The relentless barrage finally came to an end.
Knox's hand remained gripping Andre's head for another brief moment before his eyes shifted toward the nearby monitor once more.
Andre Dresden: 0%.
Seeing the result, Knox silently released his grip.
Andre's battered body dropped limply onto the arena floor as Knox slowly rose to his feet. Looking down at the second-year student sprawled beneath him, he simply let out a faint scoff.
"Heh."
That single sound was enough to make Andre's body tremble.
His fingers twitched uncontrollably against the cracked stone. Whether it was humiliation, rage, or sheer hatred, the mockery buried within that brief scoff pierced far deeper than any of the blows Knox had just delivered.
Leaving Andre where he lay, Knox turned around and shifted his gaze toward the referee.
The referee, however, remained frozen in place. His mouth was still hanging wide open, his eyes fixed on the arena as though his mind had yet to catch up with everything that had just happened.
Only when he noticed someone's gaze on him did he finally blink. He instinctively looked toward its source, only for his eyes to meet Knox's.
For a brief moment, confusion flashed across his face as he wondered why the young man was staring at him. Then realization struck.
The duel was already over.
"Ahem!"
The referee hurriedly straightened himself before raising one arm high into the air.
"With this, I hereby declare that the winner of the duel between first-year student Knox Aznable and second-year student Andre Dresden is..."
He paused for only a heartbeat before shouting at the top of his lungs.
"...Knox Aznable!!!"
The announcement had barely echoed throughout the colosseum before the audience erupted.
"WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!!!"
Thunderous cheers instantly engulfed the arena, wave after wave of applause and excited shouts echoing from every direction as countless students rose to their feet to celebrate Knox's victory.
I lost...?
The cheers around him sounded distant as Andre lay motionless on the shattered ground.
No... That's impossible.
I'm a second-year. I'm the prince of Dresden. How could I lose to someone like him?!
His trembling fingers slowly dug into the broken stone beneath him. As the cheers continued pouring down from the stands, disbelief gradually gave way to humiliation, and that humiliation quickly turned into anger.
...I WON'T accept this!
His bloodshot eyes slowly shifted toward Knox.
This isn't over!
IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!
Andre's bloodshot eyes slowly moved toward Knox's back.
Amidst those deafening cheers, no one noticed Andre's right hand slowly twitching against the ground.
The next moment, a beautifully crafted ceremonial dagger silently slid into his grasp.
Without warning, Andre suddenly pushed himself upright.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Knox's unguarded back as every trace of reason disappeared beneath overwhelming humiliation and hatred.
"DIE!!!"
With a furious roar, Andre lunged forward and swung the ceremonial dagger straight toward Knox.
The sudden attack instantly shocked countless students.
Several of them shot to their feet in alarm, while others instinctively leaned forward in disbelief.
"Knox! Watch out!!"
Lorain's voice rang throughout the arena.
The professors witnessed the very same scene. Most frowned at Andre's disgraceful ambush after the duel had already ended.
Jane's gaze turned icy, while Jean's smile disappeared beneath an equally cold stare. Tenerife still wore his usual smile, yet even that smile carried a chilling edge this time.
Even so, not a single professor moved.
Because none of them believed Knox would fail to react in time.
That confidence was proven right the very next instant.
Andre's ceremonial dagger descended toward Knox's unguarded back, its polished blade reflecting the arena lights as his furious roar echoed behind it.
Just before the blade could reach its target, Knox's right eye shifted toward the attack behind him.
Then, for the briefest instant, his figure seemed to blur.
SHING!!
By the time the sharp metallic sound rang across the arena, Knox had already turned around.
His greatsword swept through the air in one smooth motion before coming to a stop at his side.
Silence fell over the colosseum.
The deafening cheers that had filled the arena only moments ago disappeared almost instantly, replaced by countless stunned expressions as everyone stared at the scene before them.
Andre remained frozen where he stood, his body still stuck in the same position as before Knox's sudden movement
For a brief moment, nothing seemed to have happened.
Then, something fell beside him.
THUD.
The dull sound against the arena floor finally broke Andre out of his daze. His eyes instinctively moved downward, searching for whatever had just landed near his feet.
What he saw made his expression freeze.
Lying on the shattered ground was a familiar right hand, its fingers still tightly wrapped around an equally familiar ceremonial dagger.
Andre stared at it blankly for several seconds, unable to understand what he was seeing. His gaze then slowly shifted from the severed hand to his own right arm.
Only then did he realize...
It was his hand.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
His agonized scream echoed throughout the colosseum as blood poured from the cleanly severed stump of his arm.
Hearing the piercing scream, Knox merely looked at Andre with cold, indifferent eyes.
"...Noisy."
The next moment, his leg shot forward.
BOOM!!
The kick landed squarely in Andre's abdomen, launching him across the arena like a cannonball before he crashed violently into the barrier.
The transparent barrier rippled from the impact as Andre's body slid helplessly down to the ground.
By sheer coincidence, the section of the barrier he struck was directly in front of the seats occupied by the second-year students.
After slamming into the barrier, Andre's bloodied body slid down its surface before collapsing onto the arena floor below, leaving him only a short distance away from the very classmates who had once cheered for him.
Seeing the scene before them, the entire arena fell silent. Some students looked horrified, while others could only frown. Nevertheless, not a single person uttered a word.
