Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Blinded by that sliver of hope for survival, they couldn't see the whole picture at all.

Ugh.

What a gaffe.

Charné thought about it a lot, and finally came to terms with it.

From the very beginning, it was all wishful thinking on my part, a desperate attempt to salvage the situation.

Ugh……

In the end, it still failed.

They were defeated due to misjudgment caused by insufficient information.

Ultimately, he was just a spokesperson for a business association.

It may seem glamorous to outsiders, but...

Only those involved know the hardships they endured.

“As you wish,” he said gracefully, bowing slightly to Xia Yu, “I will arrange everything and then wait and see.”

"Oh?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow upon seeing this.

He hadn't expected Charlene to accept reality so calmly.

After all, from the very beginning, his so-called plan was based on the wrong information, and he only regarded him as a casual pawn.

Surprisingly, he was able to remain calm even when things had come to this point.

Xia Yu couldn't help but look at him with newfound respect.

Charné didn't know why the business federation's attitude had suddenly changed, but he did.

Margaret's information must have been leaked.

Today was supposed to be her day, but I had some needs myself, so I accepted it.

“I thought you would behave more… well, a bit more hysterically.”

"What good is that?" Charné laughed nonchalantly. "Will it allow me to live with dignity?"

“Hysteria is not possible, but you might not be right now,” Xia Yu said, narrowing her eyes.

"Go find Hongsong, and tell him I sent you."

"Perhaps you still have some use."

-

"A revenge team that failed to qualify for the Major for two consecutive years from their original order, leading them to leave and seek other paths, and eventually come together!"

Mob the Big Mouth announced loudly from the commentary booth: "The two Snowheel Knights present today are equally renowned; they are—"

His voice was followed by heavy footsteps that could be heard clearly even in an arena that could hold more than 20,000 people.

And the oppressive feeling that followed, accompanied by an indescribable stench.

The entire arena fell silent upon the arrival of these two.

His height of over two meters, far exceeding that of ordinary people, the figure of the Sarkaz with its broken horns, and the terrifying aura emanating from his entire body...

One wielded a warhammer, the other a longbow... their sheer size and heavy armor alone would deter most competitive knights.

Even Mob the Big Mouth was momentarily speechless.

But his professional skills allowed him to react quickly.

"From the Knights of Snowheel—Corruption and Decay!"

"..."

"Are you kidding me? This is a knight too?"

"This...doesn't it look a little too terrifying?"

"Neighbor needs one person to deal with these two?"

"Hey...isn't this really interesting!?"

The audience had differing opinions.

However, the vast majority of people did not show indignation at the rule-breaking, but rather excitement.

After all, they come to watch the esports arena for thrills, so the more thrilling the better.

This is the market's choice. If following the rules makes the competition more popular, then the Business Federation will definitely be the most law-abiding one.

Unfortunately, that's not the case.

Rules, haha.

As it turns out, as long as the audience's desires are satisfied, they don't care what kind of conspiracy lies behind it.

Is this the situation Margaret is facing?

Moral decay, the collapse of social order...

This would be perfectly fitting for Kazimierz in the present day.

Ultimately, this is what a capitalist-dominated world looks like.

"No, Maria absolutely cannot play!"

Zofia rushed to the players' lounge, only to find that Maria was no longer there.

She has already walked towards the ring.

"Xia Yu...right, Xia Yu, have Xia Yu activate Originium Arts!"

Upon seeing this, Zofia turned and began searching for Xia Yu, hoping to use his Originium Arts to save Maria.

While the enhancements applied to the player were against the rules, at least they allowed Maria to survive.

But no matter what, she couldn't find Xia Yu.

"So, when will the match begin...?"

Just as Mob was about to announce the start of the match, a communication device appeared in front of him.

"Um, viewers, due to the unforeseen circumstances that cause Farfang Knight's absence, Maria Nearl is now missing a teammate..."

"Therefore, she can choose one of the vassals of the Linguang family as her companion to fight on the battlefield..."

Even as he said this, Mob, the Big Mouth, lacked confidence.

What... what kind of logic is this? How can this be?

And this kind of operation?

But this message came from a spokesperson for the Business Federation, so how could it be false?

Big Mouth Mob couldn't understand what was going on, but none of it concerned him.

He just needs to do his job.

"Can it still be like this?"

"A vassal of the Nearl family? Knightly tournaments have these rules?"

"Well, it's alright, after all, it's really difficult for one person to fight against two demons..."

In contrast, there was a great deal of discussion in the audience.

But the vast majority of them are not questioning.

I was just a little surprised.

Because, what difference does adding another person make? It's still the same who fights, isn't it?

No one questioned the rules. Ha, the Business Federation has broken countless rules, yet no one has ever questioned them.

So how could these people possibly question the present situation?

They just want to see rivers of blood flowing as soon as possible.

After all, they were already used to the business association's style.

Ah.

In contrast to those on-site, the board members watched the broadcast from their own mansions.

This is not what we agreed on!

In an instant, Charné's phone was ringing off the hook.

But he didn't care at all, simply muted the phone and tossed it far away.

He began to watch the game with complete focus.

"Let me see what you're really relying on."

……

"Is this really okay?"

Maria looked at Xia Yu beside her and asked with some concern.