Despite the heavy downpour of rain and dark storm looming in the air, Nox's words echoed both in the mysterious realm and the arena.
The duke's expression, though hidden by the veil, had darkened considerably. If one were able to see his face, they might have even noticed a trace of hurt in his eyes.
"W-what sort of weapon is that?" the duke thought, his arms trembling as he realized something. "I lost... I lost the tournament."
Duke Felix didn't need to wait for the fight to end. From Hendrix's current state, he could tell the Cromwells had already won the tournament. However, losing the tournament and giving up one hundred percent of all the resources from his dukedom didn't hurt nearly as much as... losing his title as a duke!
The duke clenched his fist as the weight of the situation pressed down on him. He muttered under his breath, "Things would have been much easier with this title... Now it seems I have to start from scratch all over again. Tsk."
His tone was quite nonchalant, and Kron, who was standing just behind him, was stunned. The duke's voice lacked any emotion; it felt as if he didn't even care about the stakes of the bet.
"T-this..." Kron gritted his teeth as the faces of children and the elderly flashed in his mind. "So many will die of starvation, and all he cares about is his title? I knew the duke was cruel, but this is another level of cruelty."
At that moment, the respect and reverence he held for the duke, whom he had served for years, gradually faded away. He clenched his fist as a large, red vein throbbed in his temples.
"I have carried out so many unlawful acts for him in the past... even as far as killing those children." His gaze shifted to the magic screen, where others were starting to surround Hendrix from all sides. Disgust surged within Kron, and his eyes flashed with irritation. "I can't believe I was willing to go this far for this scum... I... I need to apologize to those children."
As he thought about this, unnoticed, Kron slipped away from the duke's side, determined to repent for his sins. Others might think he was doing this because the duke had lost his status, but in reality, it was from the bottom of his heart.
It was just so unfortunate that someone wouldn't care about this.
Meanwhile, an uproar had arisen among the lords.
"Hahahahahahahaha! Oi, Nathan, why didn't you tell me your grandson was this powerful?"
"Damn it, does this mean young Nox will be a duke? The youngest duke in the history of the kingdom! This is unheard of!"
"This kid is destined for greatness."
An old man with profound eyes stroked his beard as he glanced into the distance. "If I remember correctly, the Armstrong Duchy has two dimensional rifts, and the Cromwells also have one. With the collective resources of all the towns, the Cromwells might just become a powerful force in the entire Vermilion kingdom."
"Yes, the Cromwell Barony could become a city, just like the other towns in the eastern region."
Most of the kingdom's elite resided in the eastern regions, and they all owned cities and commanded legions of powerful forces. Who would have thought a mere barony from the Blackwater western region would one day join those elites?
If Nathan played his cards well, he could even surpass them because, unlike them, he had the collective wealth of all the towns in the west. Now that he was a duke, he could continue this tournament... With such vast resources, even the next generation would be incredibly powerful.
Nathan, who had also thought of this, couldn't help but shift in his seat. Sensing the collective gaze of everyone present and their flattery, the old man resisted the powerful urge to burst into hysterical laughter. This... this feeling of pride—it was only the second time he had felt this. The first was with his son Arthur, and now with Nox.
Below the VIP area, the Cromwells were even more excited.
"Hahaha! We won, right? We actually won!"
"I never thought it was possible, but little Nox actually pulled it off!"
"Hahaha, Hendrix was a tough one, but our Nox is even stronger!"
Their collective cheers made the other baronies shrink in despair and envy. Some of them were even starting to leave the arena, while a few were bawling their eyes out because from this day onward... their suffering had begun.
Back inside the mysterious realm.
"Hahaha, didn't I tell you? The commander always makes the impossible possible!" Rab exclaimed in excitement as he watched the horrifying scene unfold before them. Despite the heavy downpour, they could still hear Hendrix's cries of pain from several meters away.
Wendy's cheeks turned a slight shade of red as she hid a smile on her face.
Nyx inwardly scowled when she saw Wendy's expression; it was very similar to the one Serena made anytime she was close to her silly brother. "Come on, let's go meet him!" Nyx spoke a moment later, and the group quickly leaped off the valley.
Below, Nox shook the remnants of blood off his daggers as he regarded Hendrix with a cold look, his dark eyes flashing with murderous intent.
"It's over!" he declared.
"Aghhhhhh!" Hendrix's roar echoed as the painful cycle of his wound opening and sealing again continued.
Nox watched this scene with an indifferent expression on his face. A few years ago, he had witnessed one of the members of the Elven strike team get crushed to death by a giant blue-fanged python and had thrown up his entire meal afterward.
That sight had traumatized him for days. Who would have thought that a few years later, he would not only kill people but also inflict such devastating pain on another?
"How does it feel?" Nox stated as he stepped closer to Hendrix. He had long since sensed the presence of four people behind him. "It hurts, right?" Nox continued, a smirk creeping onto his face as he added, "Don't worry, this is just the beginning of your torment. Let's see how much pain you can bear."
Then he turned to the others and said with a dark look on his face, "Who wants to go first?"