The winner wasn’t Gray, the odds-on favorite everyone had bet on, but some nobody who’d appeared out of nowhere!

Now, even the "temporary gamblers" couldn’t sit still—the ones who hadn’t dared to bet at first, but seeing the lopsided odds, decided it was a sure thing and went all-in to make a quick buck.

Among them was the Wandering Woman who, just moments before, had been shamelessly hitting on the young, handsome Demon Hunter.

After all, his handsome face wasn’t theirs, but their money was.

———

On the stage, Gray collapsed to the ground, clutching his crotch in disbelief. Veins bulged on his skin and his temples throbbed. He could hear the thunderous applause, but all he felt was a twitching silence in his heart and mind.

’He... the celebrated Barbarian Bear Knight... lost just like that?’

But the excruciating, twisting pain coming from his nether regions and the Demon Hunter’s condescending disdain forced him to accept reality.

He had truly lost, utterly and completely.

The Demon Hunter had seen through his trap in an instant, countering it flawlessly.

’But it was just a moment of carelessness. He was just too arrogant... If only... What if...’

’Did he really lose...?’

’No, I haven’t lost!’

’How could I lose! How could I possibly lose!’

Gray’s expression shifted from doubt to determination. He slammed his hand on the ground and shot to his feet! He grabbed a shard of his shattered Giant Axe and, with his opponent’s back turned, launched a dishonorable sneak attack on Baron!

"Stop!"

An unexpected twist! Down below, Victor, seeing what was about to happen, roared in anger, trying to prevent this tragic stain on the spirit of a Knight.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

But the gamblers, who had lost everything and were seeing red, became excited and joined in the roaring chaos.

At that moment, the same thought, the same grievance, echoed in all their minds.

It was all because of this Allen! He was the one who had shattered their dreams of getting rich! In an instant, he had cast them from Heaven down to Hell, turning them from middle-class citizens to beggars in a flash!

’Kill him! Gray is the winner! We’re the winners! We’re rich, not beggars!’

If the "True Allen" were here, he would have noticed that his own family, lover, and friends were among those roaring for his demise.

And if his eyesight were as good as Baron’s, he might have even seen his lover and his friend getting intimate with each other during the match, hidden from his family’s view.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

The gamblers pumped their fists in unison.

’See? They think so too! They’re saying it too! They also think I shouldn’t have lost! That you shouldn’t have won!’

Gray screamed in his heart, ’This isn’t just my choice, it’s theirs too!’

He swung the axe shard.

’Fucking knew it! Not a single one of these Knights is any good!’

Maguire cursed internally. Zod also looked astonished, clearly not expecting a Knight of the Glorious Knight Order like Gray to commit such a despicable act.

Despicable bastard!

Lady Arlan’s angry rebuke died on her lips as a figure beside her shot toward the stage.

——

’I’ve got him!’

On the stage, seeing that Baron hadn’t turned, Gray’s heart leaped. A flash of vengeful glee crossed his eyes.

The next moment, however, he saw the Demon Hunter’s figure retreat like a phantom. As he turned, he was now holding a piece of the shattered blade in each hand!

"Kill me? How tiresome."

The Demon Hunter snorted. He brandished both shards—one to block the axe, the other to strike at Gray’s forehead!

Gray’s eyes widened. He watched, frozen, as the blade shard shot toward his forehead. Fear surfaced from the depths of his pupils. He could smell death.

"Don’t!"

This time, it was the Knights of the Glorious Knight Order who cried out, because Baron’s blade was about to reach Gray’s head before the axe shard could.

Some of the noble ladies screamed and shut their eyes, terrified of the gory scene of splattered brains they were about to witness.

CLANG! A crisp metallic sound rang out.

At that moment, the pupils of everyone in the audience dilated, as if they had just witnessed the impossible.

The noble ladies cautiously opened their eyes. There was no imagined scene of blood and gore.

A single finger was held between the axe shard and the two blade shards.

The wind and whistle from the axe shard kicked up debris from the arena floor, but in that storm of steel, the finger—and its owner—remained completely still.

