Night. The dazzling neon lights of the mobile city flickered. The city center was as bright as day, filled with song and dance, while the area outside the city was pitch black. Though so close, they were like two different worlds.
This mobile city was second only to Kazimierz's capital, Kawalerielki, and was one of the four cities hosting the Knight Major in six months.
On the bustling, cyberpunk-style streets, crowds of people moved. Countless office workers, just getting off work, dragged their exhausted bodies out of their office buildings. They looked glamorous in their suits, but in reality, they could only afford to rent a room far from the city center.
Whenever these strivers felt tired, they just had to look up at the largest skyscraper standing in the city center, and they seemed to be filled with boundless energy again.
That was the branch building of the Chamber of Commerce.
In the eyes of these ordinary people, only the high-and-mighty bosses could enter that building. If they could just get into that building, they would have made it. They could become one of the elites in Kazimierz and do whatever they wanted.
And in a lakeside villa not far from the Chamber of Commerce.
Six tycoons wearing golden masks sat with their legs crossed in a spacious room. Beautiful attendants waited on them attentively, careful not to make a single mistake.
On the screen in front of them.
Several starving, vicious dogs were fighting over the remains on the ground. The scene was extremely gruesome. The attendants were too afraid to look up at the screen, because they had just personally witnessed several 'knights' in their early teens being thrown into this beast pit, only to be torn to shreds by the vicious dogs, which had been experimented on and were much larger than ordinary ones.
The bloodier the scene, the more excited the people in the room became. It seemed only this kind of sensory-stimulating imagery could serve as seasoning for their bland lives.
"Boring..."
The fat man in the middle spat out the grape skin in his mouth, accurately landing it on the face of the attendant next to him.
"I'm tired of this one-sided slaughter. Isn't there anything more exciting, something that'll catch my eye?"
The fat man's small eyes swept over the surrounding attendants, making them tremble in fear.
"It's only been a few days, but I really miss that little squirrel. That little squirrel always manages to surprise me."
The young tycoon with the wolf mask next to him chuckled. "Has the message been delivered to the little squirrel?"
The butler-like man, who had been standing in the back like a shadow, said respectfully, "Chairman, it has been delivered."
"How did she react?"
"She seemed very angry, but also helpless."
"Hmph..."
The young tycoon snorted with laughter.
The person next to him said, "So what if she's angry? The last champion, Radiant Knight Nearl, was angry too, but what could she do? In the end, didn't she have to tuck her tail and flee Kazimierz just to barely save her own life?"
The young tycoon waved his hand and said, "Give the order. In one week, capture all of the little squirrel's family members. Force her to work for us."
The fat man in the center was a bit surprised. "Eh? Didn't you say to kill them all before? Why the change of plans to capturing them?"
"A person's greatest weakness is their attachments. If those attachments are gone, the person has no weaknesses left and becomes even harder to control. As they say in Yan, 'barefoot ones aren't afraid of those with shoes.'"
"Are you so sure the little squirrel has that much potential? What if she doesn't even make it to the playoffs?"
The young man smiled faintly. "If she loses, it just means we misjudged. She'll have to spit out the five million we gave her, right? At that time, we'll arrange for her family to enter the arena, and we'll have her watch with us, right here, as we send her family on their way."
"Hahaha~"
"You look all gentle and cultured, but you're actually the most black-hearted of all."
The fat man laughed loudly and said, "Speaking of which, I quite enjoy watching that. Last time, that young man who couldn't pay his debts watched right here as his entire family was torn apart by the hounds. That expression on his face, like he wanted to eat us alive but was completely helpless, it was just so satisfying to watch. The only drawback is that it's a bit depraved. Do it too often, and you'll suffer retribution."
At the mention of retribution, everyone present burst out laughing.
They had always scoffed at this word.
"Retribution is just self-comfort for the weak. Hahaha, every time I watch them yell 'retribution, retribution' at us from in there... so much time has passed, those people yelling about retribution are long dead, and we're still living comfortably. Where's the retribution? It's hilarious. They actually believe that self-comforting nonsense."
"Hahahaha~"
Peals of laughter filled the room. The more happily these tycoons laughed, the more frightened all the attendants in the room became.
"Who said there's no retribution..."
Suddenly, a male voice rang out unexpectedly in the large room.
The tycoons who had been laughing one second all froze the next, their expressions stiffening.
