Provoked, Yet Unmoved / An Absurd Ending

When he realized something was wrong and tried to switch to offense and trade blows, his opponent retreated several meters like a nimble rabbit.

After a round of fighting, the Candle Knight remained unfazed, without a single scratch on his body.

The Netherflame Knight was panting heavily, his clothes were tattered, and the difference in their abilities was immediately apparent.

Another cheer erupted from the crowd; even a fool could see that the Candle Knight held a significant advantage in this situation.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, the Netherflame Knight knew that his opponent had held back. Otherwise, that counterattack just now, even if it couldn't kill him, would have at least landed a few fatal blows on his vital spots, causing serious injury.

But seeing the other party's calm demeanor, a sense of resentment rose within him. He then roared and charged forward again, wielding his nearly three-meter-long greatsword.

Ten minutes later, the exhausted Netherflame Knight collapsed during the charge.

Suika found the match somewhat boring, given the vast difference in skill between the two sides and the fact that Candle Knight barely made any moves throughout the entire match.

He toyed with his opponent like an elegant bullfighter throughout the entire encounter.

And the Netherflame Knight is the bull that got teased.

Even though his Originium Arts looked incredibly cool, with flames and smoke surrounding him, coupled with his resolute will and futile charge, the difference in strength was undeniable, and he posed no real threat to Viviana.

However, every cloud has a silver lining. His unwavering and resolute charge, even knowing he would fail, led him to lose the match, but it also satisfied many viewers.

Suika felt it was a real shame to have someone with such willpower and ability staying here for an exhibition match.

Knights like these, once trained and deployed on the battlefield, are truly fearless beasts.

Chapter 259 Provocation, Indifference

Therefore, after this match, the Netherflame Knight was one of the few losers who was not booed by the audience but instead received applause as he left.

After watching the Netherflame Knight leave, the Candle Knight bowed to the audience and then left the arena.

After the Candle Knight left, the scene did not calm down; instead, it became even more chaotic.

Because the next match is the most anticipated match of the day— Rust-Copper Knight vs. Blood Knight.

Of the two, the former is a notorious villain on the field, often resorting to violence against his opponents after gaining an advantage, and has openly tortured and killed his opponents on numerous occasions. It can be said that many people dislike this villain.

However, many people also appreciate this bloody style and crave to see the life-or-death struggle in the arena, rather than the elegant way the Candle Knight forces his enemies back.

With the ancient knightly Ingra Family and the Boiling Blood Knights standing behind him, he would always come back for the next Knight's Tournament after making a mistake, and he would never repent.

However, this time he encountered a formidable opponent: the leader of the Red Chalice Knights, one of the strongest figures in the Knight's Tournament since the Infected knights were allowed to participate— the Blood Knight.

Moreover, although the Blood Knight doesn't enjoy slaughtering his opponents like the Rust-Copper Knight, his strength is still terrifying, and few can escape unscathed from his presence.

Therefore, this inevitable bloody battle naturally attracted a large number of onlookers.

Without further ado, the host quickly introduced the two highly anticipated knights.

The first to appear, the Rust-Copper Knight, showed no humility despite being the "challenger."

He arrogantly walked around the sidelines, then waved his arms, showing off his strength and physique to those around him, eliciting screams from both women and men.

"Tsk, boring!" Suika pouted, watching the Rust-Copper Knight pass by not far in front of her.

Whether it was because her voice was too loud and reached the other person's ears, or because her movements attracted their attention, Rust Copper, who had just walked away, came back, gave Suika a thumbs-up, and pointed arrogantly at the ground.

That arrogant move drew another round of cheers.

"Oh, the Blood Knight hasn't come out yet. It seems there have been some changes on the field."

Our Rust-Copper Knight is provoking the spectators again, and his target... oh my god, is a young lady! Rusty Bronze, where's your face? Bullying such a young lady is not the behavior of a knight!

The presenter, who was broadcasting from the sidelines, noticed the commotion and quickly turned the camera over.

Faced with the Rust-Copper Knight's provocation, Suika calmly and elegantly raised her middle finger.

This infuriated the rusty copper.

As the youngest son of the Ingra Family, he was used to being arrogant, and his talent and the family's pampering made him reckless on the Cavaliers' court.

For him, Knight's Tournament were not only a game, but also a way to brutally kill his opponents in broad daylight and in front of countless people.

That was true before, and he believed it would be true in the future. No matter who it was, no one could be his match in the Knight's Tournament of Kazimierz. Because he was fearless, while his opponent was restrained.

