Book 24 Chapter 16

Seven figures vs. Yeonbi

-Finals started

"The Blue Faction - The Undefeated Emperor, the Grim Reaper, the Man Who Knows No Defeat, the Man Who Knows No Fear, the Living Myth of the Cylindrical Arena, the Man of Seven Wounds, the Invincible Man, the Bloodsucker Seven Sevens!!!"

As the introductions ended, the heavy iron gates opened and a man stepped out into the arena. This time, he did not emerge from the waiting area like everyone else, but through a path that only he could travel. Only the winner could tread this path. The crowd erupted in a thunderous roar, cheering for their favorite.

"The Red Faction, the Challengers, the legions of exquisite beauties who defied all expectations, left countless gamblers scratching their heads and frustrated, men ecstatic and women sighing."

"Waaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The cheers were too much for Chilsangheon to handle. The crowd was chanting Na Yerin and Yunmi's names. Yeonbyeon's name was barely mentioned compared to the other two, and that's because he hadn't really done much of anything so far. The only time he was mentioned was for his brief performance against the Dreaming Trio, and the occasional forgettable shout-out from some spectators who found him attractive. He was well aware of that fact, of course, but it didn't bother him.

"It's finally my turn."

"Youngcha!" he said, and got up from his seat.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"Sure. Don't worry, Rin. It's no problem. I've got to work for my share of the prize, too."

At this point, I couldn't stop myself.

"Bye, then."

Yeomdo said a short greeting in his usual voice, then lifted Tian Yunlin up and headed for the battlefield.

Seven Wounds frowned as he watched Yun Che walk out of the opposite waiting area. Then the seven furrowed wounds wriggled like snakes.

"What's that? What's that umbrella? Are you ignoring me?

The sun's scorching rays burned her skin, and Yan Yu walked with a saccharine umbrella slung lightly over her shoulder like a night embroidered with silver threads. Her strides were light and airy, as if she had just set out for an afternoon stroll. He was alone, and that seemed to defy him.

"Why am I alone?"

"Only you? Against me? Not even close!" asked Chil-sang in a blunt voice, glaring at Yeon-vi with a glare that implied, "I'm not afraid of you! But if you're looking to pressure your opponent with your gaze, you've picked the wrong person. With her transparent amber eyes, Yeon Bi replied in a nonchalant voice, casually accepting the gaze.

"No, it's three."

Then the gap between his brows dug deep.

"Bullshit! Are you not alone?"

And the Yeonbi just shrugged.

"I was just trying to make a lighthearted joke. Apparently your eyesight is fine. Is this something to be ashamed of?"

It wasn't bad news that one of the opponent's five senses was bad, but Yeonbi didn't seem to be suffering too much.

"What?! My eyesight is fine!"

Chil-sang-hyeon shouted in exasperation.

"I did it again. You asked me something so obvious, I wondered if it was an optical illusion."

I almost rolled my eyes when he told me he was just checking to see if I had a black eye.

"And it's because of you two that I've gotten this far, so three isn't a bad number. You're like a valued ally, something you don't have."

Yun Mi was now at Na Yerin's side, guarding her. Na Yerin's beauty always attracted too many disasters, so she had to be extra careful when she was immobilized like she was now. A Yun Missouzer would be too timid to dare to touch a helpless Na Yerin, and men had always been a troublesome lot anyway. In that respect, Yun Mi was a reliable natural source.

Qi Shanghui snorted.

"Hmmm, can I survive this chatter with such sentimentality and complacency?"

"Uh-oh, what should I do, I think I can survive, I just need to knock him out, that's easy."

"Ah, mister!"

At Yanbi's impersonal remarks, the hall stirred; they had never seen a woman so bold in the presence of the Seven Deadly Sins.

"That's great, that's a lot of balls!"

A heartfelt exclamation came from the mouth of Eugene, a minor who was in charge of the commentary.

"Yeah, yeah, I think you're really, really crazy."

Not in a good way, I thought. Then Mr. Mubak interjected.

"How could you stand in front of the Seven Deadly Sins if you weren't at least that crazy? The moment your heart breaks, the game is over, and you'll never be able to face the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Of course I'm not going to do anything crazy like that."

It was like, why ask for something that's obvious?

"That's a normal reaction, I get it."

"I…… what does that mean?"

Eugene, sensing the subtlety of the tone, questioned. For a man who made his living from words, he was very sensitive to them.

"Well, it's no big deal. I just meant that you're a normal person."

Eugene stared at Mr. Mubak with a blank expression. Laughter erupted from the crowd's mouths in unison.

"Wahahahahahahaha!"

Their voices were meant to be heard throughout the arena. Eugene's face instantly turned sour. But he couldn't argue back.

But Qi Shanghui did not laugh; he was in a very bad mood now. His eyes sparked with pride.

"Is your liver swollen?"

It was a spooky voice, but the Yeonbi didn't budge.

"I pride myself on the freshness of my liver. Would you like to open it up and check it out? If you can."

Yan Bi taunted in a cheerful tone. Realizing that he was being molested by a young girl, Qi Shanghui couldn't contain his anger and shouted.

"Great. I'm going to open up your liver and see just how big it is!"

Life began to billow from his entire body in cloud-like wisps, and the sight of it brought a smile of conversion to Yunbi's face. It was always a good thing when an enemy lost his cool and couldn't keep his composure, and the more the merrier.

"Whenever possible."

