Book 26 Chapter 3

Five. five

-Luck skill?

That moment was very brief.

But for Hyo-Ryong, it felt like months had passed.

Now Rakvio was slowly pulling his fist back in preparation to strike the first blow on the number that returned the fungus.

The number that came out was five. Now he had five shots at her. And since it was a lose-lose bet, she couldn't move a single step. She would have to take the brunt of his blows. If luck is also a skill, then Bi Ryuyeon's current skill was truly terrible.

"Is he going to be okay?

Normally, you wouldn't worry too much. Worrying makes you feel stupid. If you have the time, you're better off worrying about something big, like the peace of the realm, or whether your neighbor's dog ate his breakfast. If you have the time, you'd rather worry about the peace of the land or whether your neighbor's dog ate breakfast.

In his opinion, his friend's specialty was "fast," like a brainiac.

A flash of lightning streaks across the dark sky, completely evading his opponent's attacks and striking them down with lightning-like techniques.

Because of this, he had never seen his friend get hit by anything or anyone. There were times when he wondered if no attack could penetrate his friend's body.

But now she was shackled hand and foot, and the name of her shackles was a promise. The moment she broke this promise, she would lose. But her friend, who loved to bet, always followed the rules. He may have cheated, but he never broke the rules themselves, because he felt that by making the bet, he was backing up his promise to agree to the rules. He almost despised the idea of mindlessly and obediently following rules made up by others, but he was golden when it came to the promises he made to himself.

"It has to do with trust and credibility. If you want to make money, you need to keep it, because trust and credibility are a big asset. I'm not foolish enough to mess with my property."

I once said that with a chuckle.

"If you say you'll do it, you'll do it.

It takes strength and will to keep one's word. When it was not possible to keep them, it meant that the person who said them had become incompetent and helpless to keep them. It was unlikely that Bi Ryuyeon would agree to make her an incompetent human being, even if it meant dying.

"What are you going to do, buddy?

Hyorong looked at him nervously. With unwavering eyes, Bi Ryuyeon watched Rockvio's actions without fear.

Rakvio's stance is very slow, as if he's trying to apply psychological pressure, but the momentum behind the move is frightening enough that it's reminiscent of the calm before the storm.

"Are you ready?"

Rakvio grinned, like a hunter with his prey in sight.

"Once upon a time."

Bi Ryuyeon replied briefly.

"I'm telling you, I'm strong."

"I've been waiting so long that all I can do is yawn. Hurry up, or I'll wake up with a yawn."

Bi Ryuyeon frowned. Rakvio fumed.

"What are you trying to do by provoking them further, man!

Hyo-ryong became impatient with his friend's reckless behavior and didn't know what to do.

"What you just said, I'm going to make you regret it!"

Rakvio says out loud.

"Sleep forever!"

Boom!

"Iron Armor Breaker!"

Rakvio's blow tore through the air and rushed toward Bi Ryuyeon. It was a perfect slash, not faltering in the slightest at Bi Ryuyeon's provocation.

Billion!

Bi Ryuyeon's waist folds forward. Her body tumbles off the ground. For a moment, her breathing is cut off. Hyorong squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He could almost hear Bi Ryuyeon's screams in his ears.

Rakvio's blow was unimaginably terrifying. It must have been mastered through tens of thousands of repetitive training sessions. It was a so-called one-strike killing blow.

"He's not dead, is he?

It wasn't unreasonable for a glimmer of concern to have crossed Hyo-Ryong's mind; the blow that had just been delivered had been nothing short of absolute.

Heavy.

There's a flash before your eyes, and the air in your lungs is knocked out in a single gulp. A wave of shock fires through his nerves, sending him galloping like a mad horse through his entire body. His breath catches in his throat, his five organs twist, and his muscles and bones scream. A mere mortal would have bled to death in a single blow.

"…I've gone too far.

Hold on to the consciousness that is about to fade away.

'I can't believe I can't even open a canvas properly…….'

What a disgraceful sight, and I could only imagine how I would be laughed at if I showed it to my master.

