189: Chapter 189 Tragic

The audience was in an uproar.

In the last ten minutes, they had witnessed a style of combat completely different from the conventional martial artist system.

Eagle Country's biochemical modification and mechanical technology.

Northern Europe's mythical relic heritage.

Sakura Island's spirit control, Kagura bells, and paper doll techniques.

And Tianlan Ancient Kingdom, which seemed to have carved the power of relics directly into their bodies.

Those bodies covered in ancient tattoos, bursting with Source Power fluctuations on the battlefield, made many realize for the first time that human civilization after the Great Cataclysm did not just have the paths they were familiar with.

After a short break, the ground of the Central Arena began to change again.

The vast puppet Arena used for the exhibition match slowly sank.

Accompanied by a low mechanical rumble, a massive fighting platform slowly rose from underground in the center of the Arena.

The platform, paved with black alloy, measured a full one hundred meters by one hundred meters.

The four corners were embedded with Source Energy stabilization devices, and the surface was engraved with cushioning and protective patterns, sufficient to withstand the impact of a peak Hua Hai Realm expert.

Around the platform, translucent energy barriers rose layer by layer, like a massive inverted glass bowl, enveloping the entire platform.

Sister Bai's voice rang out at the right moment.

"Dear audience, the first event, the puppet match, has concluded."

"Next, we will begin the second event."

"The Platform Challenge Match."

"In this event, every competitor has one right to defend the platform, three rights to challenge, and three rights to be challenged."

"A successful challenger gains three points, a failed challenge deducts two points, and the same applies to the defender."

"For every successful defense, the defender gains 2 points; failure results in a deduction of five points and immediate elimination from the platform."

"This competition tests not only individual strength but also tactical judgment and resource consumption among the teams."

Having said this, the camera cut to the Eagle Country representative area.

Adam sat in his seat, lowered his head, and pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

A nearby staff member wanted to remind him that fire was prohibited in the Arena area, but Adam just flicked his fingertip lightly, and a faint blue flame lit up the tip of the cigarette.

That fire was not an ordinary flame, but more like a cold flame ignited by some form of internal Source Power.

He took a puff and exhaled the smoke faintly.

"We should have just gone all out earlier."

Adam's voice was low, carrying the hoarseness typical of mechanical modification.

"I didn't expect everyone to fight so desperately in the first match."

Eve sat beside him, her pale golden pupils constantly flashing with data models of the members of each team.

Throughout the entire puppet exhibition match, she had been recording everyone's strike speed, reaction time, Source Power output fluctuations, attack preferences, and defensive habits.

Adam looked at the protective barrier rising in the center of the platform and twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.

"But in the second match, they're going to have a hard time."

Eve said calmly, "The data models are seventy-three percent complete."

"Lu Cheng's data is severely lacking, Tianlan Ancient Kingdom's data is unstable, and the Sakura Island shrine maiden is heavily influenced by her techniques."

"For the other competitors, we can find ways to counter them."

Adam held the cigarette between his fingers, a cold light flashing in his gray eyes.

"The challenge match is just a game of human nature."

"No matter how strong a person is, they cannot change the rules."

"As long as we target them together and exhaust their rights to challenge and be challenged, what follows is just waiting for the rankings to be distributed."

He looked toward the Dragon Nation representative area.

"That Lu Cheng is indeed troublesome."

"But as long as we don't let him strike comfortably, he will also be dragged down by the rules."

Eve added calmly.

"Nothing can escape the eyes of big data."

Adam smiled.

"Then let's begin."

After all the representative teams were seated again, three elevated platforms lit up at the edge of the fighting platform.

Sister Bai looked at the camera and continued:

"For this challenge match, the organizers have specially invited three War King Realm powerhouses to serve as judges for this event."

"The first is the director of the Imperial Capital TV Station, Mr. Song Qingyue."

A middle-aged man in a dark suit appeared on the elevated platform.

He did not look like a martial artist, but more like an elegant media manager, yet when he raised his eyes to look at the platform, that War King Realm pressure clearly enveloped the entire venue.

"The second is the recently appointed Chief of the Imperial Capital Public Security Bureau, Mr. He Beichuan."

On the second elevated platform, a man wearing the black uniform of the Public Security Bureau slowly sat down.

His brows and eyes were cold and hard, and his epaulets shimmered with silver light; one look, and it was clear he was someone who had fought his way up through battlefields and cases.

"The third is a member of the Human United Council, Mr. Andrew White."

On the last elevated platform sat an elderly white man.

He had gray hair, a tall stature, and a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were so deep they seemed bottomless.

