Uncle here isn't your average office worker!

Great Wilderness Starfall (Used 0/1 times).

That was not Originium Arts, nor was it limited by the spells Viviana studied. The light was merely an embellishment. Even without any embellishment, the Great Wilderness Starfall could still leap up and traverse tens of thousands of miles.

Roy had to admit that he did feel nervous the moment Viviana unleashed the power of the Starfall. Just to be on the safe side, Roy canceled the release of the Great Wilderness Meteor.

It wasn't truly cracked, but Viviana did manage to "interrupt Roy's spellcasting."

So Roy put down his sword and nodded.

"Well done, Viviana! You did it!"

Viviana paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

The candlestick in her hand tipped over, and the light burst forth uncontrollably in an instant. She didn't try to control it, nor did she use the light to release the intended Touch of Light. While she could have imagined it, guiding this unimaginable energy and releasing it as magic at this moment was far beyond her capabilities. Before being consumed by the uncontrolled spell, she gave Roy a bright smile.

"Then I win!"

"Three warnings! Ouch!"

The bright light forced everyone to briefly cover their eyes, but in just a moment, the neon lights that illuminated the night sky rose again in the arena, forcing everyone to open their eyes once more.

And what they saw before them was this scene.

Roy, who had just been chanting the Great Wilderness Starfall, knelt on one knee. In her arms, the Candle Knight, whose body was burned in many places by the candle flame, had lost consciousness. Her peaceful sleeping face was like that of a princess in a fairy tale, serene, peaceful, and undisturbed.

"Due to the violation of the Fair Play Rules by Candle Knight Viviana Drost, the winner of this match is Ever Knight Roy!"

Volume 1: Chapter 98 The Eve of the Finals

"The Candle Knight lost, why do you look so surprised?"

Watching Roy on the screen carrying the Candle Knight onto a medical stretcher, Charné turned his head slightly and spoke to DiCaepolis beside him.

The Blood Knight did not answer; he was deep in thought, pondering a crucial question—could he achieve what Viviana had?

"Candle Knight's defeat was predictable. When she and Roy first faced off in the exhibition match, we had already collected a lot of data about the two of them. According to the analysis, Candle Knight's defeat was almost inevitable. The only difference was the timing of her defeat."

The Blood Knight spoke slowly, his tone tinged with astonishment:

"It's grown too much, Charne. What did we expect to happen? The Eternal Knights would soar into the sky, the Great Wilderness Star would fall, and the Candle Knights would be defeated again, just like in an exhibition match. And you would collect all the information about the Eternal Knights' spells through the on-site detection equipment, then conduct simulations and analyses, and finally come up with a countermeasure. But what actually happened?"

In reality, the Candle Knight devoured all light sources in the arena in an instant, including the Great Wilderness Starfall, in a way that exceeded everyone's expectations. Although she was ultimately defeated, it was not in the form of being "defeated," but rather because the backlash of the spell and the violation of the rules rendered her unable to fight any longer, and she was personally sent off the arena by the Eternal Knight.

What happened in the center of the stadium during those dark minutes remains unknown.

"Didi."

The sudden communication tone interrupted the Blood Knight's words. He looked at Charne, knowing what the call meant, and nodded.

Charne answered the phone, and a shocked and anxious voice came from the other end:

"Mr. Charner, we were unable to gather any information about the Great Wilderness Starfall. According to the reports from the instruments at the scene, the Ever Knight's spell stopped as soon as the Candle Knight released the unknown spell! This collection operation has failed!"

Charne looked at DiCaepolis and shook his head.

Dikeopolis pursed his lips, his bronze, resolute face etched with solemnity:

"But in reality, the plan failed in a way that none of us expected. The Candle Knight actually managed to suppress the Great Wilderness Meteor with magic. That spell that turned the entire place into darkness was unbelievable."

This was inconceivable, meaning that even with the Blood Knight's abilities, it was impossible to replicate. Admittedly, his strength might not be weaker than the Candle Knight's, and his understanding of magic might not be less profound than the Blood Knight's, but he firmly believed that he absolutely could not replicate that spell.

Because he wanted to win, he couldn't do it. He couldn't disregard the rules of the game and, like the Candle Knight, hide a spell specially made for Roy as a trump card. That would be too exhausting, and time wouldn't allow it.

"What to do next?"

Charne asked, gritting his teeth.

"I can persuade the organizing committee to add a rematch. The audience is definitely unhappy about watching a match with a completely black screen and their favorite Candle Knight being eliminated in such an inexplicable way. As long as there's a small price to pay, I believe the federation and the organizing committee will agree. What do you say?"

