Book 15 Chapter 5

The last of the last

The last of the runners to have the honor of being the first to start was the Grand Duke Bi, the last of the first group, and the man who handed him the baton was Ma Gum Yi Chu Ming, who handed it to him with a face as impassive as his master's, and Bi, who accepted it, ran off with a face that seemed to have been stripped of all emotion.

The second to set off was the second-ranked Yong Tianming. He didn't complain at all to the grumpy-looking Maharishi who handed him the kyuzhu baton (you must hand it to your opponent in person) and ran off. The third was Qing Heng, a three-pronged swordsman of the Nine Elements, who was fifth in the group, and the person who handed him the baton was Baek Muyoung, a three-pronged Zi Dragon of the same group.

The fourth was a stranger. However, he had been told by others that he was Annakin, the temple swordsman of the Heavenly Palace. He'd seen the name on the list of discerning merchants in Hua Hsiung County. A competitor, Obi-Wan, whose name was listed alongside his, and who was, to put it mildly, a member of the same group of seven. Still, he was a surprisingly nice man, with that face, that size, and a very unusual affinity for animals.

The fifth and sixth set off, men they had both seen before. They were part of a group of seventeen or seventy or something.

'Well, I'm glad I thought of this guy as the last man standing.'

I don't know which group it was, but I wanted to dissect the mental state of the humans in that group, which was probably not normal. Their owners weren't themselves, their owners were separate, and their owners were unfortunately the first to leave on this last leg. Would a dog so faithfully trained really try to bite its owner……. They were lucky if they didn't set their teeth and bite someone's leg.

'I wish they had at least labeled it 'dogmatism'…….'

In the distance, I see a seventh runner running, followed by an eighth human in hot pursuit. They all looked exhausted. They were a far cry from the first four. But there was no sign of Yoon Jun-ho, the man who would hand them the baton.

"Hey, what happened to this guy……."

The summit of Jade Maiden Peak was already reddened by dusk. Night was approaching.

Bi Ryuyeon crossed her arms, closed her eyes, and waited in silence.

It was a fact that something had happened along the way. But according to the rules, if you were more than three sheets away from the final starting line here, you were penalized. Ten people had already started here. It was a group of eleven, so he was the last man standing.

"Oh, he's not coming, there's no point in waiting."

The one who snorted and shouted sharply was Iron Jade Sleep Maharishi. It seemed that she still had feelings for Bi Ryuyeon.

"What story?"

She smiled sheepishly at Bi Ryuyeon's retort.

"That kid, I think his name was Yoon Jun-ho, the famous volcanic retard? He was rolling down Jade Lady Peak in a big way earlier, and he's probably at the entrance to Jade Lady Peak by now. Oh ho ho ho ho!"

Maharishi laughed loudly, as if he were dying of joy. After a moment of silence, Bi Ryuyeon's mouth opened.

"Did you?"

It was a low, calm voice.

For a moment, he felt his heart sink. His body stiffened for a moment. He froze, as if caught in a net of cold threads woven from the north wind. He felt a chilling sensation as if a spear of cold ice had pierced his heart.

"Ah, no, I, I… do you think I would do such a cowardly thing, you heavenly, heavenly Iron Jade Sleep Maharishi!"

Her tongue was frozen, and the words were tumbling out. Her instincts were moving her body against her will, and her hatred for Bi Ryuyeon was boiling over. But right now, she couldn't even control her anger. Her instincts were loudly warning her that it was not a good idea to provoke him any further.

Who the hell is this Bi Ryuyeon, and why does the Heavenly Iron Jade Sleep Maharishi have to suffer this kind of humiliation? The more I thought about it, the more angry I became.

Bi Ryuyeon was silently staring down at the Jade Maiden Peak, not paying any attention to the colorful changes in her face. Thinking that she had been ignored made her angry again.

"Why don't you just give up now?"

"……."

She didn't answer.

"It's too late, and even if you start now, you'll only see yourself in last place."

"……."

This time, she didn't answer, as if she were air, and he didn't care at all.

"He's not coming anymore, give up!"

A nervous voice spoke up, but Bi Ryuyeon didn't even pretend to hear it.

"No, he's coming!"

He pointed to a spot on the hillside, and where his gaze lingered, a human shadow appeared, limping and desperate, coming this way.

"You're lying!"

From the mouth of the Maharishi came words that reaffirmed the affirmation through negation.

