Arknights' Lock of Heaven

The pressure on him was almost crushing him.

Because he knew what he would face if he lost.

The best outcome is when the birds are all gone and the bow is put away.

The most likely scenario is that the dog will be cooked after the rabbit dies.

So, while feeling increasingly anxious, I tried to disrupt the other person's mood with words, but instead, their question, "Are you getting impatient?" broke my defenses.

"Oh, oh, oh, it seems the Plastic Knight said something to Maria!"

Mob's voice was still chattering above our heads.

"The audience must be very curious. I've said before that the Cavaliers should be given microphones—who wouldn't want to hear their tough talk!"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of approval erupted from the audience.

His words really resonated with everyone.

"Wait, this is..."

Just as he was about to say a few more words in agreement, he noticed the change in the situation on the field.

“What did Maria say… the Plastic Knight… him…”

Before he could finish speaking, the plastic knight, his defenses broken by Maria's three short words, instinctively swung his tattered heavy crossbow at Maria.

But the next second, Maria's eyes lit up. She had never taken the initiative to attack in the game before. She took a step forward and used her shield at a clever angle to deflect the force of the heavy crossbow that the Plastic Knight was angrily slamming down.

"Damn it!" Seeing this, the Plastic Knight realized his mistake and tried to twist his body to dodge Maria's subsequent attacks.

But it was too late. He had been blinded by rage and used too much force. Now his entire body was being carried along by the broken crossbow in his hand, and he had no time to dodge.

"Drink!"

Seeing this, Maria took another step forward, raised her knight's sword high, and slammed it down hard on the plastic knight's helmet!

Yes, smash!

While the new armor of the Howling Guardian sacrifices functionality for aesthetics and includes a forced cooling system that is completely unsuitable for use on the field, its quality is at least certain as an advertising display.

Maria knew that her sword was no match for his helmet.

So they chose to smash it straight down.

Even if it doesn't cause direct damage, a hit to the helmet will make the head buzz, and the opponent's combat power will be reduced by at least fifty percent.

If you're lucky, you might even defeat your enemy in one strike!

But the Plastic Knight, as expected of a veteran of knightly competitions, managed to find a solution in such a short time. He released the crossbow in his hand, lowered his head, and used the force of being thrown out earlier to directly push against the hilt of the sword in Maria's hand.

It must be said that his move, which seemed to be charging straight at the opponent's sword and delivering his own head to the blade, was actually quite ingenious.

Since there's no way to avoid it anyway, we might as well choose the option that minimizes the damage.

Lowering his head and trying to get closer to the opponent's sword hilt, he avoided direct contact with the blade and tip, which were the most powerful during the downward strike.

If he were hit in either of those two places, he couldn't guarantee that he would retain consciousness after being hit.

The hilt of the sword, however, exerts the least force during the entire downward chop, thus maximizing self-protection.

The same consideration applies to pushing forward; shortening the distance prevents the opponent from gaining more time to charge up their attack, thus reducing the intensity of the attack received.

Moreover, the hilt is where you hold the sword. If you're lucky enough and your opponent is too eager to win and uses too much force, you might even be able to knock the sword out of their hand with your helmet!

clang!

The sound of helmets clashing against sword hilts echoed throughout the arena.

"A stunning comeback!"

"Maria, who had been on the defensive the whole time, seized her opportunity!" Mob's voice was hoarse. "She parried the Plastic Knight's attack!"

"Look, she's launched her first attack on the plastic knight!"

"The Plastic Rider... Good heavens, he chose to face the challenge head-on!"

"What did I just witness? An incredible reversal! The Plastic Knight, facing overwhelming odds, chose to tough it out, and then, with a simple move, caused Maria to drop her knight's sword!!!"

"He completely reversed the previous situation, and now the pressure is on Maria, who has dropped her weapon!"

The plastic rider's head was buzzing, and he couldn't even hear the passionate commentary from Mob above his head.

The only thing he cared about was the crisp sound of the knight's sword hitting the ground.

After taking that blow, his condition was also very bad.

Ultimately, these were all methods used out of necessity. If he had a choice, he would never have chosen this method to eliminate the enemy's weapon.

To injure the enemy by a thousand, you will also lose three thousand of your own.

After being struck in the head by Maria, he still had a dagger, but he was unable to make any further movements.

We can only hope that this young girl, who has little combat experience, will choose to pick up her weapon and give herself some time to recover.

Instead of using...

But things don't always go as planned.

He didn't hear the little girl running away in a panic, but rather her steady footsteps approaching him.

The last thing he saw was a shield gleaming with silver light.

He slapped himself hard.

Of all martial arts skills, this is the shield strike!

clang!

The plastic rider finally gave in after being struck hard on the head again.

"I still... lost the bet..."

With this thought in mind, he fell into a coma.

“Heh,” Xia Yu, who was in the audience, shook her head when she saw this.

Gambling is a harmful thing!

"..."

Silence fell over the arena.

It all happened so fast that before ordinary people could even figure out what was going on, the plastic rider was already lying on the ground.

"A beautiful shield bash!" Mob the Big Mouth shouted hoarsely upon seeing this, "—Who, who could have imagined such an outcome!"

"Sergeak, who had just been dominating the fight, was hit by the opponent's sword. Although he tried his best to turn the tide and even managed to knock the opponent's weapon away!"

"Unfortunately, our young knight clearly hadn't forgotten her shield in her left hand. With just one shield bash, Sergeak completely lost consciousness! Without a doubt, Maria is the victor!"

Upon hearing this, the entire arena erupted in cheers.

Maria, panting, looked at her fallen opponent, then at the countless enthusiastic spectators around her. She stepped forward, picked up her sword, and raised it high, proclaiming her victory!

"Maria! Maria! Maria!"

"Shining Knight!"

"Lin Guang!"

There were all sorts of shouts and comments on the field, but they were all undoubtedly referring to her alone.

“Maria…” Zofia looked at the dazzling Maria on the field, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Martin the Bald's Bar.

"I knew it! That girl was going to win!" Old Ferguson gulped down a large mouthful of beer. "She's Nearl, after all!"

"To celebrate the girl's victory, drinks are free today!"

Bald Martin also announced this with great joy.

The entire tavern erupted in cheers, with some thanking Old Martin and others cheering for Maria.

Only one person was out of place.

"What on earth is going on?" Koval stared at the armor Maria was wearing on the broadcast, an armor he knew all too well, racking his brains but unable to figure it out.

What exactly happened?

This is armor that I and Maria made with our own hands. How could I not know what its purpose is?

Why did you seem like a completely different person during today's game?

That function... good heavens, I'm too embarrassed to even admit that I helped create this armor.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" Old Fu glared at him when he saw the conflicted look in his eyes. "Aren't you happy that the girl won?"

But Koval, who usually bickered with him, didn't argue back this time; he just stared at Maria on the TV.

He kept muttering, "What on earth is going on?"

-

"Hehehe, isn't this done pretty well?"

In the audience, a little red-haired squirrel watched Maria on stage with great interest.