Chapter 178: Beyond Doubts

"F-Fluke!" After several moments of pin-drop silence, Marcus was the first to speak. "It has to be a fluke."

Many eyes turned toward him before shifting back to Leon.

"A fluke?" Sheila scoffed. "How could that possibly be a fluke? That warhammer is unquestionably a B-Class weapon. And not just any B-Class weapon... It’s a peak B-Class warhammer."

She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes fixed on Leon as though trying to see through him. Then, a bright, mischievous smile spread across her face. "Interesting... Who would’ve thought I’d have not one, but two people to compete against?" she murmured.

The other weaponsmiths, however, weren’t nearly as optimistic. Their faces darkened, especially Julias’s.

Meanwhile, Leon let out a chuckle.

"A fluke, huh? Sure. Let’s call it a fluke... just like every other time someone suddenly loses." He shrugged casually. "But that’s fine. That was only the first weapon."

He opened one of the briefcase-like compartments on the trolley and took out a sword.

It was the very first weapon he had forged today, the one that had taken the longest to complete.

’After this, there won’t be any room left for doubt... or false accusations,’ Leon thought as he walked onto the stage.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, he stopped in front of the S-Class hunter.

"Hello, sir." Leon smiled politely. "If you don’t mind, may I use one of the metal slabs? The first test is already over, right?"

"Y-Yes..." the S-Class hunter replied with a stammer. It wasn’t fear that made him hesitate. It was sheer disbelief.

Leon walked past every metal slab without stopping. Only when he reached the last one did he halt.

The tungsten alloy slab.

He slowly raised the sword.

Then...

Slash!

The blade touched the edge of the slab and glided through it effortlessly, as though it were slicing through a sheet of paper.

The next instant...

Thud!

The sword’s tip struck the wooden platform beneath the slab.

An even more deafening silence descended upon the arena.

Julias, Sheila, Manik, Nathan, and every other weaponsmith stood frozen, their eyes widened to the point they looked ready to pop out of their sockets.

’That sword...’ Julias’s mind was in complete turmoil. ’It’s actually an A-Class weapon.’

The hearts of countless weaponsmiths trembled. Even many of the hunters couldn’t take their eyes off the sword, staring at it with burning desire, as though they had just laid eyes on the most irresistible treasure imaginable.

Leon didn’t remain on the stage for long. The moment he finished the demonstration, he stepped down and walked straight toward Marcus, stopping right in front of him.

"So?" Leon asked calmly. "Do you want me to demonstrate the rest of the weapons as well? Or are these enough?"

Marcus’s eyebrows twitched. Behind him, however, both the young man and the middle-aged man wore dark expressions.

They hadn’t come here for the weapons.

Sure, the weapons were extraordinary, but they came from a place where equipment of this level held little value.

What truly mattered to them...

Was the item Elena possessed.

That was their real objective.

Before Marcus could respond, the young man spoke first. "These weapons are certainly impressive," he said coldly. "But a deal is a deal. Miss Elena signed the contract, and since she failed to deliver the weapons on time, everything under her name now belongs to us. There is no other option."

He spoke as if the earlier agreement had never existed, not caring in the slightest about the expressions of those around him.

Leon slowly turned to look at him. "But your subordinate had said that if we could deliver the weapons, the penalty would be waived." A faint smile appeared on Leon’s face. "Are you telling me you’re going to be a shameless donkey and go back on your own word?"

The moment those words left Leon’s mouth, the air around the young man turned heavy before spiraling outward. He drew his right arm back and thrust his palm forward.

Whoosh!

An invisible force slammed into Leon, sending him skidding several meters across the ground.

’We can’t afford to wait any longer, the young man thought coldly. ’If she refuses to follow the rules, then I have no reason to play by them either.’

Without another word, he strode toward Elena, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her forward. "You’re coming with us. Now."

His tone left no room for refusal as he began dragging her away.

"W-What are you doing?!" Elena cried out, struggling desperately, but she couldn’t break free from his grip.

Neither Marcus nor the middle-aged man made any move to stop the young man.

’Now that the royal family has begun searching for their lost princess, it won’t be long before the prince’s bloodline truly awakens,’ the middle-aged man thought grimly. ’Before that happens, we must obtain the treasure hidden within Red Horn’s Nest.

But just as the young man was about to leave, a hand landed firmly on his shoulder.

"You can go wherever you want," a domineering voice said. "But she isn’t going anywhere against her will."

The grip tightened slightly. "Now... scram."

The young man turned around. Standing behind him was none other than the S-Class hunter who had been serving as the announcer moments earlier.

The overwhelming aura of an S-Class hunter instantly swept across the entire first floor.

The young man’s expression turned cold. He released Elena’s wrist, clenched his fist, and threw a punch at the S-Class hunter without hesitation.

Thud!

A dull impact echoed through the hall. The S-Class hunter caught the punch effortlessly with one hand.

Before the young man could react, the hunter’s knee drove straight into his abdomen.

Boom!

The young man’s body bent into a bow before he was launched backward like a cannonball.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Whoooosh!

Pillar after pillar exploded into pieces as he tore through the building and was blasted out into the open.

The S-Class hunter shot after him, intending to teach the hot-headed youth a lesson.

But the instant he stepped outside...

An overwhelming sense of dread washed over him.