A rematch?

Indeed, as long as the Candle Knight is restricted in advance to prevent him from casting that unknown spell, it is possible to ensure that the data on the Eternal Knight's spells can be collected.

But is this necessary?

Dikeopolis could not convince himself.

It came from Minos, who too had once been a warrior. He could sense the young lady's understanding and resolve as she unleashed her all-consuming flame. She knew she would lose, yet she resolutely began to chant; her sole purpose was to prove her will to her opponent.

To force her to compete again, and to forbid her from using magic, was solely to ensure her defeat at the hands of the Great Wilderness Meteorite, a weapon she had painstakingly researched, paving the way for their own victory. This was an insult to her resolve, to her resounding defeat. Dichaeus craved victory, but he was not so despicable as to resort to such unscrupulous means for it.

He shook his head: "No need."

So what if he doesn't have a way to counter the Great Wilderness Starfall? Did Dikeopolis's past victories always rely on technology, sponsorship, and analysts?

Roy is indeed strong, but he's not weak either. Putting aside magic, Dikeopolis doesn't believe he's inferior to Roy. The Great Wilderness Meteor Shower requires time to cast, so he'll attack relentlessly, preventing Roy from even having time to unleash it!

Ordinary people may not be able to launch a sustained high-intensity attack, but he is an infected person. His body is a vessel for casting spells, and he also possesses blood magic. As long as his beast blood boils and he burns himself, he may be able to launch an attack like a pack of wolves!

"Trust me, Charne."

The Blood Knight turned around, looked at his still somewhat hesitant "mentor," and said earnestly:

"I will win, not only for myself, but also for the survival of the infected in Kazimierz, and to thank you."

"I can't go against your wishes." Charné sighed and nodded.

.........

"Platinum, how have you been feeling lately?"

The neutral electronic voice on the phone, as always, asked trivial questions. At first, Hinterlea was a little puzzled as to why Xuan Tie was so interested in her private life, but she had already gotten used to it and simply reported truthfully:

"It's alright, just a bit tiring. The preparations for the mission need to be checked every day. The locations of the Federation's operators are constantly changing, so we need to investigate them again, but everything is going smoothly."

"Hmm." Xuan Tie simply responded to Bai Jin's long string of words, then paused and asked, "What about Qing Jin?"

"Ms. Monique is in good condition and ready to go. Master Roy... he is also on a mission and everything is normal."

“That’s good. Before the mission officially begins, hand over the contact’s location to Monique and let her handle it,” Xuan Tie said. “Then, help me send a message to Roy that this mission is nearing its end. He has exceeded his goal of attracting the Federation’s attention as bait. Whether he participates in the finals is up to him. Our plan will officially begin during the finals, so let him find an opportunity to escape on his own.”

“Understood,” Hintraya replied immediately, then asked with some confusion, “What about me?”

"You?" Seemingly not expecting Bai Jin to ask this question, Xuan Tie was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "You kid, other people take a break when their boss doesn't assign them work, why do you still want to find something to do for yourself?"

Very worried about Bai Jin's mental state, Xuan Tie said, "Once the plan begins, you will be on vacation. You are free to move around until I or Roy contact you again."

"Really?" Hintraya's voice involuntarily rose a few decibels. Realizing she had overstepped her bounds, she coughed lightly twice and said, "Understood!"

The phone rang with a busy tone; the connection was lost.

Standing on the rooftop of a building in the city center, gazing at the brightly lit stadium in the distance, Hinterlea made up her mind.

Knowing Coach Roy as she does, she's certain he won't miss the excitement of the finals. She absolutely has to buy a ticket and see him compete in person!

Volume 1: Chapter 99 I Dare to Fight

"Blood Knight, will you win?"

In the Great Knights Territory, on Block 0, the bewildered Kuranta boy opened his only remaining eye wide, staring at the scarlet figure that had brought them toys and food.

“I heard from the adults that your opponent is very strong, but I believe you will win, right? The Blood Knight is the strongest knight.”

Dikeopolis paused for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile.

The boy spoke lightly, but Dikeopolis knew in his heart that, whether looking back three years or into the future, he was definitely not the "strongest" knight. The oppressive power of the Black Knight's Triple Crown and the brilliance of the Radiant Knight's Pegasus were things he could only dream of. Even if his opponent was merely the dark horse Roy who had suddenly risen to prominence, he felt his chances of winning were less than 30%.

Even with a 30% chance, victory was far from guaranteed, right? But he couldn't bear to tell the boy before him, or the infected who, like him, were hoping for his return, this truth. So, as always, he told a white lie:

"Of course, I'm sure I can win."

