Vanguard of the Eternal Night

translator: xiin

The task was completed. The old antique wanted to take him around to play in this outside world for another two days.

To tell the truth, the customs in this world were very similar to his own hometown, giving him the subtle feeling of revisiting his hometown, even if that place didn't leave him with any good memories.

However, this would have to be postponed for another two days, because with the passage of time, the National Championships in the interstellar era would soon come to an end.

Little friend Vantico won fourth place, which meant that the three people ranked beneath the quasi champion Odin was: Crimson, Jiuzhou, and Vantico.

And these three people had already been defeated under his sword before, so he could go directly to the award ceremony after his vacation.

Before leaving, Tyron and Victor went back to the hotel--the stronghold for a certain organization--to obtain their reward from winning the bet.

This time, nobody dared to tell Victor that he had to wait outside. The little dragonfly pretended not to know any better and followed behind Tyron, walking inside with excited curiosity.

… Although it wasn't very beautiful inside, it still held a sense of mystery that made this underground stronghold appear very grand.

As the two of them walked along the road, many assassins were training, while others were being punished: some were running laps, while others were doing push-ups.

Victor looked left and right curiously and saw a man who seemed very familiar. He whispered to Tyron and asked, "Is that Vantico?"

Tyron looked at one of the assassin cubs who was doing push-ups and laughed, but didn't answer.

The 'little cub' was wearing a mask, his eyes staring at the ground like dead fish eyes as he went up and down without any fluctuations. He was doing push-ups and sweating profusely, his arms trembling--there were three incense burners on his back with burning incense.

Victor sympathized, "I feel tired just from watching. Training is really very bitter and hard."

Tyron continued to smile and remain silent.

The little cub who was doing push-ups couldn't bear it anymore. He looked up and roared, "Aren't you annoying! Are you done or not! Laozi is willing to be punished by the teacher!"

Victor: It really was Vantico! … It seemed that gaining the strength to come third place in the National Championships really wasn't easy…

A while later, an expressionless assassin came by and slapped a warning blow onto Vantico's buttocks, "Making noise for no reason. Double the amount remaining."

Vantico: "……"

Vantico, the lofty fourth best player in the National Championships, was scolded by his teacher as soon as he finished competing.

His butt hurt.

He felt bad and wanted to cry.

When he went back, he would definitely complain to Old Friend about this group of villains!!!

Vantico breathed in through his nose, suppressed the indignation he felt, and bowed his head to continue doing push-ups like a dead fish.

Finally, Tyron and Victor went back with a bunch of things. There was still over 20 days left in their &#k2018;guest key’, which was enough for them to return for a little honeymoon after the awards ceremony.

It was worth mentioning Tyron's short sword. It had stabbed into the wall of the inner garden when he assassinated the duke, embedding itself deeply into a beam made out of hardwood. Later, the guards had tried their best to pull it out.

This short sword quickly became a legend.

When Victor walked around the base, he heard some interesting rumors.

It was said that there was a mysterious sword in the inner garden of XX castle. It was said that it was different from all the other short swords and would sing in a specific person's hand, at a specific time.

It was also said that: The original owner of this short sword was a master assassin, but when he assassinated the duke, he angered another legendary assassin, leading to the two assassins fighting at the top of the city on a full moon night…

Others also said: The origins of this sword was unknown, but the person who held it would surely die at the end. So, an assassin had given it to the evil duke, who was then cursed by death. A mysterious power caused him to end up hanged to death on the beam of the house--the very beam where the short sword that couldn't be pulled out was embedded.

……

Victor: "My god, there's so many stories. Will this become a legend? Could it be that it really requires some fated person to come by and pull it out, like Arthur's curry stick?"

Tyron: "Any sword made of modern alloy in the base can probably break the beam."

Victor: "……" Ah, the truth of the legend was inexplicably heartbreaking.

The next day, the two of them put on their formal clothing.

The championship night was really brilliant. This time, the attention it garnered wasn't for show. Such a big national event only happened once or twice a year in the Alliance. Countless well-known stars sent virtual interactive projections to participate in the event.

Everyone was very excited, and the planet-wide fireworks show on the artificial planet went on display for the last time. Tens of thousands of people stood up and cheered like a wave along mountains, waiting obsessively for the champion to take the stage.

This year's champion, Odin, was very calm. He was completely like a Kaolin Flower Iceberg War God in aura and style as he sat beside his Vic. The two of them were even chatting and laughing easily.

One camera remained focused on them the whole time. The cameramen behind the camera whispered to each other, "Amazing, my War God. I've been doing competition live broadcasts for many years, but this is the first time I've seen such a calm champion."

"That's right. This is Odin, the most powerful aerial combat expert in the e-sports circle, the belief of assassin across the entire league, and the first beauty in the e-sports circle…"

"I heard that someone offered a high price of a million to buy his autographed photo. We're considered to be in a favorable position for convenient access. In a bit, how about I mix in and give it a try. What if we end up winning the lottery?"

