——
The houses in Boulder Town were mostly dilapidated, with peeling walls. From a distance, Stelle could see that many roofs had even collapsed, revealing rusted construction materials beneath. This place never saw sunlight, the only light sources came from the ubiquitous hanging lamps and the piles of yellow ore lining the streets.
Compared to the relaxed, sunny expressions of the people in the Overworld, everyone here had shadows over their faces, traces left by long years of labor and hardship. The miners crowding the streets had bloodshot eyes, gaunt figures, and an indescribable exhaustion etched into their silence.
"Heh, isn't this just Zaun's counterpart in another world? Look at the expressions on their faces..."
As if confirming his own thoughts, a faint smile appeared on Silco's face. He declared confidently, "Even if these people don't rebel today or tomorrow, they will eventually rise up! All it takes is one person to raise their voice, and war will erupt between the Underworld and the Overworld!"
"They're not like you. They don't have a [Jinx]," Jinx said with a nonchalant expression. "Even if they fight, they don't stand a chance, right?"
"Force is important, of course, but the real key lies in that golden ore... If I'm not mistaken, that's the [Geomarrow] the Overworld relies on for survival. Cutting off this energy supply would be like severing the Overworld's lifeline."
"If Zaun had something like this, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
As he spoke, he looked up at Zaun's "sky"—a massive iron wall obscured by black smoke, woven together by countless crisscrossing pipes and wires, dotted with lights of all sizes like stars illuminating Zaun's night.
This was the dividing line between Piltover and Zaun. Over the years, few in Zaun had ever seen the true sky.
"Once the Geomarrow supply is cut off, the [Eternal Freeze] will sweep through the Overworld. By then... the Silvermane Guards will be stretched thin, fighting fires in the Underworld while struggling against the cold. Chaos will be inevitable—what can even the Supreme Guardian do?"
"Maybe they can call upon the protection of an Aeon?" Jinx teased, blinking mischievously.
"...Heh."
As if hearing a particularly amusing joke, Silco's lips curled into a faint smile.
"If the power of the Aeons is truly as they say... then Qliphoth probably never cast his gaze upon these insignificant humans in the first place. If divine power had even the slightest presence, how could the Eternal Freeze and the Stellaron crisis have erupted?"
——
[Outside the clinic, March 7th was about to play hide-and-seek with a group of children. These kids called themselves the [Moles], and their leader was a cute girl with twin tails and a thick fur hat, Hook. Since these children had plenty of intel about the underground, Stelle and March 7th played with them for a while before finally learning Dan Heng's whereabouts.]
[Dan Heng had been taken by Sampo to the Fight Club. Unfamiliar with the area, March 7th had no choice but to ask Hook for directions.]
["Fighting... so the underground likes this kind of rough entertainment, huh?" March 7th mused along the way. Still, it made sense, down here, where everything was pitch black and the townsfolk spent their days mining, they probably needed some excitement.]
["Mhm, it's super fun!" Hook laughed as she ran ahead.]
["You've participated too?! This club has no martial integrity at all!" March 7th's eyes widened in shock, her sense of justice flaring up. "...No, my conscience is ringing alarm bells."]
["...March, maybe we should check it out first?"]
[The three soon arrived at the Fight Club's entrance. But the moment they stopped, the announcer's booming voice burst through the doors and reached Stelle's ears.]
["—Ladies and gentlemen! The next match will be today's most exciting, most intense, most shocking showdown!"]
["The stoic, super-skilled rising star, Cold Dragon Young! Recommended by the dashing blue-haired gentleman!"]
["His opponents, the emotionless, highly explosive robot squad! All hail Supreme Guardian Svarog!"]
[Cold Dragon Young?]
[March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances.]
[They rushed inside to find Dan Heng standing alone in the octagon, his face expressionless as he coldly stared down two fist-shaped robots.]
["Since no other fighters are willing to face the robot squad, Cold Dragon Young will have to take them on alone... Wait! Two audience members have stormed the octagon, it seems they're joining Cold Dragon Young in battle!"]
[Indeed, the two "fighters" were none other than March 7th and Stelle, who had just charged in.]
——
"Oh~ This feeling... it really brings back memories."
Having returned to Meropide from the Palais Mermonia, Wriothesley watched with exhilaration. This raw, brutal combat reminded him of his own glory days years ago, when he dominated the underground fighting rings within the Fortress.
Back when he first arrived at Meropide as a convict, he was a nobody. It was through victory after victory that he established his current status.
Fighting in the octagon was both his greatest skill and his greatest joy.
Wriothesley's hands itched with the urge to brawl.
"Not allowed, Duke. If you step into the ring, my infirmary will be overcrowded again."
As if reading his mind, Sigewinne handed him a steaming cup of tea. "If you really want to show off your skills, maybe Monsieur Neuvillette can assign you a few autonomous meka."
"Autonomous meka... I've beaten too many of those to count. Forget it, Head Nurse, don't trouble yourself." Wriothesley stared enviously at the screen. "Robots from another world... Ah, if only I could fight them myself. Ideally, I'd take on ten at once."
——
On the screen, the robots were no match for the trio. But upon defeat, the little bots suddenly self-destructed. With a deafening [BOOM], the entire arena trembled as if struck by a minor earthquake, and the octagon was engulfed in smoke.
As the dust settled, the shielded trio stood unharmed inside the cage.
...Wriothesley suddenly felt grateful he hadn't been able to join the fight.
"This... this is underground fighting...?" He gaped in disbelief, a bitter smile spreading across his face as he nearly spilled his tea.
Losing and then self-destructing? Even more shameless than those cheating, ambushing autonomous meka! The fighting in this other world... is just that wild, huh?