Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

"Ugh..."

Tomat sighed, just as he had when Monica the Blue Gold launched her attack despite her own demands and the advice of her colleagues.

This is not about lamenting for the other person.

He felt it was both meaningless and troublesome.

He wasn't like Gohan's father, the kind of person who would enthusiastically accept any challenge from someone.

Thomas placed his hand on the blade of the Nightmare Knight's sword, which was held in front of him.

"Alright, now it's none of your business whether you want to or not—can you put the weapon away?"

Thomas deliberately emphasized one word, as if adding a touch of mockery.

The Nightmare Knight, sensing this tone, replied with even greater anger:

"Ridiculous! You think I—"

He retracted it as he would after swinging a weapon, an action he had repeated more than a million times.

It cuts into flesh, into solid rock, into steel.

Each time the sword was drawn, it was as smooth and unobstructed as flowing water.

And pulling it out from between someone's fingers is even easier.

It should be so.

"!!!"

The Nightmare Knight, who had picked up the longsword with one hand, made a certain movement in his shoulder muscles, causing his armor to sway, before freezing in place.

The entire venue fell silent at that moment.

"I--!!!"

He tightened his armpits, adjusted his grip on the knife, clamped the hilt of the long sword, and firmly planted his feet before making a "pull" motion.

But neither the longsword nor Tomat, who was sitting there, remained completely still; they couldn't even turn the blade.

"Damn it...!!!"

He finally gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, and even in real combat, he rarely encountered an opponent who forced him to use both hands to slash.

This time, however, it wasn't about slashing at any opponent; it was simply about getting his beloved knife, which he had been stained with blood for so long, out of someone else's hands.

The Nightmare Knight, one step in front and one step behind, no longer maintained its stationary posture, but leaned back and made a "pulling" motion.

"What...what did you do!?"

He gritted his teeth and exerted force, causing his entire suit of armor to clang and clatter from the impact, and the floor tiles beneath his feet gradually crumbled.

He forced out an incredulous and furious voice as he loudly questioned Tomat.

But Tomat did not answer.

Meanwhile, the Nightmare Knight floated upright.

The current gesture of Tomat "pinching" the Nightmare Knight's blade is with his right thumb on top and his index finger on the bottom.

In other words, if we take the index finger joint below as a fulcrum, the two do indeed form a very unfair leverage relationship.

Tomat's lever arm is the distance between the knuckle of his index finger and his thumb.

Have you ever played on a seesaw?

Tomath looked at the Nightmare Knight that was rising on the other end as he gradually applied force with his thumb, and asked a question that seemed nonsensical to the already confused Knight.

"What...what are you saying—"

Thomas loosened his grip on his index finger slightly.

Then he pressed down hard.

The Nightmare Knight, who was holding the hilt of the sword at the other end, was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, amidst loud noises and falling ceiling debris, large characters were embedded in the wall above.

Amidst a sudden scream from the crowd of onlookers, Tomat hurled his longsword at the Nightmare Knight's body on the ceiling.

A dull thud sounded, and the cold blade pierced through its master.

—It seemed that way, but in reality, it was just inserted into the gap under his armpits to nail him and his cloak to the ceiling more securely.

[Main Text] Terra's World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament. Debate Chapter: Chapter Ninety-Six: Let Me Make a Move!

"Drink it!!!"

With all his might, the Nightmare Knight shattered the ceiling that was trapping him.

A large amount of rubble fell, and the three Saiyans left the long table for the first time.

After all, the Nightmare Knight stepped directly on it and broke it in two, and the long sword stuck in the top was also pulled out by him as he fell.

"Huff...huff...huff..."

Tired? In pain? Angry?

No one knows what exactly is causing the Nightmare Knight to be breathing heavily.

The situation finally started to get a little out of control.

Only then did the security personnel think about maintaining order. They pushed and shoved the reporters who had already raised their cameras out of the venue, while simultaneously running to the three Saiyans. In their eyes, the Saiyans seemed easier to talk to than the Nightmare Knights, so they said:

"Sir Knight! Competitive knights are not allowed to engage in private duels outside of the designated areas!"

Tomat looked at the security personnel, who were extremely anxious about losing their jobs, then glanced at the Nightmare Knight standing in front of him with a knife, and said:

"Private fight? Which eye of yours thinks this is a 'fight'?"

These words made the Nightmare Knight pause in his breathing for a moment, and he, too, stared intently at Tomat through his helmet with his crimson eyes.

"Isn't it just playing seesaw with people who haven't lost their childlike wonder?"

After glancing at the knight who had provoked Tomat, Bardock seemed to notice the other's immaturity and said mockingly:

"Hmph, it is indeed quite suitable for a brat who hasn't even grown up yet."

"Ah...you guys, isn't saying this just making things more complicated!?"

Only Gohan felt that saying these words would lead to an even bigger conflict.

And just as Gohan had predicted, the difference in strength, the provocation in words, and a certain obsession buried deep in the other's heart caused the Nightmare Knight to... "lose control".

It has nothing to do with the ability to sense breath.

Those who were not cleared out, including the knights, all sensed something unusual.

Even though the air conditioner was operating without regard for power consumption to maintain the optimal temperature in the room, the air began to feel cold.

People seemed to feel their skin tighten, a chill creeping up their spines, and the shadows in the hall growing deeper, as if something was staring intently at them with wide eyes.

An unusual wind began to blow in the enclosed space.

The venue, which had previously only contained the heavy breathing of the Nightmare Knights, was now filled with other complex sounds.

The sound of metal clashing.

The sound of synchronized footsteps.

The long, resonant sound of the bugle.

And songs sung in an unknown language.

"...The young hunter embarks on a heavenly journey—starting from a dream—to find that golden shore—"

Lin Guang, who remained in the room, immediately realized the origin of the singing.

"This is... an ancient language used during the Khan's reign... I've only ever heard it from Mr. Wald... It's a very old folk song..."

Viviana, who was born in Letania, heard more secrets hidden within.

"No... there is some kind of magic in this voice... it's some kind of ritual."

"So these are the things that the Nightmare Knight's fanatical fans chanted in the middle of the night before?"

The Blood Knight did not leave either, and he commented on the sounds echoing throughout the space, while also noticing the strangeness happening to the Nightmare Knight.

He was surrounded by a black mist.

The thick, opaque smoke, seemingly containing a chaotic array of images, continued to spread from the Nightmare Knight's center.

The various sounds are becoming clearer.

The figure of the Nightmare Knight gradually disappeared.

Another strange scene is slowly emerging.

One...two...five...ten...twenty...

More and more figures appeared in the thick fog, like legless ghosts manifesting in the world. Each of them was dressed in armor similar to that of the Nightmare Knights, and they were arranged in neat rows, ready for battle.

The thick fog seemed like a gateway to another world, summoning an army that did not belong to this world back into existence.

Nightmares are a race that spreads and dominates fear.

But the fear is not something they generate themselves.

Nightmares are fearless.

Therefore, their source of fear comes entirely from others.

The more others fear them, the greater the power that the Nightmare Fearers wield.

The most compelling source of fear among foreign tribes was the so-called "Kheshig Legion".

The more they fought for the Khan, the more others feared them, and the stronger the Kheshig army became.

They create fear, exploit fear, and ultimately they become fear itself, a tangible entity that nightmares use to their advantage.

The Nightmare Knight had never seen a vast battlefield, nor had he experienced mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He was born during the era of the Sargon dynasty, which had long since been destroyed by the Khan, and even the direct line of the Khan's Nightmare bloodline was nearly extinct.

However—Nightmares are a race born with the ability to control fear.