With Group A1 finished, it was time for Group A2.
Valerius glanced at the two standing beside him—Zhongli and Sunday—and asked, "You two aren't planning to fight too, right?"
"If we lose, it simply means we are not skilled enough. There's no need to resort to violence," Zhongli said calmly, shaking his head. A loss was a loss. There was no need to fight over it.
"Agreed," Sunday nodded.
As for Argenti, he was already praising Zhongli's "beautiful sportsmanship."
The ball went up.
Jump ball.
This match was noticeably more normal. There were barely any rough moves, and thanks to the earlier matches, both teams had learned enough to avoid constant fouls.
Ten minutes later, Penacony won by a narrow margin of two points.
"Next group, B1."
Venti and Jean walked onto the court with complicated expressions. They had seen the previous matches—this game was dangerous.
"Acting Grand Master… let's not fight, okay?"
"Understood… Lord Barb— I mean, Venti."
Jean nodded. She had no intention of fighting either.
On the other side, Xueyi and Hanya felt the same way. As long as the other side behaved, they wouldn't make a move.
Ten minutes later, the score froze at 9–12.
Mondstadt lost by three points.
They were officially out of the championship race.
"Next group, B2."
As Yae Miko stepped into the center circle, Valerius smirked. "So? Planning to fight?"
"No, no, no."
She shook her head immediately. Fighting? Against two men? With their abilities sealed, that was practically suicide.
"Then let's keep things harmonious."
Welt Yang adjusted his glasses. He didn't want to fight either. But if she went back on her word at a critical moment, he wouldn't hold back.
"Whistle!"
"Whistle!"
The match ended almost as soon as it began.
9–21.
Inazuma—eliminated.
"Phew…"
Patting her chest, Yae Miko returned to the stands unscathed. Thankfully, Welt kept his word.
The moment she sat down, she felt two piercing gazes drilling into her.
"Cough… cough…"
She pretended not to notice.
Next group.
Zenless Zone Zero—victory.
Next group.
Belobog Alliance—victory.
Finally, the finals.
"Go, Lycaon! Win this and we still have a chance!"
"That's right! Win this and we can still take the championship!"
The Zenless Zone Zero players were on their feet, shouting encouragement.
"Billy, if you lose, you're done for when you get back."
Nicole Demara slapped her suitcase loudly, making her intent very clear.
Belobog's side was just as fired up.
They had six points. If they won this match, they'd take the lead. That would make the final football match much easier.
At center court—
"Let's keep it peaceful. Harmony is important," Welt reminded.
"Heh. This is the finals. Who's talking about harmony now?"
Peace? Not a chance. If they fell behind, fists were definitely coming out.
"I see."
Welt adjusted his glasses again, a faint gleam flashing in his eyes. If they wanted to fight, then today, he'd teach them a lesson.
The match began.
At first, both sides traded points evenly. But then Luka launched a high shot that scored big, instantly widening the gap.
"Charge!"
With no other option, Zenless Zone Zero resorted to fighting. Take one opponent down, buy time, score points.
"Come."
Welt narrowed his eyes and said to Luka, "Focus on the ball."
Billy rushed in—
And got flattened.
Completely overwhelmed.
"This is bad."
Seeing Billy lose instantly, Lycaon jumped in to help.
What followed left even Valerius stunned.
The two of them together… couldn't handle Welt alone.
They were completely dominated, chased all over the court.
"What the hell? Why is he so strong?!"
Billy couldn't understand it. This man didn't even look like a fighter.
Their abilities were sealed. Even Billy, as a robot, wasn't an exception.
And yet Welt was overpowering both of them.
"Lycaon, can you at least do something?!"
Billy shouted, frustrated.
On the other side, Luka saw the opportunity and got fired up.
"As expected of the Astral Express!"
Without hesitation, he kept shooting.
The score climbed higher.
Ten minutes passed.
Final score: 15–31.
The whistle blew.
"Seriously…?"
Billy collapsed to the ground.
Losing here meant Zenless Zone Zero was done.
Meanwhile, Lycaon placed a hand over his chest and bowed to Welt.
"My apologies for earlier. And… congratulations."
"…Thank you."
Welt felt slightly awkward. Just moments ago, Lycaon had been throwing dirty moves.
Now he was suddenly this polite?
Still… very gentlemanly.
"Match over. Belobog Alliance wins and gains three points."
With that announcement, Belobog's total score surpassed every other team.
They were now in first place.
"Alright, enough lying there. Get up."
Valerius nudged Billy.
"Valerius… can I hide at your place for a few days?"
"…What?"
Valerius's eyes widened.
Was his charm really that strong?
Jingliu wanted to come. Phantylia wanted to come. Shenhe too.
Now even Billy?
"Uh… if I go back, Boss Nicole is definitely going to beat me up. I need somewhere to hide."
…
So that's what this was.
"You can't just hide in the Outer Ring?"
"Or… the video store on Sixth Street?"
That sparked something.
"Right! I can hide at the manager's place!"
Billy immediately brightened. That was the plan—run and hide before Nicole got him.
Back at the stadium, Valerius spotted Bronya trying—and failing—to hide her excitement.
"So, my dear wife… got carried to victory, huh?"
"I—I don't even know how to play those games…"
Her face flushed red.
Technically, she was the team leader of Belobog's alliance.
And yet… she hadn't participated in a single match.
"Do your best. There's one game left. You still have a strong advantage."
"…Mm."
Bronya nodded.
This time, she made up her mind.
For the football match—
She would play.
There was no way she'd just sit back and win without contributing.
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