Chapter 320

She unleashed her ultimate attack, slashing down. Tester made no unnecessary movements, simply blocking with his shield.

Logically speaking, even without a shield, he shouldn't have been knocked unconscious. The Originium Arts passed down in the Nearl Family don't have the ability to render enemies unconscious.

If Tester hadn't injured himself, how could he have collapsed? Unless...

Maria's pupils dilated suddenly as she thought of this.

I see, I understand now!

No wonder the Left-Handed Knight, despite being stronger, didn't end the fight immediately. Instead, he constantly humiliated her from the start, trying to vent his anger.

It turns out he was just like the Plastic Knight, an actor in disguise. He likely received instructions from the Commercial Union to deliberately lose the competition. As a contestant, he couldn't disobey his sponsor's orders, which is why he acted so angry.

Thinking about it this way, it all makes sense!

Looking at the left-handed Knight lying on the ground, Maria felt more and more that Tester was deliberately acting.

She had thought that once she entered the special tournament, she would be treated like a fattened hog. She never expected the Commercial Union to continue feeding her; she really didn't know what to say.

After destroying Tester's consciousness, Shi Lei left the venue with the angry audience.

Even if he's caught on camera, he doesn't need to worry about being suspected. He can simply say he's very disappointed with the left-handed Knight's performance, and no one will find fault with it.

Shi Lei's move is actually a huge opportunity for Tester.

If he is crushed by the immense Psychic Power and fails to recover, his future will certainly be ruined. But if he can regroup and use this as an opportunity to get rid of his arrogant bad habit, his strength will reach a new level.

Whether to advance or retreat depends entirely on one's own fate.

Shi Lei followed the crowd away, hearing many spectators hurling insults at the contestants and the Commercial Union along the way. He knew that the fire in his heart had begun to burn fiercely.

But that's not enough.

This fire needs to burn even brighter.

Sophia sat in the audience, her expression unusually complex. She knew that the Left-Handed Knight's fall wasn't because Maria was particularly powerful, but rather because the outside help they had brought in was unbelievably strong.

No wonder Dobermann highly recommended him, saying that Doctor Zhong was absolutely capable of completing the task.

A Knight in the main tournament of a special event was instantly and effortlessly defeated by him from a distance.

With so many spectators, so many Knights, and cameras filming, no one noticed anything amiss.

I doubt even the Silver Pegasus Knight Order Commander, the strongest individual fighter in Kazimierz, could do that.

It was only then that Sophia realized just how powerful the person she had hired was.

"Aww! Maria! Well done!"

"Wuhu, Maria, well done!"

Old Fu and Koval, standing to the side, were unaware of the truth. Although they didn't believe Maria could defeat her opponent, Tester had indeed been unable to get up for more than ten seconds.

Big Mouth Mob, the commentator, announced Maria Saria's victory from the commentary booth.

The two grown men excitedly stood up, climbed over the railing, and jumped into the arena. Like Teletubbies of different colors, they circled around her endlessly.

Sophia glanced at the eager media personnel and knew she shouldn't linger. If she were dragged to the post-match press conference later, she might reveal some slip-ups.

Not only will Maria be disqualified from the special tournament, but it will also implicate Doctor Zhong.

She jumped into the arena and greeted the three of them:

"Get out of here. Maria, you have no idea how much money those spectators lost. They'd love to tear you apart right now."

"Haha, that's right. Let's go quickly, we'll protect you, let's get out of here first."

Old Fu and Koval, these two sworn enemies, temporarily put aside their bickering. The two of them, one on each side, protected Maria as she evacuated through the player tunnel.

Reporters from several other media outlets arrived later, intending to conduct post-match interviews, but Sophia blocked them all. The four then hurriedly left the Blazing Arena by car.

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When Sophia and her three companions arrived at the bar, the owner, Martin, warmly greeted them.

"Maria, you are truly the pride of the Nearl Family! I didn't have time to go today because I was at the store, so I watched the whole match via live Live Broadcast. Players like Left-Handed Knight, who are terrible at big games, deserve a good beating!"

Maria looked around to make sure there were no other customers in the bar before Secret Passage to everyone:

"Uncle Martin, it's not what you think. I'm sure I couldn't have knocked Tester down with that last blow. He was just acting, pretending to lose."

She then revealed all of the trash talk and complaints the left-handed Knight had made during the game.

Everyone then realized that the outcome was determined by the intervention of the Commercial Union.

Sophia knew the truth, but she couldn't reveal it yet. So she remained silent and offered no comment.

"Click, click."

The television hanging high up in the bar was broadcasting post-race interviews. Because Maria ran so fast, many media outlets could only focus their interviews on the losing athletes.

Tester was taken to the infirmary and quickly regained consciousness. The Psychic Power destroyed his consciousness; there were no physical injuries. Maria Saria's powerful strike hadn't even penetrated his armor.

Numerous flashes and newspaper cameras captured the seemingly dazed Competitive Knight.

Before the reporter could even begin asking questions, a bottle of mineral water was suddenly thrown directly at the left-handed Knight.

"Why not just take down your opponent directly and win? Why do you have to stand there acting all high and mighty? What the hell are you trying to prove? I'll bet everything I own on you, and this is how you act? Damn it, give me my money back!"

Seeing this, Tester's agent quickly escorted him away from the scene. As for the agitated spectator, he was soon apprehended by security personnel.

Koval, seeing his dejected appearance on television, couldn't help but sneer:

"Look at him, he's actually quite convincing. If Maria hadn't told me the truth, I might have been fooled by Tester. With acting skills like that, why is he Competitive Knight? It's a shame he's not acting in Columbia."