I was in worse shape than I thought I would be.

After his encounter with his master and being robbed of one of the great dragon rings, his qi went on a rampage, and while trying to control it, he got into an unintentional fight with Na Yerin's mother, the Ice Moon Master Ye Qing. His acupuncture points had been messed up once, and he hadn't had a chance to properly treat them since then due to his constant work. As a result, I had to fight the scars with less than perfect results, and his last one was truly terrifying. If he had made the slightest mistake, he would have killed himself. He had used up almost all of his remaining strength, and that's when it happened.

Na Yerin had been kidnapped, and her memories were somehow fragmentary. Instead of one continuous stream, like a river, the memories were intermittent, like a fractured copper cord, and when she returned to her master, they were broken in spectacular fashion.

Her body was already tattered. It was almost impossible for his body, which was now a mess on the outside as well as the inside, to absorb the impact. The uncontrollable force within him was still rampaging like a mad dragon, and it was taking up most of his strength to control it, which was why he could only exert less than half his usual strength now. The physical damage and internal injuries had accumulated too much. However, his vaunted mental strength could not tolerate such a state of his body. He wanted to go on a rampage, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, right now he was perfectly content to recuperate in a plush bed, but there would be no rest until he got Na Yerin back.

The impact of the iron fist travels through your muscles and bones, spreading to every inch of your body. My brain pinged. I'm supposed to channel the power, but with my legs immobilized, the effect is minimal. Even the tiniest bit of power is enough to carve a spiderweb-like crack in the hard bluestone floor.

But it won't be pushed away. It stands there like a rock that has stood the test of time for a thousand years.

"Boom!

The taste of blood tasted fishy in my mouth.

But only one.

There were still four more Rakvio attacks to come.

"Phew, I survived."

Hyo-Ryong breathed an involuntary sigh of relief as Bi Liu-Yan withstood Rak-Vio's first blow. But he wasn't done yet. There were still four more attacks to go. But as far as Hyorong could tell, Bi Ryuyeon's condition was already at its limits. His friend's strength was in her ability to evade with super-fast divine techniques, not in her ability to take blow after blow after blow.

"Come to think of it, have I ever seen Ryuyeon's friend get beaten up by someone before?

I searched my memory and couldn't recall a single instance of this happening.

"Holy crap!

The anxiety that had been building up in my mind seemed to compound. My anxiety is compounded by the fact that I've never seen him before. I didn't know how strong he was. It was entirely possible that he was surprisingly weak. Such an ignorant and crude approach would be a deadly poison to Bi Ryuyeon, who was known for her speedy attacks.

He imagined things he would never have imagined. The ease that always flowed around him was nowhere to be found, even when he washed his eyes and looked for it.

But he had already lost and could do nothing but watch from a distance, his irritation rising once more at his own inability.

'I should have been more careful…….'

I underestimated the enemy and lost. Even if I had a hundred mouths to feed, I couldn't come up with an excuse. But I was more worried about Bi Ryuyeon. He hadn't been himself since Na Yerin was kidnapped. He wasn't his usual self at all. He wasn't his usual relaxed and arrogant self. From the way he spoke to the way he carried himself, the old Bi Ryuyeon never seemed to lose to anyone, but the new Bi Ryuyeon felt like he could lose to anyone at any moment.

"Look, Ryuyeon, give it up, we can't risk any more attacks!"

Hyo-ryong shouted in an urgent voice.

"Giving up, what kind of a fool are you talking about, Long Dragon?"

"Don't make stupid bets like that anymore. You're not normal."

Then Bi Ryuyeon looked at Hyo-ryong and giggled.

"Of course it's not normal. Na Yerin's gone. Isn't it weird to be normal?"

Not sure why she's asking such an obvious question, Touro asked back.

"You know damn well that's not what I'm talking about."

"I don't know."

As if it wasn't worth a damn, Bi Ryuyeon replied sharply.

"What don't you know?! At this rate, you'll die. Right now, you're fidgeting. This is not the Bi Ryuyeon I know. Have you forgotten what you used to say? Even your tone is different now. Find yourself, Ryuyeon! Wake up!"

