At this moment, the spotlights converged, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
As for Evenheiler himself...
...He clenched his fists.
In fact, he did more than just clench his fists; he even managed a smile in response to the concerned inquiry from the black-haired youth beside him. With a voice that betrayed none of the internal teeth-gritting he was doing, he said, "Sorry, I’m just a bit excited."
"Excited?" Lei Ting blinked. "Do you like this person a lot?"
Valen froze for a moment, his expression dazed. "..."
After a beat, he said, "No."
"Why 'no'?" Lei Ting asked. To be honest, he quite liked Evenheiler—if the man from last night really was him. From that power known as 'Starstream,' he could sense a vast benevolence and a deep sorrow.
Valen’s answer to this was:
"He made many mistakes," he said, though his hands naturally began to move the character on the screen. "Even though most of what circulates on the Star Net now are his glorious victories, he made many grave errors—not just once or twice. Some of them even involved me. So, I don't like him."
Despite controlling the 'Starstream' character on the light-screen, Valen spoke words that would make any Starstream fan want to punch him. Lei Ting couldn't say much in response; after all, as a "country bumpkin" from the 127th floor, he knew nothing about the history.
By now, a one-way mirrored barrier had risen within the vast, field-like arena. The spectators outside could see in, but the competitors inside could see nothing but a simulated starry sky.
The match had officially begun.
Floating in mid-air, 'Silent Kingdom' lowered white mycelium that took root in the ground. Simultaneously, it sprayed a cloud of spores into the air; as they landed, a perfectly circular fungal carpet instantly spread out. Clusters of white larval strains were birthed, parasitizing almost every moving or stationary object in all directions, either draining their energy or granting them various buffs.
"That is 'Commist's' core skill, and the prerequisite for all its other abilities," Valen explained.
Lei Ting watched the scene closely. He keenly noticed that the fungi could even corrode the metal at the edge of the arena. This triggered his instinctive vigilance, and he began to contemplate counter-measures.
As the fungal carpet spread to her feet, the 'Dragon Slayer' did not dodge. Instead, she dropped to one knee upon it, allowing a few strands of mycelium to crawl onto her body and burrow into her skin. Moments later, several plump, cute white mushrooms sprouted from the side of her neck.
The 'Dragon Slayer' pulled a battle-axe from the void behind her. Holding it with one hand, she used the other to smear a streak of blood-red light across the blade.
The axe-blade erupted in a terrifying crimson glow.
"That is Commist's 'Mycelial Parasitism.' It grants the host a powerful stat boost, but it will slowly replace them."
Valen’s expression was grim. He knew this was all premeditated.
"These hunters will use any external force to kill their targets, including parasitism and contracts. They are the most dangerous of enemies because they will use any means necessary to achieve their goals."
*To accept being parasitized by an external entity just for victory...*
Lei Ting thought about it and found that he didn't actually find the choice incomprehensible.
In that world gradually being coated in pale white, the ghost named 'Cave' gripped its scythe and suddenly accelerated. It didn't charge blindly; instead, it circled the arena at high speed in a short burst.
After the lap, it returned to the center of the field and let out a shriek. The temperature in the arena plummeted, and the ground began to frost over. Beneath the thickening shell of ice, the fungal carpet continued to spread. 'Imperial Blade' walked forward slowly; his combat suit, which looked like it was made of metal, gave off a chilling aura.
With every step he took, the color of the ground directly beneath him darkened subtly.
"Area-of-effect temperature reduction?" Lei Ting murmured. "This 'Imperial Blade's' ability... can he manipulate earth and stone?"
"That..." Valen sighed.
"...You guessed right," he said.
The next moment, 'Starstream,' who had been wandering aimlessly, suddenly performed a sharp back-jump.
*Boom!!* A sharp, square-based stone spike erupted from below, piercing the spot where he had just been standing. The sharp, smooth blade and point tore through the earth and air, only to be instantly covered by the fungal carpet and ice!
Countless ghostly phantoms howled as they swarmed in, a bone-chilling cold permeating the air. 'Imperial Blade' lunged forward, drawing a heavy greatsword from his back and swinging it down in a crushing blow!
A sharp white light ignited in 'Starstream's' eyes. His form flickered instantly; instead of retreating, he advanced. He dodged Imperial Blade's sword by a hair's breadth, turning into a streak of dazzling white light that pierced through Cave's phantom swarm, reaching the other side of the arena in the blink of an eye.
Then, amidst the sea of stars, he drew a long straight sword with a reverse grip. A single strike, shrouded in starlight, slashed through the mycelial roots connecting 'Commist' to the ground carpet. As the connection was severed, endless stardust scattered.
Golden hair billowed in the white starlight; azure eyes were as cold as a frozen sea. 'Evenheiler' accurately judged the current situation—
—And in the next moment, he sheathed his blade and retreated rapidly.
*Rumble!!*
The Dragon Slayer's massive axe cleaved through the flickering afterimages of starlight, slamming heavily into the ice and fungal carpet. Shards flew everywhere, but she didn't mind the missed strike. She didn't even hurry to pull her axe from the ground; instead, she pulled two spheres from the tactical pouch at her waist and hurled them at 'Starstream.'
The two spheres glowed blood-red in mid-air, splitting open to release two red flesh-worms with auto-homing capabilities. They chased after 'Starstream' through the freezing wind.
Valen frowned. He performed several more charged flickers to pull away and avoid the two insects. The scattered stardust left in the air seemed to gently pass through the worms' bodies, quietly annihilating them into even more starlight.
While neutralizing the enemy's attacks, he added, "Those are the 'Sure-Hit' targets for one of the Dragon Slayer's long-range skills. It's bad news if they stick to you."
"You seem to know them very well," Lei Ting remarked. "Professional ethics?"
"Just a hobby," Valen replied calmly.
—Though it was hard to believe him given his current state, his understanding of those 'characters' truly did stem from interest.
After all, even now, the public evaluation of 'Evenheiler' was: "Any powerhouse who lived in the same era as him was either beaten by him or killed by him."
"Ten years ago, these four were enemies of the Federation," Valen said softly. "Back then, the overwhelming propaganda was preparing for a regional war. It just never actually broke out in the end."
"Is that so..." Lei Ting glanced again at the battle on the screen. The enemies were still using various methods, trying to pin down Starstream's silhouette.
Meanwhile, far on the other side of the starry sky, somewhere on the core planet of the Orion Human Federation's capital system, a tall figure leaned back into his ornate anti-gravity floating chair, watching this chaotic yet focused battle.
Seated around him was a group of serious-looking people. If anyone were to see their faces, they would discover that more than half of them were among the strange masked individuals Lei Ting had encountered when he first arrived on 'The Sun.'
And sitting right next to that tall figure was the very masked person who had reached out to stop Valen when he had tried to step forward back then.
"After meeting him," the tall figure asked in a gentle voice, "what was your impression of him?"
"He is a decent commercial executor, Mr. Angye," the person sitting beside him replied with a bow. "And he still possesses a conscience. Though not much of one."
This "has a conscience but not much" comment seemed to amuse Angye. He laughed for a good while, like an ordinary man, before saying, "But how did I hear that when he was about to go up, it was you people who stopped him?"
"He was one of the people scheduled to arrive on 'The Sun.' If he had been killed by Bunker, the 'Headmaster' would not have let it go," the person being questioned replied calmly. "Though we are also unclear why the 'Headmaster' would let that company go to 'The Sun' in the first place, when the students clearly wouldn't need those things."
"Oh, she probably wanted to buy new materials again." Angye's reaction was perfectly normal. "She does that often—hoarding enough stuff in one go to last fifty years. You should be used to it by now, Falin."
The man called 'Falin' lowered his head and voiced his agreement.
Angye seemed to find his reaction boring. In fact, he seemed to find everything before him quite tedious.
But even so, he continued to gaze gently at the arena footage, especially at the golden-haired youth within.
"So young..." he whispered softly. "I always felt he looked more beautiful fighting at the border. But unfortunately, he hardly left any video records from that time; most of it is deep-level classified content. Now, even for a game model, they can only use how he looked at twenty."
The room fell into silence. No one dared to speak.
But even if they didn't speak, Angye would not stop his reminiscing. "Do you know how these four were driven back when they were at the border years ago?"
"I apologize, Mr. Angye. We do not have the authority to access deep-level classified information," Falin apologized with a bow.
Angye laughed. "Of course. Even I cannot query that information at will."
As he spoke, he looked back at the light-screen, watching the golden-haired figure make tactical choices similar to those in his memory. The smile on his face turned slightly peculiar.
"I hope it really is you... old friend," he murmured with deep meaning.
What he didn't know was that on 'The Sun,' the smile at the corner of Valen's mouth was equally peculiar.
After a moment, Valen suddenly said, "Unlike in reality, you can respawn in the game."
Lei Ting looked at him, somewhat bewildered.
"My current playstyle is to win through speed, defeat them one by one, and ensure my own safety," Valen said softly. "But I have other plans on my schedule today. Dragging it out like this doesn't suit the nature of a 'performance.' What I mean is, someone wants to see me make a choice...
"Passing through a Stargate causes a brief communication blackout. I need to finish this battle before then so I can go offline and report on recent business operations.
"It will be difficult, but I'm confident I can finish charging my energy before they do and meet the conditions for an ultimate move. That will make the battle look better while securing the win... but it will also put my character in a more dangerous position."
As he spoke, he glanced briefly at the handsome black-haired, black-eyed youth beside him and asked, "What do you think I should do?"
Lei Ting turned his head, watching the golden-haired man on the screen who was moving as swiftly as light.
"If it's 'Starstream,' surely he's capable of more than just this?" he asked.
Valen tilted his head noncommittally.
"Fight," Lei Ting said. "If it were me, I'd just fight head-on."
"You feel that you can, and you have the strength, so you just crush them openly. Schemes are for dealing with powerful enemies, but right now, *you* are that 'powerful enemy'...
"So, let them know that you will be the one to emerge victorious in this struggle."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
静默国度 | Silent Kingdom | A character/entity in the game.
科密斯特 | Commist | The specific name of the 'Silent Kingdom' hero unit.
龙斩者 | Dragon Slayer | The title of the female hunter character (previously Wolf-biter).
溶洞 | Cave | The name/title of the ghost character with the scythe.
帝刃 | Imperial Blade | The name/title of the metal/earth manipulating character.
昂耶 | Angye | A high-ranking figure observing the match.
法林 | Falin | A subordinate or associate of Angye.
第七军团 | Seventh Legion | Part of the Orion Human Federation military.
星门 | Stargate | A space travel portal.
