"Hurry, hurry! The match is about to start!"
"Don't rush, there's still the opening ceremony, isn't there?"
"What do you know? If you don't hurry now, you won't be able to squeeze in when there are more people."
"Okay!"
Amidst laughter and conversation, the two young Kuranta found their seats.
"Phew... The Business Federation's behavior is really disgusting; they even have standing room only this time."
"Alright, if we don't release more tickets, how are we supposed to get seats?"
"That's true. Speaking of which... why couldn't I find a betting option for this competition?"
"What are you thinking? There are thousands of people in the preliminary rounds. You can't even keep up with the list of names."
"A thousand people... How long will such a large-scale competition last?"
"Didn't you read the brochure? This preliminary round... is a massive free-for-all divided into 12 regions!"
"Dear viewers--!!!"
Suddenly, four large screens suspended high in the air lit up, revealing a familiar host with a peculiar hairstyle on one of them.
"Welcome to the Kazimierz National Arena! Welcome to... the Kazimierz Honor Championship!"
"I'm your old friend, Big Mouth Mob!"
"Huh? Is Mob the host this time?"
Young Kuranta was somewhat puzzled.
"I remember he had only been a commentator for a short time."
"Who cares? Compared to that guy who just reads ads from a script, this guy is much more interesting to talk to."
As if in response, a dark shadow fell from the sky.
Big Mouth Mob stood atop a giant drone, circling the arena to cheers.
However, compared to the audience's excitement, Mob himself was quite nervous.
This mode of transportation was a sudden idea from above, and he was the only one who could take over after the previous commentator fell from a great height.
Fortunately, his sense of balance is pretty good, so he can manage it.
After a series of skillful interactions, Mob stopped in the center of the arena.
The steel dome merged with the sky, plunging the arena into darkness, but the cheers of the audience grew even louder.
"Get started already! We've had enough of these outdated ads!"
"Stop with these weird rituals! Go and bring out the competition!"
"Hey, Mob, you should understand, right? What do we really want!"
"Of course I understand!"
The amplified broadcast echoed across the square, and at the same time, several dazzling sparklers lit up from the ground.
"Not only are you all excited, but Mob is also more excited than ever before!"
Mob had finished reciting the advertisement at high speed, wiped away a cold sweat:
"So let's get straight to the point!"
He picked up the electric guitar hanging on his body, and with the rhythm of his fingers, exciting music began to play.
"To help everyone better watch the upcoming matches, Mob will briefly explain the rules."
"This competition is different from previous ones; there are no preliminary rounds for points, such as speed racing and shooting."
"Fighting!"
"To determine the strongest in Kazimierz, this Honor Championship will only award points through combat."
"Of course, you may have also seen the promotional brochures we prepared."
"Due to the overwhelming number of participants, the preliminary rounds are divided into 12 major competition zones."
"An unprecedented free-for-all with 100 players! It will continue until 8 PM, with each match lasting one hour."
"Defeat others in the melee, steal their points, and the player with the highest score at the end of the time limit wins."
"As you've probably all heard, there can only be one winner in each region!!!"
After a brief silence, deafening cheers resounded throughout the city.
Twelve battles involving hundreds of players—just imagining them is enough to get your blood pumping.
"Are these people crazy?"
Inside the VIP box, Silence watched the commotion below with deep concern.
In an unrestricted free-for-all of 100, even if the contestants can restrain themselves from killing, how can they possibly care about killing when they're actually fighting?
"Indeed, they may have wanted to hold an unprecedented event, but the Business Federation's actions are simply too... barbaric."
Silence looked at the people beside him with a hint of surprise; they were some friends they had met on the way here.
"Is that what you think too, Miss Nearl?"
"Just call me Margaret."
Margaret nodded, looking somewhat worried.
"A battle of this scale would surely result in a large number of wounded, wouldn't it? There might even be..."
"Casualties are unavoidable."
Perhaps out of curiosity about the Nearl Family, Jian became more talkative.
"The original knightly competitions were far bloodier than the exhibition matches of today. In a sense... this competition has simply restored the competition to its most authentic form."
"Don't you hate this kind of fighting?"
Looking at her idol, Margaret, who is usually very outgoing, became rather reserved.
"Dislike? Not really." Jian shook his head.
"Anyone who steps onto the field understands, to some extent, what they're doing, so... they don't deserve any sympathy even if they lose their life."
"And let me give you a piece of advice: don't overthink things during the competition. With so many players competing, some really good ones will emerge."
"Go on stage, fight, win—that's all you have to do."
"I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming matches, and I hope you won't let your brilliance be tarnished."
"Yes!"
Maria watched her adored sister chatting happily with her idol, a dreamy smile spreading across her face.
"Sister and the Black Knight can actually satisfy each other at once? Hehe... Ouch!"
Zofia tapped her niece on the head and scolded her in a sweet voice:
"Mind your manners, don't you realize everyone's looking this way?"
