Hearing the commotion behind her, especially the name "Whislash Knight," Sona's red squirrel ears perked up. Her eyes widened slightly, and she immediately turned her head, her gaze locking onto the person approaching from behind like a starstruck fan.
"Oh~ It's Whislash Knight?!"
Sona said, a little excitedly.
Lucas Reeve followed Sona's gaze to the woman walking over. He had to admit, this Whislash Knight was indeed stunningly beautiful. Her golden hair, flowing like a waterfall, was soft and slightly curled, exceptionally eye-catching. Her light blue eyes were like gems sunk into a cold pool. Her features were exceptionally exquisite.
She was clearly a Kuranta, yet she possessed a charm usually found only in Vulpos. She kept a faint smile on her face at all times. When the younger knights around her greeted her, she would wave back politely.
However, the most dazzling part wasn't her face, but her figure.
Even wearing form-fitting knight armor, it couldn't hide Whislash Knight's full figure, especially her chest, which made people want to take a second look. Her waistline formed an 'S' shape. Her long thighs were wrapped in black stockings, with knight's boots over them.
Putting all else aside, with looks like that, it was hard *not* to be popular.
"Do you know her?"
Lucas Reeve wasn't very interested in the Knight Major and didn't know much about it. He only knew of the Radiant Knight and the Black Knight. He knew nothing about the others.
Sona nodded.
As an independent Infected knight who couldn't become an official knight, Sona had always yearned to be an official knight. She felt *that* was what a true knight was. That's why she was especially excited to be able to participate in an official competition today. It was like... competing on the same stage as an idol she had always admired.
"Mhm!"
Sona nodded: "Whislash Knight Zofia. She was the champion of the Spring Festival tournament two years ago, the runner-up in the Summer tournament, and placed third in both seasons last year. On the points leaderboard for the last two years, Whislash Knight ranked in the top ten. Plus, she's very beautiful, so she's extremely popular in Kazimierz. She's a star knight. Knights like her usually don't participate in this kind of regular season; they prepare directly for the Championship. I can't believe Whislash Knight is joining the regular season, and in our city's division, too."
"?"
Lucas Reeve was stunned: "Isn't the regular season not that prestigious? Why is she so famous?"
Lucas Reeve didn't quite get it. After all, he watched competitions in his past life, too. But for the audience, apart from the World Championship winner, all the spring champions, summer champions, and mid-season champions were considered low-prestige. Even if you won several league championships and mid-season cups, you'd still be flamed online as a "no-ring scrub".
Oh...
But a championship, to some extent, doesn't guarantee fame. Fame is a fickle thing. Some athletes don't even have a league championship but are still hyped as the 'Number One XX' or 'XX is Faith'. Meanwhile, some athletes win the highest honor but remain unknown. So, to some extent, a championship really doesn't represent fame.
For example, the Knight Major had been held 22 times, producing over a dozen champions. People might remember the most recent champions, but if you asked who the champions were before the 15th Major, how many people would remember?
"Actually...."
Sona thought for a moment: "Actually, the top three in the regular season are very strong. They are basically contenders for the top sixteen in the triennial Championship."
Zofia walked past Sona, her steps elegant, like a catwalk. A faint fragrance lingered in the air as she passed.
Sona wandered around the prep room curiously. There weren't many famous competitors. After all, the skilled ones were preparing for the Championship and didn't have time for this. The highest-ranked was probably Whislash Knight. There weren't many Infected knights either. Or rather... there were almost none. Because the restriction was lifted so hastily, just a month before the season, some Infected who had this dream didn't have time to prepare. However, there should be many Infected in the Knight Major qualifiers in six months.
——————
"Gentlemen! And ladies!! Welcome to the 1095 Kazimierz Spring Regular Season!!"
As a passionate voice echoed from the center of the arena built specifically for the Knight Major, the tens of thousands of spectators in the stands erupted. They hadn't had a competition for two whole months, and many in the audience were restless. Stirred up by the host, many spectators boiled over with excitement, their voices washing over the entire arena like a wave.
"This year's competition is a special day! A day that will be etched into the history of Kazimierz! Because one month ago!! Our Chamber of Commerce council members jointly declared that the Infected can participate in official knight competitions! What does this signify?! It signifies the future! Perhaps an Infected champion knight will be born!!"
"I imagine that most of you here, and those watching on screen, have maybe never even seen an Infected in your entire lives! But! Through this competition, not only can the audience see the Infected, they can personally witness the prowess of the Infected knights on stage! Let's see if they're any different from ordinary knights!"
The host's words.
Made Sona, who was resting in the prep room, feel a little uncomfortable.
"Do you feel like that host's words sound like they're parading the Infected out to be gawked at, like animals?"
"Mhm...."
Sona nodded.
However, the audience in the stands didn't think there was anything wrong with his words. They roared, anticipating the start of the first match.
"Alright! Since the audience is so excited, we won't delay! The first match is about to begin! But before we start, let's thank the sponsors for this regular season! 'Stronger Together, Charge Together!' Thank you to Karls Drinks for their strong support of this event! 'Your power is beyond imagination!' Thank you to Norton Foods for their strong support...."
