcome to their own nations, especially the nineteen countries with elite members, who spared no expense in showing the welcoming event to their capital's citizens, sharing the joy with them.
At the very front of the Saint Song base camp, the great Marshal himself, along with various generals, stood quietly at the end of the road, welcoming the return of Rody and his team.
When Rody and Chris dismounted and led the elite squad towards the great Marshal, everyone erupted into the most enthusiastic applause and cheers, then quickly quieted down at the gesture of the Marshal. Everyone listened attentively, not wanting to miss a single glance or word. In the profound silence, only the raised fist of Marshal Ferdinand could be seen, with his subordinates behind him saluting spiritedly.
"Do you know what I want to say to you? Smart Rody, and the human elites behind you, no, soldiers, people of all nations, none of you will understand what an old soldier like me feels. You will not know how excited I am in my heart." The lofty voice of the great Marshal, amplified by magic, thundered over everyone's heads, and the entire human continent was simultaneously broadcasting his voice.
Hearing him speak, everyone grew even more curious.
Rody knew in his heart that the great Marshal was again pushing him into the limelight to inspire and motivate people. Of course, it also meant to show strong support for himself, giving those who secretly harmed him a cause for concern.
"I am an old soldier who has been through countless battles and has become numb to life and death. If a general reports to me about the death of five thousand or ten thousand men, I would just nod my head, thinking more about the loss these five or ten thousand lives mean to the battle than caring about how important these lives are to their mothers and wives. Some say I am a war merchant, a warmonger, even a war criminal. None of these can shake my heart because I am an old soldier," the great Marshal said solemnly: "In my life, I have won countless victories but never fought a battle with zero casualties. Soldiers, people of all nations, you will not know my truest feelings when I heard Sergeant Rody's report."
"Sergeant Rody and his men, just a hundred students new to the battlefield, who had never experienced any battle before, armed with wooden spears and without armor, faced a 319-strong orc army and achieved zero casualties," the great Marshal continued: "I must admit, at the moment I heard his report, I felt jealous. This young man is too excellent, making me, an old soldier who has been through countless battles, feel utterly embarrassed. But a second later, my heart was filled with excitement and pride. Yes, this young man, he is our human son, our human genius, our human pride... He is not the bloodthirsty orc Behemoth, not the sinister and evil demons, he is a human, he is the son of our human land, he is the treasure bestowed upon us by the heavens!"
"Well done..." The people were stirred by the great Marshal's words, unable to help but cheer in unison, applause like a storm breaking out.
"If a general tells me he won a victory with zero casualties," the great Marshal looked at Rody not far in front of him and spoke loudly, "I wouldn’t be too surprised, because he is a hero among millions of elites, he is a general. But when a logistic sergeant tells me he won with zero casualties, defeating orcs with wooden spears, I am astonished... If a general achieves a zero-casualty victory once, it is enough to be talked about for hundreds of years, becoming a glorious page in human history. But when a logistic sergeant, leading a hundred students and a few mercenaries, along with a few griffin riders who were initially prone to fleeing, repeatedly defeats the enemy with zero casualties, I simply cannot describe this unprecedented victory in words..."
"Long live Rody!" The people cheered again, the sound like surging tides, lasting for a long time.
The great Marshal waved his hand, "I know you have heard it, but now that everyone is standing in front of Sergeant Rody, take another look at his achievements, and you will feel even more."
The mages began to play the magical recording, projecting a giant image in mid-air.
People could clearly see, as introduced by Big Beard Malu, Rody standing tall on a pile of orc heads, cheering up his companions: "Comrades, look at what you're stepping on. Orc heads! Orc bodies! Are they strong? Are they fearsome? Are they invincible? Tell me, who brought them down? Who cut off their heads?"
"It is us... long live humanity!" In the image, hundreds of militiamen and elite students erupted in a wild roar. Likewise, tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of excited civilians also shouted loudly in unison.
Seeing Rody leading his subordinates to repeatedly succeed in attacking the orcs and winning time after time, the people's applause was unceasing.
But when it came to the part where the human reinforcements attempted the assassination, everyone fell silent.
They had seen it, and they knew of this scene. The elite squad, which had always had zero casualties in battle, did not fall under the orcs' lethal axes. Instead, they fell to the swords of the human reinforcements... When everyone saw the leading silver-armored swordsman declare Rody guilty and then attack him with a sword, the people boiled with anger, cursing continuously, and the girls couldn't help but shed tears.
When they saw Rody being assassinated, the pain, astonishment, surprise, confusion, and the fleeting sadness that emerged on his face, made everyone's heart sting.
It felt like watching one's own proud child being harmed by a villain right before their eyes.
Everyone could see on Rody's face, as he fell, a faint smile. It was like the last fragrance a flower emits before withering; like the last light the sun emits before setting... Many people could no longer hold back their tears.
When he became the pride of the people, having established countless merits, some conspirators committed such a universally despised and despicable assassination.
"Do you know what I want to tell you? Sergeant Rody, and the elite behind you." The voice of the Grand Marshal roared like a lion, thundering out, "No matter how many people in the world want to harm you, no matter which country, no matter who, if they dare to do the same thing again, then I will bring the entire army to crush them into powder like bugs! As long as I am not dead, no one shall touch my soldiers!"
"You are my soldiers, my pride. Whoever dares to touch you will have to step over my dead body! Rody, and the elite squads, I want to tell you, your blood will not be shed in vain!"
"Your blood will not be shed in vain, not..." The people thunderously echoed the words of His Excellency the Grand Marshal, repeating them over and over, shouting towards the elite squads.
Rody was a bit better, although moved, the hot tears did not fall from his eyes.
But Chris, Kaeli, and Stanley, they cried like children.
Although Rody knew that the Grand Marshal would definitely support him, he had not expected him to make such a solemn vow. A feeling of being protected by an elder grew in Rody's heart, moving him inexplicably.
"My soldiers, come out and accept everyone's cheers! You are all heroes! All our pride!"
The Grand Marshal, with the generals, strode towards Rody and the elite squad. They opened their arms wide, hugging Rody and the members of the elite squad tightly. Countless people surged forward, rushing towards the elite squad under the dazzling sky lit by magical fireworks, continuously throwing fresh flowers, splashing fine wine, and cheering wildly for them, congratulating them, welcoming their triumphant return.