Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"...And then? Just get through it? This isn't a competition, it's more like watching a show!"

Thomas's expression revealed an undisguised disgust.

Meteor nodded, her eyes also revealing helplessness and resentment.

"That's right, they came to see this, to see the infected struggling among a pack of brutal beasts—the audience consists of either ordinary people who can't afford tickets for the main event, or wealthy people who come specifically to have fun."

The popularity of infected riders is much lower than that of regular competitive riders.

Even if an arena is built, it won't bring much economic benefit, but it does satisfy some of the low-level needs of the audience to some extent.

Even in the main competition, the content in the formal arena is far from that of real knightly competition. If you really want to watch it, what difference is there between the infected knights' "performance" and that?

Moreover, their match tickets are cheaper, which has made them popular with a certain segment of the population.

This is why Meteor, born in a relatively underdeveloped rural area of ​​Kazimierz, would know about the Infected Arena.

After all, in the village where she was born, there were many idle villagers who were keen to watch these cheap and cruel performances.

Meteor continued explaining the details about the Infected Knight.

"If the points of a regular competitive knight represent fame and a chance to qualify, then the points of an infected knight are almost equivalent to his life."

"Points will be deducted over time. If you don't earn them through matches in time, you will be stripped of your knighthood. Moreover, since most of the shops and public facilities in Kazimierz do not provide services to infected people, many of these points will be used by infected knights to purchase supplies or medical services in the arena."

"Because only the Infected Arena will offer these things to them."

"Even though I don't know much about modern industry, I know that those foods, drinks, and even medicines are defective products rejected from the assembly line, things that wouldn't pass inspection even if they were put into Rhodes Island's manufacturing workshop!"

“It is very difficult for Infected Knights to earn points, while the arena charges exorbitant prices, which forces them to engage in continuous high-intensity battles in order to survive.”

"The so-called 'infected knights bearing the same glory' mentioned in the reports are nothing more than performance tools for fighting to the death in the eyes of the audience."

The surrounding scenery began to change.

The buildings, which were previously more residential, have been transformed into an entertainment district filled with gambling shops and other shady businesses.

However, a sense of decay, permeated with a faint air of decadence, still lingered throughout the area.

"Are we almost there?"

The meteor slowed its pace, looked around, and then answered Thomas, who had asked the question:

"If I remember correctly... the Infected Arena in this city is nearby."

As Bardock looked around, he asked with a hint of doubt in his voice:

"...But why do you think they might have been brought here?"

Meteor hesitated for a moment.

The two realized that what she was about to say was not good news.

"Just as I said, the Infected Knight Arena... the combat intensity is very high, the competition is fierce, and the medical care available is very limited, so... it often results in too many casualties among the participants, leaving a shortage of other competitors..."

"At times like these, people will take away newly infected individuals from the city. Although the official explanation is 'to allow infected individuals burdened with debt to repay their debts in this way,' or 'the individual chooses to become a competitor rather than be exiled,' in reality, people often resort to coercion, forcibly dragging people onto the field..."

"Because no matter what, as a form of knightly competition, there are always some interests involved. Of course, for the administrators, even if it's just a nobleman who simply wants to watch this kind of competition, they will continue to engage in similar activities."

—Lily of the Valley and Bubble may have been recruited as "contestants".

Although Meteor avoided saying these words directly, the two still understood what she meant.

“I’ll leave my hometown aside… but I remember that you wouldn’t let such young children fight here either. Almost all the child soldiers on Rhodes Island come from that place called Columbia, right? Even on Rhodes Island, children are only at the reserve level and almost never participate in actual combat.”

Thomas also expressed his bewilderment at the act of kidnapping children to participate in such a dangerous competition, and even used his own experience and that of Rhodes Island to illustrate his point.

"really..."

Bardock, who had spent a lot of time with children, was certainly aware of this.

Some children receive combat training, but it only goes as far as low-intensity "sports," and everything is just preparation for the future.

Because they are indeed far inferior to races like the Saiyans, who can survive on the battlefield from a young age, engaging in difficult battles would only be sending them to their deaths.

"I think I understand..."

Badak's voice suddenly turned somber.

"...You mean, this bunch of trash who aren't even from a fighting nation enjoy watching underpowered kids fight each other in a cage?"

