Asura in Arknights

"By the way, Maria, won't you introduce this lady to me? Is she your friend?"

The woman looked at Adele beside her. She had noticed Adele as soon as she entered the house, but only now did she have the chance to ask her.

"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier, this is Eyjafjalla. Sarah is pregnant, so she's had Eyjafjalla take over her work for a while."

"This is Aunt Zofia. Don't let her appearance fool you, she's a very skilled gladiator."

Maria pulled them together and introduced them to each other.

"What do you mean 'don't look at me like this'... just call me Zofia."

Although I initially thought Zofia was a bit arrogant, I found out after getting to know her that she was just used to speaking in that tone, and she was actually not difficult to get along with.

This is actually related to her profession. Although Zofia is a competitive rider with her own unique title, she is only a 'former' competitive rider. After being injured in the last Major, Zofia has already retired and is now working as a coach.

Having scolded those young rascals so often, Zofia's way of speaking inevitably picked up that flavor.

"Where's Marner? I haven't seen him. Is he still working at that lousy company?"

After staying in the mansion for a while, Zofia still didn't see that annoying figure, so she couldn't help but ask.

Uncle Manna… Maria’s expression changed slightly when she heard that name.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Zofia, as expected of a former competitive knight, immediately noticed Maria's unusual expression.

"It's nothing," Maria quickly shook her head.

Maria wanted to tell her that her sister had returned to Kazimierz, but then she remembered Marna's warning to her, so she quickly covered up her earlier unusual behavior.

“I haven’t seen my uncle for a while, and I don’t know what he’s been up to.”

Without seeing Marna, Maria had no way of knowing about her sister's situation. Although Maria disliked her uncle very much, she knew that she absolutely could not cause trouble at this time.

While Marna was indeed annoying, and even seemed to be constantly opposing Maria, Maria had to admit that Marna was very reliable in important matters.

Zofia didn't want to talk about Marna any further, and when she heard that he wasn't there, she simply put the matter aside.

"Forget about that guy, Maria. What are you up to next? If you have time, would you like to come watch a few games with me?"

The competition here naturally refers to knightly competition.

“I have time! Of course I have time!” Maria readily agreed.

Maria is a typical Kazimierz, so how could she not be interested in knightly competitions? It's just that she usually spends all her pocket money on the workshop and doesn't have any money to buy tickets to the arena. If it weren't for Zofia occasionally helping her out, Maria might not even have been able to buy new clothes.

"By the way, since you're Maria's friend, are you coming along too?"

Zofia naturally extended an invitation to Adele as well, saying, "I can easily bring two more people in."

"Um...actually, I'm not that interested in knightly competitions..." Adele said somewhat awkwardly.

Adele had absolutely no interest in the fighting and killing involved in knightly competitions and had no idea what was so interesting about them.

In her view, it was more useful to sit in her room and read a few more books than to waste time watching matches in the arena. This was perhaps the biggest difference between the Letanians and the Casimirians.

"Come on, come on, Eyjafjalla, don't you get bored staying in the house all day?" Maria grabbed Adele's hands and shook them gently. "Just think of it as coming out to play with me."

"Okay, alright..."

Since Maria had already begged so earnestly, Adele felt embarrassed to refuse again and reluctantly agreed.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Crimson

"Wow, there are so many people!"

The surrounding area was packed with people. After Maria came out, she ran around excitedly and couldn't stay still at all.

Seeing Maria running around everywhere, Zofia couldn't help but call out, "Maria! Be careful not to get lost, or you won't be able to get into the arena alone."

"I'm sorry." Maria then calmed down and obediently returned to Zofia's side.

The people gathered here are mostly spectators heading to the arena to watch the match. Such a lively scene is rare in Letania, where the pace of life is much slower.

At this time, the preliminary rounds of the Special Championship were in full swing, and the arenas of all sizes in the city were almost full 24 hours a day, with countless knights fighting on the field every minute and every second.

Therefore, the quality of the matches varies greatly, and whether you can see an exciting match depends entirely on luck.

Since they were just out to relax, Zofia didn't really choose a place and just picked a large arena that was nearby, bringing the two of them there.

They hadn't bought any tickets for the arena beforehand, but there was no need to worry about that, as Maria's status gave her some special privileges.

Zofia was one of the top 16 in the previous Major, and even though she has now retired, she is still treated much better than the average Cavalier.

The Major has been held for more than 20 years. Excluding those who have passed away and those who have participated in the Major multiple times, there are only a few dozen people left in the top 16. Compared with the huge number of competitive knights, this is a very small number.

