"A fluke?"
The Swift-Sword Knight didn't think that his incredibly fast strike could be blocked by this 'lucky' little knight, who had only gained some fame by not encountering any strong opponents. The Swift-Sword Knight rarely underestimated his foes. Before setting out, he had specifically watched all of this little squirrel's previous match recordings. Her strength was decent, but that was all. That sword technique of hers that suddenly increased her speed was nothing special; the Swift-Sword Knight didn't think it could compare to his own blade.
It was precisely because he knew her background that the Swift-Sword Knight was somewhat disdainful of Sona.
And it was also why he was so surprised when Sona actually managed to block one of his fast strikes, subconsciously thinking it was just a fluke.
"Blocking it once means you've got some skill."
With that, the Swift-Sword Knight's body lit up with dark red energy fluctuations. He was channeling the Originium energy within his body. The opponent was, after all, a top-four championship knight; her own strength had already reached an elite level, so it was normal for her to be able to freely control Originium energy.
Shuala!
A blindingly red glow suddenly lit up the long, sharp rapier in his right hand. Then, his right hand shot out like a spiritual snake emerging from its cave, so fast that it seemed to leave one afterimage after another in front of him. Countless crimson sword lights swept toward every fatal blind spot on Lucas Reeve's body.
That hand speed... he's a fast one. If he went to develop his career in the Higashi film industry, he'd definitely have a spot among Higashi's famous male actors.
However.
Under Lucas Reeve's Transparent World, this attack, which seemed to reach the pinnacle of speed, could actually be easily discerned.
In fact... Lucas Reeve couldn't even be bothered to dodge. If he, against this kind of ordinary person, still had to dodge, it would be a bit demeaning. Facing the vast wave of oncoming sword lights, a trace of indifference and boredom flashed in Lucas Reeve's eyes. Immediately, the knight's longsword in his hand leaped casually. The next moment, the Swift-Sword Knight, who had been on a ferocious offensive just seconds before, seemed to have been parried. His entire body instantly lost balance, and he staggered backward continuously.
But Lucas Reeve remained standing there, motionless.
He held his sword in one hand, his attitude even somewhat lazy.
Just now, Lucas Reeve had directly seized a flaw in the Swift-Sword Knight, the weakest point. It was the same principle as hitting a snake at its 'seven-inch' mark or punching someone in the temple. By seizing a flaw, a weak point, one only needed to apply a tiny bit of force to achieve a great effect.
This ability to grasp flaws so easily was far beyond even the most elite champion knights. Only someone like Lucas Reeve could do it. Or perhaps, to a god, the weaker a mortal was, the more flaws they had. Even without deliberately looking, he could easily see numerous flaws.
"Mr. Reeve is so strong!!"
Sona, who had witnessed everything firsthand, was extremely shocked. She hadn't been able to see the sword lights clearly at all. Even watching from a first-person perspective, Sona had no idea how Lucas Reeve had counterattacked. Moreover, only Sona herself knew that Lucas Reeve had barely used any strength at all. It was terrifying.
This feeling was like playing the exact same game character. As the account owner, playing PVP was impossibly difficult, stuck in Silver for eternity. But when a professional player took over, they shot straight up to Challenger.
The audience had no idea what happened. They didn't understand the subtleties involved. All they knew was that one second the arrogant, unknown Swift-Sword Knight was posturing, and the next second he was sent staggering backward by a casual sword strike from the Flametail Knight. This result was incredibly satisfying for the audience.
"Flametail Knight is amazing!!"
"That so-called Swift-Sword Knight is so weak. When I saw him come on stage, I thought he was some big boss. I didn't expect him to be so weak. What a tryhard."
The audience didn't know what happened. But as the person who experienced it firsthand, the Swift-Sword Knight's heart could only be described as a raging tempest.
How is this possible!!
The opponent actually managed to grasp one of his own negligible weaknesses so precisely, and could even strike it so accurately?? Luck???
The first time, blocking his sword, was luck...
The second time, accurately hitting his weak point, was also luck...
Although the Swift-Sword Knight really didn't want to admit it, there was no way to explain it right now. He didn't dare to imagine that if this was her true level, then this little squirrel's strength might be even greater than a champion knight's. Even the three-time champion, the Black Knight, who had once crushed him, might not be this little squirrel's match.
How is this possible!!
In the previous recordings, the little squirrel's struggling was clearly not an act; she was genuinely trying her best.
How... could it be like this.
The Swift-Sword Knight didn't dare to keep posturing. He directly used his strongest killing move. As long as he could cripple this Flametail Knight, his mission would be complete.
But...
When the Swift-Sword Knight stared into the Flametail Knight's eyes, he didn't know why, but his heart couldn't help but panic. He felt a very obvious palpitation.
Those pitch-black eyes were filled with boredom, as if she had never seen him as an opponent. It felt like...
The feeling of toying with an ant.
And he was that ant.
How could this be! How could this be!!
I am a top-four knight! If it wasn't for the bad luck of running into the Black Knight in the semi-finals, I might have been the runner-up. My strength ranks among the top even among Kazimierz's knights. I don't give a damn about the current ridiculous top-ten leaderboard. Because true experts don't care about that boring leaderboard; they only care about the championship.
How could I be afraid of a newly debuted little Infected knight!!
The Originium energy in his body condensed, preparing to unleash his strongest killing move.
But Lucas Reeve couldn't be bothered to drag this out any longer.
"Sona, watch closely. I'm going to show you what a true Breathing Style is."
"Yes!!!"
