The Greatest Supreme

I pressed the buzzer, but was not the first to do so.

[Yes, Italy?]

She answered, [Tree and Leaf]

[Tree and Leaf is… correct.]

Applause. Cheers.

[Since you answered first the setter question Ms. Arcuri… Here are your bonus questions in the same category. First bonus question: In J.R.R. Tolkiens The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo gives Frodo a sword, which can glow blue whenever a specific race is nearby. This race was brought into modern usage by Tolkien. The Latin origin of the races name pertains to a god of the underworld, related to Pluto semantically. Give the Latin origin.]

The swords name is ”Sting ”… the race is orcs, and the origin is…

[orcus.]

[orcus is correct. You have an additional five points.]

Applause. Cheers.

[Second bonus question: Howard Lovecraft is also known for creating a mythopoeia, Cthulhu Mythos. Cthulhu Mythos is a shared universe emerged by an oblivious god known as the ”Ruler of the Outer Gods. ” It is said that all of existence, including everything and beyond perception, is part of that gods dream. Once it wakes up, all existence will vanish. This god has a spawn that embodies the will of the Outer Gods and is their messenger, heart, and soul. Name the spawn.]

The reality dreamer is Azathoth… and its spawn is…

[Nyarlathotep.]

[Nyarlathotep is… the spawn of Azathoth, the reality dreamer. You have five points.]

Applause. Cheers.

[Last bonus question for this category: Irish dramatist Edward Plunkett, the eighteenth Baron of Dunsany, is the creator of the Pegāna mythos that inspired creators, J.R.R. Tolkien and H.P Lovecraft. Inside the book, The Gods of Pegāna, resides a total of thirty stories, excluding the preface and the introduction. Now, give the missing words of the passage in the story after the preface and the introduction in terms of consecution: ”When MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI had made the gods and Skarl, Skarl made a (blank), and began to beat upon it that he might (blank) for ever. ”]

Drum.

[Drum.]

[Drum is… correct. You have five points. Now Italy, you have a total of twenty points.]

Applause.

[For the second setter question… Category, Architectural styles. On your screen monitors, a famous building is flashed. Name the four architects who initiated this architectural style in Franc—]

{PICTURE}

Buzz.

This time, I was the first one who pressed the buzzer.

Hmm, the building was the Palais Garnier, so the architectural style is Beaux-Arts…

[…Duc, Duban, Labrouste, and Vaudoyer.]

[Your answer is… correct.]

Applause.

[For your first bonus question: Which architectural style is the Palace of Versailles: A. Victorian; B. Gothic; C. Baroque; or D. Neoclassicism?]

I answered, [C. Baroque.]

[C is… correct. You have an additional five points.]

[Next bonus: On your screen monitor a housing complex flashed. The genesis of the architectural style of this housing complex can be credited to?]

{PICTURE}

…This is Habitat 67. Was it Asplund…? No, he was often credited with coining the term so…

[…Charles Jeanneret.]

[Your answer is… correct. Jeanneret, also known as Le Corbusier, is often credited with the start of brutalism, the architectural style of Habitat 67 which is the housing complex shown in the picture. You have five points.]

Applause.

[Third bonus: What is the architecture that seeks to reduce the negative environmental impact of buildings through efficiency and mediation in the use of components, energy, and development space, as well as the ecosystem as a whole?]

[Sustainable architecture.]

[It is sustainable architecture. You have an additional five points. Now USA, you have gathered twenty points.]

Applause.

Then…

Buzz.

[…You have an additional five points.]

…

Buzz.

[…USA, you have received a total of 80 points.]

Applause.

…

[…Your answer is correct. Additional five points for Italy.]

…

Buzz.

[…Italy, you now have a total of 100 points.]

Applause.

…

Buzz.

[…You have five points.]

…

[…USA, you now have a total of 100 points.]

…

Then…

Buzz.

[…Your answer is correct.]

…

Buzz.

[…Your answer is correct.]

…

Buzz.

[…You have an additional five points.]

…

Buzz.

[You have received five additional points.]

…

And then…

[…USA, you have a total of 160 points.]

…

Buzz.

[…Italy, you have received 180 points.]

…

Applause.

…

Applause.

[Last bonus for the eighteenth set of questions: Fill in the missing word of the passage taken from the monologue of Jaques from the pastoral comedy As You Like It by William Shakespeare: ”…Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble (blank). ”]

Oh, All the worlds a stage?

[Reputation.]

[ ”…Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble… reputation. ” Your answer is correct. You have five additional points. USA, you have now a total of 180 points.]

Applause. Cheers.