"Hehehehehehehe, hehe…, I'm… a little late, aren't I?"

Every part of his body was in disarray: his clothes were torn, dusty, and stained. His hair was matted like a straw doll. There were scratches and abrasions everywhere. It was clear that he had fallen hard. His legs were injured and he was limping, but he didn't give up and came this far. I forced a smile and held out my baton, even though I knew there was no place for it.

"Hehe…, I'm always… I'm always like this……."

Tears fell from Yoon Jun-ho's smiling eyes. He tried to hold them back, but the flood of tears had already overflowed the banks of his eye sockets.

"I'm… frustrated, if only I had run better, if only I had been stronger……. I'd have been beaten like a fool by those bastards……."

"Those guys?"

"Why… why… why… why is it called ……."

"Ho-ho, that's how it came out?

A cold smile tugged at the corners of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth. It was a soundless laugh as cold as ice.

She looked at Yun Junho's face, still shaking with anger, and then silently reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"……?!"

Yoon Jun-ho lifted his face to look at Bi Ryuyeon. He couldn't even guess what was going through his mind, his mouth hidden by his bangs.

Bi Ryuyeon, who took the baton from a dumbfounded Yoon Jun-ho, said in a firm voice.

"Junho, you're wrong!"

"Hehe… did I get it wrong after all?"

There were no more tears to be shed, and Bi Ryuyeon shook her head and spoke.

"You said you were late, didn't you? No, you're not late, you're just in time. Did you see the cilantro trading with the sewage? Wouldn't it be nice to give him a few points? So don't worry. I'll prove to you that you're not late."

"Liu, Liyan……."

It didn't seem to be the same Bi Ryuyeon he knew. It was like an alien being from another world. Seeing that smile made him feel stronger.

"Boo, please!"

Yun Junho stood up straight and shouted out in a strong voice. The gaunt figure from earlier had already disappeared from his entire body, and Bi Liuyue returned the favor, speaking in a voice filled with determination.

"Leave it to me, Chin-Goo!"

The night was now beginning. It was a good time for a vengeful god to visit.

"Iggy, take over for a minute!"

With that, Bi Ryuyeon unwrapped the two heavy dragon rings on her legs. Even at this point, she didn't seem to have any intention of untying them.

I move my legs lightly. It's like he's playing a joke.

"It's been a while, so it's nice and light."

His mind mapped out a path. His spirit was showing him the way. He could feel nature through his five senses. The moment his eyes shone, his body disappeared. It was a swift movement.

Yun Junho followed the trajectory of his disappearance with dazed eyes, then took a deep breath through his nose and shouted with all the air in his lungs.

"You must win……! Chin-gu!"

I felt like I was waving to Bi Ryuyeon from a distance.

The two of them, Zong Liqiu of the Seven Lances and Dao Chuun of the Four Swords, had just finished ascending Nian'an Peak, now more commonly known as Tianmu Peak, when they recognized his presence.

The sun had long since dipped below the black horizon. It was now the realm of the night, ruled by Yin, and they were running on the frail stars and moon.

He appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost, and approached quickly. Zhongliqiu strained her eyes, turned her head, peered through the darkness, and saw his face. He was kind enough to come within five feet of her, making it easier to see the outline of a face that might otherwise be blurred by the night's shadows.

For both of them, it was an unnecessary kindness, and it was not appreciated at all.

The one who dodged their seven attacks like a slug was a human named Bi Ryuyeon.

"Hey, hey!"

She raised her hand to greet them. They both ignored the greeting, and I heard someone behind me mutter, "That's not very polite." So I decided to return the favor, though not in the way he wanted.

Zhong Liqiu and Dao Chuun looked at each other, confirming that they were now on the same page. It's not just when they're facing off against each other that a strategic alliance can have a better effect.

"Get off me!"

They crushed rocks with their stomping feet and knocked down trees with their hands in an effort to block his approach.

Broken stones rolled down the steep slope, pressing against his face, and broken trees formed a fence, blocking his path. But he dodged the hail of stones by wiggling his face and twisting his waist, and he used the falling trees as footholds to run on top of them. His body was flexible enough to dodge the rolling stones, and he was nimble and light enough that the falling trees didn't get in his way. That alone was enough of a threat to Zhong Liqiu and Dao Chuun.

"You're persistent! What are you going to do, Chu?"

"One cannot forgive those who stand in Confucius' way."

