Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

A female voice interrupted Mark's speech, delivering a resentful, almost summarizing statement.

"They may seem incredibly powerful, but in the end, they are merely pawns who obey orders and can be replaced at any time."

The two looked in the direction from which the sound came.

It was a white-haired Kuranta woman wearing a hospital gown and with bandages wrapped around her head—the Platinum who had been tossed aside by Charné after being headbutted by Tomat.

"Titles and clothing are more significant than the owners and wearers themselves... Listening to what you're saying, it feels like you're talking about me."

She frowned, whether from the throbbing pain in her head wound or, as she said, from being moved, which softened her icy expression.

"Let's not ask why you're here... but let me just say you're quite fit."

Tomat didn't pay much attention, after all, the fact that he was here as a patient meant that his background had been thoroughly investigated.

Regardless of what the doctor and his team are thinking, there shouldn't be any danger.

"Do you think big shots are all that great, sir?"

Platinum asked Mark a question.

"Let me tell you, the only difference between you and the big shots is whether or not you messed up the tasks that were assigned to you."

“You messed up, I messed up, that’s why we’re here, while Charne has never messed up, that’s why he’s always been a ‘big shot’—but in the end, whether you messed up or not, it’s all about those guys’ grumpy faces. They say yes, that’s it, and that’s how they decide whether you can continue to be a ‘big shot’.”

In these matters, Platinum's insights, as the one who interrupted, seemed to be more profound than Mark's, who had only had a sudden realization less than half a day ago.

Thomas also addressed Mark, who hadn't yet finished explaining his decision:

"...So, do you want to become the great person you envision yourself to be, or do you want to live a life where 'others decide whether you are or not' and then die a pathetic death on the roadside?"

Mark hesitated.

There was one question he didn't intend to ask.

However, with both of them discussing the matter simultaneously, he finally mustered that tiny bit of hope.

It was like asking my parents for the first time, "Can I become the knight on TV?"

"Can...can I really change things?"

Can I really become the great person I aspire to be?

Can I truly become someone who resists those unreasonable acts?

"Don't become their tool..."

"Could we even...could we prevent more people from suffering the same treatment?"

Capitalists, driven by self-interest, have alienated people from humanity, turning them into tools for pursuing direct or indirect gains.

Or they may beautify various heinous purposes and then commit the heinous act of replacing or discarding people like spare parts.

In Kazimierz, where these people held sway, these things were also rationalized from the perspective of order.

And yet, he himself actually followed Tomat's wishes and considered breaking away... or even rebelling?

Mark himself was somewhat lacking in confidence.

He might receive a disappointing response, or a well-intentioned but perfunctory one.

But Mark, who outwardly appears to have let go of everything and has no hope, is also very clear about what answer he truly desires from the bottom of his heart.

"Yes, of course you can! Why not?"

[Main Text] Terra's World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Five: One More Round?

For those who have lost motivation for everything due to life experiences or mindset issues, it is far more painful to make them try to make a change than to simply "go with the flow until they die of old age."

A person who is determined to give up, no matter how deeply they understand the injustices of the world, or how much they complain about the various unfair treatments they receive, will find it difficult to stand up and challenge things that might cause them to lose even more.

As long as you're alive, that's enough—why risk it all and end up with nothing?

This kind of passive, complacent mentality often appears after the person has experienced a major setback.

For example, Tomat, who discovered he hadn't been killed in the explosion.

Or perhaps it's Mark, who now feels weak after being thoroughly fooled by capital.

However, this mindset is often only a step away from the other extreme.

That is when they realize that even the last thing they could have was casually destroyed by others.

Their seemingly indifferent attitude will eventually lead to a more intense protest against reality.

Thomas simply gave Mark a push, making him realize that the weak, who had given up even resistance, were just dreaming when faced with the dominant "strong," even their self-righteous acceptance of fate was nothing but wishful thinking.

Is it easier to just accept your fate and muddle through? Is silently accepting injustice also a form of resistance?

If you think like that, they will strip you of your right to "accept your fate," either killing you or making you live according to their wishes.

Mark's idea of ​​"dying according to his own will" was nothing more than a form of self-comfort in seeking relief.

He didn't want to die, and he wanted to resist, but he didn't think he had the ability to do so.

"But why... if Charne first... Charne used me because it was in his own interest, but what was the point of you doing this?"

Mark didn't understand why Tomat would give him the approval he himself desired.

Thomas's explanation did not dispel his confusion:

"Your life or death has nothing to do with me, and I have no interest in motivating those who are determined to be useless."

