Fragments of Ensipher's shattered greatsword continued raining across the battlefield, each piece striking the broken arena floor with sharp metallic clangs. The impossible sight left countless spectators frozen where they stood, unable to tear their eyes away from the scattered remains.
Only a handful of people remained calm throughout the entire exchange. Jean folded her arms with a faint, almost smug smile, while Tenerife watched with quiet amusement. Beside them, Jane silently observed the battlefield, her composed expression never changing.
Meanwhile, Andre stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the remains of Ensipher's shattered weapon. The confidence that had filled his face moments ago was gone.
All that remained was disbelief. He simply couldn't understand how a weapon capable of cleaving through fortress walls had been crushed by nothing more than Knox's bare hand.
Unfortunately for him, Knox had no intention of giving him time to think.
As the final fragments of the shattered blade continued falling around him, Knox casually released the broken hilt and stepped forward. His right hand immediately seized Ensipher's wrist, while his left rose to secure the grip.
Without slowing in the slightest, Knox lowered his center of gravity and slipped beneath the towering summon's arm. The movement itself looked deceptively simple, resembling nothing more than a textbook shoulder throw.
Yet what followed was anything but ordinary.
Ensipher's colossal body was lifted cleanly off the ground as though it had suddenly become weightless. The giant summon swept through the air in a smooth arc, its enormous frame soaring over Knox's shoulder with effortless momentum.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The giant summon crashed headfirst into the arena behind Knox with overwhelming force. The impact shook the entire battlefield like a violent earthquake, blasting countless chunks of stone high into the air as a deafening shockwave swept across the spectator stands.
Dust erupted skyward, swallowing the battlefield in an instant. Only after several seconds did the thick cloud slowly begin to settle, revealing another massive crater carved into the already devastated arena floor.
Silence.
The spectators stared blankly at the scene before them. Some still had their hands raised in front of their faces from the shockwave, while others simply stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the enormous crater left by Ensipher's fall. The impossible shoulder throw continued replaying itself in their minds, leaving no one able to find the words to describe what they had just witnessed.
Yet before anyone could recover from the shock, another surge of violet mana quietly gathered behind Knox.
The surrounding space rippled ever so slightly before gradually beginning to twist. What started as a faint distortion soon spread outward, as though reality itself were slowly being peeled apart.
Then, with almost no warning, the distorted space silently split open.
Two gigantic jet-black claws gradually emerged from the tear behind Knox's back, each connected directly to him by thick chains forged from condensed shadow. Beneath their pitch-black surface, faint violet light pulsed rhythmically like veins carrying mana instead of blood.
The massive claws hovered silently behind their master, swaying with slow, deliberate movements. Their razor-sharp talons reflected the faint violet glow surrounding Knox, giving everyone the unsettling impression that they were not simply weapons, but living creatures patiently awaiting their master's command.
Without saying a single word, Knox stepped forward and climbed onto Ensipher's broad back. His foot came down firmly between the giant summon's shoulders, forcing the massive body to remain pinned against the shattered arena floor while his cold gaze never once left the struggling summon beneath him.
At the same moment, the two jet-black claws hovering behind Knox slowly descended toward Ensipher. Their enormous talons spread open as they approached the giant summon before closing firmly around both armored arms, locking onto them with enough force to shake the surrounding ground.
CLANG!!
The deafening impact echoed throughout the arena as sparks burst from the points of contact. Yet the claws never stopped there.
Their grip continued tightening bit by bit, the razor-sharp talons slowly sinking deeper into the thick armor while the steel plates around them gradually bent under the mounting pressure.
Under Andre's horrified gaze, and before the countless spectators surrounding the arena, the giant claws continued pouring more and more strength into their grip. The deeper the talons dug in, the more violently Ensipher struggled beneath Knox's foot, its massive body trembling as the shoulder joints groaned under the relentless pressure threatening to tear them apart.
Then, without warning...
RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIPPPP!!!
A horrifying tearing sound echoed throughout the arena as the giant claws tore both of Ensipher's arms clean off its body.
Ensipher, which had been struggling moments earlier, suddenly went limp before its massive body collapsed heavily onto the shattered arena floor.
Even then, the two gigantic claws remained hovering above it, their talons still tightly gripping Ensipher's severed arms.
The gruesome sight sent a shudder through everyone present.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The entire arena fell into complete silence. Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the two gigantic claws still hovering above Ensipher, unable to pull themselves away from the horrifying scene before them.
