Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

This night may indeed be too long for Casimir.

Some things changed, some things didn't.

But Noah still received instructions from the Chamber of Commerce. After the Silver Spear Pegasus entered the city, the Chamber of Commerce must show its confidence in being able to control the situation - that is, tonight's game must be completed without any mistakes, the audience's emotions must be appeased, and no mistakes must be made.

"This competition must be perfect." When spokesman McGee said this to Noah, Noah showed a subtle smile.

"Sorry, I'm reminded of a phrase: 'outwardly powerful, but inwardly weak,'" Noah grumbled. "The more they adopt this attitude, the more panicked the higher-ups become. Mr. McGee—perhaps we're truly at a turning point in history."

"Times won't change. We just need to do what we have to do." McGee shook his head. "Ms. Noah, I respect your abilities, but I hope you understand that you are no longer a knight, and the knights will no longer accept you as a merchant. Our positions are aligned."

Not only the spectators...but even the executive directors are paying close attention to this competition...they can't afford to make any mistakes.

If you perform well, the executive directors will not hesitate to reward you, but... if something really goes wrong.

McGee sighed... "Anyway, let's just pretend that what happened last night never happened. Keep playing the music and keep playing."

"There are four matches tonight. The most anticipated one is the duel between the Radiant Knight and the Nightmare Chaser Knight. I don't need to emphasize that, do I?" McGee closed his eyes. "This match is a battle between two independent knights. Miss Noah and I will also be in attendance."

"Don't worry about me, it's fine." Noah waved his hand quickly, "I don't necessarily have to watch the Radiant Knights' games."

"...Just think of it as my anchor. Thank you, Miss Noah." McGee said in an almost pleading tone, "I don't think I can handle this situation alone."

——Indeed, after all, the games of the Glory Knights are likely to be watched by the Battle Knights.

Noah understood McGee's concerns very well, and he also understood that although McGee appeared tough on the surface, he might actually be more panicked than anyone else.

"Okay..." Noah nodded silently, "If it's really necessary?"

"Also... although this may upset you, after the infected triggered an abnormal incident of this scale, the board of directors may not want the Radiant Knights to continue winning."

Noah couldn't help but laugh at McGee's reminder. "But now, does the board have the guts to get rid of the Radiant Knight? Maybe no one cared before, but now there are over forty Silver Spear Pegasus stationed in the Great Knight Territory. I think the board needs to consider the actual situation, right?"

"...As much as I don't want to admit it, you are indeed right." McGee sighed countless times. This time the pressure really made this battle-hardened spokesperson feel uneasy.

After all, there had never been a situation so...out of control.

As a spokesperson, can I really proceed at the original pace?

Anyway, no matter how Miss Noah would react, I have already reminded her that even if the referee made some unconvincing decisions, that is... something that is very likely to happen.

However, the Chamber of Commerce still has a card in its hand - that is the previous champion Blood Knight. If there is anyone who can really stop the Knight of Glory, perhaps it is only this person.

As for the Knight of Glory and the Knight of Nightmare... they are just two lunatics chasing after the old times.

"Mr. McGee—what are you afraid of?" Noah, who had come to her side in his wheelchair, asked. "Your emotions seem to have been unstable since just now."

"...Okay, I can't hide it from you." At this point, McGee finally confessed. "...The Black Iron of the No-Horned Alliance disappeared after the blackout. All three of them disappeared."

McGee finally revealed a look of fear. "Although it hasn't been announced, several senior executives of the Federation were assassinated during the blackout. Although the scene was hastily investigated, and most people point to the infected, but... do you believe that the infected could assassinate the Federation executives who were under such strict protection so quickly?"

"I think you've already made a conclusion, Mr. McGee, but you're just not willing to believe it yet," Noah said. "But running away won't solve any problems."

"...I understand what you mean. The No-Horn Alliance has betrayed the Commerce Federation... We have indeed lost the means to check and balance the Supervisory Commission."