Hyo-ryong's last words were desperate, and they reached Bi Ryuyeon's ears.

"Get a grip?

He'd said it to himself many times. She'd said it because she was frustrated. But it seemed like the first time he'd ever heard it from a friend.

"Am I not me? Have I forgotten myself in my anxiety?

No matter how much he wanted to save Na Yerin, he couldn't afford to forget himself. To lose yourself would mean losing everything. Bi Ryuyeon thought about what she had done after losing Na Yerin. Her memory was strangely fragmented, and she couldn't quite recall the details.

It was only then that he realized that he had indeed been disoriented, that he had lost his sense of self.

At that moment, Rakvio, who was watching from the sidelines, spoke up.

"You're right, your friend is right, why don't you just give up?"

"Giving up? What country is that from, I've never heard that word before? Or are you talking about the kind of giving up you do when you give up cabbage?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Biyouyan replied.

"Ryuyeon!"

Hyorong's face lit up as he watched. Suddenly, Bi Ryuyeon's tone had changed to a normal one. She seemed to have regained some of her lost composure. However, in Lacvio's opinion, it was because she had been frightened by him.

"Giving up is when you stop fighting, lay down, and admit defeat."

Bi Ryuyeon slapped her palm with her fist.

"Defeat? Oh, I've heard that one before. It has nothing to do with me, and it never will, but I've given it to a lot of other people. They're all dying for it, and I'll give it to you soon, but don't get too emotional."

Rockio was furious. But as far as he was concerned, it was his usual behavior, getting on people's nerves and pissing them off with his disguised respect.

"What! Why don't you save your bravado, you're pretty tough for something like that? I'd say you've done enough to deflect this body's first blow, so why don't you just give up, bullying the weak is not my hobby."

Rakvio chuckled as he watched Bi Ryuyeon breathing heavily.

"Really? Too bad you're the opposite of me, I like to pick on the weak, you know, so I'm not quitting, because you haven't picked on me yet."

Blood rises to Rockvio's temples. The brow furrowed even more clearly.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh."

"That remains to be seen, but stay tuned, because I'm going to give you a beautiful gift called defeat, and I'm going to add 'thorough' and 'devastating' to it, so it's going to be a total defeat gift package."

Even with the taste of blood in her mouth, Bi Ryuyeon's expression remained impassive.

"Hey, big guy. When are you going to land that second punch, I'm yawning waiting for it. Don't take too long to grab someone who's got a busy road to travel and defeat them."

Then a fearsome grin broke out on Ravio's face. He looked quite angry. I had to crush that smirking face somehow, or I'd lose my temper.

"I'm going to make you regret saying that."

"Regret……. It's a good one, because it's always reserved for my enemies."

Boom!

Rakvio's second attack sliced through the wind and landed directly on Bi Ryuyeon's body.

Puck!

The blow to her stomach caused her body to convulse once more. She couldn't hold on to the spot and was pushed back a bit.

Yay!

As her feet resisted the force of the push, the friction created a piercing sound. At the same time, the bluestone floor they were walking on cracked and cracked, but her heel was still inside the crack. It seemed that the time spent arguing earlier had helped her recover a bit from her internal injuries.

"Not yet, not yet."

Wiping the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, Bi Ryuyeon smiled again. But it was only a forced movement of the muscles in her cheeks.

"You wretch, you still hold out!"

"Hoot, they say a man should know when not to back down, and this is that time."

"It's not when you shouldn't step back, it's when you should."

Rakvio gave me a pinzan.

"When to back off? When is that? I don't know that 'when'."

Rakvio's eyebrows waggled.

"It's a pity you don't know, then I'll show you with my fist, but the price is death. Do not regret it!"

Once again, Rakvio struck a polite pose.

It's the most stable position, but it's also the one you can never use in practice. This is because it's the most stable stance, but it's not the most agile, so it's a practice stance. However, on the flip side, it is a stance that can generate a lot of power.

