"Tsk, I originally thought you'd be the last one standing because you were the strongest among them. Turns out it's just because you're a coward and too weak, so you didn't dare to go first."
On the Fluorescent Beach, Tendo looked at Visel's beast-transformed body, which had swelled to three meters tall, his expression utterly exasperated.
As the last survivor of the Dark Star Four, Tendo had assumed Visel was either the strongest or the most cunning among them, full of malicious tricks. After all, in the original story, Visel was also the only one of the Dark Star Four who didn't die.
But as for the result... Tendo didn't know if Visel was psychologically twisted or not. He only knew that from a purely power-level perspective, this guy was definitely the weakest of the Dark Star Four.
Visel's Star Source ability allowed him to create numerous special potions through medical means and perform a certain degree of self-modification. However, this effect was, in a sense, just a low-tier version of a Child of the Stars.
Even a genuine Child of the Stars wasn't Tendo's match, let alone a low-tier copy. So, it seemed that Visel had no special reason for surviving this long; it was purely due to good luck!
Meanwhile, the dimensional viewers watched Tendo's rather unenthusiastic and arrogant demeanor on screen.
'Bro, maybe it's not that he's too weak, but that you're too strong?'
'Rigged! I report! This is definitely the production team rigging it! If Tendo wasn't a side character, these four guys would have lasted at least two or three episodes. How did they get wiped out in one?'
'Hey, little troll in front, you're showing your true colors! If these four weaklings could fight Tendo for two or three episodes, wouldn't his "strongest" persona collapse?'
'My husband Tendo is so awesome!'
'Hey, you in front, who's your husband? That's clearly our Lin'er's husband!'
'Hold on, I just checked the IP address of that comment calling him "husband" earlier... It's actually from Chengdu!'
'The most stereotypically Chengdu episode.'
'Male fans, step aside! We don't need male fans here!'
'No, you step aside! (Male fans)'
'Quiet, quiet, everyone, give me some face. Don't argue.'
Just as the complex mix of bullet comments squabbled with each other, the anime scene transitioned to the resort hotel. The time rewound to one minute earlier.
Unlike Tendo's magnificent display of kingly dominance, fighting one against four on the Fluorescent Beach and vying for the MVP title, the situation for Chen Kong and the others inside the hotel was quite grim. Due to Tendo's unexpected scene-stealing, the anime's plot at the hotel had deviated slightly.
In the original plot, Fushan and the others had split up, dealing with Chen Kong's trio one by one. Lina, the Shadow Weaver, was the only one who didn't directly engage, instead hiding in the shadows to secretly kidnap Isabelle.
This created a thrilling plot point where Isabelle was about to face a crisis. And just as many anime feature a 'princess in distress' and a 'prince charming' who appears to save her, when Isabelle, the 'princess,' encountered danger, Chen Kong, the 'prince charming,' appeared.
Chen Kong, who should have been tied down by Fushan, unexpectedly had a burst of inner strength at the critical moment, quickly killing Fushan.
Then, he appeared just as Isabelle completely fell into Lina's Shadow Prison, and using his own 'Void Markings,' he broke through the prison, successfully rescuing her from the darkness.
This act not only truly embodied the trope of a hero saving the damsel but also left a deep impression on Isabelle, setting the stage for their subsequent romantic storyline.
However, all of this drastically changed after Tendo stole the spotlight. The Dark Star Four, who were supposed to individually deal with Chen Kong and the others, not only audaciously chose to team up and besiege Tendo, but they also failed to even hold Tendo for a single minute.
They were like four ordinary small monsters suddenly spawned on the roadside, casually kicked to death by Tendo. They utterly lacked the dignity an antagonist should have.
But while the Dark Star clowns went offline at light speed, the result of the plot alteration was that Chen Kong, the protagonist who was supposed to shine, once again embarked on his journey of suffering.
Because in this altered plot, the production team, in a truly deranged manner, inserted a Level 2 Star Envoy! And this Level 2 Star Envoy wasn't just some miscellaneous soldier; they were a regular force from the Star Envoy Association!
One minute ago, at the resort hotel outside Fluorescent Beach.
"Kong, you take Isabelle and leave first."
Inside the resort lobby, Chen Xing looked at the deserted surroundings and decisively drew her demonic blade, adopting a vigilant stance. Just moments ago, numerous tourists and students from Trilane Middle School had rushed into the resort hotel to escape the marine Star Beasts controlled by Plague Doctor Visel. This had made the hotel's first-floor lobby unusually crowded. But at some point, the first-floor lobby, once packed with people, was now left with only the four of them. This was undoubtedly a very abnormal situation.
Not long after Chen Xing finished speaking, a light chuckle suddenly echoed from the center of the lobby.
"Distinguished athletes, I suggest you don't be in such a hurry to leave."
"After all, the match specially prepared for you is about to begin."
Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Chen Xing didn't hesitate to strike first, swinging her blade towards the source of the sound.
A sword energy composed of fierce flames cut a crimson trajectory through the air, covering the stranger who had suddenly appeared in the center of the hotel lobby in the blink of an eye.
But what made Chen Xing's expression solemn was that her flame sword energy failed to inflict any damage on the man. It was directly dispersed by an invisible force before it could even touch him.
From the embers of the flames, a figure in a black and green referee uniform, wearing a comical husky mask, walked towards them, leisurely twirling a yellow card in his hand. When he reached Chen Xing, a smug, triumphant smile appeared on the face beneath the husky mask.
"Athlete attacks referee without cause. Yellow card warning, once."
The man in the husky mask held up the yellow card high towards Chen Xing. The next second, Chen Xing felt an invisible force imposed upon her.
