Arknights' Lock of Heaven

“I don’t know what you’re looking for,” Elvis said expressionlessly. “All I know is that if you’re not going back to the field, then don’t ever go back.”

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Faced with his threat, the plastic knight painfully closed his eyes.

Actually, I have another option.

Without asking that person for permission, he put on his original armor and went into battle.

In this way, even if we lose, at least it won't affect the company's new products.

But... the penalty for breach of contract is too high...

The reward for buying a small village in one's hometown would naturally be an astronomical sum for breach of contract.

If I change the armor without permission from my superiors, I will have to bear the penalty for breach of contract no matter what.

No one cares that he doesn't wear the company's armor because he's afraid of harming the company's interests.

All they knew was that the penalty for breach of contract could provide a large meal for many people.

The plastic rider also knows this.

So he had no other choice.

The Plastic Knight resignedly picked up his weapon and returned to the arena.

He chose to take a gamble.

Betting that I can win.

"..."

"coward!"

"coward!"

"Do you still have the nerve to come back?"

Upon returning to the field, he faced the dissatisfaction of all the spectators.

He made them wait too long.

So long that Maria on the other side started playing with her fingers out of boredom.

Upon seeing him return to the arena, Maria immediately perked up and raised her sword.

"I feel like he's a little different..."

Zofia watched the plastic knight's retreating figure and muttered to herself.

How come the plastic rider was like a completely different person after forty minutes?

His whole being was filled with the feeling of fighting a desperate battle.

With a roar, the race resumed.

"I have to say, Plastic Rider has kept us waiting for quite a while," Mob said dryly. "Hopefully, his performance will make up for the audience's wait."

"Oh, he's coming up, uh..."

Looking at the plastic knight's retreating figure, Mob exclaimed in amazement.

"I wonder if anyone else has noticed... that he's like a completely different person?"

"Oh no no no, I didn't mean that there was another person under his armor, it's just... the whole person is a bit different."

"From his gait to his posture... is he getting serious?"

"Look what he did!"

Before Mob could finish speaking, the Plastic Knight fired an arrow at Maria and then began its charge.

"Amazing tactics! As a crossbowman, he actually charged at his opponent, a sword and shield knight???"

"Good heavens, did you spot the crossbow bolt he fired? Our beautiful knight blocked it with ease once again."

"Her body didn't even sway? That's incredible!"

"Could it be that she was hiding her strength all along? Could our expected one-sided battle turn into a stunning reversal?"

183 Are you getting anxious?

Seeing that his arrows had achieved nothing, just like before, the Plastic Knight gritted his teeth.

He could only quicken his pace once again.

Why would a crossbowman choose to abandon the kiting strategy with its distance advantage and instead actively engage in close combat?

Because he was gambling.

The Plastic Knight was gambling that Maria Nearl was able to almost completely ignore his attacks because of the armor she wore.

Because if she is truly the kind of powerful expert who can ignore his crossbow bolts with her own strength, then even if he creates distance, he probably won't last long.

Everyone knows how fast Pegasus is, let alone the long-established Rinko family within Pegasus.

So he was gambling, and could only gamble, that Maria Nearl wasn't powerful on her own, but that there was something strange about her armor.

If that's really the case, then I might have a chance.

After all, it was only a light suit of armor that couldn't cover her entire body, and most importantly, Maria wasn't wearing a helmet.

With his crossbow completely ineffective, he had no choice but to fight directly at close range with his secondary weapon, a dagger. Compared to himself, who had spent half his life in knightly competitions, the youngest daughter of the Nearl family was clearly inexperienced.

Perhaps we can seize the opponent's weakness and defeat them in one blow.

If we continue to use the crossbow, judging from how relaxed the other party looks, even if I break the crossbow, the other party probably won't get hurt.

Plastic Knight has completely abandoned the company's requirement to delay as much as possible to showcase his new armor.

He knew that the question was no longer whether they could drag things out, but whether they could win.

If we win, we can slowly haggle over the rest of the terms.

But if you lose, you'll be doomed forever.

Moreover, the armor he wore was an experimental product, and its ability to sustain combat for an extended period of time was questionable.

Therefore, it is best to resolve this quickly.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Maria, and swung his crossbow directly at Maria's shield.

In this situation, there's no time to worry about cherishing weapons. He uses the crossbow as a first move to probe his opponent, while holding the dagger in his right hand, waiting for his opponent to reveal a weakness.

Then defeat the enemy with a single blow.

But who in the world can have everything go their way?

Knowing the properties of her armor, Maria had already anticipated that the opponent would abandon ranged attacks.

She and Zofia had already guessed these things when their opponents for this match were announced.

The response had already been rehearsed.

It's just a retreat!

That sounds pretty embarrassing, doesn't it?

It's actually quite embarrassing.

Facing the Plastic Knight's attack, Maria held her shield firmly to protect herself, while occasionally retaliating with her sword in her right hand, disrupting her opponent's rhythm.

There was no other way to fight like that.

Although Maria has a solid foundation, it would be unwise for her to directly confront a veteran like Plastic Knight.

Therefore, the tactic can be summed up in one word: stall!

Delay it as long as possible!

With the enhanced armor, Maria's energy consumption will definitely be less than that of the Plastic Knight.

With the added advantage of the shield, defending against his attacks is quite simple.

Don't assume that shields are easy to deal with. In fact, in a one-on-one situation where the skill gap between the two sides is not large, the side with the shield can be said to have a huge advantage.

Advance to attack, retreat to defend.

To break through an opponent's defenses, the attacker must expend several times the physical strength and energy of the opponent.

If you can't win quickly, you'll inevitably be dragged into a stalemate, and then, with your stamina being depleted on a large scale, you'll expose your weaknesses and be defeated by your opponent.

That was exactly what Maria was planning.

As long as he keeps guarding, the plastic knight who can't achieve his goal will become more and more anxious, and his physical strength will be depleted more and more.

The possibility of revealing a flaw is also increasing.

Then, as long as you find the right opportunity, you can defeat your enemy in one move.

This is also the fighting style of the vast majority of sword and shield knights.

Maria lacks practical experience; all she has to offer is her basic knowledge.

Therefore, taking the initiative is too risky and makes it easy for experienced opponents to seize upon weaknesses.