Noah knew that the previous Chamber of Commerce had always thought that they had actually ruled Casimir, but they never imagined that their power had only developed for less than a hundred years - and Casimir had been standing here for hundreds of years.

In terms of background, the Chamber of Commerce cannot be compared with the Knights.

-

"Welcome to the Special Championship! Dear spectators! Whether you've bought tickets to watch, hoping to experience the intense competition of knight competition up close! Or you're hunkering down in front of the TV with popcorn and cola ready! Or even those watching on your phone in your spare time! This will be an absolute! [Independent] match! After all, this is a showdown between two rare independent knights!"

The glorious golden Pegasus, the youngest champion, the shining knight Margaret Linguang!

The mysterious Masked Rider, filled with an ancient aura! Nightmare Chaser! Tora!

Now, we will witness the collision of ideas and beliefs between two independent knights!

For the knights you support, cast your crucial vote!

At this time, Noah, who was sitting in the spectator seats, was a little tired of Mob the Big Mouth's rhetoric. The Nightmare Chaser was a Nightmare... This race only appeared in legends. Once upon a time, the Nightmare Khan, the Whip of Terra, overthrew the Golden Pegasus dynasty. If there was an enemy that posed a threat to Margaret in this competition, the descendant of the Nightmare was definitely among them. Even Noah was not sure that Margaret could defeat the Nightmare Chaser.

After all, the Nightmare Chaser is really too... weird.

Noah could feel his emotions, as if his heart was open to him. He could feel the roar in the knight's heart. He was hostile to this era and this city, and when he regarded Margaret as his guardian knight, anger had already arisen in his heart.

This Nightmare Chaser Knight seemed very obsessed with himself—but... why?

Noah didn't know, but there was no way of knowing.

Who is the Nightmare Chaser Knight?

Chapter 175: The Noble Person

"The two opponents today are both very impressive! Not only that, this is a matchup between two independent knights that has never been seen in several major tournaments!"

"Independent Knights, meaning they have no large-scale sponsorship, no training or support from a knightly order, and certainly no professional PR team. They rely solely on polishing their armor and sharpening their weapons! Yet, they still stand on the stage of the Special Championship. Not only that, among them is a former champion, the highly anticipated resurrected king!"

"Please welcome—the young legend of Casimir, the champion of the Linguang family! The Brilliant Knight Margaret Linguang!"

"...Actually, I helped take care of Margaret's armor—" At this time, the old craftsman in the audience complained somewhat awkwardly.

"Just to create atmosphere..." The old knight who also got the ticket from Noya waved his hand, "Showing off, just showing off. Making armor for Knight Yao, you can just use it as advertising if you tell anyone about it."

"I'm not helping with armor maintenance for this kind of thing—damn, you have no idea how advanced Margaret's armor is. I've never seen armor with built-in LEDs that breathe light. What kind of material is that made of?" the old craftsman, Korva, complained. "Damn, I wish Margaret would lend me her armor every day to study. It's so amazing."

"Stop talking. Maria is just like you. She can't move when she sees that armor. If she didn't have a charged axe to research, it's hard to say whether Margaret has armor to fight now." The old knight Batbayar curled his lips. "Tsk, craftsman."

"Tsk, knight."

As the saying goes, the truest brotherhood is when men dislike each other.

But even so, the old knight's eyes were filled with a complex expression as he looked at the Nightmare Chaser Knight across from Margaret. Indeed, in this city, Nightmare bloodlines were far too rare. Noah's mother, himself, and the Nightmare Chaser Knight—if bloodlines were to be considered, Noah could be considered one. However, in this city, Nightmare bloodlines weren't a selling point; they were more like a curse.

This city is not friendly to nightmares, although most people don’t even know what nightmare bloodline means.

But this does not mean that Casimir has forgotten the history of being trampled by the Nightmare Khan. That was Casimir's biggest nightmare and one of Casimir's greatest shames.

Before the match, Batbayar specifically sought out Tora and asked him why he wanted to challenge Margaret. His response was, "The city... is a symbol of cowardice."

"What is called civilization, after conquering the wilderness, built its own towers."