Sophia didn't respond, burying her head in her phone. A short while later, she found an official announcement.

"Maria, come here and look at this."

Once the other person was close enough, Sophia pointed to the announcement on her phone and said:

"The Commercial Union just announced the rules for the 32-to-16 competition, which is a 2-on-2 team competition. Do you have any players you'd like to team up with? I'll see if I can help you make a deal?"

Maria felt quite overwhelmed upon hearing this. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the person in front of her, then chuckled softly.

"Aunt, as you know, this is my first time participating in a Knight Competition. I'm not very familiar with the other competitors in the main event, and I have no idea who I should partner with to maximize my strengths. How about... you help me find someone?"

Sophia already had three candidates in mind and planned to ask Doctor Zhong and the other two later:

"Okay, okay, I'll help you find one tomorrow."

July 5th, 2:02 PM

The Knight Association headquarters, first floor lobby.

Platinum, the assassin from the Armored Unarmored Alliance, arrived at the Champions Wall, which depicted the champions of past Knight Competition.

In front of this wall Knight were already famous in the arena even before she was born.

"Oh, this Black Knight sister has taken up three portraits in a row. But why does she look younger than me in these pictures?"

Charné arrived just then and began to introduce himself:

"The Black Knight's three consecutive championships have left an indelible mark on the history of Knight Competition. At first, no one expected that a Sargon who knew nothing about magic would become the most dazzling star in the arena."

However, her era has passed. She has left Kazimierz and is currently living in seclusion somewhere.

Platinum gave a playful smile and teased:

"You let go of a cash cow that won three consecutive championships? You really are an eye-opener."

"Miss Platinum, a three-peat will certainly accumulate a large number of fans. However, continuously winning championships is not conducive to the development of the entire esports industry in the long run. The rookie challenging the Black Knight is indeed a selling point, but if no one can shake her victory, it will become boring."

The Black Knight was lucky; just when everyone was ganging up on her and pushing her to the brink of ruin, she was rescued by a powerful figure in Scherzag. This person offered an irresistible price, and thus the upgrade was completed.

Platinum was well aware of the shady dealings behind the scenes at the Commercial Union, because she was a member of the Armored Unarmored Alliance.

"There are no photos here, is it the Bright Knight?"

"Yes."

"I recognize him. He's the Blood Knight, the champion of the previous Knight Competition. He's a powerful infected."

Platinum walked to the end of the championship wall, stopped, and then looked to the side, grinning as he asked:

"The spokesperson for the Commercial Union invited me here, surely not just to talk about these championship histories?"

"Of course not, because this is one of the few places where we can avoid being disturbed or eavesdropped on."

"Okay, go ahead, what do you need me for? Anyway, it's work, I'll try my best to do it."

Charné bowed slightly, his attitude very respectful:

"Miss Platinum, do you know what the two Azure Gold Rank of the Armored Unarmored Alliance have been busy with lately?"

"Sorry, I don't have permission to ask. What exactly do you want to say today? Just get straight to the point."

Charner lowered his voice and Secret Passage:

"I've heard some rumors through my own intelligence channels. I wonder what kind of matter would warrant two Azure Gold Rank acting simultaneously?"

"You're so annoying, I don't know."

"..."

Seeing that the other party refused to cooperate, Charnet continued to force a smile, wanting to probe further:

"I am worried that things might go wrong in the tasks that the two Azure Gold Rank are in charge of, and I hope to do my part."

Platinum crossed her arms, not even bothering to expose him:

"Come on, what help can you be? All I can say is that this is an order from the Commercial Union."

Charn nodded upon hearing this, already knowing where to go to investigate next:

"Oh, I see. Miss Platinum, I wonder if I could do you a small favor for me?"

Platinum curled her lip and pointed out disdainfully:

"Tch, what a small favor. After all that going around in circles, this is your real purpose, isn't it?"

Charne grinned, neither confirming nor denying, and explained why he had called her over:

"If possible, I would like Miss Platinum to keep an eye on someone for me."

"Who?"

"Lucky Knight".

Upon hearing the name, Platinum reacted as if triggered by Stress Response, quickly taking three steps back to create distance:

"Are you kidding me? You want me to monitor him?"

She had watched the competition videos of this rising star Knight, but couldn't find a way to counter him.

Since this kind of luck-based ability is so overpowered, the best approach is to avoid provoking it.

Charn still had a smile on his face, gently rubbing his palms together, seemingly full of anticipation:

"Yes, Lucky Knight is the most mysterious contestant in this year's Knight Competition. His agent, Rebecca, has yet to submit any information about him to the association. I tried to get close to him, but it didn't go well. Perhaps it would be safer to ask you to monitor him from a distance."

Platinum grinned, his face clearly showing his resistance:

"You're afraid of bad luck, but am I not? Who knows, my hand might suddenly cramp up when I'm drawing the bow."

Charne had previously come into contact with the Lucky Knight and experienced severe abdominal pain, forcing him to go to the hospital for a gastric lavage. He didn't want to go through that ordeal again.

"Ha, you jest. As the youngest Platinum- ranked member of the Armored Unarmored Alliance, this task is perfect for you. I'm afraid no one else could handle it."

"Charne, don't flatter me. Lucky Knight is a real devil, I don't want to mess with him. Wait, I'll make a call first."

After saying that, Platinum made a phone call to his boss.

The highest rank in the Armored Unarmored Alliance is the Iron Great Position, which has three members. Below them is the Azure Gold Rank, named Monique and Roy, both of whom are considered leaders of the Platinum.

The call was answered shortly afterward.

She explained the situation and hoped the mission could be canceled. But Monique wouldn't listen and flatly refused: