Chapter 106

Chapter 106

The energy barrier could block the overflow of energy from the competitors, protecting innocent spectators from harm, but it couldn't block sound. Thus, all the condemnations aimed at Felix were heard by him without missing a word.

The Flamingo Alpha, so infuriated his fiery red hair seemed about to ignite, couldn't help but want to retort: Was a normal competition like this, just because it involved an Omega in a sea of fire, supposed to make him look exceptionally evil?!

What kind of world is this!

"If you're all just Qiu's fanatics, just say it!"

Infuriated, Felix acted impulsively, not only failing to restrain himself but also intensifying his psychic power to fuel the already fierce flames.

The leaping tongues of fire aggressively attacked Qiu, opening their fiery maws as if to consume him entirely.

The live audience, incensed, hurled insults at Felix. Even online viewers furiously typed their outrage in the live chat. Even his own fans couldn't bear to watch, wishing they could step in and discipline the unbridled Alpha.

Sitting to Duanchen Lin's left, the nobleman Jackley's eyes flickered, a polite smile on his lips, but his gaze towards Felix was icy cold: "What a fool. S-class Omegas are so precious, and yet he dares to be so brutal."

"If something happens to Qiu in this match..."

A chill flashed through Jackley's green eyes.

Liuchangming, sitting diagonally behind, noticed this and his lips curved in a half-smile, his expression ambiguous.

The members of the Dark Star Military Academy were sweating bullets for Qiu, especially Anweiran and You Buwei, who knew about Qiu's impending estrous period. The dire situation on the field made them even more anxious.

Seeing the bewildered Omega amidst the flames, Felix felt a surge of satisfaction, his long-suppressed anger finally finding release, his smile growing even brighter.

"Hmph, I thought after you transformed from a defective Omega to an S-class combat Omega, you'd be much more formidable. Seems I was wrong."

"Your success in previous matches was just good luck, never facing an opponent as strong as me. If you'd met an S-class combat Alpha in your first match, you would've been eliminated immediately, not here arrogantly facing me."

Taking advantage of his ability to fly and avoid the flames, Felix taunted Qiu from above.

"Heh, Omegas should stick to healing and obediently accept Alpha's protection. As for the MVP of the military school tournament, that's obviously the Alpha's domain."

He spoke more confidently, as if victory was within reach, ready to receive the championship trophy from the Empire's Second Prince.

However, just as Felix was at his most arrogant and triumphant, a faint but familiar voice sounded behind him, instantly giving him goosebumps.

"Really?"

A chill rose from Felix's feet, his eyes widening in disbelief.

In that moment, not just turning his head, but even his breathing slowed down drastically, as if someone had hit the slow-motion button.

Every frame of Qiu's movement, in Felix's eyes, seemed to be in slow motion, each detail crystal clear.

Somehow, Qiu had escaped the inferno and appeared behind him. After uttering those two words, he bent his knees and fiercely kicked Felix in the chest—

Felix staggered backwards from the impact, unable to stabilize himself even with the advantage of flight and wings, stumbling several steps backwards, nearly getting kicked to the ground.

"How... how did you get behind me!" Felix's eyes, now filled with panic and fear, did not know that Qiu had outmaneuvered him.

In battle, when an Alpha starts to fear and dread their opponent, defeat isn't far behind.

Qiu slightly lifted his eyelids, giving Felix only a fraction of his attention, never really looking at the Alpha head-on.

"I am very afraid of fire," Qiu said with a cold laugh, "but your fire play is not up to par."

At that moment, the holographic projection screen replayed the spectacular moment that had just occurred.

It turned out that while Felix was arrogantly mocking Queqiu, his attention had already been diverted. Unbeknownst to him, the Omega he ridiculed had already changed his demeanor from one of confusion and anxiety to one of cold, hard determination—this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

The goal was to shatter a person's greatest dreams and illusions at their moment of pride, ensuring that the memory of these few minutes would be a lifelong regret.

Queqiu summoned his magic machinery and flicked his silver whip. The tip coiled around a column behind Felix, and using this leverage, he flew out of the sea of fire.

A second after his departure, the spot where he had stood was engulfed by roaring flames. Any spectator who missed this moment and didn't watch the replay might think Queqiu had perished in the fire.

Next, the silver whip disintegrated into silver metal particles, reassembling into a staircase spiraling upward. Queqiu lightly stepped on the stairs, spiraling and maneuvering behind Felix to launch a counterattack.

"You look down on Omegas?"

Queqiu, looking at Felix who was clutching his chest and coughing violently, nodded in a self-answering manner: "Alright, the Omega will step on your failure and achieve the victory you've always dreamt of."

Even at death's door, Felix remained defiant, wiping the blood from his mouth and glaring fiercely at Queqiu: "Ha, grandiose words."

"Whether they are grandiose words or prophetic, you will soon find out."

Queqiu, while operating his magic machinery, said indifferently, "I have an Omega friend who once taught me that showing weakness at the right time can garner a lot of sympathy. Then, no matter how bizarre their requests, no one will think they are excessive."

Queqiu slightly lifted his eyes, sparing only a fraction of his gaze for Felix: "Guess why I didn't hide in the sea of fire?"

Of course, it was because, following this, no matter how he tormented Felix, the audience wouldn't utter a word of dissent.

On the contrary, given Felix's prior actions, the audience might even applaud Queqiu for ridding them of a menace, praising the little Omega for his commendable deed.

Otherwise, Queqiu wouldn't have waited until now to strike back.

With a wave of his hand, the Omega transformed the magic machinery into fine, dust-like particles that shimmered silver in the sunlight, making each metallic particle glisten like stars fallen to earth.

A sparkling "rain" began to fall in the arena, and without the support in the air, Queqiu descended too. He bathed in a sea of silver, his fluffy golden hair exuding the warmth and softness of sunlight.

His entire being seemed to radiate light, as if an angel had descended to earth.

The silver rain gently extinguished the raging fire on the arena floor. Thanks to the cushioning of the metallic particles, the charred marks that would have been left by the fire were no longer visible.

Queqiu landed gracefully and effortlessly from high above, with a slight bend in his knee and a light tap of his toe. The silver sand beneath his feet, shimmering like tiny diamond particles, sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.

Felix, having lost the advantage of the fiery battleground and suffering consecutive injuries, was in complete disarray. In contrast, Queqiu appeared barely affected by the intense battle. His cheeks were slightly flushed from the exertion, but his attire, hairstyle, and even his breathing remained composed and neat, as if he was ready to attend a high-society gala at any moment.

Standing opposite each other, the stark contrast between the two was evident. To the audience, while Felix might have seemed more pitiful on the surface, his arrogant and overbearing Alpha demeanor failed to garner any sympathy or compassion.

As for Queqiu, even without a single injury and no need to show excessive sorrow, just a hint of grievance or bewilderment in his eyes was enough to make the audience frantic with concern, wishing they could embrace and comfort the poor little Omega.

In the past, Felix would have been infuriated by such blatant double standards from the audience and argued with them. But now, he had no time to address these condemnations—

Because Queqiu was relentlessly attacking him.

The never-ending barrage of pulse bullets from Queqiu were incredibly accurate, striking Felix's flame-like flowing wings with each shot.

A hit from these bullets wasn't as simple as creating a bloody wound like ordinary bullets.

Queqiu's S-grade ability was set on crippling one of Felix's wings.

So, even though Felix held the advantage in the air, he was now clumsily dodging and weaving from Queqiu's precise shots, with each brush of the pulse bullets charring and shearing off several fiery red feathers.

Felix cursed inwardly, unable to comprehend why, despite the long duration of the match and being on the defensive, his mental strength was nearly depleted, while Queqiu still seemed energetic and unwearied.

He recalled the harsh words he had spoken before the match, the so-called strategy of conserving energy for the right moment. But who was really at ease, and who was laboring?

Soon, Felix no longer had the energy to ponder even this question.

Seeing that the pulse pistol wasn't powerful enough, Queqiu decisively switched to his larger cannon.

Honestly, the sight of a small, fragile Omega carrying an electromagnetic cannon nearly half his height was both bizarre and strangely harmonious—

Especially if that Omega was Queqiu, it seemed to make all sense.

