Chapter 11
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Chapter 11: It’s Show Time! Knight!
The weather was hot, and the backstage air conditioning was barely functional, making the makeup and foundation suffocating. The sweat from the cosplay performers could easily smudge their carefully applied looks. Without a dedicated makeup artist on hand, they might end up looking like a painted cat before they even took the stage. The teams that made it to the finals wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake; after the competition, the makeup artists would use professional removers to clean off the performers’ makeup.
"Hehe… If they don’t arrive, it’ll be my stage! The sinister evil mage’s stage! Oh my, what a shocking turn of events! I can already imagine the audience gasping in surprise, wahaha, I’m just too wicked!" An evil mage, draped in a black hooded cloak and wielding a ivory skull staff, let out a sinister laugh. Thankfully, they were backstage; if this had been out on the street, it would have surely frightened three-year-old children to tears.
The villain cosplay performer immediately attracted a chorus of eye rolls from those around him. In cosplay performances, villain roles often serve as cannon fodder, starting strong but quickly being defeated by the heroes. This was almost a rule; rare were the times when a villain triumphed, as it had to align with the popular belief that good always triumphed over evil.
"Hey! Sister Fei! Finally got through to your phone! You’re still using an iPhone 4? What a terrible signal! We’re about to lose it here; it’s almost our turn! Lin Mo is with you, right? Perfect! This guy’s phone has been off! What’s going on with you two? The two of you are really being too dramatic! Hurry up! We’re just waiting on you! Okay, okay, thirty minutes? I’ll talk to the organizers and push us back a slot." The tauren, wielding a double-headed axe, yelled into his phone in frustration. After hanging up, he breathed a long sigh of relief. "Alright, finally got in touch with them! Sister Fei overslept and ran into Lin Mo on the way. They’ll be here in half an hour. Phew, finally a breath of relief." He wiped the sweat off his forehead, greatly relieved after a stressful wait.
Just as he finished wiping the sweat, the makeup artist screamed, “Ding Tuo, you jerk! You’ve messed up your makeup again! If you keep this up, I’ll turn you into a wild man!” The makeup artist’s shrill voice nearly scared Ding Tuo, the tauren performer, out of his wits; her high-pitched tone could rival a banshee’s haunting scream.
"Is the Divine Battle Squad all here? You’re up next!" The director yelled from backstage, clutching the newly scheduled time list. He was calling out the team leader’s name, but ironically, the leader was late.
"They’re almost there! They’ll be here any moment!" Ding Tuo and the others were anxiously counting down the seconds, having confirmed just a minute ago that Qi Fei and Lin Mo were just outside the main venue.
"Ding Tuo, Qian Jie, Xi Mingshan, and Sister Chen Ying, we’re here!" A magical girl in a blue robe, holding a beautifully crafted, slender staff, rushed in alongside a man in black armor, who was marching in with imposing confidence. The sound of his steel boots thudding against the ground garnered the attention of many backstage. Everyone stared in astonishment at the knight in black armor; what a hefty and impressive costume!
"Wow! You finally made it! This is all Lin Mo’s fault. I have no idea where he got this new gear—it’s so big and heavy that I had to rent a truck just to get it here!" The blue-robed magical girl floated over to the tauren, the dwarf with the firearm, and the evil mage.
"Whoa! Lin Mo, you look too cool!" Ding Tuo’s eyes bulged wide as he looked Lin Mo up and down. "Totally worth it! Even being a few minutes late is worth it for this!"
"Where did you get this gear? It can’t be real, right?" The dwarf instinctively touched the Black Armor, its shiny metallic surface and unique patterns making him shout internally, “This can’t be real! This can’t be real!” By comparison, his own outfit felt completely inferior.
Everyone was in awe of the knight in black armor’s equipment, which covered him from head to toe, revealing only a pair of bright, sharp eyes. His extravagant armor radiated a fierce aura, and the massive sword on his back, accompanied by a tattered crimson cloak, made him look like a seasoned warrior just returned from the battlefield. His steady movements hinted at the potential for danger.
“Divine Battle Squad! Report to the stage in one minute!” The backstage staff announced the lineup.
The host at the front had already started the introductions.
"Alright, let’s go as we practiced," the magical girl Qi Fei instructed, reaching out her hand. The others joined in, stacking their hands on top of one another. The "Lin Mo" in black armor seemed to still be in a daze, not fully processing what was happening, until he was pulled into a circle of hands.
"We are the champions!" they shouted in unison, rushing toward the entrance to the grand stage.
The knight in black armor remained bewildered, still trying to digest everything he’d seen and heard, from the strange metallic box that had transported him to this crowded place. There were cosplayers all around—some looked familiar, like orcs, swordsmen, and mages, while many others wore bizarre costumes of professions he couldn’t recognize.
He couldn’t understand what these people were doing. The magical girl who seemed unsure of everyone’s roles had dragged him along, yet he felt a strange familiarity. He didn’t know what this crowd was up to; he just passively followed where they led him.
This Cosplay contest was of the highest caliber ever, with elite teams making it to the finals. Each group showcased their unique skills, incorporating lighting effects, sound, and even pyrotechnics and special equipment, transforming the performances beyond mere imitation of characters’ appearances and movements into something truly magical.
"Next up, please welcome the Divine Battle Squad!" the host announced after sending off the previous team.
"Wagh!" Ding Tuo, the massive tauren decked out in silicone muscle suits, charged onto the stage, his long-horned helmet bobbing as he wielded a massive axe, his voice enhanced by special effects that echoed throughout the venue.
Cheers erupted from the audience, for the hard work on the detailed Cosplay costumes and props rivaled that of Hollywood productions. Even the makeup, which took Chen Ying over three hours to complete, was evident in the performers’ meticulous design and execution.
Following him onto the stage was the dwarf, proudly brandishing an oversized firearm, swinging a hammer strapped to his back. This too drew loud cheers, and the firearm produced a small burst of smoke and sound—this was not just a prop; it was a high-quality replica. The dwarf whistled proudly, switched out the paper cartridge, and fired again, eliciting even more applause as camera flashes filled the air.
The "Divine Battle Squad" had made it to the finals thanks not just to their accurate character portrayals and flawless makeup but also to the outstanding quality of their props.
Then, the blue-robed magical girl glided onto the stage, twirling her staff. The gem at the top lit up, casting a glow around her that dazzled the audience, and the gems on her robe shined in response, enveloping her in an aura of mystique. The audience screamed louder, a mix of men, women, old, and young—all thrilled by what they were witnessing.
"Truly the Divine Battle Squad! Bet they spent a fortune on these costumes!" A performer dressed as a character from One Piece murmured, clearly impressed by the spectacle.
The judges at the scoring table smiled, recognizing the clever design of the props as a significant factor in their scoring.
Suddenly, the background music shifted to a sinister, eerie tune, building in volume with sinister laughter and the hooting of an owl. A cloud of black smoke billowed from the entrance, accompanied by a hunched figure scaling the stage, waving a pale bone staff that scattered ghostly lights, adding a chilling atmosphere—the evil mage had made his entrance. If this outfit had appeared in a quiet alley at night, it was sure to turn heads, but here, instead, it was met with applause.
On stage, the same team was now represented in two factions: the tauren, the dwarf, and the evil mage played the villains, their ensemble providing a full range of combat styles, while the magical girl stood apart, seemingly alone and outmatched.
After waiting a while, the magical girl didn’t hear the anticipated cheers for the next performer. She bit her lip and turned to check the entrance, only to see that the knight in black armor had frozen, like a statue, at the entrance—still completely motionless.
