To be cornered in desperation, and then reach the pinnacle.
Sona transformed into thunder, completing the most important metamorphosis in her breathing technique training.
True Total Concentration Breathing.
Just as Lucas Reeve had said.
Total Concentration Breathing wasn't simply breathing with your nose or mouth, but breathing with your entire body.
Back when Jessica... after Lucas Reeve returned, she had stopped working as a mercenary and instead became a chairman, a boss. Because of this, she severely lacked practical combat experience, which led to her spending a very long time to truly grasp complete Total Concentration Breathing.
Sona was different from Jessica.
Jessica didn't need to do things herself; a single phone call, and Raythean Industries' most professional troops would eliminate the enemy. Sona, however, could only rely on herself. This near-death desperation, combined with Sona's stubbornness, completed a massive transformation.
Sona stood behind the two Sarkaz knights, her back to them. Mimicking Lucas Reeve's earlier pose, she flicked the blade in her hand—which hadn't been stained by a single drop of blood—and smoothly slid it into its sheath. Blood immediately began to gush from the chests of the two Infected knights. Finally, their legs gave out, and they both collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
Lying at the edge of the arena, Justyna, who was immobilized because her Originium energy was depleted, stared with wide, disbelieving eyes.
This....
This....
As someone who had just witnessed the entire process up close, Justyna's current mood could only be described as turbulent.
"So strong..."
Justyna sighed with heartfelt admiration.
As a fellow Infected knight, and an Infected at that, she naturally couldn't have undergone any systematic training. How... how was the Flametail Knight so strong!!
It wasn't just Justyna who was shocked.
Nearly every spectator in the entire Knight Major arena, even the host, stared wide-eyed, looking incredulously at the figure standing tall in the center of the field—a figure that seemed so small, yet simultaneously so immense.
One against two...
A true one-on-two. Although that little bird had provided some help, it was only in a supporting role... What truly decided the victory was that little squirrel's strike, which was like a clap of thunder.
Only after the director's reminder came through his earpiece did the host snap back to reality. He spoke in a tone filled with genuine praise.
"Incredible!! How incredible!!"
"Our Flametail Knight has once again created a miracle! Two hours! Two matches! The Flametail Knight has completed the two fastest consecutive reversals in the history of the Knight Major! She's faster, even faster than before! The Flametail Knight is still improving, she still has so much room for growth! I have hosted the Knight Major for so many years and encountered many stunning knights like the Flametail Knight. Every single one of them!! They all submitted a perfect score sheet for their knightly careers. I look forward to seeing how many more surprises the Flametail Knight will bring us in the future!!"
"Now!! I announce!! The winners of this 2V2 match... are the Flametail Knight and the Fartooth Knight!!"
Following the host's passionate words, the surrounding audience could no longer contain their excitement. After the host finished roaring, they began to vent their own agitated feelings.
"Flametail Knight!! Flametail Knight!! Flametail Knight!!"
"I'm a 10-year fan of the little squirrel!!"
"Waiter, hit it! A hundred Super-Fliers!! Don't stop until my card is maxed out!!"
"Brilliant, brilliant! Ever since the Radiant Knight three years ago, the Spring and Summer Majors always felt like they were missing something... It's all back! This is the stuff! It's all back!!"
Not only were the live spectators excited, but the vast majority of the audience in front of their screens were even more so. On the major websites broadcasting the Knight Major regular season, the barrage comments were already so dense they almost completely obscured the screen. These comments were a solid wall of "666," "Awesome," and "Little Squirrel is OP."
And in Sona's home, her entire family, gathered in front of the television, was dancing with excitement. However worried they had been when Sona was sent flying and spat up blood, that's how excited they were now.
Everyone knew.
Today, the Flametail Knight, Sona the little squirrel, was the one and only focus. Perhaps, with no other powerful Grand Knights participating in this entire regular season, the callsign "Flametail Knight" might even become the focus of the entire Spring Major. Many people were already looking forward to seeing Sona win the championship. Although, strictly speaking, the Spring Major championship didn't really have that much prestige, don't forget Sona's status as an Infected. Furthermore, this was Sona's first time participating in this kind of formal knight competition. Factoring that in, the prestige was completely different.
Winning the championship on the first try—there had been very few knights like that in the entire history of the Knight Major. If she could ride this momentum and also win this year's Championship tournament, everyone estimated that the Flametail Knight's influence might even rival the previous Radiant Knight. Although, this possibility was truly minuscule, almost zero. After all, everyone could see with a single glance that although the Flametail Knight had won, her victories were quite simplistic, relying on a final, desperate counter-attack. Both times, she relied on a desperate counter-attack, lacking the invincible dominance of a crushing victory.
Anyone with discerning eyes could tell.
The Fallen Knight and Chaos Knight seemed decent, but in reality, if placed in the Knight Major Championship, they wouldn't even make the rankings. The Flametail Knight had such a hard time defeating these unranked opponents, and the Championship was only a little over half a year away. Therefore, no matter how much they wanted to hype up the Flametail Knight, no one thought she could actually win the Championship. Getting into the top three of the regular season would already be impressive.
But.
Setting all that aside, the audience acknowledged the Flametail Knight's entertainment value. It was just too thrilling!!
Sona slowly turned around and gave a deeply sincere smile to Justyna, who was lying on the ground at the very back. Then, she managed to raise her hand and give Justyna a thumbs-up. When Justyna saw this, her originally cold face seemed to melt like snow, revealing a faint smile as she returned the thumbs-up.
