No one noticed that Claire, one of the highest-ranking ministers of the kingdom, had disappeared from the viewing platform behind Wilder. Of course, even if someone had noticed, they wouldn't have paid it much mind. Everyone's attention was now completely focused on the competition field.
The announcer, holding a microphone, his expression full of passion, announced the start of the first match in the most fervent tone possible.
"Now, let's have the cadre of Morass, Autumn, and North, face off on the stage!"
"WOOOOAH!" Accompanied by a roar of fierce excitement, two figures—one burly, one slender—walked out from the entrance and stood opposite each other on the martial arts stage.
The burly one was a man named North, powerfully built. The slender one was a woman named Autumn, whose upper proportions were explosive and extremely eye-catching. One look and you knew this fight was probably going to get bloody.
"Let the match… begin!" Without any unnecessary words, as the referee struck the gong, the two of them moved at the same time!
Swish!
Swish!
Don't be fooled by North's simple-minded, brawny appearance, and don't assume Autumn would be hindered by the drag from her chest. Both of them were incredibly fast, disappearing from their original positions in the blink of an eye.
The sound of fists and feet parrying crackled through the air. Their speed was so great that the crowd could only vaguely see them collide in the middle, followed by a blur of afterimages from their rapid-fire attacks.
In just a moment, their fists and feet had clashed several times, each blow landing with a solid, meaty thud!
Papapa!
"So… so fast!"
"Is this the combat power of a cadre?"
"You've got to be kidding… that kind of speed."
The spectators stared with wide eyes, stunned by the spectacle of the battle.
"And this is only the first match…"
"If the cadres are this strong, doesn't that mean the senior cadres are even more terrifying?"
The stands erupted with fervent shouts of excitement. For some, this might have been the first time they had ever witnessed such a battle, and their excitement was palpable.
"Autumn! Go for it!"
"Go on, Autumn! Hit him!"
"Damn it! That guy North, are you even a man? You don't know how to treat a lady with respect in a fight! Just give up already!"
"Eat sh*t, you!"
Soon, the audience had found someone to support. However, the support was overwhelmingly one-sided. The entire venue was cheering for Autumn, and some went so far as to start belittling North.
Hearing the words from the crowd, North felt his whole world turn gray.
What the hell…?! Is this the legendary fawning of sycophants?
As expected, sycophants never come to a good end!
At this thought, a fire of anger ignited in North's heart. His face darkened. It only reinforced the theory he had just come up with: no woman was any good. And so, he held back even less.
He went all out!
"Die, woman!"
"Hmph! Come and get me if you have the guts!"
As the two clashed again, the atmosphere in the venue rapidly intensified.
"Oh my! This is incredible. Are all the cadres of Morass this strong? As far as I know, Morass has nearly two hundred cadre-level members. If you add the minor leaders, well… that number is truly not to be underestimated."
In the stands, a person completely hidden in a black robe watched the battle below with fiery eyes, muttering to themselves as if giving commentary.
"What should I do? At this rate… taking Wilder's head will be no easy task." The voice from under the black robe paused for a moment before speaking again, but their voice was so low it was almost inaudible, completely unnoticed by anyone.
"It seems I'll have to think of a way…"
At this moment, the seemingly calm spectator stands were actually a hotbed of undercurrents. In every corner, scattered throughout the seats, were unfamiliar and familiar faces, all staring intently at the battle below. Some had calm eyes, others were excited, bloodthirsty, cruel, or evil. Some were simply gathering information, others seemed to be plotting something. Some were acting alone, while others had come in groups.
Wilder took all of this in with his "eyes," but his gaze remained fixed on the match, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips, as if he were pleased and gratified by the strength of his subordinates.
The first battle ended quickly. A chorus of boos filled the stands, because the winner was North. Hearing the boos, North's face darkened again, but he couldn't say anything. He turned and went backstage to rest.