This is the secret to his repeated victories against stronger opponents in matches. He sees today's match as the same; the Blood Knight and the Red Chalice Knights are just another stepping stone for him.

That's why he interacted with the audience so arrogantly before the match, in order to create a lively atmosphere, and then bring the atmosphere in the arena to its peak when he took off the Blood Knight's head.

But before he could put his plan into action, a clear "Boring!" reached him.

He instinctively provoked the direction of the sound.

He was certain that the other party wouldn't dare to retaliate. After all, ordinary spectators couldn't even defeat the knights' squires, let alone a professional knight like him who had undergone professional training since childhood and possessed formidable strength.

However, he didn't expect that the person who said those words was a little girl. By the time he realized what was happening and wanted to stop, the host had already noticed the unusual situation.

The host's words put him in a difficult position. After all, he was an adult, and a self-proclaimed knight at that. It was simply unacceptable for him to bully a little girl.

He was still thinking about how to resolve this predicament.

The little girl opposite her added insult to injury by slowly raising her middle finger at herself.

This caused an even louder noise throughout the arena than before. In the past, it wasn't uncommon for spectators to provoke competitors, but those were usually prepared performances or burly men challenging competitors of average or below-average strength.

But this time, the Rust-Copper Knight is no weakling, and his opponent... well, let's just say, facing a child, winning would be shameful, but losing would be even more shameful.

In just a second, the Rust-Copper Knight, having grasped the key point, turned around without hesitation, ignoring the boos coming from the surroundings, and walked into the arena to his designated spot.

Just then, the other door opened at the perfect moment, and the Blood Knight who walked out attracted the audience's attention.

The terrifying intimidation and the stench of blood that could be felt even from dozens of meters away sent a shiver through the audience, who immediately focused their attention on the competition.

Everything that had just happened was being broadcast live outside. Those who knew Suika were all on edge when they saw her taunt the Rust-Copper Knight.

In particular, Maria and Zofia, who knew the Rust-Copper Knight.

Maria stood up, intending to head to the arena, but was stopped by the quick-thinking Zofia.

"Don't worry, Suika will be fine." As soon as he finished speaking Rust-Copper Knight in the picture turned around and walked into the arena.

"That guy did enjoy torturing his opponents in the arena, but he also understood that he couldn't attack the audience."

And the other person was a little girl.

If he uses his usual methods against Suika, no matter the outcome, his family will not be able to protect him.

After all, for Ingra, a veteran knight, reputation is still his most important asset.

For a knight to lay a hand on a minor is an absolutely immoral act in any country or place.

Therefore, the best option for him was to simply ignore Suika's provocation.

Otherwise, if she were to participate in the Knight's Tournament, it would be a serious blow to the Ingra Family and the old-established knightly nobles."

Zofia watched as the host began introducing the contestants again on the field and calmly said...

Although her strength wasn't particularly high, and it had even declined a level after her injury, she gained a deeper understanding of Kazimierz's underhanded tactics.

Chapter 260 An Absurd End

His mere appearance was enough to put the Rust-Copper Knight on high alert.

The Rust-Copper Knight was no longer as arrogant as before. Instead, he cautiously examined his opponent, and his hand unconsciously gripped his weapon.

Even a fool could see that the opponent's strength far surpassed that of an ordinary knight.

The oppressive atmosphere sent shivers down the spines of the timid and weak-willed spectators, not to mention the Rust-Copper Knight on the field.

At this moment, the host is loudly chanting the name of the Blood Knight, Dikaiopolis.

Suika glanced at the other person and assessed their strength; this person's power was no exaggeration.

Even among Rhodes Island's Elite Operator, he's in the ACE tier.

As for the difference between the two, Suika thought it was roughly 30/70 – the match would end in three minutes, and Rust would have to stay home for seven days.

As Suika had predicted, the match before them was by no means a contest between evenly matched opponents.

In less than two minutes, Rust Copper had been knocked away for the third time, and his weapon had fallen to the other side.

As his opponent, the Blood Knight didn't even seem to be warming up yet.

This overwhelming superiority in both physical attributes and combat experience left no room for Rust Copper to win.

This Rust-Copper Knight, who had been pampered since childhood, clearly lacked the same will to charge into the path of death as the previous Netherflame Knight.

After dropping his weapon, he saw the Blood Knight approaching and, without hesitation, raised both hands in a Gaul.

After he conceded defeat, the Blood Knight stopped and looked at the host.

The host was also surprised that the match ended so quickly.

Keep in mind that each match can last from ten minutes to half an hour as planned.