Zofia led them to the entrance of the arena. After they showed their identification, the arena sent someone to respectfully escort them through a separate passage.

They naturally don't need to compete with ordinary spectators for seats below. The arena has VIP boxes specially prepared for them. With specially configured camera drones, even sitting in the high boxes, they can see every blade of grass and tree on the field.

"Wow, Auntie, this is amazing! I've never watched a match in a place like this before." Maria excitedly touched around in the box. The few times she had watched a match, she had always been sitting in the audience.

"Of course, I was once among the top 16, and ordinary people don't get this kind of treatment." Zofia couldn't help but feel a little proud when she said this.

The main difference between watching the game here and watching it at home is that you can freely control the drone and watch the game from any angle you want.

No longer needing to stay in the chaotic audience seats, Adele was less resistant than before and began to curiously fiddle with the equipment provided in the box; these things were quite new to her.

Maria also enthusiastically joined in, explaining to Adele how to operate these things.

Meanwhile, Zofia was also looking through the list of participants for this competition. After a quick glance, she said somewhat absentmindedly, "Well, the participants are all level four or five knights. This competition... is somewhat interesting."

For ordinary people, level four or five knights are already experts they rarely encounter, but for Zofia, knights of this level are not enough. Any one of the knights she usually trains has the strength of this level.

Maria, however, seemed quite interested in the competition. When she and Adele reviewed the competition schedule together, Adele spotted a very familiar name.

“Brother Renn?” Adele couldn’t help but exclaim.

"Hmm? What, do you know someone here?" Zofia glanced at her and asked.

“Hmm… Brother Ryan is Sarah’s husband. I didn’t expect to see him here,” Adele said, pointing to Ryan’s information on the screen.

Is that so?

Although Zofia didn't visit the Light Manor often because of Marna, she still had some impression of Sarah. Now that she had met Sarah's husband here, Zofia was somewhat curious.

The list indicated that Rein was a level 5 knight, but when Zofia opened the detailed information, she was shocked by the dense list of battle achievements displayed on it.

"Has this guy gone mad?"

Upon hearing Zofia's exclamation, the other two also cast puzzled glances at her.

"You two can see for yourselves." Zofia pushed the tablet in front of them. "Ever since the Special Major started, your brother Ryan has been participating in all sorts of competitions like crazy, averaging one a day. Isn't he afraid of his body collapsing?"

Knights' athletic competition is a very physically demanding sport. Generally speaking, they only participate in one competition a week and spend the rest of their time resting and recuperating.

Once a day... no one can stick to that frequency for long.

"After this competition, you'd better talk to your older brother and tell him not to act so recklessly anymore," Zofia said very seriously.

"...I understand, but I don't think Brother Ren will listen to my advice."

Adele's expression darkened. She had some guesses about what Ryan had been doing all this time, and the truth she learned now was not beyond her expectations: "Sarah and the others encountered some difficulties, and that's why Ryan was working so hard."

"Family... well, I have nothing more to say about that. You all know the answer in your hearts." Zofia sighed softly and didn't say anything more.

Zofia knew all too well that people who act for the sake of their family, their clan, and such goals would not stop because of a few words.

Whether it's her, Marna, or Margaret who has already left Kazimierz, they all belong to the same category in this matter.

"Alright, let's talk about these things later. Now let's watch your brother's match." Zofia casually changed the subject.

This competition follows a standard tournament format with no special features. A total of 32 contestants will draw lots to select their opponents, ultimately determining a single winner.

Ryan drew a fairly early number, so they didn't have to wait long before they saw Ryan's match.

The result was somewhat unexpected for Zofia. Relying on his physical advantages, Rein almost crushed his opponent with overwhelming force, and the strength he displayed was not what one would expect from a level 5 knight... It's really hard to understand why he stayed at level 5 for so long.

However, if they have that kind of strength, the outcome of this match should be a foregone conclusion.

Just as Zofia was thinking this, a scream suddenly echoed throughout the entire arena, and even Zofia, who was sitting in a box, could hear it clearly.

"What happened?" Zofia quickly turned the drone's view toward the direction from which the screams came.

The screams were coming from the arena next door.

When the camera turned in that direction, the screen displayed a glaring, bright red blood.

Chapter Thirty-Three: Reasons for Not Giving Up

"Uh, there seems to be a slight mishap at arena number three. They want us to pause the match and see what happened there."