With three War King Realm experts presiding, the atmosphere on the platform immediately became more formal.

The biggest key to the challenge match is often not the subsequent battles, but the first competitor to step up.

In a situation where there is no direct enmity between most competitors, whoever steps up first is more easily targeted.

"So now... the match officially begins!"

As soon as Sister Bai finished speaking, someone from the Eagle Country representative area stood up.

It was a semi-mechanically modified human.

He was tall and thin, with his left side retaining human skin, while his right side was covered by a silver-gray mechanical face mask.

His right arm was completely prosthetic, and below the elbow, one could see foldable blades and energy ports.

After standing up, his gaze passed directly over several strong teams and landed on the Sakura Island representative area.

"I challenge."

His voice spread throughout the venue via a translator.

"The Sakura Island representative, the Third Seat."

All cameras immediately turned toward Sakura Island.

The one singled out was one of the six black-clad ninjas.

That ninja slowly stood up.

From the outside, he looked almost no different from the other five.

Black clothes, masked, revealing only a pair of calm eyes.

But in those eyes, there was no fear.

Not even surprise.

It was as if he had long known he would be chosen.

Jinguji Ayane looked at him.

She didn't speak, just stood up, her Kagura bells hanging loosely in her hand.

She walked up to the ninja and slowly circled him.

The bell sound was very light.

"Ding-ling."

"Ding-ling."

Her footsteps did not trigger any Source Power.

The Kagura bells did not release any techniques either.

This looked like just some ordinary prayer ritual.

The three War King Realm judges just glanced at it and did not stop her.

Because they truly did not feel any Source Power fluctuations.

Jinguji Ayane stopped in front of the ninja and softly said something in the Sakura Island language.

The translator did not broadcast it.

But Lu Cheng saw that the ninja's eyes seemed to soften for a moment.

Then he lowered his head and bowed to Jinguji Ayane.

He turned and stepped onto the platform.

The Eagle Country semi-mechanically modified human also stepped onto the platform.

Sister Bai looked at the profiles of both sides and introduced them:

"Eagle Country competitor, Lysander Hawke."

"A semi-mechanically modified human, skilled in close-to-mid-range assaults, with his right arm equipped with a high-frequency cutting device and a Source Energy impact module."

"There is little information on the Sakura Island competitor; currently, we only know his codename is the Black-Clad Third Seat."

In the center of the platform, the two stood fifty meters apart.

Lysander Hawke looked at the ninja opposite him, the red light in his mechanical right eye flickering slightly.

"My name is Lysander Hawke."

"What is your name?"

The translator converted his words into a language the other party could understand.

The black-clad ninja was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"I..."

"have no name."

Lysander was stunned.

Then his face sank.

He thought the other party was looking down on him.

A guy who wouldn't even give his name.

"Since that's how it is..."

His mechanical right arm unfolded, and the high-frequency blade popped out.

"Go to hell!"

The countdown reached zero.

[Battle Start!]

The mechanical thrusters under Lysander's feet lit up, and he shot out like a cannonball.

But just the moment he started, a strange, eerie Source Power erupted from the body of the black-clad ninja opposite him.

His body began to swell.

The black clothes were torn apart.

Dense black runes appeared under his skin, and Source Power gushed out from his body like a volcano.

His originally thin body became bloated and twisted in just one second.

But his speed did not slow down.

Instead, it was shockingly fast.

Eve's pupils contracted sharply.

The data models before her eyes turned completely red instantly.

[Energy Anomaly]

[Vital Signs Anomaly]

[Source Power Core Collapse]

[High-Risk Explosive Reaction]

She stood up abruptly.

"Get out of the way!"

By the time Lysander heard the voice, it was already too late.

The black-clad ninja rushed in front of him at incredible speed.

Those calm eyes looked at him through the broken mask.

No anger.

No hatred.

Not even killing intent.

Only a dead silence, as if he had completed his mission.

The next second.

Boom!!

The entire platform was swallowed by blinding white light.

Violent Source Power exploded from the ninja's body, like a small Source Energy bomb detonating in the center of the platform.

The energy barrier vibrated violently.

Waves of shockwaves slammed into the barrier, shaking the entire Central Arena and causing it to emit a low rumble.

The audience seats instantly went quiet.

No one dared to believe that the first platform battle of an exchange match would actually involve a suicide bombing.

Sister Bai was also stunned for a moment.

She quickly reacted, but her voice still carried irrepressible shock.

"The Sakura Island competitor... chose to self-destruct?"

The smoke cleared.

The center of the platform was charred black.