Generally speaking, even if there is a difference in strength between the two sides, as long as they are careful, they can stall for at least ten minutes.

The current situation clearly indicates either that the tournament organizers made a mistake in arranging the matchups, or that someone orchestrated an unequal battle.

The former is a serious dereliction of duty by the tournament organizers, as for the latter... Ingra's youngest son has indeed offended many people, and it's not impossible that someone deliberately arranged to target him.

Thinking of this, and wanting to curry favor with the Ingra Family, the host decisively announced the end of the match, with the Blood Knight emerging victorious.

As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening chorus of boos erupted throughout the stadium.

This match is of paramount importance; countless people bought tickets today specifically for it.

But let alone providing the audience with a satisfying battle, even though it was the same weaker opponent against a stronger one, the Rust-Copper Knight's willpower wasn't even as strong as the previous Netherflame Knight's.

This has caused considerable dissatisfaction among the audience.

"Hot lemon, refund!" After Suika let out a roar from another world, it quickly spread, and the entire audience in the arena began to shout for a refund.

This made the host break out in a sweat.

The Rust-Copper Knight felt the intense and disdainful gazes around him, as if he were being pricked by needles. He stood up awkwardly, ready to leave, but when his eyes caught sight of the audience, he saw Suika clenching her fist and repeatedly tapping the ground with her thumb pointing down, just like he had done earlier.

In a fit of rage, he threw his weapon at Suika.

He regretted it the instant he threw the weapon.

After all, after doing such a thing, he would probably have to remain silent for several years before he could come back.

With a clang, Suika remained completely still in the face of the incoming weapon and the gasps of the audience, just like a terrified ordinary person.

But the weapon was intercepted by a flying axe that suddenly appeared just as it was about to reach Suika.

The flying axe came from the Blood Knight in the arena. After doing all this, he breathed a sigh of relief. If this kid had really hurt the audience, the Knight's Tournament would definitely have been criticized by countless people, and he, as another protagonist in the arena, would definitely have been dragged down with him.

Considering the power behind the other party, I might very well be pushed out to be the guilty party.

Don't think that just because all the footage has been broadcast, you can't change your story. Lying through your teeth is an essential skill for businessmen and politicians.

He calmly walked to the weapon he had thrown, picked it up, glanced at the bewildered Rust-Copper Knight, shook his head, nodded slightly to Suika, and then turned and walked towards the passage leading out of the arena.

What he needs to do now is leave as soon as possible and not get involved in this mess. The fact that he just shielded the audience from that attack shows his attitude, does good for the Commercial Union, and proves his innocence.

He quickly disappeared into the tunnel, but the atmosphere in the arena became strange.

The match took a turn for the worse the moment the Rust-Copper Knight attacked the audience. Those who were close by fell silent, fearing the weapon might be thrown at their heads and that the Blood Knight had already left, leaving no one to help them.

But the viewers who were far away weren't afraid of him at all. He was already playing terribly and losing so quickly. A group of gamblers who bet on him to win and lost turned into the deepest haters at this moment.

He received a constant stream of angry rebukes and expressions of condolence from his immediate family.

It's unclear whether the host was stunned by this unexpected scene or received some kind of order.

The host, who had been providing a smooth and fluent commentary, suddenly fell silent during this period, with only the cold camera silently recording the Rust-Copper Knight's actions.

Only after realizing the situation was becoming increasingly chaotic and out of control did the host step in to try and steer things in order.

Suika didn't tolerate this. Before the camera even moved away, she pointed at the Rust-Copper Knight, then at the host, then clenched her fist, hooked her little finger, and then pulled her little finger back and used her thumb to make a throat-slitting gesture to express her dissatisfaction.

The host was indeed somewhat embarrassed by Suika.

Their silence just now was indeed due to receiving a message from the Commercial Union. They needed to use this excuse to expose the old-fashioned knightly nobility and then severely humiliate the Oversight Council.

Therefore, we need to make a big fuss about it.

After receiving the message from the Commercial Union, and also because he wanted to deliberately delay so that the subsequent matches could be prepared, for several minutes, apart from the boos from the audience, he, as the person in charge of the microphone in the arena, did absolutely nothing.

However, when Suika pointed this out directly, he realized he was in trouble.

Even with the backing of the Commercial Union, it's normal to be abandoned if you affect the interests of the Knight's Tournament.

There are quite a few people eyeing my position, and I'm afraid that after today, I'll be relegated to smaller, less prestigious venues or even lower-level matches for commentary.