Tournament Round 1 - Never Trust the Saintess's Innocent Face

"Amon," Lukas Bright whispered, his teeth grinding, "Why is my name on the scoreboard written as 'Death Bait #1'?"

"It's just a tactical code, Bright. Don't take it personally," I replied while adjusting the crystal headset on my ear. "And Eylia, please stop trying to eat the magic data cable. That is not licorice candy."

Grand Colosseum Stadium.
Thousands of spectators packed the virtual stands surrounding the main stage. The Regional Tournament had begun.
Across from our table stood the first opposing team.

Iron-Blood Academy Team.
They were uniform, disciplined, muscular, and stared at our team with contempt.
Their leader, a bald man with facial tattoos, sneered.
"Helios Academy is fielding circus clowns? A little girl (Aerith), a spoiled princess (Sylvia), a brute (Eylia), and... you, the Trash Zeroth."

"They're insulting us!" Eylia slammed the console table. "Let me destroy them in the first minute!"

"Hold," I ordered calmly. My 'Holy Face' potion only had 12 hours left. I had to make the most of it.

Map Selected: [Three Bridge Valley].
Type: Lane-Pushing (MOBA Style).
Objective: Destroy the enemy crystal at the end of the map.

"Game Start!"

As soon as the digital whistle blew, chaos ensued immediately. Not for the enemy, but for my own team.

"I will take the middle lane! Justice does not hide!" shouted Lukas. He led his Swordsman units running straight down the middle without waiting for Archer support.

"Tch, slow! Bear Troops, charge the left lane!" Eylia sent her Beast Tamer units into the left jungle without scouts (Wards).

"I need 5 minutes to gather mana at the base to summon an Ice Dragon," muttered Sylvia, staying silent at the base (AFK Farming).

"Amon, look! My bunny units are so cute!" Aerith was busy zooming in the camera on her mascot Healer units instead of watching the map.

I massaged my temples. Teamwork Rating: F- (Confirmed).

"Enemy incoming," I said flatly.

Team Iron-Blood moved in a "Turtle" formation. In the middle lane, Lukas crashed directly into their steel shield wall.
"HIAAAA! Break through!" shouted Lukas (his unit avatar). CLANG! CLANG! Lukas's unit bounced off. His HP leaked heavily.
"Damn! Why are they so hard?! Healer! I need a Healer!"

"Sorry Lukas! My bunnies have short legs!" Aerith replied in panic.

In the left lane, Eylia walked into a trap.
"Wahaha! Ambush!" The Iron-Blood Captain laughed. Eylia was surrounded by Spearman units in the jungle.

Current Score: 0 - 5 (Enemy Kill Count).
The audience booed us.
"Get off the stage! Trash team!"
"Zeroth sucks! All talk!"

My heart beat fast. If we lost here, there would be no Lunar Flower access. I'd die the day after tomorrow.

"Enough playing around," my voice turned cold, cutting through the chaos in their headsets.

"Listen, you bunch of Stupid Egoists," I whispered sharply (but sounding charismatic thanks to the potion effect).

"Eylia! Do you want to lose to that ugly bald guy? He just typed in All-Chat that 'That Red-Haired Girl is definitely unmarriageable'."

"WHAT?!!!" Eylia roared. "HE DIES!!"

"Pull your troops back 20 meters. Lure them towards the swamp. Don't attack. JUST BAIT!"

Eylia's rage made her obedient. She retreated. The enemy, feeling victorious, chased Eylia into the muddy swamp. Their Heavy Armor units slowed drastically.

"Now, Sylvia," I turned to the right. "Swamp at coordinates X-45. Freeze it."

"But I don't have enough mana for the Dragon..."

"I'm not asking for a Dragon! I'm asking for Flash Freeze! Freeze the mud. Lock their legs!"

Sylvia clicked her tongue, but her fingers danced over the rune keyboard. BOOM. The swamp froze instantly. The enemy troops' legs were trapped in knee-deep ice. They became sitting ducks.

"Lukas! Don't hit the shields! Jump over their shields. Use them as stepping stones to slash the Mages behind them! Are you a 'Hero' or a Stone Mason?!"

Lukas's ego was touched. "Just watch!"
Lukas performed an acrobatic maneuver, leaping over the barricade and disrupting the enemy's unprotected backline. Iron-Blood's 'Turtle' formation shattered.

Score Reversed: 12 - 5.

"Amazing..." Aerith muttered, her eyes sparkling at the map.

"Don't relax yet, Saintess," I looked at her seriously. "Now it's your turn. You are our secret weapon of mass destruction."

"Me? But I only have unarmed Healer units?"

"Exactly," I grinned devilishly (which looked like an angelic smile).
"Send all your Healer units walking casually down the middle lane. Do not attack anyone. Carry white flags."

"Oh! Peaceful diplomacy? I like that!" Aerith immediately sent 50 priestess units strolling down the middle of the bloody battlefield.