The second battle began immediately. This time, it was two men of similar build, so there was no one-sided cheering. With Wilder's prerequisite that every battle be decided quickly, this match also ended in less than five minutes. After all, this was the first round of the elimination tournament, so there wasn't too much emphasis on fairness. It was also arranged this way—single, quick matches—so that the audience wouldn't be distracted by watching multiple fights at once.
The third match…
The fourth match…
The atmosphere in the venue remained intensely heated.
Amidst this fervent atmosphere, no one knew that outside the martial arts arena, an operation was quietly unfolding in an orderly manner.
"Area A deployment complete. Overt exits 3, 5, 6, and 8 are secured."
"Area A deployment complete. Covert surveillance on channels 2, 4, and 7 is established."
"Area B deployment complete. Overt exits 5, 8, and 9 are secured."
"Area B deployment complete. Covert surveillance on channels 3, 4, and 10 is established."
"Area C deployment complete…"
"Area Z deployment complete…"
"Area D deployment complete…"
Hearing the reports coming in from the Den Den Mushi, Claire emerged from a dark alley. "Received."
One battle after another proceeded quickly. But there were many cadres, so after half a day, the cadre-level elimination round finally came to a conclusion. Over a hundred cadres were eliminated.
By now, it was time for the day's matches to end.
Wilder and the others had already left the viewing platform. As the crowd poured out of the arena, the streets became lively again, filled with the sounds of people discussing the day's matches. Among them, the name of North from the first match was mentioned most often. Of course, everyone who mentioned his name did so through gritted teeth.
"You have no idea how despicable that guy North is! He actually made my Miss Autumn spit blood! A guy like that, I hope he gets eliminated in the semi-finals tomorrow!"
"Uh… actually, it's not that big of a deal. It's a competition, after all, so of course you have to go all out. I actually think that North is a real man. He doesn't go easy on his opponent or underestimate her just because she's a woman. That's the mentality a warrior should have!"
"Bullsh*t! You didn't see his fight, otherwise you wouldn't be saying that!"
"What? Is there some inside story? I missed the first match. Tell me, quick."
"You have no idea how despicable that guy is! A fight is a fight, there's always a winner and a loser. That's not unforgivable, right?"
"Mhm, mhm."
"But that guy, every time he attacked, he went for Miss Autumn's impressive chest! You tell me, is that right? Huh? Is that something a human being would do?"
"Miss Autumn almost fell victim to his wicked hands several times! If it weren't for his creepy attacks, Miss Autumn would have won long ago!"
The passerby was righteously indignant, talking about North's faults.
But as luck would have it, North, who was just leaving the arena, happened to overhear this. He couldn't take it anymore and rushed over.
North grabbed the man by the collar, his eyes bloodshot. "That's the enemy-killing fist I've been practicing since I was a child! Every punch is aimed at the opponent's vital points! Where the hell do you want me to hit?! You tell me! Do I have any other choice?! Tell me!"
North really couldn't stand this injustice. No one would feel good about being slandered like this for no reason.
Being yelled at by North like this, and seeing his bloodshot eyes, the crowd calmed down. They carefully recalled the scene of the battle, and a shiver went down their spines.
Wait a minute…!
Thinking back on that battle now…
Something seems… off?!
They looked at each other, and one of them finally spoke with some hesitation. "It… it seems we really can't blame this guy… I just thought about it, Miss Autumn's torso… it… it seems to be taken up by a lot of space by… you know. It… it seems there really wasn't anywhere else to hit…"
Prompted by his words, everyone was stunned for a moment, then fell into silence.
It seemed they had really wronged this guy.
North released the man's collar, smoothed it out for him, and walked away without another word. As long as his name was cleared, that was enough.
Many people had watched the competition, and the flow of people was still pouring out of the arena. But most people who had finished watching wouldn't linger on the streets for too long. After all, life had to go on, and work had to be done. If they really wanted to discuss their post-match thoughts, they would have to wait until they were off work.
