novelraw Chapter 244 237: Victory
Chapter 244 237: Victory
"Terminate the match?!"
Upon hearing General Norton's words, the Starry Sky Country contestants erupted into an uproar, their faces flushed with agitation as they crowded around him.
"Negotiating to end the match is the same as us admitting defeat!"
"General! A third of their contestants have already fought, while only two of ours have gone up! Even if Chris lost, we still have an over eighty percent chance of winning. How can we end the match now?!"
"We have a huge advantage! If we stop now, won't the Starry Sky Country be utterly humiliated?"
"..."
The contestants all chimed in, their emotions running high.
"Are you questioning my decision?"
General Norton narrowed his eyes and spoke softly.
HUMM!!
A dense shadow instantly spread out, freezing the Starry Sky Country contestants in place. An intense fear gripped their hearts, and their voices died away one by one.
Only then did they remember just what kind of being they were facing.
"General, they're not wrong. Despite some surprises, the situation is still absolutely in our favor. Why should we concede?"
As the others fell silent, the official from the Foreign Affairs Bureau spoke up. General Norton hadn't subjected him to that pressure.
"Mr. Kuerle, what was the purpose of our delegation's visit to Donghua?"
General Norton wasn't angered by the official's question. This wasn't a decision he could make alone; he had to provide a justification to the various departments back home.
"To suppress the morale of the Donghua Martial Arts Realm, of course. To delay their plan to popularize the Martial Dao, and even to strip their Martial Arts Realm of its vital confidence and fighting spirit."
Kuerle replied.
"Correct. That was our objective. But what about now? On the surface, Donghua is at a disadvantage. We have only lost two contestants. But in the process, we have inadvertently created two figures for Donghua who have broken through their limits. And this happened even after our 'ace,' Chris, made his appearance."
"Our remaining contestants might secure our final victory. But in the process, how many more from the Donghua Martial Arts Realm will break through their limits and reach a new level? When that happens, not only will our objective of suppression have failed, but we will have actually helped the Donghua Martial Arts Realm grow stronger. The value of ten quarter-finalists from the North-South Martial Arts Tournament cannot compare to that of a single new Saint Awakening under the age of thirty."
"In truth, the emergence of Zhang Zhizhen and Ji Yunzhou has already rendered our plan worthless. To continue would only be to magnify our losses. To use an old Donghua saying, we would be doing their work for them. That is something I will not do."
"They rely on morale and momentum. We of the Starry Sky Country do not. We rely on technology and methods. Therefore, we are not afraid to concede defeat. Besides, you haven't truly lost. This is merely a matter of calculating our interests. Every choice is based on benefit—for yourselves, and for the country. Do you understand?"
"This plan was a miscalculation. These people from Donghua are more tenacious than we imagined, just like their intractable ancestors. If you want to deal with them, you cannot focus on defeating them spiritually. You must choose to annihilate them physically."
General Norton said slowly.
"Was this exchange a miscalculation? That sounds more like a compliment."
Kuerle fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then spoke.
It reminded him of the war the Starry Sky Country had waged against Donghua Country decades ago.
Wrong place, wrong time, wrong enemy.
This nation was still just as intractable.
"An enemy who can earn your praise is the most threatening kind. That is why they must be destroyed."
General Norton said.
"Then what reason should we give for terminating the match? You must understand, many countries are paying attention to this event. If we concede, it won't just be inside Donghua Country. A storm of debate will erupt worldwide."
Kuerle inquired.
"That's simple. Your people should be better at this than I am. Isn't 'peace' the best possible justification?"
"The competition has reached a point where multiple contestants are severely injured. The last match was especially bloody and caused immense harm to both fighters. We came here in the spirit of 'peaceful exchange,' but the brutality of the matches has surpassed our estimations. To protect the safety of the contestants from both sides, and to preserve the friendship between our nations, we are requesting to terminate the competition. That reason will be enough to silence any critics."
"Furthermore, we currently hold the advantage on the scoreboard, which will shut up the media vultures. When the time comes, we'll spin it in two ways. First, shift the focus to how our two contestants defeated six of Donghua's. Second, attack them for being too ruthless and damaging the friendship between our countries. This will divert public attention. Remember to get plenty of photos of Chris's injuries—the more gruesome, the better. As for what other angles you can exploit, your Foreign Affairs Bureau's think tank should know better than I do."
General Norton said coolly.
"..."
"I think you're better at this than we are."
Kuerle gave General Norton a meaningful look and shook his head.
"If that's the case, I'll go negotiate with the Donghua side now."
Kuerle pondered for a moment, called his assistant, and walked toward the Donghua side.
Watching Kuerle's departing figure, the remaining Starry Sky Country contestants were silent.
"What is it? You can't accept it?"
General Norton looked at them and said coolly.
No one spoke.
"Rest assured, you will have your chance for revenge. It won't be in this restrictive arena, but on a true life-and-death battlefield. They will be wielding outdated metal weapons, while you will be equipped with our Starry Sky Country's most advanced 'Triple Amplification' Device and various 'Demonization' weapons. You will crush them, reaping their lives as easily as the Death God."
"That is the difference. Humanity's true greatness lies in its mastery of weapons. That is when you are at your strongest. Never forget that you hail from the great nation of the Starry Sky Country!"
General Norton spoke calmly. His voice seemed to penetrate the hearts of the Starry Sky Country contestants, causing their dejected eyes to gradually light up with renewed vigor.
That's right. The greatness of the Starry Sky Country had never been in fighting bare-handed!
...
...
The injured were taken off the stage, and the repairs to the arena were completed. Yet, ten minutes passed with no new contestant appearing. A stir of unrest began to ripple through the audience, and the buzz of countless discussions filled the air.
At this time, the higher-ups from both the Starry Sky Country and Donghua Country were in negotiations.
After another five minutes, the negotiations were finally complete. The host stepped onto the arena and announced an important piece of news.
Due to the excessive brutality of the matches, and out of consideration for the safety of the contestants and the peaceful relations between the two nations, the Starry Sky Country had submitted a request to Donghua Country. After a final negotiation between the two delegations, they had decided to terminate the competition. The exchange event was now officially over!
The moment the announcement was made, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
The audience didn't care about the pompous, bullshit excuses. They only cared about the most important takeaway.
The Starry Sky Country asked to end the match?
Doesn't that mean they're admitting defeat?!
In this exchange... Donghua Country won?
We won!!