Feeling the kind gazes of everyone, the little pony couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.
"It's alright, Maria is still a child, and she has a pretty smile."
Gregor tried to help the pony out of the predicament, and when he saw the benefactor of the Nearl Family speak, Zofia stopped playing the villain and just looked at her niece with a slight warning.
But Maria's attention had already shifted.
"Hi! Ten Percent Off, long time no see! Can I see your internal structure?"
"∑(°口°๑)"
Startled, Ten Percent Off hid behind Gregor, thus revealing the girl's head above him.
"You're Maria?" Ifrit asked, shaking her head excitedly.
Thank you for the gift! I love it!
Seeing the tag on the girl's body, Maria's eyes crinkled with joy.
"Hehe, I have more here if you like~"
Setting Ifrit down and letting the two play around, Gregor turned his gaze to Saria.
The group assignments have been decided.
As Saria spoke, everyone's eyes turned to the terminal in her hand.
"Black Knight, First Division"
Jian raised an eyebrow and walked outside.
"Margaret, Region Three."
"I will not fail in my mission."
"Gregor, District Six."
"Then let's cheer for Mace first." Gregor nodded.
"Where is I, Your Majesty?"
Jeston couldn't resist making his presence known, so Saria handed him the terminal directly.
"The last match? Tsk... Looks like the main character always makes their appearance last."
Ignoring the narcissistic guy, everyone turned their gaze to the window.
The large central screen also began displaying grouped lists, and among the densely packed portraits, a few dazzling, flowing borders stood out clearly.
"I'm sure you've all seen these special profile pictures. Yes, that's right! This was intentional on our part."
Big Mouth Mob pointed to the sky, and on the screen, the information of the participants in the first round quickly scrolled by, finally settling on that familiar figure.
"To ensure everyone enjoys the show, we've specifically focused on the seeded players who are likely to win."
"Fortunately, the first match already featured an undisputed favorite to win the championship!"
Even without Mob's introduction, that familiar figure had already sent the entire Kazimierz into cheers.
"Oh my god! It really is the Black Knight! Wasn't she supposed to have retired?"
"The first match is already a foregone conclusion. Speaking of which, if the Black Knight is here, then is the other one also...?"
"Stop nagging about that damn Wine Report! We're witnessing a new legend, the birth of a quadruple champion!"
Seeing that the atmosphere was already set, Mob stopped trying to warm things up.
The instruction was given over the communication, and the entire arena began to tremble.
The ground unfolds to both sides, and a huge platform slowly rises from the ground.
This is a super-large platform specially designed for a competition with 100 participants, but even so, it still feels somewhat crowded with the throngs of people.
Even after the list was released, the contestants had already spontaneously waited at the bottom of the platform as instructed.
As the massive crowd gathered, the shouts from the audience gradually subsided.
Unlike previous matches, the audience could already smell a faint scent of blood.
The knights looked around like wild beasts, wary of attacks from others, while also choosing their own prey.
Due to the platform's size limitations, the distance between people is less than 5 meters.
Even with such a large crowd, there was still an empty circle in the center of the venue.
The spotlight shone down at just the right moment, illuminating the dark figure.
A perfect physique, elegantly curved yet powerful horns, and dazzling golden hair emanating from the black helmet.
The Black Knight simply stood there quietly, yet he became the center of attention.
"I declare the match over—" Mob screamed hoarsely.
"Let's begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire arena erupted in chaos.
The cheers from the audience were brief, quickly turning into curses.
"How despicable! Is this what you call a knight!?"
On the competition platform, nearly half of the players, after a brief hesitation, rushed towards the figure in the center.
They certainly knew the Black Knight; in fact, many of them were her fans.
But this was a competition destined to have only one winner, and the contestants, fighting for their own desires, spontaneously united to eliminate this greatest threat.
Countless sharp weapons, gleaming coldly, rained down, before the audience could even worry about the Black Knight.
The next instant, a storm erupted.
Black, chaotic shadows appeared on the central screen, followed by the contestants being blown up like fallen leaves by a [Gale].
"Unparalleled skill! The Black Knight has displayed a spectacle comparable to profound magic with just his martial arts!"
Mob stared intently at the center of the arena; high above, he had a clearer view than the audience.
The black iron mace struck the weapons, but Destruction was not the weapons, but the contestants' armor.
The tangible vibrations traveled from the weapon to the arm, and then to the shoulder.
The shoulder armor burst open as if bulging, and the body seemed to only react belatedly as it was thrown backward.
"Absolute dominance! The Black Knight has demonstrated what a triple crown champion truly means!"
The competition has just begun, and a large number of contestants have already been eliminated.
The image of the mace soared upwards at an unparalleled speed, and the knights on the edge no longer stood by and actively hunted down the surrounding contestants.
Unlike the eager attackers, these knights were all veterans of knightly competitions, and some were even knightly nobles.
Perhaps it was disdain.
