It was a rally of five black cars moving together. The car in the middle was where Vishi, Vishnu, and Shika were sitting—just like when they had previously come to the manor. Vishnu was driving.
Vishi suddenly opened his eyes inside the car.
Seeing that Vishi had woken up, Shika said, "Oh, you've finally gotten up."
Vishnu also added, "We're going to the place where the duel will be held. I didn't wake you up—I carried you into the car while you were sleeping."
Vishi replied, "How am I supposed to fight when my body has just woken up from sleep?"As he spoke, he looked out the window, observing the surroundings.
Shika answered, "That's why we're going to arrive thirty minutes early, so you can stretch your body."
Hearing that, Vishi said nothing. He sat in a meditation posture in the middle of the back seat.
Vishnu noticed Vishi's pose through the rear-view mirror and smirked.
Vishnu asked Shika, "When will the Supreme reach there?"
Shika pointed toward Vishi and replied, "Hey, he's meditating, you know."
Vishnu said, "Let him be. Whenever he meditates, it's hard to make him lose his concentration."
Shika glanced at Vishi in the back seat and answered Vishnu, "I don't know when or how he will arrive, but everyone from the present generation and the previous generation who are not on any assigned missions will be there."
Vishnu was surprised. "I guess they're introducing this guy to everyone in the Order, huh?"
Shika said sarcastically, "Or maybe they just want to let you down when your friend loses the duel."
Vishnu smiled but stayed silent for a few seconds. Then he spoke, "Shika, you know I've been practicing since I was five years old, right?"
Shika replied, "Yeah. That was the age when your body suddenly went out of control—when you were controlled by the Black Knight."
Vishnu continued, "Ever since I was a child, I knew one thing. I wasn't smart or a genius when it came to my brain. I was just unlucky—chosen to carry the inheritance."
Shika stayed silent. She could hear pain in Vishnu's voice.
Vishnu then said, "Vishi is different. He's not an inheritor like me, nor is he a genius like Johann."
Shika was surprised. "He's not a genius?"
Vishnu replied with a joking smile, "Yeah. I used to think the same as you, but I cleared that misunderstanding later. He might be smart for his age, but what truly separates him from others is something else entirely."
Shika looked at Vishnu with doubt and asked, "What is that?"
Vishnu answered, "You'll probably see it in today's duel—if you're capable of seeing it."
Vishi heard everything, but he neither replied nor interfered.
After reaching the massive complex, Vishi stepped out of the car and looked around in awe.
Seeing his reaction, Shika said, "This is the Black Knight Commandery."
Vishi asked, "The one from the books?"
Shika nodded. "Yeah, but we've modernized it."
The three of them moved toward the duel ground. Upon reaching it, Vishnu said, "This place is the Crucible Yard."He looked at Vishi and continued, "The one you must've read about in literature and knight autobiographies."
There, they saw two others—a boy and a woman.
Vishnu walked toward them and said, "It's been quite some time, Miss Rodriguez. You have not aged a bit, huh? "
The woman smiled. "I heard you'd become less cheeky, but I guess that was wrong."
Shika noticed that Vishi didn't recognize her and said, "Vishi, this is Sarah Rodriguez—the head of the Rodriguez clan within the Order."Then she gestured toward the boy. "And this is Johann, your opponent."
Half an hour later, everyone was seated around the duel area. It resembled a stadium. The Supreme and the clan leaders sat in a glass-walled chamber alongside vishnu, observing everything from above.
Down on the duel ground, Vishi and Johann stood facing each other.
A bearded man with a strong build stepped forward and said, "I will oversee this duel. Though it is conceived as a death duel, you may attack each other—but—"His tone turned cold."You must not kill your opponent."
The man stepped back and looked around. The crowd was silent, yet the atmosphere was filled with excitement.
He took out a phone-like device and said, "Everyone, please be quiet."
His voice echoed through the loudspeakers.
After silence fell, he continued, "The duel will begin at the count of three."
"One… Two… Three."