Arknights' Lock of Heaven

He wanted to humiliate Olmer Ingra, and having a thorough understanding of the latter, he had accurately predicted Olmer Ingra's temperament.

The impotent rage was followed by a completely frenzied attack.

Ironically, while Olmer Ingra could disregard the rules of knightly competitions and severely injure or cripple his opponents, Maria could not do the same.

She cannot give others a reason to criticize her.

Therefore, Maria will inevitably suffer Olmer Ingra's relentless and frenzied attacks.

He wouldn't care about the influence of the Rinko family.

He would not hesitate to kill Maria if he could.

Facing such an opponent, Maria will surely give it her all...

This allows us to assess the specific performance of the armor and then decide whether or not to approach them to try and win them over.

He had already clearly sensed the discontent he was facing within the business association.

He desperately needs a feat that will silence everyone else and secure his position.

Just as he personally nurtured a champion and thus secured his position, he needs opportunities to solidify his status.

And this armor might just be an opportunity.

After all, the performance of that armor would make the Business Federation and the Securities and Futures Commission extremely envious.

If it hadn't been revealed that it was the effect of Originium Arts, preventing its widespread adoption, the threshold of Zofia Manor would have been worn down by visitors.

It's not surprising that a group of knights and unarmored guards are always on guard outside the manor, and that they are wary of each other.

Hmm, we should also try to win over that employee named Markowitz.

He thought to himself that since he was the only one who had contact with that person, it wouldn't be bad to win him over in case of need.

And this sensible, big-mouthed Mob in front of me is also a talent.

He dared not boast about his other talents, but he believed he was quite accurate in judging people.

Now, he looked at the arena and said, "Let me see if this armor is worth it."

197 Could it be?

Can Olmer Ingra beat Maria?

Obviously not.

We really can't beat them.

In the original storyline, Maria was able to fight him to a standstill with her self-crafted equipment, even though he was wearing a full set of luxurious gear. So what about Maria now that her equipment has been greatly upgraded?

"I'm going to kill you!" he roared as he swung his battle axe with all his might.

The clanging of metal echoed through the sky.

"Tear you apart! Crush you! I'll turn your skull into a wine glass!"

But no matter how impotently furious he became, he still couldn't break through Maria's defenses.

All he could do was yell and shout at the top of his lungs while futilely waving his battle axe.

Like a clown.

"This is the butcher?"

The audience members in the stands couldn't stand it anymore.

Listen to this, how prestigious is the Butcher's name, and this is all he got?

That's it! ?

Those who don't understand combat might think he was in the lead for the first few minutes, since he was the one attacking the whole time, and Maria could only retaliate with a sword when she had an opening.

But after nearly ten minutes of this offensive, even the most oblivious person could see that Maria's defense remained impenetrable, while Olmer Ingra was clearly exhausted.

The spokesperson for the business federation, Charné, saw this and had already left his seat, gripping the glass in front of him tightly with both hands.

He, who prided himself on his discerning eye, was already thoroughly impressed by the performance of Maria's armor.

At the same time, I was also deeply relieved that this was just a simple Originium Arts technique, rather than some kind of actual technology.

Otherwise... how could he possibly have the chance to lay a hand on someone like that?

He was fully aware of Maria's strength.

Look at the field, the butcher known for his brutality and ruthlessness can only rage helplessly in the face of her defense.

Such armor... if it were worn by one of my own knights...

Or, with a more ambitious approach, they could create Maria from scratch and elevate her to the next champion, then direct public opinion towards this armor...

When that time comes, all it will take is for that person named Xia Yu to come out and raise his arms, saying that he wants to start a company, tsk tsk tsk.

From nothing to something overnight, a net worth of hundreds of millions is just around the corner, isn't that great?

Well, the problem with the Lin Guang family is a bit tricky. The Business Federation isn't very willing to accept Lin Guang because he doesn't bow down to them.

Hmm? Wait a minute, could it be that Xia Yu came to the Lin Guang family with this in mind?

He can capitalize on his status as one of the most popular contestants in this Knights Tournament to promote his Originium Arts, and then rake in a fortune once his fame spreads.

Maybe that's really the case. Otherwise, wouldn't someone with such Originium Arts receive better treatment at any company than the declining Nearl family?

The more Charn thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the truth.

After all, this person was chosen just too well.

Maria Nearl, a complete newcomer with only ample basic training but never having stepped onto the arena, and because of her sister, almost the entire Great Knight Territory's attention is focused on her.

Such a person is perfect for promoting one's Originium Arts...

So, is that what Xia Yu was thinking?

Wow, what a big appetite... They're going to make a big splash in Kazimierz right from the start.

If he really succeeds, he might one day become a director of the business association.

On this issue, Charne, who was very familiar with the business model of Kazimierz, completely ignored the fact that Originium Arts could not be popularized.

Because he knew that as long as this person named Xia Yu could put Maria Nearl in the champion's position, then all the flaws would not be a problem.

The massive buzz generated by winning the Knights Tournament is enough to draw people to him.

After all, this is the land of 'knights'.

Just like I used to be.

An unremarkable agent rose through the ranks to become the spokesperson for the Business Federation after discovering the Blood Knight.

Ah, it's like a dream.

Charné knew that this road was really difficult.

It's much harder than lifting up the Blood Knight yourself.

After all, a knightly championship is insignificant to some members of those business associations, but a potential rival is a different story.

Take, for example, the Howling Guardian company behind the Howling Arena we're in right now.

For them, this is a chance to get a slice of the pie!

We must strike hard!

It would be incredibly difficult to elevate Maria Nearl to the champion's throne.

But if it actually succeeds... that would be a meteoric rise!

As someone who understands equestrian sports best, Charner is well aware of the difficulty of this matter.

However, he also knows the business association very well.

This is a very loosely organized group... If possible, it's not impossible to get help from them.

Take Whistling Guard, for example. This company is no longer satisfied with the field of esports and is now planning to enter the arms industry.

This has also caused considerable dissatisfaction among some of the companies that supply materials and equipment to the Kasimir army.

After all, this is their territory, and they wouldn't tolerate the roaring guards trying to take a piece of the pie.

A prime example is Brilliant Shield Company.

Even if Xia Yu were to enter this industry later, it wouldn't have a significant impact on those companies.

Because they knew that their core strength lay in the military, and that Xia Yu's Originium Arts could not be supplied on a large scale.

This eliminates the possibility of competing with others for market share.

Furthermore, it will cause trouble for companies like Howling Guard, which have been quite restless lately, preventing them from expanding their markets.

There are quite a few companies like this. After so many years of development, Kazimir's businesses have become deeply intertwined, making it difficult for outsiders to understand their relationships.

There are certainly quite a few conflicts of interest between them.

The problem is that Xia Yu is all alone, powerless and without influence. The only family he can rely on, the Lin Guang family, has a prestigious name but has actually fallen into decline.

Why should he get these companies, which have conflicts of interest with his future competitors, to endorse him?