The long, long list of sponsor ads was finished by the host's famous fast-talking. His lips moved so fast they seemed about to spark.
"In this year's competition! By the decision of the council, to increase the interaction between knights and the audience, when the match begins, fans of both sides can spend money to buy supplies for the knight they support! You can even buy the right to a mid-match break! After all, a knight doesn't fight alone, but fights together with the audience!"
"WOAH!!!"
This sudden new rule, rather than provoking backlash from the audience, made them even more excited. All they wanted was entertainment, more spectacle. This rule added more variables to the match, so the audience naturally loved it. As for fairness?
Tch....
The audience just wants a good show.
"Next! Let's welcome our first competitor! She is a rare Infected knight in this competition! Let's welcome! The Flametail Knight!!"
Hearing her name called, Sona froze. She had never received any notice to go on stage, and they hadn't even drawn lots yet. This meant... they had deliberately made her go first.
Sona was a bit dazed, then quickly walked down the corridor and, in a blinding white light, arrived at the center of the arena.
The surrounding lights instantly converged on Sona. At this moment, she felt like the focus of the entire world. Except... rather than a focus, it was more like... an object... The gazes of the surrounding audience were like people at a zoo looking at an animal: full of curiosity.
"That's an Infected? How come they look the same as us? No three heads or six arms?"
"This little girl is so cute! A little squirrel! I wonder how strong she is. Don't let her get crippled in the first match."
"Are they sure she's really an Infected? Maybe they're just fooling us with a normal person?"
The surrounding buzz of discussion was constant, and these voices treated Sona like a piece of cargo, not a person. In reality, most ordinary people had perhaps never truly seen an Infected in their lives. Their impressions of the Infected mostly came from the news and word of mouth. Moreover, the media had deliberately demonized the Infected in the past, making many people think the Infected were monsters with three heads and six arms.
Coming to such a large stage for the first time, becoming the focus of tens of thousands, and even hundreds of thousands or millions on screen—this feeling made Sona unbearably nervous.
"Audience, please rest assured! This is a 100% genuine Infected."
"However, given that not many Infected knights signed up this time, and for the sake of fairness, and entertainment, this time we've added some... more spectacular opponents."
"Let's welcome!! The Pincerbeast from the wilderness!!"
*Vreee...*
With the sound of rolling tires, a huge cage-cart was pushed out from the opposite competitor's tunnel. Inside the cage was a massive monster. Even crouching, it was 1.8 meters tall, and its body length was an astonishing three meters.
The appearance of this monster.
Instantly.
The audience erupted.
No one thought there was anything wrong with this monster's appearance. In fact, they were even more excited. Not just the audience in the stands, but even the audience watching the live broadcast was ecstatic. The viewer count instantly jumped from its original million by a huge amount.
The host began his introduction: "This Pincerbeast! I imagine most of the audience has never seen one. In fact, I was terrified the first time I saw it! This creature comes from the wilderness. They are pack animals. Even large transport convoys have to pay a heavy price if they encounter them. The large iron pincers on an adult Pincerbeast can easily crush large rocks! This idea was painstakingly thought up by our event operations staff!"
"On one side, we have the Infected, whom we've rarely seen! On the other, a rare Pincerbeast from the wilderness! Both sides are unknown! This idea! Are you satisfied?!!"
"WOAH!!!"
The audience completely exploded. Many people stood up in excitement, some even taking off their shirts and waving them around.
For this audience, who lived repressed lives in the cities of Kazimierz, this kind of competition was an outlet for release. An intense match could greatly increase a person's hormone secretion.
"Start already! I want to see a river of blood!!"
"I hope the little squirrel is okay! But, bring on the excitement!"
"The event ops finally did something! They've been phoning it in for two years. The matches were just token gestures, hardly any blood. If there's no blood, why am I watching your competition? The dog fights next door are better. I almost stopped watching. I can't believe they pulled such a big stunt for the first match this year. Good job, deserves a bonus!"
The audience's euphoria was the complete opposite of Sona's, who was in the eye of the storm.
Sona stared in disbelief at the giant Pincerbeast before her, listening incredulously to the audience's words.
This....
Isn't this the Knight Major?
Isn't this a place for official knights to fight each other?
Why...
Why is it like an ancient gladiator arena... Why is it no different from so many underground matches?
"And now! The match... BEGINS!!!"
The host gave the command.
The gate of the cage holding the Pincerbeast rumbled open. The Pincerbeast, which had been imprisoned for so long, immediately vented its anger at Sona upon gaining freedom. It roared and charged, seemingly wanting to tear Sona to shreds.
"Why is it like this! This is completely different from what I thought a knight was!!"
Watching the Pincerbeast charge, Sona's whole body trembled. This trembling wasn't from fear, but from anger.
She took a deep breath, her teeth clenched tightly. Large mouthfuls of white mist puffed from her mouth, and the dazzling Sun-flame instantly ignited the white mist. The flowing flames enveloped Sona's blade.
At the same time.
Everyone in the audience froze. The next second! They boiled over.