Lucas Reeve took a deep breath. The surrounding air turned into a vortex, rushing into his mouth. The airflow combined with Originium energy, and all the functions in Sona's body began to operate at a level far exceeding their usual standard. Around Lucas Reeve's body, flickers of lightning began to shimmer. Sona's flame-like hair also crackled and stood on end under the arcing thunder.
And along with the sound of thunder, the Flames of the Sun also began to burn brightly. When the two powers merged, in an instant, the yellow lightning turned into crimson thunder.
Even the spectators in the surrounding stands faintly felt their skin tingling. Everyone held their breath, afraid to speak.
"Thunder Breathing... Honoikazuchi no Kami..."
With a deafening *boom*, the ground beneath Lucas Reeve's feet caved in. His fiery red hair and tail looked like burning flames. Lucas Reeve himself seemed to transform into a thunderball containing immense power. A distance of over a hundred meters was crossed in a single instant.
The Swift-Sword Knight didn't even have a chance to react. He only felt a ball of light flash past him.
By the time everyone could see Lucas Reeve clearly, they realized he had already appeared behind the Swift-Sword Knight. The path he had just crossed was filled with arcing crimson lightning. As for the Swift-Sword Knight, he was now motionless, his handsome face frozen in an exaggerated expression of disbelief, as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen.
Clang!
Following a series of crisp sounds.
The soft, thin armor on the Swift-Sword Knight's upper body shattered into pieces. Then, with a *psshh* sound.
A massive wound appeared with a delay on the Swift-Sword Knight's chest. A large amount of blood spurted out, dyeing the ground in front of him blood-red. His legs went soft, and he collapsed powerlessly to the ground, unconscious.
Silence...
The entire arena, including all the spectators in front of their screens, fell silent. Even the 'danmaku' comments on the video website quieted down significantly along with the silence.
Everyone had the same frozen expression, their eyes wide and round, their mouths hanging open in an 'O' shape.
Finally, it was Lucas Reeve's voice that broke the silence.
"I'd advise the medical staff to hurry it up. If this guy is sent to the hospital now, he might still have a chance to live."
Lucas Reeve casually flicked the knight's longsword, which didn't have a single drop of blood on it, and then fluently sheathed it. Just like in the first match, he turned and left without looking back, leaving behind the stunned audience.
After a long while, the host's trembling voice finally sounded.
"The... the winner of this match is... the Flametail Knight..."
Finally, after the host announced the victor, all the spectators present finally reacted. What they had just seen was real!!
Holy shit! That was awesome!!
In an instant, the entire arena erupted. Almost all the spectators began to chant Sona's name excitedly and in unison.
"Flametail Knight! Flametail Knight! Flametail Knight!!"
Even the danmaku on the video website was flooded with the exclusive support banner for the Flametail Knight.
At first, many people felt that the Flametail Knight's entry into the playoffs involved a certain amount of luck, because the knights in Group D weren't particularly strong. Of course, this excluded the Pincerbeast and the Sarkaz knight from the beginning. But whether it was against the Pincerbeast or the Sarkaz knight, the Flametail Knight had a very difficult time winning. That's why many spectators felt that the Flametail Knight would probably suffer her first defeat in the playoffs when facing knights from the other three groups.
However, this round-of-16 match, with its thunder-like move, completely shattered the audience's previous doubts. This match directly crushed the rumors that she had advanced purely on luck, and the Flametail Knight's reputation was pushed to even greater heights.
Meanwhile, in the Chamber of Commerce.
The faces of all the directors present were ashen. The huge conference room was as quiet as a library study hall. No one spoke. The only sound was the increasingly heavy breathing of suppressed anger.
A slap in the face... A resounding slap in the face.
Even through the screen, the directors of the Chamber of Commerce sitting here felt their faces being slapped relentlessly, stinging with a burning pain.
They had been directors for so many years. Apart from the Supervisory Commission, no person or faction had ever been able to stand against them, let alone slap them in the face like this. But today, their faces hurt exceptionally.
If they had been slapped for underestimating the enemy, perhaps there would be an explanation.
This time, to avoid underestimating her, they had directly sent a top-four championship competitor. But... they were still slapped in the face.
Finally, the leader, the current chairman of Apperton Arsenal, couldn't hold it in any longer. He slammed his hand heavily on the table.
"This is outrageous!!"
The other directors also remained silent, their expressions grim.
"I never thought this little squirrel was hiding so much..."
One of the directors said, 'I am certain that the Swift-Sword Knight couldn't have been throwing the match. He has already fully submitted to our Chamber of Commerce.'
"Meaning, that squirrel defeated the Swift-Sword Knight with her own hard strength??!! How is that possible! She clearly struggled so much against a Pincerbeast before, she was almost counter-killed."
Another director said, 'There is only one possibility.'
"She has been hiding her strength all along. Her previous desperate counter-attacks were likely an act, all to gain more attention and raise her own fame. And this time, because her opponent was the Swift-Sword Knight, she had no choice but to stop hiding and use her full strength."
"But... even if she used her full strength, this is too terrifying. The Swift-Sword Knight is a top-four knight. Even the Black Knight back in the day didn't win this easily. How did this little squirrel win so easily? From start to finish, she barely made a few moves. The Swift-Sword Knight was crushed from beginning to end. Doesn't that mean... this little squirrel has the strength of a champion knight? How is that possible!!"
Director Barton, sitting in the main seat, had a grim expression.
"Czarny!"
From the side, a man in a gray suit with a somewhat cold expression walked over respectfully.
"This time, extend an invitation to the Flametail Knight directly on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce. If she refuses again... dispose of her. We absolutely cannot let her smoothly win the championship, not even a spring season championship!"