"..."
It was Knox who finally broke the silence.
"Referee," he called calmly, his cold gaze shifting toward the stunned official. "Aren't you going to call the medics? Or are you planning to leave him lying there like a corpse?"
Hearing Knox's voice, the referee finally snapped out of his daze.
"M-Medics!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "What are you all waiting for?! Hurry! Get Student Andre out of there!!"
As the medics hurried onto the arena, they immediately rushed toward Andre's fallen body.
Without wasting a second, they began administering emergency treatment, quickly stopping the bleeding from his severed arm while checking the rest of his injuries. It didn't take them long to confirm that, despite his condition, Andre was still conscious.
While the medics continued treating him, Knox quietly made his way toward Andre.
Lying on the ground in a daze, Andre slowly heard the familiar sound of approaching footsteps. His body instinctively stiffened as those footsteps drew closer, each one making his breathing grow heavier.
The movement naturally caught everyone's attention.
Countless gazes followed Knox, wondering what he intended to do next. However, before he could reach Andre, the referee hurriedly stepped in and blocked his path.
"Student Knox," the referee said cautiously, raising a hand to stop him. "The duel is already over. What are you planning to do to Student Andre?"
Knox simply looked at him.
The way he stared at the referee made it seem as though he was looking at someone with the memory of a goldfish.
"Referee," Knox said calmly, "did you already forget the conditions we agreed upon before the duel began?"
Hearing that, the referee blinked.
Only after a brief pause did he suddenly remember what Knox was referring to.
"Cough... of course I remember."
Turning toward Andre, he cleared his throat before speaking in an official tone.
"Student Andre, with Student Knox declared the winner of this duel, you are required to fulfill the agreed conditions. First, you are to offer Student Knox a sincere apology."
The words felt like a knife twisting inside Andre's chest.
His body trembled slightly as his throat tightened, making even the simple act of breathing feel difficult. Before he could force out a single word, another voice suddenly interrupted.
"Ahem."
A second-year professor slowly rose from his seat.
"Student Knox... although those were indeed the agreed conditions, considering Student Andre's current condition, wouldn't it be better to wait until he recovers?"
He hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"If you insist on continuing in his current state... I'm afraid this could cause unnecessary trouble for both of you."
Several second-year students quietly nodded in agreement.
Knox, however, merely shifted his gaze toward the professor.
"Professor... whatever your name is," he said without the slightest change in expression. "With all due respect, you're speaking as though I only set one condition for the loser."
The professor froze.
"This.....of course I remember."
He forced an awkward cough before continuing.
"The second condition was... that regardless of what happens inside the arena, no one is to hold Student Knox responsible for it."
As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened ever so slightly.
Only then did he realize what Knox had been pointing out all along.
"Now you understand?" Knox asked evenly. "I walked over here simply because I wanted him to apologize. Yet you suddenly interrupted and attempted to interfere."
His eyes remained fixed on the professor.
"Then tell me, Professor... wouldn't that be violating the agreed conditions?"
Knox briefly glanced toward the medics surrounding Andre before looking back at the professor.
"Besides, I'm only asking him to apologize. It's not like I'm going to execute him."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"And with all those medics around him, I'm sure he'll be perfectly fine."
His smile grew slightly.
"Or... surely a professor of Kizen isn't doubting the abilities of Kizen's own medics, right?"
Faced with that question, the professor opened his mouth to respond, only to find himself unable to say anything. Denying it would mean admitting there was no reason to stop Knox, while agreeing would mean openly questioning Kizen's own medics.
To make matters worse, by interfering with Knox now, he was already dangerously close to breaking the conditions that had been agreed upon and announced before the duel.
Realizing that there was no good answer he could give, the professor's face quickly turned pale.
Embarrassment and regret washed over him as countless eyes throughout the arena shifted toward him. He had merely wanted to preserve a shred of dignity for the second-year students, yet acting on impulse had instead pushed himself into an impossible position!
His lips parted as he desperately searched for something, anything, that could salvage the situation. Just as he was about to speak, however, a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Are you done embarrassing yourself?"
The words stopped him before he could utter a single sound. Caught off guard by the sudden interruption, the professor stiffened before quickly turning toward the source of the voice.
The one who had spoken was Jean, the Second Legion Commander.
"If you are," Jean continued indifferently, "then sit down! Stop embarrassing everyone here."
The professor's expression stiffened at her words, but before he could respond, a soft chuckle came from beside Jean.
"Hehe... I have to agree with Jean."
Another voice followed almost immediately.
It was Tenerife. She rested her cheek against one hand, still wearing her usual gentle smile. Yet the smile on her face contrasted sharply with the words that left her lips.
"Would you kindly, please, keep your mouth shut?"
Before the professor could recover from that blow, one final voice descended upon him.
"Professor."
His body stiffened as he slowly turned toward its source, only to find Jane staring straight at him.
Their eyes met for only a moment before Jane spoke again in a freezing tone.
"Sit down."
Faced with the combined pressure of the three highest-ranking figures present, the professor's confidence crumbled almost instantly.
Without another word, he quietly returned to his seat.
The burning embarrassment on his face refused to fade. Deep down, he already knew that from this day forward, the story of how he had been publicly rebuked by a first-year student, two Legion Commanders, and Kizen's Vice President would spread far beyond the walls of the arena.