Come to think of it…

I looked at Rin and saw him nodding off.

Haa, what do I expect…?

[The United States and Italy are tied. They both have a total of 180 points. Would a tiebreaker be required? Let us find out later.]

Ah, this is frustrating…

My eyes took a glance over the other side of the stage and witnessed the calm expression of the lady.

Haa, confident huh?

We
e already at the nineteenth setter question, and I don want a clincher round.

[For the nineteenth setter question… Category Literary Theory and Criticism. Pseudo-Longinus wrote a literary criticism treatise around the First Century Common Era. It is claimed that the greatness in literature is attributed to innate qualities in the writer rather than to the art. It is also suggested that, if not inborn, the greatness of thought can be acquired by emulating great authors. Longinus describes a specific word as the echo of the greatness of the spirit. A specific word brings delight rather than pleasure. Give the word being described.]

Buzz.

Buzz.

[Yes, Italy?]

[…Intertextuality.]

[Unfortunately, that is not the answer I am looking for.]

Nice.

Buzz.

[Yes, USA?]

[Sublimity.]

[Sublimity or sublime is… correct.]

Applause.

[First bonus question: Formalist critics look at a text regardless of its time period, social, political, or religious context, or authors background. They believe that the texts meaning can only be found in the text. In their 1954 book, William Wimsatt and Monroe Beardsley introduced the term ”intentional fallacy ” in relation to the formalistic approach. Please identify the book.]

”… ”

[…The Verbal Icon.]

[Your answer is correct. You have five points.]

Applause.

[Second bonus question: All artistic creation, according to Plato, is a form of imitation. What truly exists in the world of ideas is a kind created by God; the concrete things man perceives in his existence are shadowy representations of this ideal kind. As a result, the artist, the writer, and the musician are all imitators of an imitation, twice removed from reality. Name the theory.]

[Mimesis.]

[Mimesis is… correct. You have an additional five points.]

Applause.

[Third bonus: According to Aristotle in his theory of tragedy in his work Poetics, this belongs to the two most powerful and important elements of emotional interest in tragedy. This refers to a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situations, often from good to bad.]

Ah, Im not sure about this one. Deus ex machina…? But its usually bad to good.

I had no choice but to guess.

[…Plot twist. ]

[Plot twist is not the accurate answer. The answer is peripeteia or peripety. Now, your total points are 195.]

Damn. Now, this is an all-or-nothing situation. If I lose the final setter question, there is a high possibility that it will be my loss or we will proceed to the tiebreaker round.

[The total tally is… 195-180 in favor of the United States.]

Loud cheers and applause were heard inside the studio hall.

Haaa.

[Heres the case… Mr. Radniers victory is assured if he correctly answers the final setter question. However, if Ms. Arcuri correctly answers the final setter question, she will have the opportunity to steal the win. She wins if she answers all three bonus questions correctly. If she correctly answers two bonuses, well move on to the tiebreaker round. However, if she only gets one correctly, Mr. Radnier will win.]

It was really nerve-wracking. I couldn help but sweat my hands.

[Now, for the last setter question… Category History. Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance political philosopher and diplomat best known for his work Il Principe. Machiavelli wrote the treatise to gain favor from someone. Who is the recipient of the work The Prince?]

I was about to press the buzzer when…

”….. ”

”….. ”

[…Excuse me, Mr. Radnier, Ms. Arcuri?]

…Fuck, it hurts so much.

[Are you two alright? Why are both of you holding your temples? Medic?]

Haa, haa.

My chest became heavier in an instant.

…W-what are even t-these? These memori—

”Aargh! ”

The shout of pain came from a person familiar to me.

…R-rin? Damn it.

Amid the audience, Rin was also suffering probably an excruciating headache.

”Hey, boy, are you alright? ”

”Are you stupid? Of course, hes not. ”

The audience members were comforting Rin.

The crowd noise gradually increased after witnessing the unusual scenario, adding to the burden my head was feeling.

The quiz master was shocked by the turn of events.

”W-whats happening? ” The quiz master shakily muttered as she approached us.

At this moment, Fia Arcuri stood up from her seat as she was trying to get hold of herself. She, too, couldn withstand the pain.

The quiz master spoke once again as if she was trying to comfort us.

”Don worry the medics are already here. ”

My vision became blurry.

”Sir, can you hear me? ”

”Miss, hello? Can you hear me? ”

The medics were assessing our consciousness.

”Y-ye— ”

I was about to collapse and my eyes were already a hairsbreadth from closing when I heard a loud announcement.

[Commencing the Last Stage…]