"Good idea. I'll go, too. Do you think that I can get his Vic's autographed photo?"

"……"

The two cameramen looked at each other and one of them spoke in a whisper, "Are you a Vic fan? I'm glad to meet you, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you before."

The other one replied, "Sh, don't say it out loud."

"You're really brave. The great demon king is so protective of his cub that he'll get angry even if you try to take a few more pictures of him. If you dare to chase after his Vic, it would be strange if he didn't come and tear you apart."

"Ah, it's too saddening. We always have to mix in with the rainy day cult to do any underground activities. We don't dare to let the great demon king learn about it…"

On the public screen, the rainy day cult was currently filling up the screen infinitely with their comments, calling out for the great demon king, or any immortal fairy passing by, or anyone… to give them a bit of welfare food, or a tiny bit of sugar.

It was too tragic. Those who heard about it were sad, and those who saw it were in tears.

The commentator who was currently talking about Odin's glorious resume had to keep a death grip over himself in order not to burst out laughing. His partner had already started from talking about the District Games and continued on. Following his voice, Contestant Odin's legendary experiences and achievements was described in detail, slowly unfolding into the void.

At this time, the husband and husband pair were chatting idly.

Victor faced the camera with a professional, calm smile on his face, then turned his head to say in a super nervous tone, "What should I do? My heart is beating really fast."

Tyron replied calmly, "Don't be nervous. I'm only going up for a minute. Also, haven't you already prepared everything in my stead?"

Victor was even more tense, "Did you bring the standard speech lines?"

Tyron: "No."

Victor was about to explode from nerves, "Oh, oh, I wrote it in quite a routine way. It's normal for you not to like it. In that case, did you prepare anything else."

Tyron: "No."

Boom! Victor exploded, "Then, then, then, then, then, in a moment, what will you say? What will you say! You can't just go up and say 'No', right?!!!"

Tyron joked, "Then what should I say?"

--How could this old antique be so calm?! In a moment, he'll be on the stage in front of tens of millions of live viewers. There were also hundreds of millions e-sports circle fans following the event!

Victor almost wanted to cry as he broke down, "You should at least… thank parents, friends, coaches and colleagues, as well as the organizers of the A-League and the committee for giving you this opportunity… In, in any case, this portion is politically correct and can't be omitted."

Tyron replied, "Three words, then. 'No, thank you'. Do you think it's enough?"

"……"

Ah! Victor wanted to perform a series of nuclear explosions on the spot, swallowing up the entire audience and all the cameras with mushroom clouds.

Two seconds later, Victor held back and said, "Then, how about talking about your own experiences in the game? Or you can talk about any special experience since your debut. At least… can you at least make up one hundred words?"

Tyron tilted his head to look at him. His dark, golden eyes held a soft, yet mysterious smile, "Special experience?"

--What special experience do you all want to hear about from me?

Over one thousand years of life, over one thousand years of loneliness, and a little over one year of warmth?

During his most vulnerable years, he'd lost track of the way back and voluntarily stepped into the abyss of the night. Since then, he'd willingly remained anonymous and become the most faithful servant of silence?

Or, between blood and fire, life and death, he'd spent all his time on the battlefield, and after ending the fight, he'd set down a beautiful bluebell flower?

Or, after watching the impermanence of life and death, and the chances of the world, that period of empty and hollow seclusion.

Or, the glory and shadows of 600 years of time given to the gods.

Or, the countless near death hallucinations.

--Was this what was special to you people?

--However, for him, they were all boring and normal. That had been his life.

What was really special was running around, playing, competing, and cheering in the spotlights. In this era, everything was full of light and breeze. There was no haze, and nobody died because of him.

For Tyron Odin, this was what was special. But to them, it was very commonplace.

"There's a lot that can be said, but none of it is necessary." Tyron said.

He looked at Victor, and Victor suddenly understood his feelings.

Victor said, "Then… just share an achievement that makes you happy… or the little things. You can just stand up there. In any case… what everyone loves is the old antique who says 'no' every day, bullies little children, watches others cry when they have nothing to do, is picky about food at home but doesn't show it, and who makes mischief every day by taking advantage of his good looks…"

Tyron teased him, "Why don't you add a 'tool is big and life is good'?"

Victor flushed and spoke with difficulty, "I now feel that I can cross out 'old antique' and replace it with 'old perv'…"

At the center of the planet, a bright light suddenly shone over.

Countless people's excitement and longing could be felt from their expectant gazes, converging together like a torrent of anticipation.

Victor was suddenly no longer nervous. He took a deep breath, straightened Tyron's collar, and said, "I… you know, I love you."

Tyron stood up, bowed his head slightly, and said to him, "My happiest achievement was probably reading in the library that day, when I somehow captivated a certain little tail."

(End of Text)

four extras to go, and then VEN will be officially finished! thanks everyone for following along~