Hearing Steve's words, Grayfist couldn't help but be stunned.
"Compete in what?"
Grayfist actually never intended to fight Steve at all. He just wanted to find out where Steve had gone, that was it.
So when Steve suddenly suggested a match, Grayfist was caught off guard.
"What do you think?"
"Compete in who's more stupid, who's more dumb? Who's better looking?"
Grayfist stared blankly for a while before finally reacting.
"You mean… fight a battle?…"
Seeing Steve's firm expression, as if he were already set on it, Grayfist was puzzled.
"How are we supposed to fight?"
"Even if we do, we can't use our full strength. Everyone knows we can't kill each other."
"What's the point of a battle without the sense of crisis?"
Grayfist actually did want to fight Steve, but definitely not here inside the Trial Grounds.
Because inside the Trial Grounds, death meant elimination.
If neither side could kill the other, then the fight was meaningless to him.
Because Grayfist knew very well that in his heart, he would always leave himself loopholes.
For example, if Steve won this fight, Grayfist would think, 'If it were in a real-life situation, I surely would've found a way to survive.'
And if he himself won, Grayfist would think, 'Steve surely would've had a chance to turn it around if this were real.'
Since neither side would ever land the final blow, that primal instinct to fight for survival would never ignite.
Such a battle was meaningless to Grayfist.
So the only kind of match between him and Steve that would be acceptable in his heart was one completely fair, ending with one side utterly killing the other.
Hearing Grayfist's words, Steve gave a slight smile and said, "Why can't we kill each other?"
"Sure, you've taken me and my men in, and so far you haven't plotted against us."
"But can you guarantee that in the end, you won't?"
"I still remember the Divine Domain Competition."
"Yes, in the end you did help me, but that was only because between me and Black Blade, you had to choose one. You weighed the pros and cons and picked me."
Grayfist froze at Steve's words.
This time Steve really had misunderstood him.
Grayfist truly hadn't thought that far ahead.
He was still basking in the satisfaction of finally pressing down on Steve for once.
What he really wanted was just for the Trial Grounds to keep going as they were.
As for whether he'd ever backstab Steve later, he honestly hadn't even thought about it.
Seeing Grayfist dazed, Steve decided to raise the stakes further.
"Forget about whether you'll scheme against me."
"Can you guarantee that in the end, I won't scheme against you?"
"You're afraid of that, aren't you? You're already on guard against me at every step."
At this moment, Grayfist was indeed cornered by Steve's words.
He really was wary of Steve, and he knew deep down he couldn't control him.
That was why he always felt so insecure.
Yet at the same time, he thought Steve's character wasn't the type to betray him, after all, he had been the one to take Steve and his men in.
Steve watched Grayfist's face carefully as he spoke. He had already laid things out this clearly, but Grayfist still seemed unmoved.
Steve couldn't help letting out a long sigh.
'Still no reaction?… That's not right…'
'Looks like I'll have to bring up Black Blade…'
After a moment of thought, Steve continued, "I'll be honest with you."
"I really did go meet Black Blade. I think he's more reliable than you."
Sure enough, the moment Grayfist heard the words Black Blade, his eyes widened and his fists clenched instinctively.
Seeing Grayfist finally react properly, Steve quickly pressed on, "I know you'll never just let me walk away."
"And I'm not trying to play some cheap trick to pit us against each other, you've seen it, our men already call each other brothers."
"Honestly, it's just that we disagree. And I know neither of us can convince the other."
"That's why I suggested we fight."
"If I win, I'll take your men and lead them to join Black Blade."
"If I lose, then my men, whether you use them or slaughter them all, that's for you to decide."
Steve still had his scheming side. These few sentences completely absolved his men.
He knew perfectly well he would lose this fight, but he still worried for his brothers.
That was why he deliberately emphasized that his men had already bonded as brothers with Grayfist's.
Which was true.
Steve was nudging Grayfist toward the path he wanted him to take.
He hoped that after defeating him, Grayfist would find resolve again, stop letting emotions control him, and lead the men to grow strong, eventually standing against Black Blade.
