The imposing aura of the bronze knight pressed down on Reed like an invisible mountain.

  The students watching around, especially those with weaker strength, found it hard to breathe and their faces changed color.

  Indeed, a bronze knight was far beyond what a squire could compare to.

  Joseph had no intention of just scaring Reed.

  Without anyone noticing, the war hammer was already in his hand. The blue holy light began to swirl on the hammer's surface, growing brighter and brighter, making people's eyes hurt.

  This instructor was actually going to step into the arena himself!

  Moreover, judging from his demeanor, it wasn't going to be a "light sparring session"—he was serious!

  "Stop!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

  Joseph paid no attention to the reactions around him.

  His cold eyes were fixed on Reed, and with a sudden swing, the hammer whistled through the air and smashed down towards Reed with tremendous force.

  If this hammer landed squarely, not only would Reed, who was just a squire, be severely injured, but even a slightly weaker bronze knight might be incapacitated on the spot.

  Reed's pupils contracted sharply. He could feel the immense power contained in that hammer—it was far beyond what he could currently withstand.

  A head-on clash? Absolutely not!

  But to dodge?

  Where could he dodge?

  Joseph was too fast, and the hammer was coming straight at his face. There was no time to avoid it.

  What to do?

  At this life-and-death moment, Reed took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the churning energy in his chest. The gray holy light in his body began to surge wildly.

  He had to gamble everything!

  "Thunder Roar!" Reed roared.

  Almost simultaneously, dazzling lightning erupted from the Starfall Sword, accompanied by crackling purple arcs.

  He poured all his holy light power into the Starfall Sword without reservation, then, with all his strength, swung the sword to meet Joseph's descending war hammer.

  Was this like an egg striking a rock, overestimating his abilities?

  Perhaps.

  But Reed had no other choice now.

  To retreat would mean being crippled or killed by Joseph. To fight back might offer a sliver of hope.

  "Clang—!!!"

  An ear-splitting metallic crash resounded like a thunderclap, exploding across the entire training ground.

  Sparks flew from the collision, and a powerful shockwave radiated outward in all directions, centered on the two figures.

  Students standing nearby were thrown off balance, their heads ringing.

  Reed felt a tremendous force surge through the Starfall Sword and into his body. It felt as if his internal organs were being shattered, and intense pain spread throughout his body.

  "Pfft—!"

  He could no longer hold back, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out. His body flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily at the edge of the arena.

  Reed struggled to get up, but it felt as if all his bones had been dislocated. He had no strength left.

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  With great effort, he raised his head to look at the center of the arena.

  Joseph stood there, completely unmoved, as if the earth-shaking strike he had just delivered was nothing more than a trivial matter.

  In his hand, he still held the war hammer, which shimmered with blue holy light. His eyes were cold and disdainful, as if he were looking at an insignificant insect.

  "Pathetic," Joseph said coldly.

  Aaron, standing at the edge of the arena, looked at Reed, who was lying on the ground in a miserable state, and couldn't help but smirk with satisfaction.

  He knew that Reed was done for this time.

  The area around the arena fell into complete silence. Everyone was stunned by what had just happened.

  No one had expected things to escalate to this point. Not only had the instructor actually attacked a student, but he had done so with such ferocity.

  Just as Joseph was about to raise his hammer again to finish off Reed, suddenly—

  A figure appeared on the arena like a ghost, standing between Joseph and Reed.

  The figure moved so quickly that almost no one could see how he had appeared. It was as if he had blinked into existence.

  The mysterious knight stood there abruptly, his black cloak shrouding his entire body. Only his tall figure could be seen, with a plain longsword sheathed at his waist.

  Joseph's hammer, glowing with blue holy light, was already descending with a whistling sound.

  "Watch out!" someone in the crowd shouted again.

  Could anyone withstand a bronze knight's full-force strike?

  The mysterious knight moved, but his action was surprisingly simple. He didn't even turn around, but merely extended a hand slowly toward the descending hammer.