As the people leaving the arena gradually dwindled, and finally, no one else came out, the streets became somewhat deserted again.
Only a few scattered people were "wandering" in the area.
"Boss, the intersections ahead and to the left are blocked. It seems we've been discovered," on a quiet street, a group of five people dressed in extremely "inconspicuous" clothes gathered together. One of them spoke in a slightly heavy tone.
The one he called "Boss" was a man with slicked-back hair and a horizontal scar across his face. Hearing his words, the slicked-back-haired man chuckled, his voice as deep as a drum. "This won't do. We're just curious passers-by. It would be bad if we were treated as enemies."
"Then what do we do?"
The slicked-back-haired man's eyes were dark. He looked up at the sky for a moment, then waved his hand and turned. "Well… we can't start a conflict now. Let's take another route."
The group immediately changed direction and headed down another street.
On another street in a different direction, another group had gathered. The one in the lead had an incredibly strange build, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. He was terrifyingly tall, over six meters, almost seven, and his entire body was wrapped in layers of black gauze, his face obscured. Beside him were two men also wrapped in black gauze, their exposed faces looking stiff and tinged with green. Their builds were much more normal, about the same as an average person.
"Hekikikiki… the two exits in front and behind are both blocked. Hekikikiki…" a strange laugh came from within the gauze of the terrifyingly large figure.
"Your laugh is too annoying. I'll let you die today," one of the men behind him said, narrowing his eyes. He quickly pulled a fruit knife from his waist and stabbed at the terrifying figure.
The other person, with dead fish eyes, expressionlessly reached out a huge arm and firmly grabbed his shoulder. "Save your energy. If you don't want to hear it, just put in some earplugs."
"Hekikikiki… Hekikikiki… always thinking of reasons to kill your master every day. What an unlikable subordinate. Hekikikiki…" The terrifying figure seemed completely unconcerned by the assassination attempt, patting his round belly and laughing.
"As I thought, I'll just let you die today," the man said flatly, pulling out a throwing star from his bandages and flinging it at the terrifying figure. Unfortunately, his aim seemed to be off, and the throwing star ended up sticking in his own foot.
"Hekikikiki! Hekikikiki!" The terrifying figure saw this and laughed so hard he slapped his belly.
"I say, shouldn't we be taking another route?" the other person, who seemed out of place in this group for not being strange enough, said with dead fish eyes and a listless tone.
"Hekikikiki… we'll do as you say." The terrifying figure turned, his heavy body making muffled thuds on the ground as the three of them walked off in another direction.
"You walk too loudly. I'll let you die today."
"Hekikikiki…"
Their voices gradually faded down the street…
On another street, a large-headed, charming youth in a greenish-brown robe picked his nose, looking at the guarded exits with some shock. "This…! Have we been discovered? I was so careful hiding. How could this be?!"
After he finished, he wiped the finger he had just pulled from his nose on his stocking-clad, sturdy thigh, dislodging a few coarse black leg hairs.
"You over there! What are you doing?!" Just then, the soldiers guarding the exit spotted him. They shouted as they raised their long spears and walked over.
"Crap! I've been discovered! Run!" The large-headed, charming youth was startled. Beads of sweat formed on his large face, and he turned and fled.
"Don't run!" The soldiers behind him saw this and seemed to confirm that there was something suspicious about him. They shouted as they gave chase.
The large-headed, charming youth twisted and turned, shaking off the soldiers. He finally found an unguarded intersection and darted through it.
Similar scenes were playing out on several other streets and intersections. All of these people, not wanting to cause a commotion, were forced to change their routes.
Gradually, these people began to head toward the same street.
And then, after changing directions several times, the people finally met. A look of astonishment appeared on their faces. Then, realizing something, they all turned their gazes to the street ahead.
Claire, Vice, and the other senior cadres were all gathered there, looking at them with expressionless faces.
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