At this rate, they would soon catch up. The two of them were fast enough to keep up with the killer, but Bi Ryuyeon's speed far exceeded theirs. It was terrifying.

While it's unlikely that the Grand Duke would be overtaken by one of these, it's good to get rid of the fireball beforehand.

"It's nighttime. It is very dangerous to climb the mountain at night, accidents often happen!"

At Zhong Liqiu's words, Dao Chuun's eyes lit up and he grabbed the handle of the sword at his waist. He saw Zhong Liqiu pull out one of the seven spears on his back.

They made eye contact again, exchanged timely glances, and compromised again. The moment their consciousnesses connected through an unspoken signal, a single word burst from two mouths simultaneously.

"Die!"

Bi Ryuyeon, who had turned two of the Seven Heavenly Maidens into shit, picked up his pace again. He rode the wind, climbed high hills, and leapt off high cliffs. The terrain of the heavens, unforgiving to humans, had to create new shortcuts under his feet.

After passing five people one after another-they didn't even realize they were being overtaken-he gave them the gift of retribution, forcing Qing Shui's mouth to utter a short guarded cry.

"Huh?"

By the time Qing Shui sensed the change, Bi Ryuyeon's body had already drifted off into the distance, and after a few moments, he was able to get a person who had mastered a few inner circles in his line of sight. It was Yong Tianming, the Nine Elements Master who was said to be the best of the Nine Elements.

"Who is it?"

Long Tianming sensed a new presence within his perceptual range.

The figure behind him a moment ago was Qingfeng. Of course, Qingfeng was a member of the Guzheng Council, but he wasn't the kind of person who would intentionally lose a match like this. Of course, Yong Tianming wouldn't ask him to do such a shameful thing either. Only when they couldn't win despite giving it their all would they be recognized as a company owner. So Qingfeng had been chasing him with all his might, and he had been trying his best to knock him down. Of course, he hadn't neglected to chase after the only other man in the company who was ahead of him, the Grand Duke Bi.

Archduke Rain…….

He was a marvel beyond imagination. He had been trying to close the distance between himself and him ever since he set out from Jade Maiden Peak, but he had never gotten within passing distance. The gap between him and himself hadn't widened, but it hadn't closed either. So for now, I was just trying to keep my distance and wait for the right opportunity.

But he was forced to turn his consciousness once again to his back. A new presence had entered the space between him and Qinghui. It meant that someone had overtaken the Nine Elements. Long Tianming, who was familiar with Qing Shui's extraordinary speed, couldn't help but be surprised.

"Who the hell?

But it was impossible to pay more attention. Even though his own speed hadn't slowed at all, the presence was pressing in, greedily devouring the distance between him and it.

It felt like a huge wind was blowing toward him from behind him, and he had no choice but to open up some of the Qin he'd been storing up for a last-ditch effort, using it to increase his speed.

Just as he was thinking, "It must have fallen off…….," he was surprised to hear, "Boom! Before he knew it, it had moved closer and closer to him, much to his relief. Finally, Yong Tianming couldn't contain his curiosity and turned his head to look, only to find an unexpected presence there.

"Bi Ryuyeon!

His eyes widened.

Yong Tianming tried to drop the flame somehow; he ignited the jin qi in the still-full brazier of the dantian, energizing his muscles and slicing through the middle of the night like a shooting star.

But Bi Ryuyeon was no slouch either: if Long Tianming doubled his speed, he doubled his speed, and if he tripled his speed, he tripled his speed.

No matter what, Yong Tianming had to remove this braid from his back. If he couldn't, he didn't know what kind of harsh words he would hear from the Maharishi who had given him the baton, let alone his dignity as a master. He wanted to avoid that at all costs, so he racked his brain to come up with a plan.

His choice was to deliberately provoke Bi Ryuyeon's competitive spirit and lure her into rough terrain. He thought that if the terrain was rougher and more challenging, he would pay the price. But it was a mistake. It was Yong Tianming himself who suffered. With a swiftness that even a thousand-year-old monkey could not match, he leapt from rock to rock, ravine to ravine, at a speed that made one wonder if he had wings on his feet. And right over his own head!

Finally, Bi Ryuyeon had overtaken Long Tianming.

"There is only one man left!

Bi Ryuyeon lifted her head and looked up. The moon was rising over the stone hills, and a shouting match had begun.

Torches blazing here and there at the top of the mountain, the finish line.