After hanging motionless in the air for another brief moment, the gigantic claws casually tossed Ensipher's severed arms onto the shattered arena floor.
Ensipher's massive body remained motionless.
A moment later, its massive form slowly began to dissolve, fading away little by little until nothing remained except the shattered arena beneath Knox's feet. The only traces left behind were the countless cracks and craters scattered across the battlefield, silently bearing witness to the brutal clash that had just taken place.
Only after Ensipher had completely disappeared did Knox finally move.
He slowly turned around, his expression never changing. His cold gaze slowly settled on Andre, who was still standing frozen in place.
A massive greatsword suddenly materialized in Knox's right hand.
Its broad blade slowly rose before the tip came to a stop, pointing directly at Andre.
"Are you done?"
Knox's cold voice echoed throughout the silent arena.
"Now..."
"It's my turn."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Hope you're fine with that."
With that, Knox slowly lowered the tip of his greatsword before calmly walking toward Andre.
One step.
Then another.
Each step echoed clearly throughout the silent arena, making Andre's face grow paler and paler.
"AHHHHH!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER, YOU MONSTER!!!"
Andre suddenly screamed as he stumbled backward in panic. Several magic circles immediately appeared around him, one after another, before dark figures gradually emerged from within.
As their forms became clearer, the identity of the creatures was finally revealed.
Wraths.
At the same time, skeletons climbed out from the remaining magic circles, quickly gathering in front of Andre. Without waiting for a single command, they immediately rushed toward Knox, as though acting on nothing but instinct.
Knox never stopped walking.
His pace remained slow and steady as the skeletons closed the distance between them. Then, the moment the first skeleton entered his reach, the greatsword in his hand finally moved.
SHING!!
A single slash.
The skeleton in front shattered instantly, while every skeleton standing behind it was cut apart by the same swing before collapsing into piles of broken bones across the arena floor.
Andre's expression froze.
His skeletons hadn't even managed to slow Knox down.
"He-Hehe... Fine!"
A twisted grin spread across Andre's face as he pointed toward the remaining Wraths.
"You can defeat physical beings..."
"But what about them?!"
The Wraths immediately let out eerie screeches before flying straight toward Knox from every direction.
Andre's grin only grew wider as he watched them close in.
Unfortunately...
The outcome remained exactly the same.
Knox continued walking forward without slowing his pace.
The greatsword swung once more.
SHING!! SHING!! SHING!!
Every Wrath crossing its path was split apart before disappearing into nothingness, as effortlessly as the skeletons before them.
"W-What?!"
Andre's eyes widened as he stumbled another step backward. His gaze darted between Knox and his Wraths, desperately trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"My Wraths...! How is this possible?!" Andre's body trembled violently.
Even after watching every one of his summons fall before reaching Knox, he still refused to give up. With a desperate roar, he threw both hands into the air as layer after layer of magic circles rapidly unfolded around him. Dark magic surged wildly from every direction, pouring into the spell as he desperately pushed every last ounce of power he had left.
As the torrent of dark magic continued growing stronger, Andre frantically poured even more power into the spell, hoping to complete it before Knox could reach him.
But before the spell could be completed, someone had already stepped into his range.
Knox was already standing right in front of him.
Andre's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't seen Knox move, much less noticed him closing the distance.
"W... What?!"
WHOOOOSH!!
The words had barely left his mouth before Knox's left knee shot upward.
THUD!!
"GUUUAAAKKHH!!"
The crushing blow slammed deep into Andre's abdomen, driving every bit of air from his lungs. At the same instant, a violent shockwave burst from his back, unleashing a powerful gust that swept across the arena and scattered dust and shattered stone in every direction.
The overwhelming impact instantly folded Andre's body forward. His mouth hung open while his eyes bulged from the pain, both arms falling limply to his sides as his body trembled uncontrollably. He desperately tried to draw a breath, yet not even a scream could escape his lips.
Before Andre could recover, Knox had already made his next move.
His left hand shot forward and firmly grabbed Andre by the head.
Andre's eyes had barely registered the movement when...
BOOOOOOM!!!
Knox slammed Andre's head straight into the arena floor.
The arena floor shattered beneath the impact, sending countless chunks of stone flying into the air. Cracks spread rapidly across the ground like spiderwebs as the deafening roar echoed throughout the entire colosseum, leaving everyone watching frozen in shock.
Andre was still reeling from the crushing blow as Knox remained crouched beside him.