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[Main Text] Terra's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Beasts

Badak spent slightly less time in Terra than Tomat.

Even though he doesn't particularly enjoy thinking deeply about certain things, he has come to realize three things.

Firstly, Terra has many races, so many that he thought it might be a colony planet that had already been occupied.

Secondly, although there are many, none of them are warrior races similar to the Saiyans. Obviously, neither Ursus nor Sarkaz fit his personal definition of a "warrior race".

Thirdly, they are actually similar to other races they have seen; they are all "weak" and need to rely on collective accumulation to form a stronger force, rather than a single individual being able to take on a thousand men.

They are just a weak, ordinary race, not a warrior nation.

Competition, fighting, slaughter, and war are compulsory courses that Saiyans, the warrior race, must learn in their early childhood.

Even the weak who are eliminated are powerful enough to surpass the ordinary races.

The fighting between young individuals is something that adult warriors can also watch.

After all, some geniuses might be strong enough to easily defeat you even while drinking milk.

The warlike Saiyans wouldn't be particularly surprised by this situation.

However, Terra is of a different race.

Compared to the Saiyans, they lack sufficient basic power and many variables.

There were no royal geniuses who inherited excellent genes.

No sudden, mutated, berserk monsters appeared.

This makes the possibility of "children engaging in a fight worth watching" zero.

Perhaps there are a few young people with exceptional strength, but that is just an individual case and is not enough to represent the entire race.

Bardock, who had spent months in Rhode Island interacting with children of all races, was well aware of this situation.

Terra's children are not strong enough or suited for combat.

But Bardock would use a rough approach to encourage them to become stronger, and then, when necessary, fight as an adult.

Terra's struggles are wars between groups, and even groups of adults cannot escape unscathed, let alone a single child separated from the group.

Children who don't develop an overwhelming advantage over other races from a young age are still too far removed from the concept of "fighting."

Different races have different ways of surviving and growing because of their differences in strength.

Badak knew this well.

That's why he couldn't understand why, in this environment and with this background of racial power, someone would deliberately make children fight, and even enjoy such "fighting."

Not only will they not understand, they might even feel...

"anger"?

Even setting aside the anger he felt at the sight of someone he knew, the very phenomenon itself was enough to fill him with disgust.

It allows children who are not good at fighting to engage in entertainment that is not even a real battle.

This is an insult to the act of “fighting” itself.

At the same time, it touched a "minefield" that Bardock was unwilling to confide in others.

"...Bardock, you know what? I have two bad ideas now."

Guided by the shooting star, Thomas and his companions arrived at a sloping passageway that resembled the entrance to an underground station.

There were no markings above, only that the metal parts supporting the building structure were covered in rust.

Looking inside, the floor tiles were mostly broken, giving the impression of being neglected.

However, in the nearby open space, in this parking area, you can see quite a few Originium Engine vehicles that look very expensive.

This is the city's Infected Arena.

Just as the meteor said, it looks deserted, but in reality, there are quite a few people with special interests who enjoy watching it.

What are you trying to say?

The atmosphere between the two made it difficult for Meteor to interject, so he could only quietly listen to their conversation as he walked along the dark, poorly lit underground passage.

"If the two of them aren't here, I don't know where to look for them."

This was Tomat's first idea.

"What about the other one?"

When Bardock pressed him for answers, Tomat patted him on the shoulder and said in a somewhat serious tone:

“If they were here, I would have to think about how to calm you down—prepare yourself mentally.”

Tomat was preparing Badak psychologically in advance.

Of course, this kind of half-baked excuse won't convince the other party.

"You're going to stop me?"

Badak's tone was somewhat displeased.

"...Don't go too far."

Ultimately, Tomat made some compromises.

As for Meteor—this operator, who doesn't know the two of them very well, can only try his best to think of things in a positive light.

Even without close or prolonged contact, she was aware of the "legends" surrounding these two powerful figures on Rhodes Island.

So, who hasn't seen their "combat records" yet?

"Gentlemen, please proceed with caution until you have confirmed any leads. After all, no matter how unregulated this place may be, it is nominally the property of the Kazimir Business Federation... If you were to clash with them..."

However, as is customary, Meteor reminded the two of something.