No! I don't want to be a Super Necromancer!

Matte-black, runeless aside from faint unknown glyphs near the joints. There were no flashy weapons, no visible shield modules, no reactor enhancements or glow panels.

No ranged weapon.

Just an enhanced titanium combat knife strapped to his hip.

"…Isn't that… The Battle God!?" the co-commentator asked in disbelief. "No mods? No cannons? No drones?! He's using the starter model?!"

The main commentator coughed. "It appears he… brought a knife to a repeater fight."

The crowd was already murmuring, confused and curious. Some laughed. Others whispered. A few hardcore analysts narrowed their eyes.

Then the countdown began.

3…

2…

1…

BOOM.

Damien vanished.

No flash of mana. No charge-up. Just gone.

A shadow bolted across the field at impossible speed.

Yu Fan reacted instantly.

His thrusters flared, his twin repeaters swung up and his Phantom Drive initiated.

"Holy shit this bastard is fast! What sort of monster is he in real life? But this is BGA! In here, mods and high tech mecha rules supreme! This is afterall, a simulation to tes- Huh? Where did he go? He's behind!" Yu Fan whirled his mecha around.

But it was too late.

CRACK

A black blur slammed into him from behind.

A single, precise stab into the rear core reactor.

The Phantom Viper convulsed once, limbs locking mid-glide.

And then it fell forward like a marionette with its strings cut, sparks hissing from the joints, its core humming in emergency shutdown.

The crowd gasped.

Then silence.

Pure, stadium-wide silence.

Damien stood over the wreckage and sheathed his titanium blade calmly.

He tilted his head.

"…Was that a warm-up dummy?" he asked, his voice clear over the arena-wide audio system.

The silence shattered with a collective "OOOOOOOH!"

From the VIP deck above, General Riki threw his arms in the air, laughing like a madman. "What the hell! He has swag, I tell you that!"

"That, uh. That was Yi Fan in his Generation 5 Phantom Viper YF 1." The commentator said in a shaky voice.

Damien turned slightly, facing the announcers' box.

"Then why the hell wasn't he moving?"

Another wave of "OOOH!" swept the crowd.

The commentators blinked, slack-jawed.

"L-Ladies and gentlemen…" the main host stammered, "That may have been the cockiest line we've heard all tournament…"

"…But I don't think he wasn't even trying to be cocky," the co-host added quietly. "He just genuinely thought Yu Fan wasn't real."

Above them, General Hong Fei leaned back, arms crossed, eyes crinkled.

"WA HA HA HA HA! SATISFYING!."

The crowd went absolutely insane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the Powerful Mage Coffee Club, Damien sipped his white chocolate mocha with measured disinterest.

"How is that a tournament match? It feels no better than fighting in a practice room with a dummy." He grumbled lightly.

General Riki slapped the table, nearly spilling his own drink.

"That dummy was ranked seventy third in the country!" he barked, beaming with pride.

Damien took another sip and muttered, "Then this country's standards are in serious trouble."

"Now this next guy," General Maru said, "he's the real deal."

"First-year at War God College. Ranked 61st in the Gold Rankings," General Hong Fei added. "They call him the Walking Fortress."

"Kid pilots a Titanfall Mark VII," General Riki said reverently, "Quad-reactive armor. Dual capacitors. Seismic stabilizers. Built-in mini nuke failsafe. Supposedly tanked a simulated orbital strike and kept walking."

General Maru coughed. "I still say that was staged."

General Liang jabbed a finger. "Don't blaspheme in this sacred house of mechanical carnage."

"Alright, your next opponent is ready. Let's go back!" General Riki gestured impatiently.

Within, a grinning tournament official appeared before him.

"Congratulations! You've made it to the Top 32! Would you like a t-shirt?"

"No."

In the arena, the commentator booth roared back to life with the sound of mismatched energy and chaotic chemistry.

"WELCOME BACK, BLOODTHIRSTY FANS AND SLEEP-DEPRIVED NERDS!" bellowed the first voice. "It's your favorite washed-up war machine, GRUMPY BEAR! And sitting next to me is a man who's legally asleep for 40% of his job… SLEEPY SMILE!"

Sleepy Smile sipped from a comically large mug labeled 'I hate everyone'. "Mmm. Yes. Hello to all three of you watching at home because you missed your bus and the remote's too far away."

Grumpy Bear slapped the desk. "THIS is round two, baby! Big names, big stakes, big explosions!"

Sleepy Smile yawned. "I dreamed of being a poet once."

"AND I dreamed of seeing someone get kicked into orbit. AND GUESS WHAT, IT MIGHT HAPPEN TODAY!" Grumpy Bear howled and pretended to strangle Sleepy Smile.

Sleepy Smile turned to the camera. "If I don't make it… tell my cat I loved her."

"We are now entering our second official match of the Top 32, and… wait, this is… Hungry Monster! That's right! The monster which crushed the Sniper in the previous round by luck!"

"Luck? Grumpy, are you jealous now? That was pure skill! Hungry Monster is a GOD descended on planet earth!"

"Ha. Let's see this God use his Godly skills against his next opponent. And who is he up against? A literal wall! Tang Shuang, the titan of War God College! The lad eats missiles for breakfast and apparently does squats with tanks. This is going to be a proper beatdown, folks."

Sleepy Smile scratched his chin lazily. "Didn't you say that last match?"

"I did! And I was BETRAYED BY REALITY!"

A thunderous stomp echoed as Titanfall Mk.VII strode into the arena, each step shaking the earth.

It was a hulking monster of alloy and mana plating, standing two meters taller than most mechs, with reinforced armor thick enough to bounce siege rounds. Mana engines on its back pulsed with ominous red glow, and the dual blades it carried were thick enough to be bridges.

The crowd screamed.

"LET'S GOOOOOOO TITANFALL!"

"WRECK THAT BLASPHEMOUS GOD!"

"CRUSH HIM INTO POWDER!"

And then, the black figure stepped forward again.

Damien's mecha glided in like a shadow. Unchanged. Still matte-black. Still unarmed except for that slim titanium knife.

The crowd groaned. Some laughed.

Grumpy Bear slammed the desk.

"This isn't fair. This isn't a fight. This is a crime. Damien's using the same starter kit from Round One! We're witnessing a mechanical homicide!"

Sleepy Smile grinned. "You sure you wanna bet against the starter kit again?"

"YES."

"Cool. I'll hold your wallet."