This mysterious power not only made her body suddenly heavy but also made the flow of Star Energy within her feel like it was trapped in quicksand, becoming incredibly difficult to circulate. Conservatively, just one 'yellow card' reduced her overall strength by a full one-third, which was quite exaggerated.
Before Chen Xing could understand what was happening, Isabelle beside her said in disbelief, "Match, yellow card, referee... Association Level 2 Star Envoy - Referee Gon, why are you here?!"
Hearing Isabelle speak his name, Gon wasn't too surprised. After all, the number of Level 2 Star Envoys in Deep Blue Metropolis was scarce to begin with; each had a known name.
Not to mention, his Star Source, 'Field Referee,' was too obvious and easily discernible. So, it wasn't strange that Isabelle could immediately recognize him. However, facing Isabelle's accusation, Gon deliberately feigned ignorance. "Miss, what Gon? I don't know any Gon you're talking about. I'm just a professional referee who happened to be passing by."
"Impossible, you absolutely—"
"Audience, please be quiet. No loud noises allowed during the match."
Before Isabelle could finish her sentence, Gon, wearing the husky mask, directly issued a warning. And his words seemed to possess a kind of magic. They actually rendered Isabelle unable to make another sound. Fortunately, Isabelle wasn't the only one there who knew Gon's information.
Caroline looked at Gon, a torrent of data flowing from her electronic cat eyes, as if she were searching through something. A moment later, she spoke, taking over from Isabelle.
"Association Level 2 Star Envoy - Referee Gon, Specialized-type Star Source - Field Referee."
"According to public intelligence, after Referee Gon's Star Source ability is activated, he can artificially designate an area as an exclusive match venue."
"After dividing the people within the venue into three categories—audience, players, and coaches—he can expel any remaining irrelevant individuals."
"However, whether his Star Source ability can freely set match rules, freely modify match content, or arbitrarily increase or decrease match time are all unreleased information and cannot be found."
"Oh? I didn't expect you, an automaton cat, to be quite cautious. You managed to dig up so much information about me all at once. It seems you had prior intentions. Your intelligence gathering methods are decent; you'd make a good bookmaker."
Although Caroline exposed a part of his Star Source effect, Gon showed no signs of panic. His Star Source was quite special, a god-tier ability for crushing weaker opponents, so he wasn't particularly afraid of it being known.
As for why this Star Source was so effective against weaker opponents, it was because any Star Envoys whose level was lower than his had to strictly adhere to the match rules he set.
Violators would be punished, just like Chen Xing, who had just received a yellow card. If he encountered Star Envoys of the same level as him, Gon would have to compare their respective base Star Energy values.
If their base Star Energy was lower than his, they would still have to strictly follow his match rules. If their base Star Energy was higher, the opponent would gain the privilege of freely customizing the match.
As for encountering Star Envoys with a higher level than Gon...
Sorry, Referee Gon could only retain the right to designate the match venue. All other rights would belong to the opponent.
The reason for this situation was that while a referee could indeed influence the outcome of a match, if they encountered 'capital' outside the field, the referee within the field wouldn't quite measure up. After all, the value of 'black whistle' paled in comparison to 'black money.'
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Gon would never drag anyone with a higher Star Envoy level or higher Star Energy value than himself into his 'match.' And thanks to this shameless style of only bullying the weak and avoiding high-tier matches, Gon was one of the few Star Envoy Association members who maintained a 100% mission completion rate.
He was affectionately nicknamed... the Pond Killer. Although the nickname wasn't the most flattering, Gon himself rather liked it. After all, with the Star Envoy Association's meager fixed salary, why would he risk his life?!
"Gon, as an Association Star Envoy, you're now actively interfering in a local power struggle. Aren't you afraid of being found out by those above and facing a strict internal investigation?"
Hearing Caroline's words, Gon laughed and said, "Afraid of what? If I were afraid, I wouldn't be taking dirty money."
"Besides, without dirty money, where would a meager profession like a referee get so much extra income?"
Facing Caroline's threat, Gon, wearing his husky mask, not only didn't shy away from admitting to taking dirty money but even looked proud. It was as if being a corrupt referee wasn't a disgrace to him at all, but rather a very glorious thing. His motto was to go all-in on corruption and pocket the money cleanly.
Faced with his response, Caroline was utterly speechless. She had genuinely never seen anyone as thick-skinned as this, apart from Tendo. But today, she finally had.
However, unlike Caroline and the others' expressions—some silent, some nervous, some solemn—the dimensional viewers at this moment were overjoyed. Although Gon, this newly appeared villain, had an odd personality, he also exuded a strange sense of humor. After all, that bizarre husky mask, coupled with Gon's rather darkly humorous lines, gave off a sense of pure foolishness, maximizing the comedic effect.
'Hahaha! Openly being a corrupt referee? Gon, I admit your thick skin can rival Hakiten's.'
'Even though you're a villain, you're much more interesting than those four clowns from before.'
'Brother, our national football team really needs a referee like you!'
'You could directly announce the match results, but you still insist on personally stepping onto the field just for show? Gon, you really are quite dedicated.'
'Tendo: Everyone, hold on! The head coach is warming up and will be on the field soon!'
Although Chen Kong and the others were in a precarious situation, the dimensional viewers at this moment felt no tension whatsoever. Even if Gon's timeline was synchronized with Tendo's timeline, since Tendo had already ended his battle prematurely, it meant he should arrive at the hotel very soon and join this special match that was rigged from the start.
And as long as Tendo could appear, Chen Kong and the others' crisis would definitely be resolved! This wasn't blind optimism from the dimensional viewers; it was the indelible impression Tendo had left on them through his repeated actions.
However, before Tendo, the head coach, appeared, Chen Kong, the protagonist, was highly likely to suffer. And judging by Gon's deplorable conduct, the suffering he endured would probably not be small.