"Alright, dear audience, all eight teams have now selected their representatives. Let me announce the matchups!"
Owlbert held his tablet as his voice rang clearly through the microphones into every viewer's ears.
"Firefly's Team has sent Stelle — someone who may seem abstract in the story, but is actually a very cute girl in real life!"
The camera cut to Stelle. She waved at the lens without any nervousness, then gave Owlbert a big thumbs-up. Their eyes met in the air as Stelle silently mouthed, "Good job. I'll tell my brother to give you a raise later!"
Owlbert immediately understood and straightened his back, suddenly filled with motivation.
"Ahem… Castorice's Team has sent… Castorice herself? It seems their captain has a lot of confidence in herself!"
"Aglaea's Team sent Tribbie? Uh… let me confirm — the organizers say the three Tribbie sisters came together, and their ages can be stacked, so they're allowed to compete!"
"Big Herta's Team sent Aventurine! Phainon's Team sent Phainon himself! Feixiao's Team sent Moze! Acheron's Team sent Jiaoqiu! And — the powerhouse of our Boss Team, Mydei!"
[Hahaha, Tribbie's actually competing? Did they hire child labor?]
[What do you mean ages can be stacked?]
[The key point is Aventurine! I'm betting on Aventurine — metaphysics is also a form of strength!]
[Mydei vs Phainon! Mydei vs Phainon! Oh my god, the first round is already this exciting? miHoYo really knows what we want to see!]
"The competition is about to begin. The eight contestants will draw lots for grouping and compete in a single-elimination tournament. Eliminated players will lose one life!" Owlbert announced loudly.
"Now, the bracket has appeared on the big screen!"
Stelle vs Castorice
Moze vs Aventurine
Tribbie vs Jiaoqiu
Phainon vs Mydei
The moment the matchups were revealed, the entire venue erupted — especially the final group, which instantly maximized the entertainment value.
Su Chen looked at Castorice's name from the audience seats and couldn't help shaking his head.
"Sigh… Poor Mydei. Is this fate?"
The first match, Stelle versus Castorice, began.
Stelle sat down casually, rolled her wrists, and grinned at Castorice. "Cas, I won't be going easy on you, okay?"
Castorice simply shook her head quietly. Her soft purple hair swayed gently as she spoke in a gentle voice, "Miss, giving it your all is the greatest respect you can show your opponent."
[Go Stelle! Take her down!]
[Why do I feel like Castorice has such a strong presence even though she looks so delicate?]
[Wuwuwu… My two wives are about to fight. Both sides are my people!]
The match started. Stelle immediately exerted force, trying to end it in one go.
However, Castorice's wrist was like a rock — completely unmoving.
Stelle's expression gradually shifted from relaxed to surprised. She used all her strength, her face turning slightly red, but Castorice's arm remained as steady as a mountain.
Just as Stelle's strength was about to run out, Castorice's eyes sharpened and she lightly pressed down.
Bang!
Stelle's hand was slammed hard onto the table.
The venue fell silent for a moment before erupting into enthusiastic applause.
Stelle shook her numb hand. Instead of looking discouraged, she looked excited. "Wow! You're really strong! Your strength is on par with Firefly's!"
Castorice bowed slightly. "You flatter me, miss. I still don't have the ability to tear open a rolling shutter door with my bare hands."
The second match was between Aventurine and Moze.
Aventurine had already sat down elegantly at the table, casually playing with a chip in his hand.
However, his opponent, Moze, never showed up.
Owlbert communicated through his walkie-talkie for a long while before announcing with a strange expression:
"Uh… dear audience, there's been a small accident. Feixiao's Team's contestant Moze… was hit in the foot by a falling billboard while preparing backstage and has been sent to the medical room. Therefore… Aventurine wins this match without even competing!"
Aventurine froze for a second, then showed his signature smile and shrugged at the camera, as if saying: See? Luck just loves me.
[??? This is allowed?]
[As expected of you, Kakavasha! This luck is unmatched!]
[Heartbroken for Moze for one second. This is way too unlucky.]
[I declare that the metaphysics champion of this tournament has been born!]
The third match was Tribbie versus Jiaoqiu.