Yes, Steve was lying to Grayfist.
But this fight would surely erase Grayfist's obsession.
Because as long as he let go of his obsession, win or lose wouldn't matter anymore.
Whether Steve truly lost this battle or not also didn't matter.
Because his ability had never needed others' approval, it was proven by himself.
If Grayfist could, by his own strength, reach the point of standing against Black Blade, then he would have already proven his worth.
Hearing Steve's words, Grayfist was completely dumbfounded.
Yes, earlier when he was mocking Steve, he had sarcastically said that Steve had probably gone to look for Black Blade.
But that was only a jab. Though he did have some suspicion, he still trusted Steve a little.
Or rather, he had confidence in himself.
First, ever since taking Steve and his men in, Grayfist had treated them fairly well, his barbs were just words.
Second, Grayfist believed that if Steve ever had to choose between him and Black Blade, he would never pick Black Blade.
Because Black Blade was on Xu Yuan's side. Even if Steve joined their camp, at best he'd be on equal footing with Black Blade.
For ordinary players, that wouldn't matter much.
After all, most players just go with the flow and follow orders.
But Steve and Grayfist weren't like that. People like them were leaders among players.
They were the ones who made the decisions.
If Steve defected to Xu Yuan's side, he definitely wouldn't get to make decisions anymore.
That would mean a downgrade in status, from a commander to someone taking orders.
It's easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go back from extravagant to frugal.
Once someone had experienced the role of a commander, being reduced to a follower would bring a huge sense of loss.
Grayfist believed Steve was the same kind of person as him. That's why he thought the chance of Steve siding with Black Blade was extremely low.
What's more, putting all that aside, Black Blade had embarrassed Steve publicly before.
A man's pride is everything. For that alone, Steve wouldn't go make peace with Black Blade.
So, in Grayfist's eyes, in both reason and emotion, it was impossible that Steve would ever join forces with Black Blade.
That was why when Steve himself admitted he really had met Black Blade, and had even decided to side with him, Grayfist's brain just froze.
After about five minutes of silence, Grayfist finally "rebooted."
When he did, he wasn't furious. Instead, he looked at Steve and laughed.
"Hahahahaha…"
"Good, good, good."
"I always thought we were the same kind of people. But it seems I was completely wrong."
Saying this, Grayfist slowly walked up to Steve, looking him in the eye, his face carrying a self-mocking smile.
"Steve, oh Steve."
"I always wanted to compete with you, to see who was better."
"Why did it have to be you, and not someone else? Black Blade is also outstanding. In terms of raw strength, maybe even above us both. So why did I never feel the urge to compete with him?"
Seeing Grayfist's expression, Steve's face stayed calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.
Grayfist opening up like this was a good sign.
Steve suppressed his excitement, but then Grayfist suddenly leaned in close, locking eyes with him.
Steve could clearly see it, Grayfist's gaze was filled with disappointment.
"Because I thought you were the same kind of person as me."
"I thought we had the same ambition."
"We're both proud. We want to rely only on our own strength to achieve the best."
"Not by depending on others, not by blindly following, but by believing only in ourselves!"
"I know I don't have the popularity you do, nor the prestige."
"You became the one players call the strongest PVE master."
"So I chose another path. I started studying redstone, studying PVP."
"I became the one players feared most. Yes, they hated me, thought I was crazy, but they had to admit I was top-tier in redstone and PVP."
At this, Grayfist turned his back to Steve and went on.
"Maybe in the past, you really were the same kind of person as me."
"But you can't deny it, you've changed."
"Steve, oh Steve… where is your pride, your dignity now?"
As he spoke, Grayfist shook his head with a bitter smile, as though feeling pity for Steve.
[T/N: 🔥A new book is up— "Emiya in Honkai: Star Rail". I am releasing it from my second account(Ambitious_Guy) as I can't publish more books from this account(Max is 20). Make sure to check it out and support. Have a great read~🙇]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.