The black-clad ninja had completely disappeared.

Lysander Hawke lay at the edge of the platform, half his body almost blown away, his mechanical right arm twisted and broken, the energy core in his chest flickering unsteadily, and his vital signs so weak they could disappear at any moment.

The Eagle Country medical team rushed up immediately.

Several healers and mechanical repair technicians in white medical uniforms began rescue efforts simultaneously.

A Source Energy life-support pod was pushed onto the platform.

When Lysander was lifted into it, he had almost lost consciousness.

In the Eagle Country representative area, the cigarette in Adam's hand was crushed by him.

Eve's expression changed for the first time.

Because she hadn't calculated this.

No normal data model would take a suicide attack by the opponent in the first match as a default option.

Dragon Nation representative area.

Heavenly King Lin frowned.

"Lunatics?"

Gu Changqing said in a deep voice, "Suicide soldiers."

The remaining five black-clad ninjas showed no change in expression.

As if the one who died was not a companion.

Just a shadow that disappeared after completing its mission.

Tang Zhiwei took a light breath.

"This is too ruthless..."

Lu Cheng did not speak.

He looked at Jinguji Ayane.

The young girl sat in the Sakura Island representative area, her hands on her lap, her expression still cold and detached.

But Lu Cheng saw her fingers gripping the Kagura bells tighten slightly.

Sister Bai quickly threw the question to the three judges.

"A situation rarely seen before has occurred."

"The Sakura Island competitor sacrificed himself by self-destructing, and the Eagle Country competitor Lysander Hawke has lost consciousness."

"Please, the three judges, adjudicate the result of this match."

The three War King Realm experts exchanged glances.

Song Qingyue, as the chief judge, spoke slowly.

"According to the order of initiative and the rules."

"The Sakura Island competitor sacrificed himself on the platform."

"The Eagle Country competitor Lysander Hawke has lost consciousness."

"Therefore, the winner of this match is the Eagle Country competitor, Lysander Hawke."

The whole venue was in an uproar.

But Song Qingyue did not stop.

"In view of the death of the Sakura Island competitor, his rights to challenge and be challenged have all disappeared."

"Lysander Hawke is not dead, so his rights to challenge and be challenged remain."

The rules of the challenge match have always been like this; unless a competitor dies, they will not be immediately removed from the challenge pool even if they faint or are seriously injured...

This is also the cruel part of the challenge match.

And Sakura Island's choice to self-destruct was clearly utilizing this very rule.

Lysander won, but he was also crippled.

As long as he didn't die, his right to be challenged remained.

This meant others could continue to challenge him.

And the current Lysander could not possibly get on the platform.

The next second.

In the Sakura Island representative area, another black-clad ninja stood up.

His voice was as calm as if nothing had happened just now.

"I want to challenge."

"Lysander Hawke."

In the Eagle Country representative area, Adam's face sank instantly.

Lysander was still being resuscitated in the medical pod.

In this state, he could not possibly go on stage.

The Eagle Country team leader gritted his teeth and spoke.

"The Eagle Country side concedes."

The scores on the big screen jumped.

Sakura Island gained three points.

Before the murmurs in the venue could fully rise, the third black-clad ninja stood up again.

"I also want to challenge."

"Lysander Hawke."

The Eagle Country side conceded again.

Sakura Island gained another three points.

In less than a minute.

Sakura Island had already gained six points through Lysander's right to be challenged.

From the moment the first ninja stepped onto the platform, they had already planned it out.

Sacrifice one person to blow up the Eagle Country competitor.

Then use the remaining people to challenge consecutively, draining the opponent's right to be challenged, and quickly scoring points.

Bloody.

Cold-blooded.

But effective.

When competing for the third right to challenge, representatives from all sides applied almost simultaneously.

Lysander only had one last opportunity to be challenged left.

Whoever got it would get three points for free.

The big screen confirmed it through replays and application times.

In the end, a bearded young man from the Northern Europe representative team snatched this opportunity.

Anton Meyer.

He stood up and grinned toward the Eagle Country direction.

"I challenge Lysander Hawke."

In the Eagle Country representative area, Adam's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

But they had no way to stop it.

"Concede."

Another three points went to Northern Europe.

Thus, Lysander Hawke's three rights to be challenged were all exhausted.

He had clearly won the first match.

But the Eagle Country team not only had three points deducted, but also lost one competitor, gave six points to Sakura Island for free, and sent another three points to Northern Europe.

Adam sat in his seat, his knuckles tightening bit by bit.

Once this move came out, everyone knew the remaining five would also make the same choice...