Lacvio's authority was more serious than ever. His stance was meant to focus his mind, gather his strength, and deliver the killing blow that would end his opponent's life.

The air around him seemed to swirl. He knew when that happened.

It's what happens when you activate your physical body by drawing down to the hollow beneath, gathering that energy into the tip of your fist, and tensing the muscles and energy of your entire body like an arrow on a bowstring.

'If you hit that, even if you're a Bi Ryuyeon…….'

In her current state, she had no way to block the blow. For someone like her, who has never practiced external qigong to train her muscles and skin, her direct defense against an opponent's attack consists of two main types of qigong: hard qigong and fire qigong.

But a straight, frontal stab like that is not enough for a bayonet. Moreover, in a situation like this, where you're practically pinned to the spot, it's almost ineffective. Learning to stand where you are and offset your opponent's attacks is a very difficult skill that not even the most advanced players can accomplish.

A flesh that is unbound and unarmed is nothing more than a piece of flesh, and a piece of flesh that can be pulverized in a single blow.

"Now, this is your last chance to live. Give up, and kneel before my power, my justice, and you will live."

"Let's call it being alive these days, shall we? I don't want to see that kind of ugliness here."

"Fool."

"Oh, you're punching yourself in the mouth these days, aren't you?"

Quick!

Taunt again.

"Die!"

Ironbreaker (鐵甲破碎拳)

Regime poke

A one-two punch!

Boom!

A fist flew, tearing through the air.

Per-billion!

A merciless bang rang out, and then silence filled the room. Hyorong opened his eyes wide. Bi Ryuyeon was still standing there, unmoving.

"You held out!"

Hyo-Ryong shouted, clenching his sweaty fists. Just as his heart was about to start beating again.

Thrash!

But Hyo-Ryong's relief was short-lived, as Bi Liu-Yan's body fell backward like a tree struck by an axe.

"No, no, no!"

Even as her body collapses, she doesn't lift a finger. She was as still as a statue.

"Wake up, Ryuyeon! Correct your posture!"

However, Hyorong's shout was just an empty echo. Slowly falling backwards, Bi Ryuyeon seemed to be completely stunned. Or was it already…….

"Wake up! Ryuyeon, I have to save Sojae!"

Towering.

Bi Ryuyeon's body, which had been falling backwards, stopped just one inch from the ground. Her hands were untouched, and her knees remained stretched out, yet she remained suspended in midair with only a single hairline as if held by an invisible hand, causing both Rakvio and Hyorong to be stunned to the point that their eyes popped out of their heads.

"Oh, my God, is this the new law of the Iron Plate Church?"

Iron Bridge is a specialized stance that involves dropping to your knees, almost touching the ground, and then getting back up.

"No way……."

Hyo-ryong soon denied it. The construction time was too long for a steel plate bridge. No steel bridge could have stayed afloat for that long, almost sticking to the ground.

What happened next was even more surprising.

Her body, which was practically glued to the floor, returned to its original position without any recoil. In a way, it was almost as if she was having a vision, and it was quite grotesque. For once, Rockio couldn't help but be amazed.

"I can't believe you got back up after that blow you just took……. Yeah, yeah, yeah, who the hell are you, some kind of hunky subject with an iron stomach?"

"Uh-huh, have you ever seen Kangxi, the most beautiful boy ever? I'm a real person, a tenfold beauty."

It was the perfect number ten, meaning everything is beautiful to the point of perfection.

"Plus the self-consciousness……."

Rakvio couldn't believe that anyone could be in such a state of mind, capable of such self-aggrandizing bullshit.

"I feel like I've been caught red-handed, but the truth is, I'm immortal, and as you can see, I'm a pretty boy. Immortal Boy for short, so I don't get knocked down like this."

It was like, "Oh, I'm so embarrassed to be found out, uh-huh.

Boom!

Blood trickled down the corners of Bi Ryuyeon's mouth as she spoke shamelessly.

"Then what is that blood?"

Bi Ryuyeon then casually stole the blood with her sleeve,

"Oh, and by the way, this isn't because you beat me up, pretty boys like me are naturally a little sickly, and sometimes I spit up blood on my white cowboy coat, kolokolok."

