Becoming Their Guiding Spirit

# Chapter 351: It’s Not Really Going to Happen Twice, Is It? ”...”

Lucas Reeve guided his powerful Spiritual Power to calm Rosmontis down, while everyone’s gazes converged on the knight on the field, who didn’t look very old.

”The same experiment as the Loken Water Tank...”

Lucas Reeve hadn’t expected to encounter a product of the Loken Water Tank here. He remembered having already destroyed the Loken Water Tank, hadn’t he? Not only destroyed, but all the servers and computers inside had been wrecked, and almost all the data was completely wiped. Why would Kazimierz have a product of this experiment?

However, Lucas Reeve didn’t dwell on it too much.

After all, the Loken Water Tank had existed for a long time. He had only destroyed it in the last two years. No one could guarantee that the Loken Water Tank didn’t have other partners besides Rhine Lab’s Structural Section. Moreover, Kazimierz and Columbia are extremely close, so it wasn’t strange for the various powers to have some technological exchanges.

This kind of depraved human experimentation...

Because Lucas Reeve had witnessed the tragedy of the Loken Water Tank firsthand, he knew all too well how cruel this experiment was. Aside from Rosmontis, who was ableto live like a normal person due to her unique constitution and high adaptability with her Infected Organ.

After Lucas Reeve destroyed the Loken Water Tank and rescued all the children imprisoned inside, he still checked in on their situations from time to time. Some of the children who had never undergone any experiments were fine; aside from varying degrees of psychological trauma, after counseling with psychologists, they could basically live normal lives.

But for the portion of children who had already undergone the initial experiments and survived by sheer luck, after being rescued, in just two years, 30% of them had died from sudden-onset illnesses despite emergency treatment. 20% had their bodily functions deteriorate due to the influence of the transplanted Infected Organ and had to be permanently bedridden. An entire 70% of the children developed severe mental illnesses. Only about 30% of the children luckily showed no major abnormalities within these two years.

But that was only two years.

According to the head specialist, the five-year survival rate for these children was no more than 10%, and the ten-year survival rate was likely not even 1%.

And this was just the small portion who survived the first round of experiments; the vast majority of children didn’t even survive the first round.

Back then, when the Loken Water Tank was destroyed and Raythean Industries’ armed forces took control of the entire facility, they opened a certain warehouse. The scene in that warehouse remains vivid to this day. Countless children’s bodies were stuffed into that warehouse. A small number of these children were from Columbia; the majority were from the slums or other countries.

Precisely because of this.

Lucas Reeve and Jessica had almost zero tolerance for cruel human experimentation.

Since.

This Psionic Knight was able to go on stage and act as a knight.

It meant that everyone in the entire Chamber of Commerce knew, and even tacitly approved of this experiment.

The cheers for the Psionic Knight were high.

Extremely high.

When Sona came out, the number of people cheering for her was much lower compared to the Spring Major. In contrast, this Psionic Knight, who hadn’t participated in the Spring Major and had come straight from the qualifiers, had won the favor of many spectators with a combat style they had never seen before. The cheers were incessant.

No wonder the vast majority of spectators didn’t pay much attention to the Spring Major or Summer Major. In terms of sheer quality, it was questionable whether past Spring Major champions could even break into the Round of 16. The real powerhouses wouldn’t participate in the Spring Major, instead choosing to go directly through the qualifier route, or they were from major knightly orders that had quotas to skip the qualifiers and enter the championship directly.

Therefore, the triennial Knight Major was the real focus of all spectators. In fact, breaking into the Knight Major’s Round of 16 was even more prestigious than being the Spring Major champion.

”Sona, be careful. He’s quite strong.”

Lucas Reeve’s voice echoed in Sona’s mind.

Sona had been under considerable pressure, but after hearing Lucas Reeve’s voice, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. She then turned her head to meet Lucas Reeve’s gaze in the central audience seats, as if only this could put her at ease.

It had to be said.

The Loken Water Tank’s experimental project was truly absurd.

Under the influence of that Infected Organ, Rosmontis’s talent grew stronger and stronger, and she didn’t even need to train deliberately. All these years, Rosmontis had been like a normal child, studying when she should, playing when she should.

But under the influence of the Infected Organ, Rosmontis’s power was still continuously strengthening. It wasn’t just Rosmontis; Ceobe was the same. Ceobe didn’t really train either, but as she got older, her appetite grew larger, and her strength also grew stronger in proportion to the amount of food she ate.

If the Loken Water Tank project had truly succeeded and allowed them to mass-produce Test Subjects like Rosmontis, or if it was like that Siracusan Mafia called [Wolf Fang] that researched a whole bunch of Test Subjects, it would be a massive threat.

”Next!! The first match of the 23rd Knight Major quarter-finals! Our Spring Major champion, the Flametail Knight, versus our Psionic Knight!! Let the match! Officially begin!”

Following the host’s command.

The bell signaling the start of the match was rung.

The Psionic Knight’s expression was dull and his eyes were empty, making him seem like a soulless robot. The bell signaling the start of the match seemed to be his ’on’ switch. The instant he heard the bell, the knight’s longsword floating beside the Psionic Knight shot out like an arrow, thrusting straight at Sona’s chest.

The speed of this ”arrow” was simply too fast; Sona actually couldn’t react in time. She immediately activated Total Concentration Breathing to keep her physical fitness at its peak, and hastily dodged just as the knight’s longsword was about to stab her.

The Psionic Knight’s opening attack sent the audience into an uproar.

This combat style was simply too rare; looking back at all previous Knight Majors, no one had ever seen this kind of ability.

Just as Sona had barely dodged, the knight’s longsword floating in mid-air suddenly stopped short and changed direction, slashing toward Sona’s position. This abrupt stop and change of direction was something that didn’t conform to a normal person’s movements. She hastily did a backflip to nimbly dodge the second killing move, and just as Sona was about to land, she kicked her foot directly onto the sword’s hilt. Using that as a support, Sona launched an attack in a way an ordinary person would never have expected.

*Hoo...*

”Thunder Breathing, Thunderclap and Flash!”

Lightning flickered around Sona. Her proficiency with the breathing technique was worlds higher than it had been half a year ago.

The next moment.

Sona streaked through the lightning, her speed even faster than the sword’s, arriving directly in front of the Psionic Knight. Sona’s counter-attack made the small number of loyal Flametail Knight fans in the audience roar with excitement, and they flipped the middle finger at the people around them.

*Clang!!*

However.

Sona’s sword strike, which had been almost unstoppable under normal circumstances in the Spring Major, seemed to hit an invisible wall of air. It was stuck right in front of the Psionic Knight, and no matter how hard Sona pushed, she couldn’t move it.

Sona had watched many battle recordings of the Psionic Knight, but the previous fights had ended too quickly, almost all of them absolute stomps. So, Sona still didn’t know what exactly the opponent’s Originium Arts were. Before the match, she had guessed it was a type of special telekinesis that could control objects to attack. However!

Damn it!

The Psionic Knight’s expression remained dull, as if he were a puppet simply following commands. Even with Sona having closed the distance, the longsword less than half a meter from his body, the Psionic Knight’s expression didn’t change. Or perhaps, he no longer possessed things like emotions or independent thought.

With a wave of his hand.

The longsword behind her shot forward again, at great speed. If she was pierced by this sword, the match could basically be declared over. In all his previous matches, the vast majority of his opponents had died to this kind of ”cunning bastard” attack, unable to even make the Psionic Knight move a single step.

”Sona!”

Jessica cried out in alarm, but Lucas Reeve remained seated and motionless, ready to intervene at any moment.

”...”

Sona took a deep breath. If this were before, she might have already started to give up. But... Teacher Reeve was here now. Teacher Reeve was like a giant mountain, giving her support, allowing her to unleash her full strength without restraint, without needing to think about a path of retreat.

*Hoo...*

A white, lightning-like mist exhaled from Sona’s mouth.

Just as the longsword was about to touch the back of Sona’s armor, in the next instant, Sona vanished from her spot.

And in the audience, the corners of Lucas Reeve’s mouth turned up.

”Thunder Breathing! Thunderclap and Flash! Fourfold!!”

Under the disbelieving gazes of everyone in the audience, Sona’s body once again turned into a flash of lightning and disappeared.

Where did she go??

And just as everyone was searching, a second bolt of lightning immediately followed, slashing down from the very top of the arena. This attack came so suddenly that even the Psionic Knight’s dull expression showed a trace of bewilderment for the first time.

Because in all her previous matches, Sona had never shown that this move could be used twice in a row, leading the audience, and even her opponents, to mistakenly believe that this attack could only be used once in a single burst.

One sword slash.

The Psionic Knight barely managed to block Sona’s attack with his special, invisible ability. However, because Sona’s attack was too sudden, the armor on the Psionic Knight’s back was sliced open by Sona’s sharp longsword, and dark red blood flowed from the skin.

Third strike!

Just as the Psionic Knight was about to counter-attack, Sona once again disappeared from her spot.

Fourth strike!

Before the Psionic Knight could react, Sona had appeared like a ghost right in front of him, slashing down with her sword. This time, the Psionic Knight couldn’t react in time and could only barely muster a defense. This sword strike split open the armor on the Psionic Knight’s chest, leaving a deep gash on his chest. Blood splattered. Just a little more...