Indifference, indifference—that's the attitude Tomat showed towards Mark, and it doesn't seem like a lie at all.

"But this time... just consider it a whim of mine."

Of course, this also includes another sentence that reflects this sudden change in attitude.

—It was simply to give him a chance to resist; it had little to do with any kind of goodwill.

As for the reason, he simply didn't want to say.

"Since you have nowhere else to go, you might as well hone your skills here. The preliminary rounds still have more than two months to go, and depending on the situation, you might be able to participate before they end."

Thomas said something that left Mark momentarily speechless.

"Participate...in the competition?"

"Yes, it depends on how hard you try. If you want to prove something, wouldn't it be great to do it in front of those people and under the gaze of all the audience?"

Before Mark could ask anything further, Thomas countered with:

"Aren't you furious? You're being manipulated by others there, and now you have to do what I say here."

Mark stood there stunned, silent for a long while before finally speaking:

"...No, I can't bring myself to hate it."

“They are manipulating me, stripping me of my last bit of strength, while you... are helping me ‘gain power’ or rather... ‘prove myself’ without any reason.”

Platinum, standing to the side, also said:

"That sounds like a good idea... It's much better than just walking down into the city and getting yourself killed, isn't it?"

Platinum's interruption of the conversation made the two suddenly realize that her appearance here was actually a bit too abrupt.

To Tomat, she was Charne's subordinate and an assassin who wanted her dead, while to Mark, this Kuranta girl who suddenly joined the conversation clearly knew too much inside information.

"Okay, okay... stop looking at me like that, I'll explain..."

Platinum explained the background and circumstances of her appearance on Rhodes Island with a somewhat reluctant attitude.

She made no attempt to conceal her identity as a high-ranking knight assassin of the Unarmored Alliance.

She then stated that she was no longer one—that she had given up her identity herself.

The reason is simple: Platinum, who was already working under Charné because he messed things up, messed up again because of Tomat's headbutt.

She was well aware of the consequences of making repeated mistakes, and if she didn't give up her identity as the Knight Killer, someone would naturally "help her give it up."

So she escaped from the hospital, went to Rhodes Island, and surprisingly received "protection," provided that she was willing to behave as a patient.

As for why Rhodes Island was chosen, it was because that headbutt made Platinum realize that Rhodes Island was capable of providing the corresponding protection.

“I didn’t do it willingly… They only gave me this task because they thought I was ‘useful’ and that I had no choice but to accept it, leaving me with only the choice of ‘death or obedience’.”

"Either you lose to the other party again and again as your agent does, becoming a stepping stone for their popularity, or you kill someone as they demand, or you will die."

Platinum's tone was unusually calm, neither flaunting his misery nor feigning innocence.

She calmly recounted what seemed ordinary to Tomat, but which made Mark's face gradually turn pale.

“I know I’m a criminal and I won’t make excuses for killing people, but Rhodes Island isn’t clean either, right? I can sense that there are many people here with a smug past like me, so I asked that woman—the one you call Doctor—to ask her for a chance to ‘start over’ or escape that kind of life.”

Perhaps it was her intuition from always being on the inside of society, but Platinum also keenly noticed some familiar faces on Rhodes Island who had been on the list before.

But here she saw that those people lived like "ordinary people".

That's why she made that attempt.

"When I have no other choice, I will do what those people demand in exchange for the right to survive."

"...But if they intend to kill me, and there is another option of 'living,' I will definitely try the latter."

Platinum looked at Mark:

“In this respect, I’m similar to you, brother. We should fight back according to our own ideas, instead of being manipulated until death and then lying down in peace by deceiving ourselves with the idea that we have ‘seen through everything’.”

Then, she forced an almost imperceptible smile at the corner of her mouth and said to Thomas:

"And you, if it weren't for your headbutt that showed me the difference in skill... I wouldn't have risked my life here."

Thomas frowned, looking at Platinum who was expressing her gratitude, and poked her forehead with her finger, saying:

"Shall we have another one?"

[Main Text] Terra's World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter Sixty-Six: Should Good People Point Guns at Each Other?

Mark was thrown onto the training platform by Tomat. Although he looked confused at the moment, Tomat believed that he would soon find a direction that suited him.

Platinum returned to where the patients were supposed to be, after all, she didn't want to get hit by a second headbutt. However, before leaving, seemingly to leave a better impression on Tomat, with whom she had a previous conflict, she mentioned something else.

That is, the business alliance is planning to clear out clusters of infected people in the city.