Or perhaps they wanted to wait for the Black Knight to run out of energy.
They worked in perfect unison to clear out the surrounding players, their avatars rapidly increasing in number, and soon casualties began to occur.
That person Infected.
"Get out of my way, you disgusting bastard!"
The knight wielding the greatsword kicked away the Infected was grabbing his wrists and feet, then rubbed the man's body vigorously against his armor.
His opponent used a smoke-type Originium Arts to ambush him. Although it was only meant to conceal their presence during the surprise attack, the burst of smoke still made him subconsciously think of Originium dust.
In a single exchange, the Infected was knocked to the ground, but even as he fell, he still clung tightly to the knight's ankle.
(Just one... there's a bonus for defeating just one.)
With this in mind, the Infected tried to drag the knight off the ring.
This action undoubtedly enraged the knight, who delivered a furious kick to the Infected's abdomen.
"Let go! Are you deaf if I said let go!?"
Such scenes were happening in every corner, clearly displayed to the audience through the screen.
Some people looked pained, while others were even more excited by the bloody scene.
Unable to escape, the knight's anger made him draw his sword.
Compared to those knights who drew blood directly, he considered himself merciful enough, but now he could no longer tolerate it.
Just as he was about to cut off the hand, a resounding boom that drew closer interrupted him.
It's the Black Knight.
This triple champion maintained his unstoppable momentum from the start of the tournament, his two iron maces practically igniting flames.
One by one, figures were knocked away or fell to the ground groaning. In less than 20 minutes of the match, nearly half of the players had fallen.
The knight immediately increased the force, shoving the Infected aside, who rolled down to the Black Knight's feet.
Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, the Black Knight gave him a kick, sending the Infected had lost too much blood, sliding and rolling off the stage.
"We've finally met, Black Knight."
The greatsword-wielding knight approached, his eyes gleaming terrifyingly bright through the gaps in his armor.
"Let's settle this with a duel!"
There were no words, only the impending charge.
The greatsword, held in both hands, was wielded by the knight with one hand, smashing down on the black figure like a giant hammer.
Contrary to the Greatsword Knight's expectations, the Black Knight leaped nimbly.
The upside-down Black Knight and the greatsword knight faced each other, the iron mace reaching the knight's ear faster than the wind.
Bang--!
He managed to free one hand to block the attack, but his trembling arm clearly prevented him from joining the fight.
"Why! Shouldn't you be using a greatsword!?"
The greatsword knight retorted, unwilling to accept the situation.
He was a member of the noble knights, and watched the Black Knight transform from an unknown figure into a living legend.
He admired the other person, but he was also jealous of them.
Therefore, instead of choosing the spear recommended by his elders, he chose the greatsword as his weapon.
[Surpass the Black Knight in the same field]
That's his purpose in the competition.
Sensing a familiar pattern in the opponent's swordsmanship, Jian responded for the first time.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to try out a new weapon."
"Try it... try it! What do you take martial arts for? A toy!?"
The knight brandished his greatsword in fury.
Thanks to his previous training, even using only one hand does not hinder his combat ability.
"Are you trying to learn my style? There's no need. A spear might suit you better."
"What do you know? This is my improved swordsmanship!"
The knight became even angrier from his embarrassment.
There was no fierce duel as expected; the Black Knight himself even denied the swordsmanship he had practiced. However, the blows went far beyond that.
"Swordsmanship? I've never had a fixed swordsmanship."
Seeing the stunned look in the other person's eyes, Jian's voice remained calm.
"I simply followed my instincts, figuring out how to swing my sword to end the fight faster and how to exert more force to unleash greater power."
"..."
As time passed in silence, wisps of heat seeped out from the gaps in the armor.
"Stop talking nonsense! You arrogant fool!"
"Since you refuse to accept it... then let me defeat you!"
Transforming grief and anger into strength, the knight unleashed a beautiful sword strike.
That was the decisive blow that secured the Black Knight's triple crown.
He studied the sword technique by watching videos day and night.
However--
"Good talent, but a narrow perspective."
As Jian Qi stepped forward, the difference was that she used a move that her former opponent had used.
That's right, it was the rival who made her a triple crown winner.
The greatsword knight understood perfectly well that under such contempt, his swordsmanship speed increased by three times.
"I told you, a greatsword isn't right for you."
The mace's movement paused slightly, and the greatsword grazed past his toes.
"To borrow the words of those nasty guys from Leithanien..."
With a stomp, the greatsword embedded itself firmly in the ground.
The mace fell to the ground, replaced by Iron Fist embedded in the knight's abdominal armor.
Before the greatsword knight could recover from the excruciating pain in his abdomen, a swift punch landed squarely on his jaw.
"I have no interest, and you have no talent..."
The knight, soaring into the sky, paused at its highest point, then fell heavily to the ground under the pull of gravity.
Exhaling a breath of stale air, the Black Knight picked up his double maces once more.
That's all.