If not for the Psionic Knight’s final defense, Sona’s last sword strike might have directly eliminated his ability to fight. However, with such a heavy wound, the opponent was surely unable to battle any longer.

This time, I won without relying on Teacher Reeve...

The continuous four-fold strike had completely exhausted Sona’s current physical potential. Sona leaned over, exhausted, supporting herself on her sword. The Psionic Knight also fell to the ground with a *thud*, motionless.

The entire arena fell silent.

The spectators who had been cheering for the Psionic Knight just a second ago looked as if they had been slapped in the face. Sona’s die-hard fans were the first to react, roaring with excitement.

”Ahhh!! Little Sona is awesome!!”

”That move just now was so cool!! So Little Sona was holding back all this time.”

The other spectators looked as if they had eaten shit, remaining silent. Among them, a portion, after a brief silence, quietly took off the Psionic Knight support shirts they were wearing, revealing Flametail Knight support shirts underneath. They then followed the others and started roaring.

As long as I switch teams fast enough, the contestant I’m rooting for can’t lose.

At this time, in the Chamber of Commerce.

The Directors, who had been waiting to enjoy the show just a second ago, found their expressions turning grim once more. Their faces changed at lightning speed. One second they were laughing, the next, the laughter died.

”I need an explanation.”

Director Barton looked toward the Chairman of Shaw-Ranke.

But the chairman said confidently: ”Rest assured, Director Barton. This isn’t the Test Subject’s full power. I added limiters before because I was afraid of losing control. Since it’s come to this... Director Barton, fellow Directors, please enjoy my precious experiment’s strongest form!!”

And at this time, in the arena.

Just as the host was preparing to announce the Flametail Knight as the winner.

Suddenly.

The Psionic Knight, lying in a pool of blood, suddenly moved. Although it was very slight, it was still spotted by sharp-eyed spectators.

Everyone’s gaze focused on the Psionic Knight, and Sona’s expression gradually turned grim.

Could it be...

It’s not over?

Suddenly!

The Psionic Knight, lying in the pool of blood, began to tremble violently. Then, in a motion that would make any Columbian physicist turn in their grave, with no support whatsoever, as if being lifted by an invisible force, the Psionic Knight slowly floated into the air.

This absurd scene left many spectators stunned.

And this also caused many of them to boil with excitement. Some spectators who had taken off their Psionic Knight venue merch quietly put it back on.

Suddenly!

Sona sensed an immense crisis about to strike. She dragged her exhausted body to dodge. The next second, the ground where she had just been standing suddenly caved in, as if it had been struck by an invisible fist.

This power!!

Sona had just thought to counter-attack when, suddenly, she felt her body being gripped by an invisible force, completely unable to move. She couldn’t even lift a finger.

In full view of the public.

Sona’s expression was one of extreme pain, and her body, as if grabbed by an unseen hand, was slowly lifted into the air. It seemed as if it would be crushed with just a little more force.

At this moment.

Under the gazes of Lucas Reeve and the other gods.

Six invisible, psychic hands extended from the Psionic Knight’s body. Before, there were only two—one to control the sword, one to defend. And now, there were six...

”Hmph, hmph!”

”A perfect crush.”

The Chairman of Shaw-Ranke smiled faintly.

And the surrounding Directors, who had been somewhat skeptical, let out a collective sigh of relief and also began to smile.

”Alas, the ’little squirrel’ can finally die.”

”It’s time to celebrate.”

”Czarny, go get a good bottle of wine. Let’s celebrate.”

Czarny, standing in the corner like a ghost, respectfully turned and left. Before leaving, he glanced again at the pained Flametail Knight on the screen. For some reason, Czarny had a strong premonition. He felt... this might be a repeat performance.

On the arena.

Sona tried to resist, but the invisible hand grabbing her was like a vice. No matter how hard Sona struggled, she couldn’t resist. Their strength didn’t seem to be on the same level. And, as the hand tightened, Sona’s bones began to crackle, as if they would shatter in the next second.

”Hang in there! Little Sona!!”

The die-hard fans clutched their heads and wailed, while Jessica, her heart aching, nudged Lucas Reeve with her elbow. Lucas Reeve nodded.

Lucas Reeve’s voice echoed in Sona’s mind.

”Tag out, Sona.”

”Mhm!!”

Sona didn’t hesitate. Her strength was completely spent. Sona knew this was not the time to be stubborn.

Sona slowly closed her eyes.

Just when everyone thought she had given up and it was over.

Suddenly!

Sona’s eyes opened once more.

Her originally cool-brown eyes turned into the purest black, and within that black, a golden light flickered, incomparably dazzling.

In the Chamber of Commerce.

For some reason, Director Barton had a very bad feeling.