At this moment, the commentator's voice also came through the loudspeaker.

Through that glaring glimpse of blood, Zofia's expression turned extremely ugly after seeing the situation on the adjacent arena.

“Maria...and Eyjafjalla, you'd better not look at what’s happening in arena number three.”

Many people in the stands outside also noticed what happened at Arena Number Three. The entire arena was in an uproar. The reason was simple: what happened at Arena Number Three was just too cruel.

"Oh my god... Knight Byron actually tore off one of his opponent's thighs! How could he do such a cruel thing?" the commentator said, somewhat incoherently.

No one expected this to happen. As knightly competitions have evolved, bloody and terrifying fighting styles have become rare. After all, apart from a few people with unusual tastes, no one likes to see severed limbs and various internal organs flying around on the field.

This knight named Byron clearly violated this unspoken rule.

He stood proudly on the ring, casually tossing the thigh he was holding aside, and glanced at the camera drone with utter disdain.

"I'm sorry, the match needs to be temporarily suspended for a while. Someone has complained to the Knights Association about Knight Byron's behavior. The match can only continue after the association's verification."

Although Maria and Adele followed Zofia's instructions and did not watch what happened on ring number three, they knew what had just happened from the host's description.

They didn't have to wait long before the commentator relayed a message from the Knights' Association.

"After the Knights Association's judgment, Knight Byron's behavior did not violate any rules, so... the match will proceed as normal."

"How could this be?"

Neither Maria nor Adele could accept this outcome.

This announcement undoubtedly shattered Maria's positive impression of Knights Arena. She couldn't imagine such a brutal thing happening on the field. Adele's worries were more realistic: with such a ferocious opponent in the game, wouldn't Brother Renn inevitably run into him sooner or later?

"You two calm down!"

Zofia's voice brought them back to reality. She glanced at her left hand before saying with mixed feelings, "The knight's opponent didn't die. In terms of the outcome, he didn't break any rules, but... his methods were somewhat unacceptable."

“Maria, let me tell you now. Knight competitions are a bloody affair. Don’t think of them as something wonderful.”

As the match resumed, the atmosphere in the arena had subtly changed. Byron's brutal actions were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, and no matter how brilliantly the knights performed on stage, the atmosphere could not return to its initial fervor.

Soon it was Byron's turn to take the stage. His opponent seemed unaffected by what had just happened and was still eagerly brandishing his weapon.

But courage was not enough to make up for the difference in strength between the two sides. After a few minutes of hide-and-seek offense and defense, Byron the Knight picked up his opponent from the ground like a chick.

Beneath the helmet, Byron revealed a cruel smile.

This time, his opponent paid the price with two arms. Byron kneaded his opponent's arms like clay, turning them into two lumps of flesh bit by bit. The chilling cracking sound was captured by the drone's microphone and clearly entered the ears of every spectator.

Even if he survived, the knight's arms would be completely useless. Injuries of this severity are almost impossible to heal, and even if they could be treated, the cost would be beyond what an ordinary knight could afford.

Fear gradually emerged from everyone's heart, gathering into a huge vortex above the arena, constantly stirring the hearts of everyone.

No one wants to face such a terrifying opponent. These people become competitive knights either for money or fame, but no one comes to the ring to lose their life.

Not only the opponents Byron will face in the next two rounds, but even the other players who are unlikely to meet him have chosen to forfeit.

Giving up the match might only cost you some points, but facing that monster could cost you your life.

This 32-player tournament had already entered the finals in less than a third of its usual duration.

Looking at the list of finalists, Adele suddenly became anxious. "Zofia, can't we stop them?"

Zofia shook her head helplessly. "It's no use. If the Cavaliers don't forfeit, we can't stop this game on our own."

"Why doesn't Brother Raine abstain?"

“I think… it’s probably because he doesn’t want to give up this opportunity,” Zofia sighed. “I just looked at his file and found that his rating within the association is actually very low.”

"He has been stuck at level 5 for too long, and there are even quite a few records of him intentionally losing. Because of this, if he wants to advance now, he can only rely on winning streaks to raise his score."

With his strength, Raine was a complete smurf among level 5 knights, which is how he achieved his winning streak. He probably didn't expect to encounter Byron, who was also smurfing.

"If he loses this time, he won't have a second chance to advance, at least within the timeframe of the Special Championship."

They could only sit in the VIP box and watch helplessly as the two men stepped onto the ring.

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"Long time no see, Renn. Looks like you're doing pretty well."