"Oops!"

I had forgotten. It was an uncharacteristic mistake. He'd been so focused on the showdown with Yong Tianming that he hadn't kept the remaining distance in mind.

There was still a long way to go between them, and the finish line was too close for comfort. Bi Ryuyeon's heart began to race. Only a few more kilometers and he would be at the finish line. If only he would let his guard down at this point, but he showed no sign of it, flying toward his glory at top speed.

The shouting was getting louder and louder, mostly coming from the figures in the Heavenly Pavilion, but Bi Ryuyeon didn't have time to notice.

He had an ironclad commitment to Yoon Junho, and once he made a commitment, he had to keep it.

"Run, run, run, run!

His opponent was already close to the finish line. No matter how fast he was, it was too much.

"Too much? Me? Impossible?

I hadn't thought of that until now.

"Am I crazy? I told Junho not to set his own limits, and now I'm thinking about it?

Suddenly, my mind felt as cold as ice water.

I could never give up. Giving up here would mean the end of everything. You will have betrayed your own definition. Who will believe in you if you don't believe in yourself? Those who give up on themselves are the first to be abandoned by heaven.

Trust me, trust me, trust the sweat you've put in, the strength you've cultivated. You can do it. You can do it.

Nothing is impossible for you. Your body has not yet crossed its limits. Embody the infinite with your body. Believe! Believe!

I am faster than the wind. I am faster than light. My will conquers time.

My body is 'now' on the other side, traveling through time and space faster than light.

That's the "I"!

In that moment, the world began to warp, and he didn't know if it was the world or his senses. But one thing was certain: something had changed.

"What… what is this sensation?

In an instant, Bi Ryuyeon felt an intense sensation as if her body was being disassembled and transformed into the smallest unit of existence.

"What is this?

In an indescribable sensation, he savored the strange sensation of his finely divided being being sucked toward a point beyond. It drew him in with a suction like a black vortex that sucked in light and time and stars. Light and time were sucked along with him toward that point.

The light and sound faded, and silence took over.

A great roar echoed through the volcano.

"What a waste……."

Na Yerin, who had quietly come to his side, comforted him. Sitting on the rocks, the corners of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth curled into an accusation.

"Don't be heartbroken, Ryuyeon, you don't look like that."

Her words made him look at himself again. Sitting in the darkness was a fool's errand.

"It's definitely not like me……."

Still, the anger doesn't go away.

"I clearly won, because those stupid judges……."

He knew it. But the judges refused to believe what was unfolding before their eyes-it had happened so quickly. No, it would be more accurate to say that they didn't recognize it. In that moment of lost awareness, both men had crossed the finish line.

Just when they thought they could never catch up with him, two men came in together. It's no wonder the judges were baffled, and a long discussion ensued, beginning with some of the rulers' arguments. The problem was that no one had properly captured the moment of arrival, and the discussion grew heated and protracted.

And finally, the verdict was in.

Both Bi and Bi Ryuyeon were recognized as tied for first place. It was a compromise, not the truth.

When the verdict came in, Bi Ryuyeon questioned another party before the ruler.

"I said my name was Rain, what about you?"

"What?"

"I'm asking you how you feel about winning or losing this match. Do you have anything to say?"

After closing his mouth for a moment and spinning the wheel of thought a few times in his head, the Grand Duke said.

"…I accept the judgment of the judges."

His voice was unmistakable. There was a hint of hesitation, but it seemed to lie three or four levels below the surface of consciousness.

"Even if it's unjust?"

Ryuyeon asked again, and Rain answered.

"Even if it's unjust."

Her voice was silent, devoid of all emotion. The corner of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth lifted slightly.

"Even if it means fooling yourself?"

"……."

Rain carved silence with an unspoken chisel on the marble of silence.

"I accept the adjudicator's decision. I have no complaints."

After smashing the statue of silence she had carved with a hammer, she mechanically repeated what she had said the first time. This time, it was Bi Ryuyeon's turn to build a temple of silence. But he had no intention of building a temple.

"Really? I thought you were a more self-respecting human being……. Okay, if you say so, I'll say so, though I'm not sure how much your heart can take of this! You'll never forget what happened today, but if you want to, then so be it, and live with the defeat of this day for the rest of your life!"

Bi Ryuyeon said in a cold voice that glowed blue with coldness.

And the words stuck in the mind of the angry rain and became an echo that would not leave his ears for some time.