Little Tribbie sat on a specially made high chair while the elegant Jiaoqiu sat across from her.
Jiaoqiu smiled and said, "Little sister, big brother will go easy on you."
"No need," Tribbie shook her head, then turned around and called out, "Trianne! Trinnon!"
In an instant, all three Tribbie sisters were sitting in front of Jiaoqiu.
Jiaoqiu was stunned for a moment before turning to Owlbert. "Wait, isn't each team only supposed to send one contestant?"
Owlbert explained helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. That's the rule. It's not a bug."
Before he even finished speaking, a loud bang was heard.
Bang!
Tribbie, Trianne, and Trinnon had already pressed Jiaoqiu's hand down together and won effortlessly.
Jiaoqiu held his forehead and sighed. "This… Does this count as outside assistance? I knew this competition wasn't going to be serious!"
Finally, it was time for the most anticipated match — Phainon versus Mydei.
The two walked onto the stage without a word. Their gazes collided in the air as if sparks were flying.
Mydei's lips curved into a competitive smile. "Phainon, today I'll show you who's truly the strongest! You didn't even call me when the competition started!"
Phainon refused to back down. "Just like usual, Mydei. This time, I'm definitely winning!"
"Begin!"
There was no probing, no technique. From the very start, both of them exploded with their full strength.
Veins bulged on their arms as their muscles tensed. The table creaked under the immense pressure.
It was a pure contest of will and power.
Time passed second by second. Sweat rolled down Mydei's forehead while Phainon's expression grew increasingly serious.
"Haah!" Mydei let out a fierce roar and pushed again, slowly but irresistibly forcing Phainon's arm downward inch by inch.
"Yaah!" Phainon counterattacked and gradually regained the upper hand.
The two began trash-talking each other.
"Don't… push yourself… Mydei… Look at you, you're… drenched in sweat… like a drowned rat."
"Worry about… yourself… Deliverer! Your hand… doesn't it need… some oil?!"
"Ugh—"
"Ah—"
"Ugh—"
"Ah—"
[Is this something I'm allowed to watch?]
[Everyone, don't watch in dark mode. It'll reflect.]
[Wahhh, I love watching this!]
[Why haven't these two gotten married yet?]
— —
Both were drenched in sweat.
After a long while, the balance of victory finally began to tilt.
Mydei seized that one-in-a-million chance.
He suddenly erupted with his final burst of power.
Bang!
Mydei stood up and raised his arm high. "Hmph. I won."
Phainon looked stunned. "I clearly… already mixed a lot of sugar into your protein powder. How is this possible?"
Mydei: "???"
— —
Not long after.
Castorice and Mydei, having defeated their respective opponents, arrived at the finals stage.
The muscular, imposing Mydei faced off against the slender, gentle-looking Castorice.
The live chat was almost unanimously one-sided.
[Is there even any suspense left? Mydei can win with just one finger, right?]
[My Cassie making it to the finals is already impressive enough. Even in defeat, it's glorious!]
[Go Mydei! Win the first point for our Boss Team!]
Mydei looked at Castorice across from him with full confidence. "You're strong, but this is as far as you go."
The match began. Mydei suddenly exerted force, and Castorice's arm was immediately pushed down at a sharp angle, about to touch the table.
"It's over!" Mydei thought.
However, at that moment, he felt an unimaginable force coming from her arm. Not only did it withstand his full power, it even started pushing back!
Mydei's smile froze. He stared at Castorice in disbelief.
Castorice's expression remained calm, but the power in her arm grew increasingly terrifying, as if it had no end!
Mydei's arm began to tremble. He used every ounce of strength he had when he defeated Phainon, but he was still being pushed back bit by bit until it crossed the center line and started falling toward his side.
"No… impossible!" Mydei's expression went from shock to horror, then from horror to despair.
Bang!
Castorice's arm steadily pressed Mydei's hand down.
The entire venue fell into dead silence.
Mydei stared blankly at his hand pinned to the table, then looked up at the delicate girl in front of him whose breathing hadn't even changed. His worldview seemed to collapse at that moment.
After holding it in for a long time, he finally let out a heart-wrenching roar that echoed throughout the entire Penacony Grand Theater:
"Why did you even participate in an arm wrestling tournament?!"