Yan Bi laughed and playfully spun her around in a circle, but she didn't feel like the time was ripe yet, so she decided to try to sway Qi Shanghui's mind a little longer.

"Oh, by the way, I met a funny old man before this match started."

Chil-san was puzzled by this out-of-the-blue story.

"What does that have to do with this game?"

"Okay, don't get so excited, listen, that old man said something interesting, he said he knows your weaknesses."

Yunbi's gaze met his in the air. For a moment, it was as if he had swallowed his breath.

"Ohora?

The reaction was like a carp taking a big bite out of a fishing hook. I poked it, just to be sure, and it was me.

"The old man said that if I was interested, he could teach me his weaknesses, and if I knew them, I could beat you. Of course, it wasn't free, because what's free in the world? There were conditions, of course, but they weren't so outrageous that I didn't think I could do it. At first I thought he was making a big deal out of me, but he wasn't. And you know what's most interesting?"

"I don't know."

"He called you 'that kid.' Isn't it funny to call someone well over thirty years old 'that kid'?"

Yeonbi chuckled. But the Seven Deadly Sins did not laugh.

"That's not funny at all."

He replied, feigning composure, but not very rationally. By now, his face had turned gaunt. It was obvious that he was trying very hard to hide his agitation. At a time like this, you never know when you're going to shake, so I decided to shake a little more.

"How close do you have to be to know a person so well that you know their weaknesses inside and out? Hmm, should it be to the point where you can call someone who looks to be well into their forties as 'that kid'?"

"Shut up, will you stop talking!"

An impatient saber-rattling erupted from his mouth.

"I don't want to hear anymore! Let's fight! Are you going to fight with your mouth?"

Even as the speculation rolled in like a tidal wave, Yanbi laughed. A cool, calm foe was always more formidable than an angry one.

"Why are you so flustered, is there something I can get in trouble for saying anymore?"

Yeonbi was a persistent question, but it wasn't enough to open a tightly closed door.

"I said shut up!"

Qixiang Heng charged, spewing a stream of red blood.

"OMG, I can't believe you're doing this early……. You're in good spirits."

Despite his words, he was not an opponent to be underestimated. Moreover, Yun Bi's body was not in perfect condition. He was in a state of disarray, disoriented, and disorganized, which meant he couldn't use as many techniques.

Going head-to-head with force was a very dangerous gamble. There was no telling what would happen inside his body when he was hit by the force of his opponent. He decided to avoid it for now.

Yun Che flew backwards, lightly dodging the sideways slashing trajectory of the Red Blood River. There was no special technique involved, just a quick glance to read the trajectory of the Red Blood River and a light kick to the ground to dodge it. But he had flung himself at such a precise moment that the Red Blood River was in vain. It was a long explanation, but it happened in the blink of an eye. Currently, his body was actually lighter than usual, as he had one of the Muklong Rings loose at all times.

'Unless it's a rampage…….'

Is it okay to use the phoenix dance (鳳凰舞) now? If I could, to what level and how many times could I write it? It was clear that I couldn't do it every time I wanted to. And above all, it was impossible to play the long game.

"No good can come of dragging it out.

Somehow… some way, I had to break through the runway.

The distance that Yunfei had opened up was quickly closed by Chilshang, and with each step he took, dirt billowed from his rear axle like an explosion. The recoil sent his body flying in a straight line like an arrow. He seemed to be showing off, saying, "This is what a destructive move looks like. While Yeomdo was saving his internal energy to use in any way he could, Qi Shanghui was using it as if it were nothing to waste. As such, his strikes were full of power.

'This is so unfair…….'

But the Yeonbi didn't have the decency to protest that. In the first place, fighting is unfair. A fight was meant to favor you and disadvantage your opponent. At least that's what he'd been taught by his master, so in this case it made sense to blame the master who had done the most to put his student at a disadvantage. What a mean master to put his one and only Wang Chang, his beloved disciple, at such a disadvantage, while proclaiming that the spirit of the martial arts was to crush one's opponent with such overwhelming strength and skill that it didn't matter what the consequences were.

'Sure, it's been a while since he's been mean. A hundred years ago, nay, three hundred years ago, he must have been!'

No, even back in the days of the yin-yang divide in Tai Chi, it was clear that the master was an asshole, an asshole without a brain, with the words "Master, asshole, beware" carved into one corner of the Truth. It was an enlightening conviction.

When he realized that it was contrary to the "truth" that his master would be good, he decided to let go of the part of him that wouldn't change even if the world ended and focus on his current battle. It was a waste of time to worry about things that wouldn't change even if the world ended.

While I was thinking about this and that, I was also raising the Yeonbi by cooking and avoiding the stolen cars.

The Tosei of the Seven Kingdoms was a very practical man, with the blood of countless battles on his hands. He cut through all the bullshit to get to the blood of his enemies. The three-pointed red katana on that half-sword was merely an aid to sharpen the blade. But it was just as straightforward, and the highest level of straightforward, hands-on herbalism is one that can be known and unstoppable, but fortunately, it seemed that Qian Shanxuan hadn't reached that level of mastery, so he was still able to see through it. The gap was a mere sheet of paper. If the Road of the Seven Deadly Sins narrowed by the distance of a piece of paper, or if the movement of the Yeonbi slowed by the difference of a piece of paper, the Yeonbi would immediately be cut in half by that red river. The tiny difference of a single sheet of paper was the difference between life and death, existence and non-existence, right now.

The fierceness must have rubbed off on the crowd, because the place was silent as if cold water had been poured over it.