"Ladies and gentlemen, the battle is ten seconds away, and the odds are currently 1-to-8! Betting will be closed once it begins, so throw down your banknotes and pick your man!"

"Will you strike it rich, or will you settle for mediocrity? The choice is yours!!!"

"And now... I declare the final match of the fifth day of the Hunting Competition... BEGIN!"

The announcer outside the arena brought his hand down in a sharp chop, and right on cue, steam erupted across the stage!

At that very moment, Gray twirled his Giant Axe and charged toward Baron in great strides! It was the same strategy he’d used against Andre!

He whipped his Giant Axe out in a wide arc and began swinging it wildly, like the connecting rod on the wheel of a speeding train. With a raw, chilling whistle that tore through the air, it crashed down toward Baron’s head!

His charge had the momentum of a collapsing mountain.

And beneath this toppling mountain stood Baron, raising his Long Saber to block!

A massive shockwave erupted the moment the blade and axe collided!!!

"It’s over!" Zod smacked a fist into his palm. "There goes my wine money!"

Maguire quickly asked why.

"L has lost the initiative. I thought his combat instincts would have him dodge Gray’s attack, but now... I’m afraid the best he can hope for is the same fate as Andre!"

Zod tensed, gripping the neck of his wine flask so tightly he didn’t dare take a drink.

Clearly, he couldn’t be sure if this would be his last drink until the outcome was decided.

If it was, he had to make it last.

And if it wasn’t, he’d never have to worry about going thirsty again.

"It’s a trap set by that Barbarian Bear Knight. His stamina is far beyond a normal person’s; he must have specifically trained to enhance that aspect..."

"He deliberately created the illusion of being exhausted against Andre. But Andre was a Black Iron on the verge of advancing to Bronze. No matter how much of a combat genius L is, he can’t withstand Gray’s relentless, suffocating offense... and if it looks like he can, then it must be a trap!"

"So how can L turn this around?"

Maguire understood Zod’s analysis and quickly asked.

Zod was silent for a long time, then spat out one word: "Grind!"

Grind?

Meaning, he has to match the Barbarian Bear Knight’s endurance?

Maguire couldn’t bear the thought. He was certain L was going to lose.

In the arena!

The Giant Axe and Long Saber both shuddered on impact. A tremendous force traveled from the axe blade to the saber, then shot back into Gray’s arm, making the web of his thumb tremble.

If his first strike had been just for fun, then the flurry that followed—the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth—wiped that playful attitude right off his face.

’This Intern Demon Hunter... something’s not right about him!’

’Not only was he not overwhelmed by the powerful aura I deliberately projected, but he even knew to draw his saber and fight back.’

’He even managed to keep his saber, as thin as a cicada’s wing, steady under my storm of axe blows!’

’Slowly... slowly, before I knew it, we were trading blows!’

’He wasn’t just taking the hits, we were actually trading blows!’

’To fight back against such overwhelming force, there were only two possibilities. One was transcendent technique, and the other was...’

Gray had to admit it. This Intern Demon Hunter’s strength... seemed even greater than his own!

From the stunned expressions on the faces of Zod and the others in the audience, it was clear they were just as bewildered and shocked by Baron’s strength.

"Beast Faction?" Gray asked.

"Apple pie." This was Baron’s response to Gray’s earlier trash talk. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Gray grinned ferociously. "Then get ready to be turned into apple pie!"

He swung his axe viciously, but inwardly, a storm was raging.

’How is this possible?’

’How could this possibly be!’

Sparks flew as saber and axe crossed.

Through the showering sparks, Gray stared with a savage expression at the Demon Hunter’s chiseled, handsome face, and a fire of jealousy suddenly ignited in his heart.

’You pretty boy... You’d already won over all the women’s cheers with that face.’

’And now, you’re not even going to leave a single cheer from the men for me!?’

After a few more furious swings of his Long Axe, he reset his footing and retreated.

It was a scene straight out of a familiar playbook, causing Andre, who was still receiving treatment in the stands, to glare, his eyes practically bursting from their sockets.

Zod’s face fell. "Oh no! My wine money!"

’He fell for it!’

When Gray saw Baron actually closing in as he retreated, he was overjoyed. This was the opening he had intentionally created, baiting the Demon Hunter into thinking he had seized a fleeting opportunity.

’And when he gets close, I’ll unleash an even bigger assault and crush him to death!’

’I don’t know how a mere Intern Demon Hunter managed to last so long against my onslaught—long enough to go from simply defending to actually trading blows with me.’