  What... what was he doing?

  Trying to catch the hammer barehanded? Was he insane?

  A cruel smile appeared on Joseph's lips. He could already imagine Reed being smashed into a pulp, and now here was another fool rushing to his death? Fine, he'd take care of both at once!

  However, what happened next made everyone's eyes widen in shock, including Joseph, whose cruel smile froze.

  The mysterious knight's hand caught the descending hammer with ease.

  There was no deafening crash, no bloody mess of flesh as expected.

  The hammer, carrying the full force of the bronze knight's strike, came to a complete stop in the mysterious knight's hand, unable to advance even an inch.

  Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

  Everyone held their breath, their eyes unblinkingly fixed on the bizarre scene on the arena.

  Joseph's cruel smile stiffened, replaced by shock and disbelief.

  He could feel an immense force emanating from the other man's hand, as heavy as a mountain, completely suppressing his hammer. No matter how much strength he exerted, he couldn't move it even a little.

  How was this possible? Who was this man?

  "Who are you?" Joseph growled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with effort.

  The mysterious knight didn't answer. Instead, he gave a slight flick of his wrist.

  "Crack—"

  A crisp snapping sound rang out.

  Joseph's face turned pale. He looked down and saw a clear crack on the handle of his hammer, which was made of fine steel. The crack was rapidly spreading.

  This... this was a hammer forged from fine steel! How could it be cracked by someone's bare hand?

  Before Joseph could recover from his shock, the mysterious knight moved again.

  His other hand turned slightly, and then, as if it were the most casual gesture, he gently pressed his palm toward Joseph's chest.

  The movement was slow, almost gentle, as if he were merely brushing dust off his clothes. There was no fancy technique, no overwhelming force.

  Yet, this seemingly light and effortless palm strike—

  "Thud—"

  A dull impact echoed.

  Joseph felt as if a mountain had crashed into his chest. An indescribable pain spread throughout his body.

  He didn't even have time to scream before his body was sent flying like a kite with its string cut.

  "Bang—"

  Joseph's body slammed heavily against a thick tree at the edge of the training ground. The trunk shook violently, and leaves scattered everywhere.

  Then, he slid down like a limp rag, collapsing to the ground, foaming at the mouth and with his eyes rolled back. He was completely knocked out.

  The entire training ground fell into absolute silence.

  Everyone was utterly stunned by this jaw-dropping reversal.

  The mighty and arrogant bronze knight instructor Joseph had just been defeated in one move—and in such a... casual manner?

  Who was this mysterious knight?

  What terrifying level of strength had he reached?

  Aaron's triumphant smirk froze, replaced by confusion and fear.

  His mouth hung open, but no sound came out. He felt a chill rise from his feet to the top of his head.

  How could this be? How could someone be so strong?

  Instructor Joseph was a bronze knight! How could he not even withstand a single move?

  The students watching around had initially thought they were just witnessing a routine exam, but instead, they had been treated to such a thrilling spectacle.

  First, Reed had unleashed his potential, withstanding a bronze knight's strike. Though injured, he had displayed remarkable strength.

  Then, the mysterious knight had appeared out of nowhere, defeating the bronze knight instructor with a single move. It was like a dream—it felt too surreal!

  "Joseph... he was sent flying?"

  "Am I... am I seeing this right? That was a bronze knight!" another student rubbed his eyes, still unable to believe what had happened.

  "This... this is going to cause a huge uproar..."

  A knight academy instructor had been publicly defeated on the arena by an unknown figure. This was an unprecedented event!

  All eyes were now fixed on the black-cloaked figure on the arena.

  The mysterious knight remained silent and still, his back to the crowd, as if what had just happened had nothing to do with him.

  He didn't spare a glance at the unconscious Joseph, nor did he pay any attention to the shocked onlookers.

  Instead, he slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Reed, who was lying at the edge of the arena, covered in blood.

  He looked at Reed for a moment, then spoke in a calm voice,

  "Get up."

  ...