Nero won. The deafening silence that filled the arena for the first few moments after his victory, and the short exchange between the two participants, was a clear result of his victory. But the silence only lasted so long for the new cadets, once they got over the shock and surprise of such an abrupt end to the match, began cheering loudly, rushing the arena to lift Nero up into the air.
Yet what the new cadets failed to understand was that it wasn't as if Vilhelm hadn't lost before. His entire prestige was built on the fact that he never lost to the same person twice. No, the thing that truly shocked everyone else wasn't that Nero won, but that Nero dominated.
