Chapter 39: Another Death?

After hearing Kruger’s insult, the Golden Knight’s eyes darkened slightly. A cold aura flickered around him—it was obvious he was furious.

Even though his face was hidden behind a golden mask, the suppressed rage was clear in that brief moment. But he said nothing. No threats. No reactions. Unfortunately, he couldn’t break the rules.

"The representative has won. You’ve secured another victory." His voice remained emotionless as he made the announcement.

On the other side, the Awakened ones started to cheers and shouts.

"Nice one, Kruger!"

"He smashed him to bits!"

"We can actually win this shit!"

Some even laughed and clapped each other on the back. For a moment, hope lit up in them like sunlight breaking through thick clouds.

But Linor and Silo-the healer of team... didn’t smile.

Linor was bent forward with his hands on his knees, eyes locked on the arena.

"This... I don’t want to jinx it, but people stronger than Kruger have died in this arena. I don’t think this will be that easy."

Linor said nothing. He was staring at the circle of knights in the arena. He agreed with Silo, but didn’t want to ruin everyone’s hope.

At best, he hoped Kruger could beat the Golden Knights too.

A little farther back from the crowd, Daniel stood in silence.

No cheering. No smile. Not even concern. His eyes stayed on the field, analyzing the fights.

He had to admit Kruger was impressive—maybe even stronger than Aron. That alone told him how pathetic Aron truly was.

The sound of the arena gate opening broke the silence. A larger knight in silver armor entered. With each step, a heavy and cold aura swirled around him.

"Next representative: the Silver Knight," the Golden Knight announced.

Kruger smirked. He rolled his right shoulder and pulled a massive iron hammer from his back—something that looked like it was forged from tower stones, glowing with red energy and leaking through its cracks.

"Another piece of trash. Let’s see how long this one lasts."

The Silver Knight dashed forward with incredible speed. Kruger dodged and swung his hammer, but the knight slashed down with his glowing sword—delayed by a fraction, yet enough to cut through Kruger’s armor.

Kruger bit his lip.

"He’s faster than the last one. More importantly... his precision is insane. This guy knows how to fight."

Sparks flew from his hammer. Kruger pressed a magic seal on his glove, and dark flames engulfed the surface of the weapon.

The next strike landed straight on the knight’s stomach—but only pushed him back a few steps.

"High defense. Either he’s using buff magic... or that armor is just that tough." Kruger thought, taking a defensive stance.

The knight attacked. Kruger stepped back, channeling mana from beneath his skin into his muscles.

The ground shook under their blows. Debris flew. The knight spun and slashed toward Kruger’s neck.

Kruger shouted and raised his hammer like a shield—sparks burst out.

"I have to find his weak spot. If the armor’s the same everywhere, then the joints... or the back of the neck."

In a sudden move, he threw himself to the ground and slid between the knight’s legs, swinging his hammer at the back of his knees.

The sound of metal cracking rang out. The knight lost his balance.

Kruger stood up, lifted the hammer, and poured his spiritual energy mixed with compressed mana into it—then brought it down like lightning onto the knight’s neck.

The knight’s armor shattered, his aura collapsed, and his body hit the ground with a heavy thud.

A second of silence—and then:

"KRUUUUGER!"

"Hammer King!"

"Who the hell can stop this guy!?"

The cheers of the Awakeneds were louder than ever. Some jumped up in excitement. Hope flared through the crowd like wildfire.

Kruger stood tall, shoulders up, chin raised. He wore a proud grin. His eyes sparkled—a mix of pride and defiance.

Linor and Silo both sighed in relief. Luckily, Kruger had made it through this one too.

"If a Silver Knight is this strong... just how much stronger are the Golden Knights?" But unlike them, Daniel frowned.

The half-dead body of the second Silver Knight slowly vanished. Kruger, exhausted but standing, tried to steady his breathing.

Unfortunately, the battles came back-to-back. No time to recover. He had barely over half of his mana left.

Up in the royal stands, the Golden Knight—who until now had only acted as announcer and observer—turned his head slightly and looked at one of the Golden Knights standing beside the Knight King.

That knight, without hesitation, stepped forward. His armor glowed like molten gold under the light. Each step echoed heavily and mercilessly across the Colosseum floor.

When he reached the center, the announcer’s emotionless voice echoed:

"Golden Knight Number Four. Sword of Law."

Kruger smirked, though a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes.

"Finally, a gold one comes down. Hope you’re worth my damn time."

But the Golden Knight didn’t reply.

He just drew his sword—silver-white with glowing inscriptions that looked like holy scripture.

In a split second, he vanished.

The first strike came from the left—without warning. Kruger dodged on instinct. The second came from above. He raised his hammer, but the knight had already repositioned.

"Damn it... he’s faster than my eyes can track." Kruger cursed and tried to dodge the next blow—he failed.

The next strike landed straight into his stomach—not too hard, but precise.

The air rushed from Kruger’s lungs. His mouth hung open as he gasped.

"What happened? Where is your arrogance?" The Sword of Law’s voice was cold and flat.

"All your strength was just for shouting?"

Kruger roared and spun his hammer in a wide arc—but the Sword of Law effortlessly dodged, then struck from the side, shattering Kruger’s knee.

The sound of breaking bone echoed. Kruger collapsed.

Grinding his teeth, he tried to get up, but the Sword of Law raised his blade high and declared:

"As the King’s representative, I carry out your execution."

Then he plunged the sword into Kruger’s abdomen with unearthly force.

The sound of flesh tearing, bones cracking, and internal organs rupturing all came at once. His hammer dropped from his hand, and blood spilled from his mouth.

"H-HELP!! You bastards, HELP ME!!" His blood-covered face twisted in pain as he screamed with the last bit of energy he had.