And then.
*Thump!!*
Sona's heart suddenly began to beat wildly, far exceeding its normal intensity and frequency. Sona staggered and fell to the ground. The pain in her chest almost made her pass out. Sona's sudden change also gave the surrounding audience a scare. Of course, they weren't concerned about whether something had happened to Sona; they were worried that if something happened to her, they wouldn't be able to watch her matches anymore.
Seeing this, Justyna quickly pushed herself up with all her might, forcing her exhausted body to stand. She limped over toward Sona. As Justyna approached, the medical team, which rarely mobilized, received orders and rushed onto the stage, urgently placing Sona on a stretcher.
Sona didn't know how long she had slept.
When she woke up again, the first things she saw upon opening her eyes were pure white walls and the pungent smell of disinfectant. Beside her, an instrument was beeping rhythmically.
"Where is this?"
Sona mumbled softly.
"Mr. Reeve!"
"I'm here."
Lucas Reeve's voice rang out in Sona's mind. Only then did the little squirrel let out a heavy sigh of relief.
"What just happened to me?"
"You fainted," Lucas Reeve said. "It's very normal. Total Concentration Breathing is itself a method of forcibly stimulating your body's vitality. You were already at the limit of your physical exhaustion, yet you forcibly broke through that limit and performed complete Total Concentration Breathing. Your body just now was as weak as if you'd stayed up for several days straight—a gust of wind could have one-shotted you. And then you forced yourself to run a few kilometers. It'd be strange if you *didn't* shut down."
*Phew....*
Sona sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness I did it. I didn't have to trouble Mr. Reeve to step in for me."
Sona's words amused Lucas Reeve.
"What are you talking about? This method of forcibly squeezing your body's potential is not advisable. You should be glad you're still alive and didn't just 'gg' immediately. Or rather, be glad your physical constitution is good, much stronger than an average person's. If this had been a normal person, they would have been deader than dead by now. Besides, while your talent isn't top-tier, it's not bad. Even if you didn't force yourself to comprehend it now, with another two or three months of training and practice, grasping it was only a matter of time. Why did you have to be like the protagonist of some old-school fantasy webnovel, always needing a last-minute breakthrough? This method of draining your body is not advisable, you know?"
"I know..."
Sona agreed cheerfully. It seemed Sona's earlier conversation with Lucas Reeve had been heard by someone outside the door. The room door was pushed open, and Sona's entire family immediately rushed in. They had nearly been scared to death when they saw Sona collapse on TV and get carried away on a stretcher. Even her elderly grandfather had hurried his steps to get to the hospital Sona was in. Fortunately, there was no serious danger.
Now, seeing Sona awake, they all breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly.
Among the crowd, Sona saw a surprising figure.
Justyna.
"Miss Justyna!!"
Having just slept, Sona had recovered a lot of her strength. She raised her hand and waved at Justyna, who was standing by the door. Justyna gave a slight nod. Seeing that Sona was awake, she prepared to leave. Justyna wasn't good at socializing. To avoid the awkwardness of having nothing to talk about, she chose to leave early.
Seeing this, Sona immediately leaped off the hospital bed, not looking like a patient at all, and rushed out to grab Justyna's hand.
"Why are you leaving already!"
Justyna hadn't expected Sona, who looked so weak on the hospital bed just a second ago, to suddenly run over with such energy. It left Justyna a bit flustered.
"This... well... your body...."
"Oh..."
Sona's face lit up with a brilliant smile. She even raised her arm and flexed her biceps.
"My body's fine, just tired. I just had a nap, so I'm full of energy. The only thing that hurts is probably my chest. I got hit by that knight, and the shock still hurts. I was honestly afraid his slash would 'add frost to the snow' of my already 'impoverished' figure."
Sona's lively and playful words amused Justyna a little. She pursed her lips, trying to hold back a laugh.
"Don't be in such a hurry to go. Let's have a meal together later?"
"But...."
"No buts! We're partners! Even though we've only just met, I've already entrusted my back to you, you know. So, we're friends!"
Sona chattered on, a nonstop stream of words. Her natural gift for making friends allowed her to easily say things most people would never be able to. For someone like Justyna, who had always been taciturn, this was a high-level attack.
"Mm.... M-hm...."
Because Sona had woken up, her attending physician immediately came over and gave her another series of full-body checkups. Aside from some internal injuries from the heavy impact to her chest, there were no other major issues. She could even be discharged the same day.
And it was only when she was being discharged.
That Sona found out.
Apparently...
She had gone viral. Incredibly viral.
Right now, if you opened any short-video app, seven out of ten videos you swiped through would be montages of Sona. Although the editing skills of these social media creators were questionable, when paired with some high-energy BGM, they actually looked pretty good. In fact, after Sona was taken to the hospital, the subsequent knight matches seemed dull and tasteless in comparison, like drinking plain broth after eating super-concentrated chicken bouillon. The only highlight of the later matches was perhaps the appearance of the Whislash Knight, who was ranked tenth in points.
The sexy and charming Whislash Knight defeated her opponent in a near-total domination, finishing her match for the day.
And after the matches ended, the day's point rankings were released.
One point for a win, zero for a loss, and the names of those who died were removed.
Because Sona had fought two matches today due to the organizers' arrangements, and had won both, her current total was 2 points, temporarily placing her first on the regular season leaderboard.