The boy, delighted by the affirmation, immediately beamed with joy. The Blood Knight patted his head, handed him a bag of dried beast meat, and smiled as he saw him off. Turning back, however, he sighed wistfully.

"We're sure to win. Who can say that with that person?"

Composing himself, he started walking, intending to head to the next infected settlement, but was blocked by an untimely figure.

It was a familiar, dark figure, wearing a strange mask and covered entirely in a dark gray robe. Speaking in a deep voice clearly altered by a voice changer, he whispered to Dicaipolis:

"Maybe not?"

Dikeopolis's expression changed, and he instinctively took a step back in a wary manner. However, realizing the identity of the newcomer, he quickly withdrew his aggressive stance and said helplessly:

"It's you, sir. I didn't have a chance to formally thank you that time. Thanks to you, I really wouldn't have had time to participate in the qualifiers. I never expected to see you again."

Dikeopolis expressed his heartfelt gratitude. If it weren't for the assassin in front of him holding back for some unknown reason, he would never have been able to appear on the preliminary stage at such precise timing, in a way that even those capitalists who saw him as a thorn in their side hadn't anticipated.

If he hadn't participated in the qualifiers, he would have lost his qualification for the Major. At that point, not only would he be unable to reach the finals, but he might not even be able to maintain his status as a Cavalier or his current life in Kazimierz. Therefore, although it seemed absurd, he firmly believed that the unknown assassin wasn't a bad person and had always wanted to find an opportunity to thank him. However, he also knew that the assassin's identity meant that the person couldn't easily reveal himself, let alone accept his gratitude. Therefore, he could only keep this gratitude in his heart, never mentioning it to anyone. He never expected to meet him again tonight in such a place.

DiCeopolis asked with some confusion, "What do you mean by 'not necessarily'?"

On his opposite side, Roy, dressed entirely in a gray robe like a deep-sea bishop, explained:

"That's right, the Eternal Knights may not be as strong as you imagine, that's one point."

Roy's original intention was to motivate Blood Knight. After all, he had already received news from Platinum that the first Four Cities Meltdown would officially begin midway through the finals, which meant that the outcome of the finals was no longer something Roy necessarily needed to pursue. In other words, it wasn't impossible for Blood Knight to win the championship, establish the Infected Knight system, and bring the skewed worldline back on track. The reason he specifically squeezed out time at night to find Blood Knight was to check on his condition so he could decide how to concede the championship.

Roy's action wasn't superfluous. After all, the Infected Knight system established after the Blood Knights' victory was crucial for the Red Pine Knights, the Farfang Knights, and even the exiled Radiant Knight Margaret Nearl to participate in the tournament. It's well known that the vast divide and antagonism between the Infected and ordinary people meant that Roy, as a Knight of Eternity, could only end up alienating everyone by declaring this right for the Infected. A prime example is Nearl's case. Margaret had won the tournament and received a large following among the Infected, and she had consistently protected them, even personally rescuing Flametail Sona and her companions from Plot 0 before the finals. However, once the Federation revealed that the Radiant Knight was not an Infected, most of the Infected immediately turned against her, condemning, cursing, and even insulting Margaret's victory.

Roy didn't want to get himself into trouble. If possible, he'd rather just hand over the championship and let the Blood Knight, with the immense influence of "defeating the Eternal Knight," implement the reforms; that might be better, more thorough.

Unexpectedly, the first to object to Roy's words was the Blood Knight. He shook his head seriously, as if refuting Roy's absurd viewpoint, and earnestly praised him:

"No, you're mistaken. The Knight of Eternity is very strong, extremely strong, ridiculously strong! To be honest, I've specifically studied the Knight of Eternity's combat records, and his strength has reached a terrifying level!"

"In terms of speed, his speed and reaction speed are far beyond that of ordinary people. In his debut battle, facing the Rusty Bronze Knight's flying axe, he completed a series of actions such as dodging, catching the axe, crushing it, and then counterattacking at a speed that even cameras could hardly capture. Before that, he had never made any preparatory movements! Such reaction speed and reaction speed can not be described as fast as lightning!"

"In terms of strength, he is far superior to me. He crushed a rusty bronze battle axe with his bare hands and fought a left-handed knight wielding a heavy weapon for two hours with his longsword without being at a disadvantage. As a martial artist, you must know how much suppressive power a long-handled weapon can exert against a sword. Moreover, the left-handed knight is known for his wide-open and powerful moves. It's hard to imagine just how terrifying the strength of Knight Heng's arm is!"