After all, the audience unanimously regarded him as the epitome of violent aesthetics and a combat artist.

"Boom—"

A beam as wide as several people combined, full of fervor, burst forth from the cannon, shooting straight towards Felix in the air. The intense white light it emitted nearly illuminated the entire main venue.

The audience gasped and quickly shut their eyes, almost blinded by the brilliance.

The Phoenix Alpha widened his eyes in terror, every swear word he knew surfacing in his mind. But in the end, all he managed to utter was: "Damn, is this for real?!"

After the blinding electromagnetic light faded, the audience rubbed their eyes, eager to see whether Felix was alive or dead.

The Phoenix Alpha slowly unfolded his charred wings, instantly feeling a searing pain. Caught off guard by Queqiu's sudden attack, he had no time to dodge and had used his wings to shield his torso, trying to minimize the damage to his body.

But now, his once powerful and beautiful wings were completely charred by the laser, the fiery red feathers that seemed to dance with flames were now curled and blackened, turning to ash at the slightest touch.

Felix had never felt such despair as he did now. For an Alpha with avian genes, wings were their second life. Now, his wings, once his pride and lifeline, were ravaged by Queqiu, leaving Felix to let out a sharp, bird-like cry of agony.

Other avian Alphas, upon seeing this scene, trembled with the effort of holding back their laughter, especially his teammate, the Dove Alpha Qianfeiliu. Observing Felix's plight, he couldn't help but stroke his own pristine white wings, narcissistically remarking, "Now my wings are the most beautiful."

Among the group of snickering avian Alphas, You Buwei stood out with his particularly conspicuous behavior.

He didn't hold back at all, slapping Figo's thigh and laughing heartily, openly reveling in schadenfreude. Pointing at Felix, he mocked him as a 'firebird turned roast chicken,' drawing frequent sideways glances from those around.

A final match that everyone looked forward to turned somewhat absurd and laughable due to Felix's burnt and bald wings, all thanks to Queqiu, the instigator.

Although he had already turned Felix into a laughing stock, making it impossible for him to hold his head high among fellow Alphas, Queqiu was still not satisfied. He wanted to teach him a lesson so severe that he would never dare to be so arrogant again.

So, Queqiu dismounted the electromagnetic cannon from his shoulder, transforming it into two sharp daggers that reflected a chilling gleam.

With a dagger in each hand, he leaped towards Felix.

The Phoenix Alpha, ridiculed by the audience, retracted his battered wings, forcing him back to the disadvantageous ground. Before he could catch his breath, the Omega skilled in close combat was upon him again.

Felix, enraged at Queqiu for ruining his wings and humiliating him in front of the entire empire, was intent on retaliation. Instead of evading, he confronted Queqiu head-on.

But in close combat, who in the empire could match Queqiu?

Felix was powerless to defend himself. Within a few exchanges, both his arms were slashed by Queqiu's daggers.

The intense pain from his arms caused Felix to falter, a reflex that Queqiu perceived as the greatest opening and the perfect opportunity.

In a flash, silver light danced.

Moments later, the smell of blood spread as the Alpha was covered in knife wounds.

Felix, drained of strength, was defeated and fell from the fight.

The match could have been declared over at this point. Felix, exhausted and severely injured, had no strength left to resist. Queqiu could have dealt the final blow at any time, thoroughly eliminating him and claiming his own victory.

But, he didn’t.

As long as Felix hadn't surrendered, it meant the match could still continue.

"In that case, I'll take no more courtesy."

Felix had never seen Queqiu smile, and the first time he did, it was in such a moment, with a chilling coldness and an unfathomable depth in his eyes.

The Omega displayed unprecedented aggression, charging forward, bending his knee, and delivering a fierce knee strike that nearly displaced the injured Alpha's internal organs.

Felix curled up in pain, his broken body coughing violently like a damaged bellows.

"—This is for Dole's sake."

Felix was barely able to stand at this point, but Queqiu still didn't spare him.

He grabbed the Alpha's hair and slapped him hard: "This one is for You Buwei."

The slap left Felix dizzy, his vision blurred, and his ears ringing, unable to hear anything.

His tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth, tasting the blood, feeling like his teeth were loosened.

"You, cough, cough," Felix spoke with blood in his mouth, "this is a violation of the rules of the match—"

"Oh?"

Queqiu suddenly leaned in close, their distance closer than ever before.

He whispered in Felix's ear, his tone so light it was like a gentle breath, yet still making Felix understand and showing a look of horror.

"I remember someone once told me, as long as the match is still going on, even killing someone is within the rules and won't result in any punishment—"

"You agree, right?"

Felix had never imagined an Omega could be so ruthless; in his eyes, this person was nothing short of a complete demon, far from any angel or deity.

If not stopped, there was no telling what Queqiu might do next. Now, Felix finally understood the despair felt by Daniel and Qianfeiliu, whimpering and begging through tears, "Please, don't kill me, don't kill me!"

Queqiu indeed had no intention of killing him. To him, Felix was like an annoying fly, buzzing irritably but not yet spoiling the food, thus not warranting being swatted dead.

However, a little scare and a lesson were certainly in order.

If anything, he could claim he was avenging Duan Chensen by teaching these worthless juniors a lesson.

"Looking down on lower-ranked Alphas?"

"No, no, I didn't..." Felix shook his head in terror.

Queqiu, unheeding, raised his hand and delivered another slap: "Discriminating against people from underdeveloped planets?"

The Alpha's head turned with the blow, his cheek quickly swelling.

He dared not dodge, fearing more severe retaliation, and could only mutter repeated apologies, "I'm sorry, so sorry."

"An Omega should just choose healing roles and accept your high and mighty protection and allocation?"

"No, no, it's not like that—"

A "crack" sound followed, indicating a broken wrist.

"Disrespecting Omegas?"

"No... not at all..."

Queqiu's eyes turned icy: "Do you understand your mistake?"

"Wrong, I was wrong, so wrong!"

Felix, far from daring to argue, clutched at Omega, crying and admitting his fault: "I won't dare again, never again—"

The once somewhat handsome Alpha now appeared pitifully miserable, with slightly swollen cheeks, a bleeding mouth, a limp left wrist, covered in cuts of varying sizes, a clear footprint on his chest, and let's not mention his pathetic, ridiculed wings—

A sorry sight.

Even Qiu had to admit, the Alpha clinging to him, trembling in fear, had lost all his previous arrogance, now appearing so pitiable.

"Now that you know you're wrong, you know what you should do next, right? I don't need to teach you."

Conflict flashed in Felix's red eyes, struggling to find the words. Seeing this, Qiu pursed his lips and hardened his gaze, prompting Felix to stop hesitating and, with a heavy heart, sobbingly forfeited the match.

"I... I concede—"

As the words fell, the electronic voice of the Super Star Brain rang through the main venue: "Participant Queqiu from Siku Star Military Academy defeats Felix from the Imperial First Military Academy. The match is over. Congratulations to Queqiu for winning the individual championship of this Imperial Military School Interstellar Joint Competition!"

Instantly, dazzling fireworks lit up around the arena, and golden streamers cascaded from above, shimmering in the bright noon sun.

Queqiu stood amidst it all, as if basking in a splendid shower of gold.

The entire audience erupted at this moment. Hearing the news of the match's end and Queqiu's victory, they leapt up, raising huge banners row upon row, wildly waving and shouting the name of the victor.

"Queqiu!"

"He is the champion!"

A sea of honor formed from the overwhelming screams and golden hues filling the arena. At this moment, the Omega at the center of everyone's attention undoubtedly shone as the brightest star in the empire—

No, not a star, but rather, the sun.

His brilliance surpassed the stars, even outshining the sun itself.

Before this, no Omega had ever received such an honor. In everyone's eyes, they were seen as fragile, easily broken, and in need of passive protection.

Yet now, an Omega stood in the military academy's competition arena, demonstrating a strength that stunned everyone, defeating powerful Alphas and Betas, and paving his road to glory with victory after victory.

Emerging from darkness, once synonymous with weakness, he now donned the mantle of light and greatness.

The best player, Queqiu, was truly deserving of the title.

The author's note: