Chapter 40: The So-Called Unlimited Rules, Section 2

Free time is always precious. Less than two days after meeting the Grand Duke of Tarot, Black Hair’s rest came to an end. Yet he didn’t waste those two days, receiving many who wanted to meet him—among them the generous Siget and the assassin girl Tena.

Siget also participated in the competition, but he signed up for individual combat events. Like Black Hair, he achieved outstanding results and had now made it to the top 16. When he saw Black Hair, he sighed with regret, wondering why Black Hair hadn’t joined him in the fights. This amused Tena, who teased him for forgetting his past injuries.

What surprised Black Hair was that Siget, who usually acted bold and aggressive, didn’t argue at all when teased by Tena. Instead, his rough face turned red like a monkey’s bottom, and he stammered, unable to say anything. It turned out the rumor that Siget blushed when talking to girls was true… Black Hair chuckled to himself, suddenly recalling a rumor he’d heard somewhere before.

But soon he realized he was wrong. Siget indeed blushed when talking to girls. Yet the real reason he couldn’t argue with Tena was one no one could have predicted—he couldn’t beat her.

It was only later, through Monkey’s explanation, that Black Hair learned the whole story. Siget and Tena were both orphans who had known each other since childhood. They were inseparable and shared a love for fighting. Siget’s admiration for strength began back then. In every fight, he relied on his immense strength to overwhelm his opponents, with few able to stand against him. But as the saying goes, “one thing counters another”—he had never won against Tena. Every time they fought, he ended up bruised and battered.

This was because Tena favored speed. With her delicate physique typical of a girl and reflexes far beyond normal, she was known for her agility since childhood. If necessary, she could even do somersaults on sharp blades or move freely through swarms of knives. Though Siget was strong and destructive, he could never land a hit on her. Over time, this led to him developing fear whenever he saw her.

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, both of them had grown up and each had their own masters to serve. Yet they still couldn’t overcome this flaw. Whenever they saw Tena, Siget would recall the times she had abused him, leaving him lacking confidence.

Of course, their story had nothing to do with Black Hair. So there was no need for him to get involved in gossiping about it. But the other matter related to their arrival couldn’t help but catch his attention.

“Beck, I have to remind you that you’ve become a target for most commanders. As far as I know, at least a hundred contestants in the final round intend to take you out in the first round. They’ve even formed several teams for this purpose.”

Siget said this with a serious expression, and Tena beside him also had furrowed brows. Clearly, they both lacked confidence in Black Hair.

It made sense. If what Siget said was true, with nearly a hundred commanders hostile toward Black Hair, he would likely suffer fatal blows right at the start of the final round. After all, just the fleets assigned to those hundred commanders combined could number nearly a thousand. Add in the terrifying firepower of the Moor giant ships, and no one believed Black Hair could survive such fierce attacks.

This was no longer a matter of command skills or courage—it was outright instant death. If Siget’s words were true, even if Black Hair possessed extraordinary abilities, it wouldn’t matter. After all, in the face of absolute power, the effectiveness of strategy was reduced to its minimum.

Black Hair understood this as well. That’s why he was grateful for Siget and Tena’s reminder. He treated them well and, when parting, even gave them small gifts—two equally rare black crystals.

“Beck, you’d better get ready. If things go bad, just give up on the final round. After all, your performance has already been recognized by everyone. Duke Ziyan is also very satisfied. You don’t need to keep going,” Siget comforted Black Hair as he left, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry. Even if others don’t have faith in you, I do. A warrior who can defeat me, Siget—no one dares to underestimate you. Even if you’re killed instantly in the final round, I, Siget, will still stand by you. At the very least, come to me, and we’ll go form our own private fleet together.”

With that, the generous bald man laughed heartily and left, not forgetting to toss Black Hair a beautifully packaged bottle of red wine.

“Take this. It’s from the old man. He said you did well. It’s a reward for you.”
Siget left. Tena returned to Black Hair’s side, fiddling with the exquisite black crystal in her hand, her expression half-smiling. She sized Black Hair up before shaking her head.
“I’m leaving too. Beck, I can’t say much about Siget being here just now, but there’s one thing I need to remind you of.”
“Hm? What?” Black Hair was stunned and asked in a low voice.
“It’s better if you stay out of the Duke of Purple Rock’s affairs,” the assassin girl said in a low voice without even looking up. Without waiting for Black Hair to react, she turned and left.
Staring at her rapidly disappearing figure, Black Hair remained silent for a long time.
“It’s better if I stay out… Is this a warning to me? Indeed, the Moor Empire can endure for thousands of years. The waters here are still too deep.” A bitter smile appeared on Black Hair’s face. After a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh.
“But who knows that I already have no way back? Not just the Duke of Purple Rock—even in this final round, I still have no choice but to keep fighting, right?”
Black Hair was right. In the past, he might have just been an obscure minor officer. In the Moor Empire, no one would pay attention to such a lowly officer. But now it was different. After a series of virtual competitions, the name of contestant No. 336 had risen like a brilliant new star in the empire’s sky. Countless eyes watched him every moment. How could he just disappear quietly?
So even though he received warnings from Siget and Tena, he could only keep them to himself and continue facing the brutal competitions ahead.
Nearly a hundred enemies? That was… an overwhelming number of ships…
Looking up at the distant stars, Black Hair’s expression became blank.
The final round of the competition finally began three days later. On that day, the entire Barbarian Star Region was mobilized on a large scale. The previously scattered small space stations were dismantled one by one to make room for the final round. All ships were driven outside the safety zone to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Around the huge, remaining saucer-shaped space station, thousands of various warships were neatly arranged, with the Moor giants accounting for the vast majority.

Kurokami knew that these ships were the specialized competition fleets distributed to participants in the tournament. Each participant would receive the same number of ships of the same specifications, with identical fleet compositions as well. Of course, depending on each commander’s preferences, they could adjust the proportions of their ships, but they had to maintain a balanced total value.

Simply put, if a Moor giant ship was worth 15 points, then a scout ship was only worth 2 points—some even just 0.5 points. Each commander had a quota of 100 points, allowing them to allocate the proportions of their fleet as they saw fit, as long as it stayed within that limit.

However, the tournament rules required that every commander’s fleet include representatives from all three categories—combat, logistics, and scouting—each accounting for at least 20 points. This was meant to prevent extreme tactics such as relying solely on one type of ship and merging forces with other commanders.

This rule was advantageous for Kurokami. It forced other commanders to consider their weaker ship types and prevented them from coordinating uniformly. No matter how many teams they formed, coordination would inevitably have flaws—after all, humans aren’t machines. Perfect, flawless coordination was impossible in reality, and Kurokami was convinced of this.

Entering the UFO hall, under the close surveillance and protection of the staff, Kurokami checked the ships available for exchange. After brief consideration, he spent all his allocated points, leaving the staff in astonishment.

Without any explanation, Kurokami simply walked out of the hall. Behind him, the staff members who had just processed his exchange stood frozen, as if turned to wood.

“Wait, is he contestant number 336? That unlucky guy?” one staff member said, staring at the exchange list he had just completed.

“I guess so? But… well, I’m not sure either,” another staff member replied, looking at the completed list in a dazed state.

“Look at this list. I keep thinking he must be an idiot who doesn’t understand fleet command. Could we have all been wrong? Were his past victories just luck?”

“I don’t know. But what’s clear is that with such a fleet composition, contestant number 336’s reputation is likely to be ruined. I bet he won’t survive even the first round of attacks.”

“I’m not betting against you; it’s obvious. With so few main battle ships, it would be strange if he didn’t die!” The first worker curled his lips, refusing to pay any further attention to his companion and went back to his work.
Five hours later, a dazzling blue sphere of light suddenly erupted at the Flying Saucer Station in the Barren Star Region. At the same time, the enormous fleet surrounding it split into countless small units and began moving slowly.
The final round… has finally begun…