Martial Online.

Moriarty offered his shoulder to Ambrose, and they then left the room through another door.

They entered another empty room, and this time around, they were the first ones there.

"I suppose we need to wait now." Moriarty said, and he helped Ambrose sit down.

As Ambrose muttered in annoyance that his injuries would hinder their progress, suddenly a glow of light landed from the ceiling and engulfed him in a warm, healing embrace.

Surprisingly enough, all of his injuries vanished without a trace, leaving Ambrose in awe of the unexpected miracle.

"Whew, thank god…" Ambrose scratched the back of his head with a chuckle, and turned to look at his teammate. "The ultimate defense, huh?"

"Are you curious as well?" Moriarty asked with a smile.

"Yes, but I know it's not something that should be spread willingly." Ambrose said. "Everyone should have their trump cards hidden deep. I am still surprised that you told that guy."

"…"

Moriarty shrugged his shoulders.

It was not that he wanted, but the knight soul inside his mind convinced him to do it for whatever reason.

"It won't be easy to discover the truth about the Mantra of Ayl, anyway." Moriarty said. "The place alone is difficult to discover because it is a former kingdom that was destroyed a long time ago."

"I see." Ambrose nodded.

Still, Ambrose couldn't help but think about the trick behind Moriarty's incredible defense.

He knew that it wasn't an attack-based skill because the game master would've disqualified him otherwise.

It was clearly something defense-related.

'I think I saw him use that before. Whenever he got attacked and deflected the strike, his opponent was the one that received damage.'

Ambrose scratched the back of his head and wasn't sure whether it was any skill either. Whenever it happened, Moriarty had his mouth closed.

'It could be some passive skill that activates only when he deflects someone's attack.'

Ambrose pondered over the possibilities but couldn't come to a definite conclusion.

Moriarty rested against his spear while waiting for the next challenge to start.

As the time moved like a knife, drawing a slow, agonizingly suspenseful line, the door at the end of the room finally opened.

Moriarty and Ambrose turned towards the door and saw a dark interior illuminated by a single flickering candle.

At that moment, the candle died down, and pressure that felt like a tidal wave struck them both at once.

"What the hell?" Moriarty's back was instantly covered in a cold sweat.

Ambrose gulped dryly and pulled out his Great Crimson sword without a single hesitation.

They both realized that their opponents were far more powerful than they had anticipated.

In that moment, two people stepped through the door that closed immediately after they entered the room.

"Y-you…" Moriarty's eyes widened in shock as he recognized the two individuals who had just walked in.

However, one of them took all of Moriarty's attention, and his heart started racing with fear and nervousness. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"It's them…" Ambrose narrowed his eyes, sweat rolling down his face.

'In the sauna, I didn't feel their pressure as they intentionally kept it inside them. But now, they are clearly in their battle stance, and their pressure is indeed suffocating!'

"Ohoho, look who it is."

A crystal-haired man with a mischievous grin looked at them with a glint of amusement in his eyes. He had a dainty nose with a soft countenance, and his face was one of the most famous in this time and age.

He was none other than Zadkiel, the world's biggest streamer!contemporary romance

"…" Julian stood beside him and stared straight at Ambrose.

His expression looked cold and unfazed, but his heart was also racing with nervousness.

This was what he had dreamed of happening.

The waiting part was the most annoying part for him, because as soon as he saw Ambrose in the waiting facility, he wanted to fight him!

He thought he had to wait until the finals, which wasn't going to happen any time soon. However, it looked like the gods had blessed him.

"Zadkiel." Moriarty said hatefully.

However, he hated himself more as he felt fear, which he didn't want to feel when he finally met with Zadkiel.

He had dreamed of this moment for a long time, when he could finally defeat Zadkiel and prove himself as the ultimate victor. Now, the chance had come, but his mind was fighting against him, flooded with doubts and insecurities.

'Calm down. Don't feel fear, or you'll lose!'

Moriarty gritted his teeth so hard that they almost cracked.

"Moriarty, Moriarty." Zadkiel grinned in amusement. "This is fun!"

"Ambrose." Julian nodded.

"Julian." Ambrose nodded back and breathed heavily. 'He is strong. So fucking strong.'

…

Martial Company's broadcasting agency.

"Hahaha, this is insanity!"

A sharp-haired man jumped in joy as he saw what happened on one of the screens. He was literally shaking in excitement and couldn't stand still for a single moment.

The other workers didn't mind their boss's behavior, as they had gotten very used to his eccentric behavior, but even they could barely stand still.

There was a large wall with hundreds of screens mounted on it. They were all camera angles for the tournament, and they were the ones responsible for choosing what scene to show in the main broadcast.

The workers typed something on the keyboard, and one of the screens was instantly displayed at the center of all the screens. It was also simultaneously displayed on the main broadcast, showing to all households.

"I couldn't believe this luck, hahaha!" The sharp-haired man looked at the scene with loud laughter.

"Zadkiel is the world's biggest streamer and one of the most famous faces in the world. He was also widely recognized as one of the strongest players to have ever lived!

"Julian is widely recognized as the strongest player of our lifetime. No matter what game he had played, whether it was VR, an ordinary mobile game, or a PC game, he had always been the best!

"He is a man with the greatest talent in video gaming—he is literally the God of Games!

"Moriarty is the fifth ranked streamer in the world with one of the biggest online communities. He is currently the richest student in the entire world and shows no signs of slowing down!

"Ambrose, the monster that defeated Zahhak single-handedly, and he is currently the player with the highest bounty in the entire game.

"This match-up makes my blood pump with excitemeeeeeeeent!"

…

Rothsmith Estate.

"My god…" Anna covered her mouth in shock. "I-I think I've seen some of their faces before."

"Fuck…" Jack cursed, which was very uncharacteristic of him. "Julian and Zadkiel. They are considered to have already won the tournament. There are not many teams that can contest them."

"Oh no…" Emma looked at the television screen, her eyes filled with worry. "Are they stronger than my brother, though? I think he is strongest!"

"Jesse had already shown his strength, but his opponents are monsters."

Jack said with a serious look.

"Zadkiel's and Julian's worth was so great that even the Rothsmith family couldn't make a deal with them, as it was beyond our capabilities."

…

Moriarty's family watched the television screen and were having a good time while eating some snacks and drinking beverages.

"Zadkiel should win this, right?" Moriarty's mother said while eating some chips.

"Yeah, easily." Moriarty's father said sternly and drank some beer. "Zadkiel is the pride of our town. Everyone is counting on him to bring home the victory."

"Mm." Moriarty's mother nodded with a smile and then shouted at the screen. "Moriarty, don't you dare to bother him!"

"Moriarty should know that he is no match for him." Moriarty's father said seriously. "He should just let Zadkiel win and let him reserve some of his energy for upcoming rounds."

done.co