These tycoons had all offended countless people, so they naturally worried about assassination. The moment the voice sounded, someone immediately shouted.
"Guards!! Guards!!"
One of the tycoons yelled several times, but no one came in. Their bodyguards were posted right outside the door. They should have heard the slightest noise. Why had no one come in after he yelled so many times!
Just then, a tycoon sitting in the far corner cried out in alarm.
Because, at some unknown point, the attendants serving them from behind had suddenly vanished. Not only had the attendants disappeared, but even the colorful neon lights of the city center outside the window had all been extinguished. The Chamber of Commerce branch building, which stood in the center, had also gone dark. Not a single light was on.
This was completely unreasonable.
The lights in the Chamber of Commerce building had dedicated generators. Even if the whole city lost power, the Chamber of Commerce building wouldn't.
What was going on!!
Before, they could still hear singing.
Only now did everyone gradually realize: not only were the people gone and the lights out, but even the singing had disappeared.
If they quieted down, they would find that... the entire world seemed to have fallen into an eerie silence. There wasn't the slightest sound. It was as if... there wasn't a single living person left. It was as if the six of them, along with the house, had been exiled to another world.
This bizarre atmosphere made everyone present unable to help but swallow hard.
*Hoo...*
They had lived for so many years and seen so many storms, but this was the first time they had ever encountered such a scene. It was a lie to say they weren't panicking.
The six men forced themselves to calm down. The fat man in the center stood up and shouted into the surroundings with his grating voice.
"Who are you?"
"I'm your ancestor."
Just then, a fiery red figure walked out of the shadows.
When this figure appeared in front of everyone.
Everyone froze for a second.
"It's you! The little squirrel!!"
"No! That's not right!! The voice just now was clearly a man's."
Lucas Reeve, occupying Sona's body, smiled slightly. He didn't use Sona's voice, but instead directly used his spiritual power to transmit his original voice into everyone's minds.
"I was just wondering if it was a bit wrong to kill people without reason, but... now I feel like I'm doing a service to the public. Or perhaps... I am your retribution."
Sona's originally bright brown eyes had now turned a deep black, and within that blackness, a golden brilliance flickered. Her entire aura instantly became as imposing as a mountain. Just standing there, she exerted a pressure that made it hard for everyone present to breathe.
Lucas Reeve looked at the youngest tycoon wearing the golden wolf mask. "Taylor Upton, 45 years old, current Chairman of Kazimierz's Upton Armaments Group, a director of the Kazimierz Chamber of Commerce, a Tier 3 tycoon. Due to a fear of aging, you constantly use an ancient Sargon art, requiring you to consume the flesh and blood of infants every week to maintain your youth. 58 mistresses, 21 illegitimate children. Your kidneys are failing, so you need to eat nourishing foods for every meal."
After speaking, he turned his head to look at the fat man in the center. "Corbett Asavis, 48 years old, Chairman of Kazimierz's Heaton Financial Group, a director of the Kazimierz Chamber of Commerce, a Tier 3 tycoon. Likes to drink virgin p*ss... tsk tsk, I have to say, isn't that hobby of yours a bit strange? 13 mistresses, 16 children, 10 of whom are deceased."
"....
As for the others, Lucas Reeve didn't list them in such detail.
Even the Chamber of Commerce had a strict hierarchy. Tier 3 tycoons were high enough to serve as directors for the entire Chamber of Commerce, and only the chairmen of an absolute major corporation in Kazimierz were qualified to serve as directors. As for who was above them, in truth, even these Tier 3 tycoons didn't know. The people above them weren't like themselves, with clear companies and clear identities and statuses. They were extremely mysterious. They seemingly had no capital of their own, but a single word from them held immense power.
These directors of the Chamber of Commerce gathered for profit and scattered for profit. Even the Tier 3 tycoons changed occasionally. As for the Tier 2 and Tier 1 below them, the changes were even more frequent. Only the Tier 4 tycoons at the very top were eternal and unchanging, just like the Darksteel of the Armorless Union.
As for this information, although Lucas Reeve could have investigated it himself, it was too troublesome. So, he entrusted Raythean Industries' intelligence department to help him look it up. Lucas Reeve was now skilled enough that he didn't even bother Jessica anymore; he could just go directly to the Raythean Industries people himself. He was truly a master of the "face-fruit" ability. It felt as if Raythean Industries belonged to Lucas Reeve's family...