’But it ends now!’

As Baron drew near, Gray fell back, just as he had against Andre. His retreating foot stomped hard on the ground. With a twist of his body, he reversed his momentum, sending the Giant Axe cleaving forward!

"In the Glorious Knight Order, this attack is called [Lost Claw]. The name comes from a Bronze Knight who hunted a Sub-dragon Species."

"While fighting the Sub-dragon, he blocked its acid-spitting throat with his own right hand, then used the opening to plunge his sword with all his might into an artery unprotected by Dragon Scales."

Victor said calmly, "It’s an attack created by Commander Lewis."

A metal prosthetic limb picked up a lighter and lit a cigar. Lewis blew out a puff of smoke. "But I have to say, Gray’s [Lost Claw] is better than mine, if this Demon Hunter kid named Allen were a Dragon."

Once Baron fell into the Lost Claw trap, Lewis stopped paying attention to the arena. Instead, he resumed his pitch to Stephen, recommending the latest research from the Mechanical School of Fude City.

Stephen was a confidant of Liuxia, the vice president of the First Hunter Association, and Liuxia was very likely to become one of the Seven Great Electors representing the Gillian Duchy.

When that time came, a single word from Stephen, as the Elector’s Swordman, could generate tens of thousands of Gold Coins in revenue for Fude City.

Besides, even if Liuxia didn’t end up becoming an Elector, the orders from the First Hunter Association alone were enough to generate thousands of Gold Coins in profit for Fude City.

But Lewis didn’t notice. Stephen’s gaze had been locked on the arena from the moment the Demon Hunter, instead of dodging the trap set by the Giant Axe’s [Lost Claw], swung his saber to meet the attack head-on. He couldn’t look away.

Gray had been anticipating the sight of Baron being split open, mangled, or even killed on the spot by this axe blow. A violent thrill had been rising in his chest. But now, he was stunned.

He wasn’t so much stunned by the young man’s instantaneous, twisting reaction, as he was terrified by his shockingly bold move.

He could have easily dodged the slash with a simple step, yet for some reason, the Intern Demon Hunter didn’t evade. Instead, he swung his saber upward in a full-moon arc, meeting the axe blade head-on!!!

"You bastard... DIE!!!"

The Power of Promise stirred unconsciously within his body. The might of a great bear filled his muscles and veins, transforming into a tremendous force that poured into the axe handle.

’With this strike! Even that bastard Victor would lose a layer of skin, at the very least!’

Saber and axe crashed together with a thunderous ROAR, as if something had shattered in that instant.

A shower of sparks flashed and died in the air. Only those with the sharpest eyes could see they were actually shards of shattered iron.

Blood dripped from the web of both men’s hands. Gray’s gaze froze, his expression horrified.

His Giant Axe had been shattered!

Even though the Demon Hunter’s Alchemy Long Saber also shattered, his was an axe made of Snow Pattern Steel!

His opponent was just using a standard-issue Alchemy Long Saber provided by the organizers, and he had shattered his Giant Axe with it!

Immense rage and humiliation flooded the Barbarian Bear Knight’s senses.

To him, the cheers erupting from the audience were just salt in the wound!

Gray roared ferociously. So what if the axe head shattered? He still had the shaft!

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. He raised the sharp, splintered shaft and thrust it at Baron! At the same time, his other hand shot out like a bear’s claw to grab Baron’s right arm, preventing him from raising his saber to dodge!

The Demon Hunter merely sneered. Gray had the shaft of his axe, but he had the hilt of his saber!

The shattered blade swung in a thin arc to block the thrusting shaft. With a sudden jolt, Baron sent a surge of force that shook Gray’s bear-like grip loose.

The Barbarian Bear Knight tried to struggle, but his body seized up as if all his strength had been drained away. He swayed for a moment, then collapsed to the ground.

Face flushed, he lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

The Demon Hunter’s speed had been too great, leaving the crowd unsure of what had just happened.

All they knew was that in the two exchanges after Gray’s retreat, in a single instant, the Intern Demon Hunter was left standing while the mountain of a Barbarian Bear Knight had come crashing down.

"Like I said," Baron said, pulling back his leg and looking down at Gray, who was kneeling on the ground, clutching his groin and gasping weakly. "I was going to ruin you."

Zod and Maguire’s mouths hung open. They wanted to say something, but no words came out, as if their throats were choked.

The once-raucous stands had fallen completely, eerily silent.

Suddenly, from a distance, came the cry of a crow, loud and clear.