Chapter 42: It's over
"Fuck! His speed is as fast as the devil!" Hector's eyes widened in horror as he watched the streak of light lunging at him. He hardly managed to block the attack with his cane in time before the massive blade might cleave him in two.
Bang!
"Urgh!" Hector groaned in unbearable pain just a split second before being sent flying, rolling uncontrollably across the stone floor from Jet's strike.
The attack was too powerful… If not for the armor Bam had given him, he might have already met his end.
"YOU WON'T HAVE ANY CHANCE!" Jet roared while he continued moving at full speed, aiming toward Hector, who had been sent flying far away by the previous strike.
It was clear—Jet wouldn't give Hector even a moment to catch his breath!
He wanted to end this death match as quickly as possible.
Of course, at this point, Hector had no choice but to reveal the full extent of his power and skills unless he wanted to die.
Anyway, his initial plan was fulfilled at this time.
The fact that Jet had survived Hector's lightning strike was merely an unpredictable variable he could still control.
Flick!
Flick!
Flick!
Flick!
In his rage, Jet barely paid attention to the weak and insignificant strikes, ignoring them as nothing more than the desperate attacks of a lowly opponent. Without much thought, he simply raised his massive blade to block the coins rapidly shooting toward him
Bam!
Several seconds later, Jet's speed was steadily down, and his movements became unsteady. His steps grew limp, and his expression twisted into one of horror.
He gritted his teeth in both fury and discomfort, realizing he was reaching a dead end.
"No way!"
He could barely believe what had just happened.
Clearly, he had blocked those coins—he had seen them with his own eyes! But something was off… Those coins had changed direction mid-air, colliding with each other right before reaching him.
They never struck his blade as he had expected.
And now, the outcome was clear.
The coins had embedded themselves deep into his already wounded chest.
Somehow, he had completely lost control over his mana—his body refused to respond. But it didn't stop there.
He felt his flowing mana shattering into fragments as if sudden fluctuations had violently disrupted it.
"N-No…"
At this moment, Jet fell down, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a surge of chaotic mana erupted from within him, burning wildly as he struggled with every ounce of strength he had left. His muscles tensed, veins bulging, and his face twisted with sheer desperation.
With a final push, he forced his hand forward, barely managing to extend it by five centimeters—
Bam!
Before he could do anything else, Hector's cane came crashing down on his skull. The handle struck with brutal force in a chopping motion, sending a deafening crack through the air.
And then, an unrelenting voice echoed through the floor.
"DIE!.... DIE!….. DIE!….. DIE!.... DIE!...."
Everything remained the same until, five minutes later, a loud voice echoed through the gloomy, murky space.
—----Announcement—----
CONGRATULATIONS!
You're the winner!
You're gonna receive your reward in a few seconds!
The space is collapsing… You're gonna return home!
Yet, despite the match being over and the fighting floor beginning to shatter like broken mirrors, Hector didn't stop his inhuman assault. His breathing was ragged, his hands trembling, but his rage burned hotter than ever.
"FUCK YOU! Do you know how much that hurt?! FUCK YOU!"
BAM!.... BAM!.... BAM!
He continued to strike Jet's motionless body, each impact sending violent echoes through the fractured space.
"W-What a terrible!"
Suddenly, a girl's voice drifted through the air, snapping Hector out of his frenzy. His body stiffened as he gradually stopped, his tired eyes slowly scanning his surroundings.
Everyone was still there. No one had disappeared since the fight began.
In reality, the Metal Coin was an incredible artifact—it allowed its wielder to exist in a different time flow than this world.
Because of that, only one or two minutes had passed in the real world.
This was a great advantage. No one had missed the fight, and Hector had won.
As he caught his breath, he glanced around, meeting the horrified gazes of the spectators. Then, his eyes shifted to Jet, who lay motionless on the floor.
At that moment, Hector finally noticed.
Jet had lost his head.
His skull had been reduced to a formless, bloody mess beneath Hector's relentless assault.
"It's over…"
With those words, Hector's knees buckled, and he fell down then, struggling to catch his breath.
Hector's heartbeat gradually slowed as the adrenaline in his veins faded. The sharp pain in his body became more apparent, and blood seeped from his wounds, especially from the deep gash on his chest where his armor had been slashed.
Although the wound wasn't fatal, it still bled.
"He killed an imperial prince!"
The words echoed through the air, sending waves of murmurs through the crowd.
"Unbelievable. His fate is probably sealed now." A young man sighed as more whispers spread.
"Tsk! Trash is still trash."
Clive spat in anger, his fists clenching tightly, then he glared at Jet's lifeless body with narrowed eyes.
"He's utterly useless… I kind of regret wasting this artifact on him."
Standing nearby, Haley shook his head slightly, his gaze darkening as it shifted toward Hector.
A few seconds of silence passed.
"Seems like luck is always on his side... but … he's still going to die."
Then, Haley gave a mere nod—one that Clive quickly mirrored.
…
"Damn it... The healing capsule isn't working!"
Hector frowned in agony, his body trembling as he desperately chewed the last capsule.
Yet, things were never that easy for him.
Suddenly, a voice rang out, cutting through the tense atmosphere.
"You're going to die, you commoner!"
Someone lunged at Hector from somewhere in the crowd.
"N-No…"
His vision blurred, and his body refused to move. The gleam of a blade rushed toward him, but he could barely move. His limbs felt like lead, weighed down by the brutal battle he had just endured against Jet.
He had known this would happen the moment he killed Jet. After all, he was just a nobody—a lowly commoner in the eyes of those with power.
He had placed his hopes on the academy's rules, believing they would at least keep him alive until the second challenge.
Unfortunately, the reality was far crueler than he had imagined.
The one attacking him… was Haley's instructor or vice principal.
The academy's core members all came from BIG CLANS, and they were the ones who created the rules. And, of course, no one dared to go against them.