Stephen, the Silver Demon Hunter.

"This farce ends now."

As Stephen spoke, he lifted a finger on his left hand. A wave of energy surged, shattering both the blade and axe shards.

Gray was thrown to the ground by the blast. Baron’s black hair and robes whipped about, but he didn’t take a single step back. He simply offered a polite salute.

With his back to the collapsed Gray, he leaped off the stage without a second glance. A moment later, his voice, though not loud, echoed around the arena with an air of effortless calm.

"Your desperate struggles are truly pathetic to watch."

At his words, a dead silence fell over the arena. The audience in the stands stared blankly at "Allen’s" departing back, their expressions bewildered.

It took a moment for them to snap out of it, and then their bewilderment turned to fanaticism.

The young ladies from noble houses waved their handkerchiefs and screamed, while the more promiscuous beauties repeatedly shot seductive glances at his departing figure.

Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials and wealthy magnates in the stands began making inquiries, trying to find out just who this Intern Demon Hunter Allen was and why they had never heard of him in Fude City before.

They either wanted to hire Allen at a high price as a private bodyguard or introduce their daughters—who might be slender and beautiful, or might be absolute trolls—to this brilliant young man.

If that guy Jack were here, he’d probably sigh and say: ’The Constantine Brothers are too damn good at putting on a show.’

Stephen studied the tiny trace of blood on the side of his index finger where the blade had struck him, watching Baron’s retreating back thoughtfully.

Then he turned to the announcer. "Hey, it’s time to announce the results."

The announcer, who had secretly told people to bet on Gray, finally snapped out of it. Suppressing the pain in his bleeding heart, he hurriedly announced in a loud voice:

"I... I declare that the winner of the match between Allen and Gray is Allen! All you ladies and gentlemen who bet on Allen, please take your tickets backstage to collect your winnings..."

But no one in the stands moved. Some were still stewing in the anger of bankruptcy and the frustration of their miscalculation, while others were captivated by the drama of the underdog’s victory.

A reporter from Fude City had already raised a Magic Staff, pointed it at a recording Magic Card, and with a CLICK, "snapped a picture" of Baron’s back.

He changed his originally drafted headline from, [Reckless Intern Demon Hunter Challenges Seven-Time Champion Barbarian Bear Knight, Bringing Shame to Fude City] to:

[Intern Demon Hunter Allen Scores Upset Victory, Trounces Seven-Time Champion Barbarian Bear Knight Gray, Reclaiming Honor for Fude City!].

The reporter had actually wanted to include Gray’s sneak attack in his article, but after noticing the hostile glares from the Knights below, he erased it to ensure he would make it to the exit alive. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Victor leaped onto the stage, his gaze cold and disappointed as he looked at Gray, who was still slick with a cold sweat.

Then he knelt, removed the Knight’s Medal from Gray’s chest, and announced to the audience in the stands and the dignitaries below:

"From this day forward, Gray Spier is hereby stripped of his title and expelled from the Glorious Knight Order!"

Gray trembled, his spirit crushed. For once, he didn’t try to use his father, the captain of the Barbarian Bears, to argue his case. He had almost... no, he had completely lost the will to remain in the Glorious Knight Order.

He could only lower his head in disgrace, clenching his fists and searing the name "Allen" into his memory.

’One day, when I’m stronger, I’ll defeat him... No, not defeat him. I’ll get my revenge!’

’Allen...’

As the medics worked together to lift him onto a stretcher, Gray glanced into the distance at the back that had long since vanished from the arena. He covered his face with one hand.

It spared him from seeing the disappointed looks of his former teammates and the spectators who had bet on him.

His other hand protected his vitals, which were now radiating a searing heat accompanied by a bone-deep agony.

At the same time, he silently swore an oath in his heart.

’Allen... this was just a fluke. I will defeat you. I will have my revenge for that kick, and I will trample you under my foot in front of everyone!’

’Hssss... Why does it hurt so much... Did they really... shatter? The pain is killing me... It hurts...’

’Allen... I hate you!’

"I’m going to kill you." Those were the last words Gray spoke before passing out.

——