Chapter 274: Let's Retire
In the outskirts of the Kazimierz Grand Knight Territory, there lay a desolate clearing, devastated as if a meteor had crashed into it. From a deep crater scorched into the earth, a hand weakly reached out, gripping the edge and dragging a bloodied body out with immense effort.
Judging by his appearance, the man seemed like nothing more than an ordinary Kuranta—no markings or insignia to suggest affiliation with any organization. The only notable detail was the shattered remains of a strange, massive longbow, now scattered at the bottom of the crater.
It was the kind of weapon that only giants from myth and legend might wield—yet it had been completely destroyed. The culprit? The blazing arrow that had burrowed deep into the ground, turning the entire crater into a pit of fire.
This man, barely alive, was the unfortunate soul who had somehow survived that monstrous attack. But to call his condition survival would be generous.
Half of his body looked like it had been flattened by a truck. His flesh was mangled and bloody, and one arm was completely severed at the shoulder, with the scorched bone still visible at the stump.
Once a powerful and muscular warrior, he now looked on the verge of death. And yet, despite it all, he managed to fumble through the tatters of his clothes and pull out a communicator, dialing the only number stored inside.
"…"
After a moment of static, the call connected. But what followed was silence—deep and suffocating.
"Come to the shooting range. Otherwise, I don't think I'm going to make it."
The wounded man said nothing more. After delivering his short, grim message, he let the communicator slip from his grasp and hang up on its own.
Maybe… he should never have taken this job from the K.G.C.C. Maybe trying to cozy up to those bastards was the real mistake.
He should've sent his subordinates—Lazurite and Platinum—to deal with this from the start. If he had, he wouldn't have ended up like this. He wouldn't have run into that monster.
Just thinking about that flaming arrow, fired from the horizon like divine judgment, sent a chill down his spine. The despair that flickered in his eyes was undeniable.
But mixed in with that despair was a strange kind of relief.
No matter how bad it got… at least he was still alive.
Unlike his partner of decades—his beloved bow—now reduced to broken shards buried in that blazing crater.
"Well, guess I've got a legitimate excuse to retire now. Maybe I should talk those two old bastards into bailing too."
"Maybe we can start selling hand soap or something. It's probably a profitable line of work. At least it doesn't come with this kind of risk."
He glanced sideways at his missing arm and let out a self-deprecating laugh.
But regardless of the jokes… he had made his decision.
There was no way he'd ever go through something like that again.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Back in Kazimierz Grand Knight Territory, Steven had no idea how much psychological damage his arrow had done. If he knew the guy was still alive, he'd probably just be curious how he dodged the damn thing.
Right now, he was leisurely making his way to the rooftop of an abandoned residential building. From there, he looked off into the distance, toward the Roar Arena—the venue for today's Major.
Then, without much ceremony, he pulled a strangely designed belt from his inventory and clipped it around his waist.
With a mechanical click, the belt's straps extended and fastened themselves tightly around him. Steven smiled, pulling two small vials from his pocket.
"It should be just about the time for the main act. Let's make my entrance a flashy one."
He murmured to himself as he attached the two vials and a black-and-white trigger to the belt.
"Wonder how many lucky souls will 'coincidentally' get a free BBQ dinner today…"
The moment the setup was complete, strange cube-like patterns materialized around him, enveloping his entire body. In the blink of an eye, Steven vanished from sight, swallowed by the space around him.
Meanwhile, over at the Roar Arena, the Major was still raging in full swing.
Very few people actually knew the truth about what happened yesterday. Even if those directly blasted by Steven decided not to show up again, there were plenty of others eager to snatch any available seat at today's event.
Especially considering that today's match wasn't just any ordinary event.
In addition to the regular ranked matches, the highlight of the day was a highly anticipated showdown between two members of the top eight—a clash of knights who each bore a single-character title bestowed by the Knights' Association.
How could anyone not be drawn to that?
Among them was none other than the current darling of Kazimierz—the Candle Knight.
Even just catching a glimpse of her in person was enough to let some fans brag about it for months.
Strong, beautiful, constantly in the headlines—compared to her, her opponent today, the Wind Knight, felt more like a backdrop than an equal.
That said, this wasn't an official match. It was framed as an exhibition—a performance, nothing more. No need to take victory or defeat too seriously.
At least, that's how it seemed on the surface.
The real reason behind today's event? Only the Candle Knight, the Wind Knight, and the Knightclub backing them knew the truth.
This wasn't just for show. This was the Knights' Association—and the K.G.C.C behind it—setting a trap.
If the Black Hole Knight showed up again, these two would be ready to respond. If he didn't, then great—they'd put on a good performance and call it a day.
Say what you will, but the K.G.C.C knew how to play their cards. Even if the Armorless Union's Lazurite wasn't available, they still had plenty of other assets to leverage.
And of course, there were other contingencies in place too—though the knights involved weren't exactly briefed on those.
To the outside world, these single-character knights were prestigious icons of chivalry.
But to the people in charge… they were just tools—profitable, useful, disposable.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Meanwhile, in a private rest chamber at the arena, the hottest name in Kazimierz—the Candle Knight—sat quietly in solitude.
Contrary to the rumors, there were no dozens of fawning male attendants around, no wild decadence.
The stories about her private life were mostly exaggerated tabloid fantasy.
Dressed in a resplendent ceremonial robe, the young girl radiated elegance and grace.
She stood at the window, gazing at the audience cheering for their champions below.
"Viviana, it's time. The crowd is waiting for you," a middle-aged man called out as he stepped into the room, breaking the silence.
He was her handler—an official responsible for arranging her matches. If anyone knew the truth, it was him: behind all the glamor and gossip, this young girl from Leithanien was nothing but kind, gentle, and sincere.
"Mr. McKee," Viviana said, turning toward him with a calm and curious expression, "do you think that knight from the other day… will come today?"
It was as if the impending battle didn't concern her at all. Instead, what occupied her mind was the memory of a certain overwhelming presence.
"I don't know," McKee admitted after a moment's pause. "But if he does show up, the K.G.C.C has prepared countermeasures. And besides—" he smiled reassuringly, "—I believe in your strength. There's no way he'd be able to run wild like last time."
It was clear he was trying to comfort her.
She was probably still shaken by that man's sheer force.
And truth be told, McKee couldn't blame her.
What the Black Hole Knight displayed before… was far beyond reason.
"You believe in my strength, huh?" Viviana said softly. "But what I really want to know is… in his eyes, could someone like me… truly be called a knight?"
Her eyes wavered, a mix of confusion and quiet hope glimmering within them.
And just as she turned her gaze toward the sky in thought—a familiar, oppressive sense of dread rippled across the arena.
"Fuhahahaha…"
A loud, arrogant laugh echoed across the Roar Arena.
A black hole tore the sky apart. From within that vortex of shadow stepped a figure clad in bizarre armor—a knight who exuded raw, unrestrained madness.
The Black Hole Knight… had arrived.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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