Kazimierz was a country half-controlled by capital, so foreign capital naturally had the ability to infiltrate. Take a super-giant like Raythean Industries. Although it couldn't join the Chamber of Commerce, the person in charge of Raythean Industries' Kazimierz branch was a target many tycoons actively tried to woo.
After all, no matter how awesome they were, they were at best just Kazimierz companies. But Raythean Industries had, to a certain extent, transcended the scope of a company. It was too massive. This was the status that the vast majority of Kazimierz's tycoons dreamed of. And with Raythean Industries' capabilities, it could naturally obtain intelligence from Kazimierz's hidden information networks.
Hearing Lucas Reeve recite their intelligence word for word.
The expressions on these tycoons' faces were incredibly ugly, especially since he even knew some of their extremely hidden secrets.
"Little squirrel, who the hell are you?!!"
The tycoon named Taylor stared at Sona with an ugly expression.
"Of course! I'm the person sent by heaven to bring you your retribution."
"Just you!!"
The fat man in the center was furious.
However, before he could finish his words, a red shadow had already pierced through his voice. Lucas Reeve had appeared by his side at some unknown moment. With a flick of the knight's blade in his hand, the next second, the middle-aged fat man's head slowly fell to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief, dying with a grievance.
Lucas Reeve's direct killing made everyone else present panic completely.
Someone had already fallen to their knees, begging for mercy. No one dared to act tough. After all, she truly dared to kill them.
Generally speaking, the higher one's status, the more one fears death.
Because the feeling of being able to do whatever they wanted, which came with their status, was something they were reluctant to let go of. So, under the threat of death, these people were often even more pathetic than ordinary people.
"A bunch of bloodthirsty people. The blood debt on all of you combined is even greater than that of many mercenaries I've met! So... it's time for you to go."
Against these ordinary people, Lucas Reeve's sword flashed.
These people had no power to resist. One by one, their heads separated from their necks and fell to the ground. The moment the head of the tycoon named Taylor, who was wearing the wolf mask, hit the ground, his mask flew far away, revealing his true appearance. The lower half of his face looked young, but the area around his eyes was still old.
"Heh... this rejuvenation isn't thorough enough."
Lucas Reeve smiled slightly, jumped out the window, and then dispelled the 'Inner World' Rule.
Lucas Reeve naturally didn't need to worry about anyone discovering Sona did it. From an outside perspective, these tycoons had suddenly vanished on the spot, and when they reappeared, their heads had already fallen. As for the real killer, Lucas Reeve had been walking in the 'Inner World' from start to finish.
Lucas Reeve wasn't just helping Sona. These people deserved to die. The blood on their hands ranked high even among the many warriors Lucas Reeve had seen, which showed just how many people they had killed for their own selfish desires.
Returning home.
Lucas Reeve returned the body to Sona and smiled.
"You won't have any more trouble in the future. Those people are dead. Stone cold dead."
Even after regaining control of her body, Sona still couldn't quite process it. It was... just too idealistic, like she was in a dream. These high-and-mighty people had died so easily in front of her. When Lucas Reeve was controlling her body, Sona could see it all from a first-person perspective. It was precisely because of this that it felt so incredibly dreamlike.
"Th... thank you!! Mr. Reeve, I... I.... I don't know what to say..."
The energetic girl, who could usually pick any topic and chatter on for half an hour, was now completely speechless. Her mind was a complete blank.
(Author's Note)
Regarding Sona's character design, I see a lot of people find it strange.
Actually, when I started writing, I also thought about this issue. After all, the Sona everyone sees in the game is a mature character. The Sona in the game is already a seasoned knight who has experienced being an Infected Knight and has formed her own knightly order.
But in the timeline of my book, the Blood Knight hasn't won the championship yet. Sona hasn't officially become an Infected Knight at this time. She hasn't experienced much, so she's still a bit naive in how she does things.
A person's personality changes with their experiences. Based on her character file, Sona's biggest personality shift was when she participated in her first official knight competition.
In the following plot, as her experiences increase, she will gradually move closer to the mature personality from the game.
(This is my personal understanding, ha~ Just an explanation. If you think there's a problem with my writing, please don't flame me. It's just my personal interpretation of the character. I'm not trying to be argumentative.)
—Humble Author-kun