His left hand was still firmly gripping Andre's head against the shattered arena floor. Without releasing him, Knox briefly turned his eyes toward the nearby monitor, only to find Andre's Barrier Gauge still hovering at nearly half of its maximum.
48%.
Almost half.
Knox quietly looked back at Andre.
His expression remained as cold as ever. Under the countless eyes watching from every direction, he showed not the slightest hint of hesitation before ruthlessly slamming Andre's head back into the arena floor.
BOOM!!
Andre's body jerked violently.
"Y-You...!!"
BOOM!!
"H-How dare y-"
BOOM!!
His words were cut off again before he could finish.
Still without saying a single word, Knox continued driving Andre's head into the ground.
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!
Again.
And again.
And again.
Each impact forced the unfinished words back down Andre's throat before another slam followed. Unlike the very first strike that had shattered the arena floor, these repeated blows were far more restrained.
Even so, every impact still sent Andre's body convulsing violently as his face was repeatedly smashed against the cracked stone.
That ruthless spectacle unfolded beneath the horrified gaze of everyone in the colosseum.
Several spectators unconsciously stopped breathing, their eyes widening as though they could no longer process what they were seeing. Others instinctively raised both hands to cover their mouths, frozen where they stood as the relentless impacts continued echoing throughout the arena.
Even among the professors, everyone reacted differently.
Some calmly observed the match from beginning to end without changing their expressions. Others watched with deeply furrowed brows, while one of the second-year professors could only continue watching with an obvious frown.
Meanwhile, Jean wore an unmistakable smile, looking both excited and proud as he watched Knox dominate the duel.
Among those standing in stunned silence was Molly Dresden, the Princess of Dresden and Andre's younger sister.
Her eyes widened as both hands slowly covered her mouth, leaving her completely speechless. Yet the reason she was at a loss for words wasn't simply because of what was happening to Andre.
She knew this duel wasn't being witnessed by the audience alone. It was also being broadcast live to the Dresden Royal Palace.
Which meant that, at this very moment, the King and Queen were watching everything unfold with their own eyes.
I wonder how Father and Mother are reacting to this...
They must be speechless. Though knowing Mother, she was probably hoping Brother Andre would win.
Molly's eyes returned to the arena, where the reality couldn't have been further from that hope. Andre wasn't simply losing. He was being completely overwhelmed, unable to fight back as Knox continued pummeling him without mercy.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
Andre was a second-year student, while Knox was only in his first year. A senior being defeated by a junior was already embarrassing enough, but what was happening before her could hardly even be called a proper fight anymore.
At this rate, it might actually become a legendary moment at Kizen. A first-year student had completely pummeled a second-year without even giving him a chance to retaliate.
Molly's expression grew increasingly awkward as another problem came to mind.
By now, plenty of people had probably heard that Brother Andre was the one who started the conflict in the first place. Worse still, he had even dared to threaten Senior Knox's novels and his charity foundation.
There was no way something like this would escape the public's attention.
...With this, Brother Andre is already over.
Nearby, Group 7 remained equally silent.
Simon's expression stayed as serious as ever while he quietly observed the arena. Beside him, Meilyn crossed both arms over her chest, her gaze never leaving the match. Camibarez trembled slightly as one hand covered her mouth, whereas Rick simply frowned without saying a single word.
Group 8 watched the battle in complete silence as well.
The usual cheerfulness that always surrounded Cindy had completely disappeared. She quietly watched the arena with an unusually serious expression, never once taking her eyes off Knox. Merida, who normally looked sleepy regardless of the situation, appeared just as focused this time, while Claudia also remained silent as she closely followed every movement taking place before her.
The relentless barrage still hadn't stopped.
Knox's left hand remained firmly wrapped around Andre's head as he continued driving it into the arena floor over and over again, his expression remaining as cold and emotionless as before.
BOOM!!
"P-Please...!"
BOOM!!
"It... it hurts...!"
BOOM!!
"I-I was wr-"
BOOM!!
This time, Andre's voice trembled uncontrollably, completely devoid of the arrogance and authority it once carried.
But Knox had no intention of listening to whatever he wanted to say next.
Another impact immediately followed.
BOOM!!
"I-I'm sorry...!"
BOOM!!
"P-Please stop...!"
BOOM!!
"I BEG Y-"
BOOM!!
Every desperate plea was cut short before he could finish speaking.
The once-proud representative of the Dresden Kingdom had long since abandoned his threats and commands. All that remained were broken apologies and frantic cries for mercy, each one drowned out by yet another merciless slam into the arena floor.