Chapter 142: Chapter 108: I’ll Fight All 6 of You

Everyone could only sigh in frustration.

Galahad looked from the unconscious Sun Knight to the silent, expressionless figure on the stage.

His expression was complicated.

Not long ago, Gawain had been the one he was desperately trying to catch up to. But now, after Gawain’s humiliating defeat... Galahad felt a little lost.

The atmosphere was just as heavy in the Knight candidates’ section.

In the Demon Hunter candidates’ section.

The Demon Hunters of the Rose Hunting Group, who had briefly spent time with him back when "Allen" was still "L," still wore looks of lingering shock. This included the brutish Handel, who had once killed the Dream-eating Beast alongside Baron.

Handel looked at Andre, the nominal vice-captain of the Rose Hunting Group and the boss whose lead he had always followed.

The Hunters of the Rose Hunting Group were all well aware that Andre had once had a feud with Demon Hunter L, the man now in the spotlight.

Setting aside how he had survived the Baron-level Divine Punishment Monster back then, and based purely on the strength he was displaying now...

To put it bluntly, for him not to have lashed out after Andre provoked him back then was a true show of mercy.

His face still wrapped in bandages, Andre watched the Demon Hunter on the stage. His expression shifted for a moment before he suddenly sighed. "It’s all in the past now."

Maguire and Zod watched the figure in black on the stage. The former was silent, and the latter was quiet.

After a long moment of silence, Maguire finally spoke. "Making a Bronze Tier Sun Knight using Dragon Transformation kneel three times... Just how many secrets is L hiding from us?"

Zod watched L’s back with a complicated look in his eyes. He twisted the cap off his flask, wanting a drink, only to find it was already empty.

He used his knife to shave some slivers from a block of cooling ice behind him and tossed them into his mouth. His voice was hoarse. "Remember the first lesson I taught you about being a Demon Hunter?"

"Don’t speculate too much about your comrades’ secrets."

He touched the scar on his own face, his expression turning world-weary. "You never know what’s really under another person’s mask, and you never want to."

Maguire looked bewildered. "But Zod, didn’t you say you got that scar on your face as a kid? That you lost your grip on your knife and ended up slashing yourself?"

Zod said coolly, "Let me add one more thing. You should learn to keep your mouth shut when you can. Otherwise, one day, someone really is going to slash you across the face."

Maguire started to speak again, but Zod shoved a handful of ice shavings into his mouth.

His gaze traveled past the sputtering fool to the Demon Hunter on the stage. His other hand clenched into a fist, then relaxed.

’Maybe I’m overthinking this.’

Under the long awning.

Gazing at the young man who stood on the stage like a battle standard, the astonishment in Stephen’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by profound admiration.

With his hands behind his back, he said something that made everyone present—except for Yalilan—look like they wanted to speak but were holding their tongues.

"What, you don’t think this is a good decision?"

Stephen chuckled. "But his introduction already says he’s an Intern Demon Hunter from the First Hunter Association. If I don’t let him join the First Hunter Association, it will be my fault when Chairman Liuxia asks about it."

Victor said sullenly, "But we still don’t understand why Gawain lost. From start to finish, L never even made a move."

"As I recall, neither the Silver Faction nor the Beast Faction Demon Hunters have ever possessed such methods..."

"Are you saying L cheated?" Yalilan raised a delicate eyebrow.

Yalilan, the Pure-blooded Fierce Tiger, was known throughout Prole not just for her courage, beauty, and backing from the Rose Commerce Association—the Continent’s First Commerce Association—but also for being fiercely protective of her own.

As long as she believed she was in the right, she wouldn’t back down from anyone, not even the Knight Order Leader of the Amel Glorious Knight Order.

Victor nodded. "Precisely."

Honest as ever.

Yalilan sneered. "If I recall the rules of the Hunting Competition, while it’s true Gawain Lannier didn’t use his Promise, the power of a Bronze Tier Contract Knight’s Dragon Transformation already surpasses that of an ordinary Promise, doesn’t it?"

"The rules permit a Contract Knight to use Assimilation, but just like with the Beast Faction, they’re only allowed to assimilate a single body part."

"Gawain Lannier’s Assimilation, however, clearly exceeded that limit."

"Besides, L gave Lannier three chances. He was the one who failed to seize them. Or is the Glorious Knight Order just a bunch of sore losers who can’t admit when they’re beaten?"

As she spoke, whether intentionally or not, Yalilan’s gaze slowly swept over Tate from the Iron Thorn Gang.

Tate, who was just enjoying the drama and hoping a fight would break out: "..."

Seeing things were getting heated, Lewis quickly stepped in to mediate.

Victor said coolly, "Whether he cheated or not, I can find out with a single test of my [Honesty]. Why is the Lord Marquis having such a strong reaction?"

[Honesty]. The most basic Authority of a Black Iron Tier Faith Hunter.

It could not only see through the Authorities and statuses of Law Enforcers of the same tier, but also determine the truth of a person’s statements through questioning.

The price was that the user had to report their own current Authorities and status to the target as well.

Yalilan said calmly, "Everyone has secrets."

"But secrets are no excuse for breaking the rules."

Victor was about to say more when he heard the announcer on stage declare in a booming voice:

"I declare that the final winner of the sixth day of the Hunting Competition is...!"

He trailed off, his words catching in his throat.

Because Demon Hunter L had taken the microphone from his hand.

In an instant, the Demon Hunter’s action captured everyone’s attention.

...

「Back to a few moments earlier.」

Unlike the crowd on the sidelines, whose thoughts were a tangled mess...

As Baron watched Gawain being carried away on a stretcher, he squinted at the sun. ’It doesn’t seem so blinding after all,’ he thought.

The third time confirmed it.

After three experiments, he had more or less figured out why Gawain had knelt on his command.

To put it simply: even among Dragon Knights, there is a pecking order.