On the enemy side, the Iron-Blood Captain was confused.
"What is this? Priest units without escorts? Hahaha! Free food! Finish them!"

Iron-Blood units attacked Aerith's non-resisting troops.

But they forgot one thing.
This wasn't a normal strategy game. This was a game that calculated Commander Character Lore.

Troops attacking Saintess Aerith's "Unarmed Holy Units" were hit with a penalty: [Divine Retribution].
The digital sky above the map split open.

[SYSTEM EVENT: WRATH OF GOD]
[Cause: War Crime (Attacking Medics)]

Lightning struck repeatedly from the sky. Every enemy unit that touched Aerith's troops was instantly struck by lightning with True Damage.
Enemies exploded one by one.

"W-WHAT IS THIS?! CHEATING!" shouted the enemy captain.

"This isn't cheating," I leaned back casually, sipping my virtual orange juice. "This is called karma, Baldy."

Aerith covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my! The heavens are punishing them! Poor things! I'm sorry!"

"Don't apologize, Aerith. Keep walking to their base," I ordered.

Aerith's 'Peaceful' troops kept marching forward while accidentally summoning lightning on anyone who got close. It was the most... ironic massacre I had ever seen.

Finally, Lukas's troops, Eylia's, and Sylvia's ice bombs joined up in front of the tattered enemy Main Base.

"Destroy it," I ordered briefly.

Lukas, Eylia, and Sylvia unleashed their Ultimate skills simultaneously.
The Iron-Blood base crystal exploded into spectacular fireworks.

[VICTORY!]

The stadium erupted in cheers.
"Crazy! What kind of strategy was that?!"
"Psychological Warfare! Zeroth is a genius!"
"Saintess Aerith is terrifying!"

The five of us were teleported back to the waiting room.
Aerith hugged Lukas out of joy (causing Lukas to freeze and get a nosebleed), Eylia laughed satisfied while slapping my back (very hard, it hurt!), and Sylvia smiled faintly—very faintly—while closing her book.

"Good work, my minions," I joked, straightening my clothes.

But as the euphoria subsided, Amon's vision blurred for a moment.
Side effect of excessive brain usage + Mana Poisoning.
And worse...

[Time Remaining: Innocent Sheep Elixir - 10 Hours]
[Warning: Body beginning to reject potion residue. Tremor symptoms will appear.]

My hands shook violently. I immediately hid them in my trouser pockets.
"Amon? Are you okay? Your face is pale," Aerith asked, approaching with a worried face. Her hand reached out to touch my forehead.

"Don't touch!" I snapped reflexively, stepping back.

Everyone fell silent. Lukas stared at me sharply.
My reaction was too aggressive.

"Sorry," I forced a tired smile. "Just... a little tense post-match. I don't like being touched when I'm sweaty. I'll excuse myself to the restroom for a moment."

I walked quickly out of the waiting room, ignoring Sylvia's increasingly intense suspicious gaze.
As soon as the door closed, I jogged toward a quiet corridor.

At the end of the hallway, in the shadowed area beneath the stadium stairs...
Someone was waiting for me.
Not a fan. Not a reporter.

A man in Academy lecturer robes, but his eyes... his eyes were completely black with no whites.

"Mr. Zeroth," he greeted. His voice sounded like two pieces of rusty iron scraping together. "An interesting show. But the Shadow Order doesn't like it when our 'Flower' is taken, and our toys (Iron-Blood) are defeated."

My hand groped my pocket. One smoke bomb left. Grappling gun left in the bag.
Distance: 5 meters.
Opponent Level: Unknown (High Tier).

"You guys are losers who can't Move On from the auction, huh?" I tried to buy time. "If you want an autograph, queue in the front."

The man smiled, his mouth widening to his ears—literally ripping.
"We don't need an autograph. We need a vessel. And that empty body of yours you showed off to the Saintess... seems like a comfortable home."

The man's arm elongated, turning into pitch-black shadow tentacles shooting toward my heart.

Dead. I couldn't dodge.
The speed was beyond human logic.

But a second before the tentacle pierced my chest... CLANG!

A silver light cut through the air.
The shadow tentacle was severed, falling to the floor and evaporating into smoke.

A small figure landed in front of me. Black and white maid uniform, twin silver knives in both hands. Silver bob hair fluttering gently.

"The task of taking out the trash is a maid's job, Young Master," Luna said flatly.

Her blue eyes stared at the monster. No emotion.
[Luna Artoria: Combat Mode Active]

"Luna?" I gaped. "Since when have you been following me?"

"Since Master sneaked out the window that night," she answered without looking back. "And... Master still owes me macarons. So Master is forbidden from dying yet."

The monster man hissed angrily. "Traitor of the Artoria Clan..."

"Stand back, Master," Luna ordered, the knives in her hands spinning sophisticatedly. "I will teach this uninvited guest the etiquette of the Zeroth Family."

A real battle in a dark hallway, while my friends celebrated victory in a bright room.
This is the double life of a Villain trying to repent.