Chapter 213: Scott: Am I Still Alive...?
The Wardance Martial Arts Ceremony was a spectacle of grand proportions, buzzing with the chaotic energy of countless spectators. Clara took a deep breath, mustering every ounce of her courage as her small boots stepped onto the polished surface of the arena ring.
"Regardless of whether your home world operates on the concept of day and night, I wish you a spectacular morning, afternoon, or evening! I am your good friend—Owlbert! Welcome, everyone, to the electrifying venue of the Martial Arts Ceremony qualifying matches!"
The snowy owl hosted with infectious passion, his voice echoing through the stadium speakers.
"The two sides for this match are... from the Belobog representative team, [The Bang-Bang Great Demon King] Clara! Versus the Interstellar Peace Corporation's Marketing Development Department, the [Mecha Field Master] team!"
Standing in the coach's box for the Belobog team, Rekka immediately spotted a familiar face across the arena. That signature pair of tiny sunglasses, that unmistakable hair color, that perpetually grating aura... It was none other than Linden Scott, the IPC manager who had slunk away from the Xianzhou Luofu after a humiliating transfer two months prior.
"Yo, it's you, Mr. Scott," Rekka called out, waving enthusiastically at his old acquaintance.
"You! Talk about enemies crossing paths!" Scott gritted his teeth, his face flushing a dangerous shade of crimson.
"Your head is smoking," Rekka pointed out casually.
"That's right! Just seeing your face makes me so angry I'm literally fuming!"
"So what does that have to do with me?" Rekka tilted his head, genuinely curious. As far as he knew, his little stunt with the magical notebook had gone completely undetected.
"If it weren't for you!" Scott roared, clenching his fists as he stood in the opposing coach's box. "I would have already secured the business rights in Aurum Alley! All those subsequent disasters wouldn't have happened, and I wouldn't have been stripped of the branch's core operations! But things are different now! I am standing here today to demonstrate the absolute superiority of our latest generation of Interstellar Peace Corporation mechs!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember something. You didn't bark like a dog," Rekka said, a sudden look of realization washing over his face. He had been wondering what loose end he had forgotten about.
Scott choked on his words. "..."
"You bastard!"
"Sigh, let the past be the past," Rekka waved a hand dismissively. "Look on the bright side, haven't you found a new job? You're even able to lead a team in the Martial Arts Ceremony. How glorious."
"Stop acting like the good guy here! Those grievances can't just be brushed aside!" Scott bellowed, his voice carrying the sheer volume of a Loud Roar. "If you lose, not only will you have to bark like a dog in public! You will also have to sing while barking! We'll settle both old and new scores together!"
"Alright then. If you win, I'll bark like a dog. But if you lose..." Rekka smiled, a seemingly harmless, gentle expression curving his lips. "If you lose, not only will you have to bark like a dog, but also... you won't be allowed to walk off this stage on two legs. How about that?"
Stepping onto the grand stage for the first time, a highly nervous Clara stared down at her right fist. The mechanical gauntlet was actively charging up, emitting a low, dangerous hum. The internal progress bar slowly ticked upward: 94%, 95%...
"I didn't expect this to be a grudge match—but that just makes it all the more thrilling to watch! It's bound to turn into an absolute bloodbath! Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the cruel world of winning and losing!" Owlbert's eyes widened in sheer delight. Goodness, the opening tension was explosive.
Three heavy automatic mechs thundered into the arena, the ground trembling beneath their immense weight. Their armored chassis gleamed with a cold, unforgiving metallic luster, stamped proudly with the conspicuous logo of the Interstellar Peace Corporation. Their left arms were equipped with vicious, rotating gear saws, while their right arms housed high-energy pulse cannons.
These were the IPC's latest riot-control models.
"Do you honestly think you can contend with our company's advanced military force just by casually dragging in some wet-behind-the-ears little girl and a couple pieces of scrap metal?" Scott sneered.
Clara looked back at Rekka, her large red eyes pleading for guidance.
"It's fine, go ahead and do it!" Rekka encouraged her with a thumbs-up.
"Okay, okay, Big Brother! Clara will do her best!"
Three seconds later, the reinforced wall of the Martial Arts Ceremony arena simply ceased to exist.
An devastating explosion ripped through the air. The sheer kinetic force of Clara's punch alone carved out a massive, devastating trench through the stadium.
Clear the field.
However, this catastrophic destruction was strictly calculated. Although half of the spectator stands instantly collapsed and a full fifty percent of the Martial Arts Ceremony venue was blown to smithereens, there were miraculously no casualties.
The opposing riot-control mechs completely short-circuited on the spot. The shockwave from the punch was simply too overwhelming for their internal systems to process.
And the most terrifying part? That punch had been aimed directly at the sky.
Jagged fissures spread outward from where Clara stood, tearing through the arena floor and extending all the way to the heavy-duty protective barrier at the edge of the venue. The three advanced riot-control mechs lay crookedly in the rubble, thick black smoke billowing from their sparking joints.
The perpetrator of this apocalyptic scene was currently clutching her right fist to her chest, looking around the ruined stadium in a state of absolute panic.
"Big Brother! Big Brother! Did... did Clara ruin the match?" she stammered, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "It seems like I turned the power of the gauntlet up too high..."
"No, don't worry." Rekka walked over and patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You did very well."
"B-but the venue... Big Brother, did Clara do something wrong? I'll have to pay a lot of Credit Points for this, won't I?"
"The venue belongs to the General, not you. Don't sweat it."
Across the cratered ruins, Scott was lying flat on a protective safety mat.
"Huh?" He subconsciously reached up to touch his head. "Is my head still there?"
It was still attached. However, the three prized riot-control mechs he had brought were completely, irreversibly totaled. The IPC employees stationed inside the cockpits slowly crawled out from the wreckage, trembling like leaves in a hurricane.
Yet, strangely enough, this could be considered an honorable defeat.
No one in the audience underestimated the Corporation's team, because the sheer atmospheric pressure of that punch had practically hit the spectators right in the face. The fact that the mechs hadn't been vaporized meant the Interstellar Peace Corporation's engineering was genuinely awesome.
"Oh my god! An unbelievable scene! Dear audience, please open your eyes wide!" Owlbert's tone was practically vibrating with excitement. "One blow! Just one blow! Contestant Clara from the [The Bang-Bang Great Demon King] Belobog representative team has used her iron fist to directly destroy half of the Martial Arts Ceremony venue!"
"But of course, we cannot ignore the excellent technology of the Interstellar Peace Corporation! Under such devastating power, the mech's cockpit managed to keep all the pilots completely safe! It is truly a top-tier creation of a giant corporate conglomerate! Let us give our thunderous applause to both the great winner and the resilient loser!"
Scott did indeed fulfill his end of the wager. He was physically carried off the stage, his mouth emitting strange, whimpering noises that didn't sound entirely human.
However, what he might be facing upon returning to the IPC wasn't a demotion, but a promotion.
After all, his primary objective in participating was to promote the durability of the Interstellar Peace Corporation's mechs, not necessarily to win the championship. By some bizarre twist of fate, it actually seemed like a good ending for him.
The stadium speakers crackled to life with a public service announcement.
"Dear audience, dear contestants. Due to force majeure... namely, the first arena suffering a devastating physical blow a minute ago, the second and third groups of the qualifying matches originally scheduled for this afternoon will be temporarily postponed. Dear audience, please remain calm, do not crowd, and leave the premises in an orderly manner. The engineering repair team has already arrived at the scene. According to preliminary assessments, it will take about one system hour to repair the venue. Please wait patiently."
Down in the rubble, Rekka grinned. "That was amazing! Clara, you're really incredible! That punch just now was so imposing!"
"Am... am I incredible?" Clara blinked, her panic slowly fading into relief.
"Of course! Clara is super incredible!"
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