"In this high-rise building, humanity is no longer needed as a ticket."

In his eyes, cities may not have been bad things at the beginning. Conquest was a good thing. Civilization conquered the wilderness and established its own camp, which was not a problem in itself.

But when this place becomes a city and becomes a row of tall buildings, the warriors who originally built these will gradually lose their wildness, and with the loss of wildness, they will also lose their strength.

Those who lost their power should have been conquered by other stronger people, but the city became their refuge - the Kingdom of Knights should not have been so weak.

At that time, Batbayar thought that this person's answer was irrelevant to the question, but it seemed that he began to understand what he meant now. He believed in the law of the jungle, and in the city, there were too many weak people whose bloodlines could be passed down. To him, this was like some kind of deterioration of bloodline.

The words that followed further proved this point.

"There are warriors in Kavaleriaki who are worth fighting for, warriors who are worth me, who I can entrust my life to fate."

"But they are all rebelling against this city. Those who obey are mostly weak, while those who resist are immortal. This is a symbol of the corruption and degeneration of [civilization]. Knights, you should return to an age of blood and glory."

He is like a ghost, a ghost from the past, with no place in the modern world, he lives in the past.

——But he lived a glorious life.

He targeted Margaret not because he thought she was unworthy of protecting the princess, but because he sensed the aura of a hero in her. He longed to conquer a worthy opponent and hoped that Margaret would not be dulled by this mediocre era.

-

A race that exists only in history books, the rare Kuranta, descendants of the war gods of the old times.

This is how Big Mouth Mob introduced Tora. That's right, even when introducing him, he had to hide this name. It can be said to be a taboo, or it can be said to be fear. In short, the name of Nightmare - in Casimir, is a taboo that most people are unaware of.

The last Qiexue, the Nightmare Chaser - Tora.

With the appearance of Nightmare Chaser, the air pressure on the field seemed to have dropped a lot. Nightmare and Golden Pegasus had already had a victory and a defeat. A long time ago, Nightmare Khan trampled on the glory of Golden Pegasus. Now, it seemed that there would be another war between these seemingly entangled races.

It's like fate - everything is destined.

"Knight Yao—" Nightmare Chaser Knight plunged his long sword into the ground. "I've waited for this moment... for too long."

"The Knights of Casimir are a huge disappointment, a huge one."

Margaret stared at the opponent in front of her. She smelled the breath of danger. The opponent's aura and abilities seemed a little weird. It was the first time that Margaret felt such pure aggressiveness. And after the opponent's eyes met hers, she felt the desire to conquer from under the mask, which could not be concealed by the mask.

"I'm very curious, Nightmare Chaser Knight—why did you provoke me and even say in front of me—that you wanted to take Noah away."

"Because this city is not worthy of her." Tora responded, "No, there are not many places in all of Terra that are worthy of her noble bloodline."

"...Nightmare blood... So that's how it is. Noya's mother actually has this mysterious bloodline..." Margaret had suspected this long ago, and now it was confirmed. "Even the descendants of the Kexue describe it this way. Noya's bloodline... a descendant of the Khan. I should have guessed it long ago."

"Shining Knight, Golden Pegasus—my ancestors once trampled upon your glory, and this time, history will repeat itself."

"That depends on your ability—"

The conversation between Margaret and Tora was brief, but the meaning was clearly expressed.

Margaret must defeat Tora before he will give up taking Noya away. Otherwise, he will forcibly take Noya away and take Noya with him on the road to heaven.

"Golden Pegasus—prove to me that you are strong enough to protect that noble one."

Chapter 176: Monster vs. Monster

A collision was imminent. No—in just a moment, there were at least dozens of weapon collisions between the Radiant Knight and the Nightmare-Chasing Knight.

But most people couldn't even see clearly. Aside from the glow and the dark red mist, it was difficult for them to see clearly in a battle of this level. However, most of the audience was still excited. After all, they weren't there to study the fighting techniques of the Nightmare Chaser and the Radiant Knight. They were mainly there to watch the excitement.

The Yao Knight's superb skills have long been recognized in knight competitions, but in front of Tora, these superb skills seem to be blocked simply and crudely.

Martial arts, Originium skills, and the confrontation between weapons.

In just a few seconds, the confrontation between the two men had already put many knights in the stands to shame. They asked themselves how many moves they could withstand against these two men.

If it were any other competition, both of them would be strong enough to win the championship, but this competition was very special. The Knight of Glory was already the champion, and the Knight of Nightmare was participating for the first time. There were even rumors that he had just become an adult not long ago.

The Nightmare Chaser Knight hadn't proactively disclosed his age, otherwise he might have broken the record for the youngest knight in the official tournament. The current record holder was the Candle Knight Viviana Droste.

"What an outstanding match..." Even though McGee was worried, the excitement of the match still exceeded his expectations. He said, "The ratings for this match have already broken records. As expected, high-level matches always attract the most viewers."

"...Their battle was captured by cameras and spread throughout the city... To be honest, it's more like a tragedy." Noah was silent. Perhaps only people like her who have the ability to perceive emotions know that this is not just a clash between martial arts and Originium skills, but also a clash of the two knights' philosophies. Rather than strength, what really determines the outcome now is actually the willpower of the two people.

The strength of the two can actually be said to be quite close, perhaps Margaret is a little stronger... but the Nightmare Chaser makes up for this with his terrifying physical talent.

Very few people could truly see through the two men's match, and most people just watched for fun. Even the competitive knights could only understand a few of them.

But compared to all this... Noah was more concerned about a special presence among the spectators...

From the beginning, this person's gaze kept shifting from the game to his own, and Noah felt an inexplicable unease. This gaze was both familiar and unfamiliar, as if he had seen it long ago, but Noah couldn't place it.

At this moment, in the far back corner of the auditorium, stood a glimmer of silver light. Under normal circumstances, his presence would have been enough to cause exclamations, after all, he stood there in plain sight without any attempt at concealment.

But at this time, the audience's attention was all on the game, and not many people noticed that there was a silver-spear Pegasus standing next to them.

"...This is my first time watching a special tournament from such a close distance." Lime was obviously not used to watching the game from this position. And not only the game, it was also the first time for him to stand so far away and look at the girl.

The last time we met, she wasn't that big yet, wasn't in a wheelchair, and wasn't wearing... that disgusting spokesperson outfit.

His mood was somewhat complicated. Even though he knew that no matter how conspicuous he was, he couldn't attract the other person's attention, he would still look back from time to time and take a few more glances.

——Should I say that she really looks like Yolanta?

Rhyme curled his lips. Snitks and Yolanta used to joke occasionally that Noah looked like Yolanta's child. Now it seems that it is indeed the case.

Of course it was just a joke. After all, Lime had also seen Noah's mother, who was also a peerless beauty - compared to the blonde Yolanta, she was obviously more similar to her mother.

"...It's really...disgusting." Lime stood here, feeling out of place. This arena named after the Knights did not allow him to see the dignity that a knight should have. It was only entertainment to death and a group of rabble.

“What’s got you off, Rhyme?”

“…” Rhyme was silent and did not directly answer the question.

"I know your answer, Lime." Ms. Russell smiled and shook her head. "So, in your opinion... how strong are the two knights on the field, Nightmare and Pegasus?"

"...Excellent martial arts." Lime's comment was brief, but clearly sincere. "That Nightmare wasn't a seasoned warrior, but a certain obsession almost made him a true warrior."

“…” Ms. Russell signaled Rhyme to continue with her eyes.

"...As for Margaret..."

"go on."

"...You see it more clearly than I do, Grandmaster. My evaluation is meaningless in front of you." Lime shook his head. "She is very different from before."

"Then... why is this? Have you ever thought about it?" Ms. Russell continued to inquire, "Or have you been distracted and haven't thought too much about it?"

"...Master, I really don't understand." Although Lime knew what the Master meant, he still didn't quite understand. "Please explain."