He deliberately turned his head and mimed a coughing fit.

The self-proclaimed sickly handsome boy was, of course, a frog. And his clothes were black, not white. This made it hard to see the blood mixed with his cough.

"An elixir? Where is it, and I thought you were immortal?"

I had never heard of such a thing as a sickly immortal.

Rakbio had never seen a creature as sturdy as Bi Ryuyeon in all of Heavenly Palace. The fact that he hadn't died after being struck with the intention of killing him was something a passing dog would laugh at.

"Definitely amazing, I watched it again. You're the first person to ever surprise me this much."

At this point, Rakvio had no choice but to recognize her.

"I guess you didn't mean to completely ignore the masters of the Heavenly Martial Academy."

Until now, he had thought of the Academy as a place where only masters with plausible backgrounds went, but seeing someone like Bi Ryuyeon there, it seemed to be different. Little did he know, she was one of the exceptions to the rule.

"I don't want to be that first one, not at all. If I'm going to be the first one, I'd rather be the first one to knock you out."

He was so full of himself that it spilled over. A deep frown creased Lacvio's brow again.

"That's not possible."

Deny it in a calm voice.

"I don't know what to do about it, because one of my hobbies is to make the impossible possible, and I get even more motivated when I hear that."

Bi Ryuyeon laughed.

"You look like you're about to collapse."

It was an insult to her mouth. Certainly to Hyorong's eyes, Bi Ryuyeon's complexion was very pale right now, and her body was trembling slightly. But Bi Ryuyeon didn't raise an eyebrow. She was just doing what she had to do.

'Just a little bit more to go…… just a little bit more to go…….'

And then the moment came.

"Great! Finally!

Bi Ryuyeon's waist straightens. Her pale face flushed with blood, her entire body radiating with strength, and a thin smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. It was the kind of smile that made Lacvio feel deeply uncomfortable.

"What's that, a graying banjo?"

Rakvio frowned at the unpleasant tone, but Bi Ryuyeon didn't respond.

"Alas, we're just about ready."

Bi Ryuyeon spat out the blood in her mouth and grunted. It wasn't that clean. Her intestines were a muddled mess.

"What do you mean, you're ready? You're spouting unintelligible words. Can't you say something I can understand?"

"Tsk, tsk, poor thing. You're as uncommunicative as a rat because you've been muscled up to your brain."

He does this while trying to steal a glance.

"How dare you insult me, I'm not a rat, don't compare me to such a lowly animal!"

Rakvio exclaimed, his complexion turning a deep shade of red. Apparently, being compared to a rat was humiliating.

"As a reward for entertaining me, I'll make a prophecy this time, with a hit rate of thirty percent (300%)!"

"Prophecy?"

"Sadly, your fist no longer touches me."

It was more of a declaration than a prophecy.

"What? What kind of bullshit is that, what's the latest fad?"

Bi Ryuyeon smiled slightly and replied.

"Sadly, there is a river between us that cannot be crossed, do you happen to know what it's called?"

"What, that?"

"Level difference."

Smiling, Bi Ryuyeon replied briefly.

"Now you're losing your mind."

Rakvio grimaced.

"I'm perfectly fine, and of course I mean it. Honesty is my credo."

"Are you dreaming? That dream, let me wake you up right now."

"Gee, you don't get it? Is it that hard? Then you must be a rat. Since your comprehension is so poor, let me make it very, very simple: your fist is no longer touching me."

It was declared in a casual, nonchalant tone. The tone was so relaxed that it took Rakvio a moment to comprehend the words, and when he did, he let out a "hah?" in disbelief.

"I said something, and it was bullshit. I thought you were going to make me laugh, and I was disappointed."

Rakvio didn't believe her. He could barely see her face through her bangs, while she was still standing, and he was about to be reduced to a tattered rag. Everywhere you looked, his victory was certain.

"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not, reality doesn't change because of one person's denial. You can deny it all you want, that's the self-deception of pathetic losers who can't handle harsh reality. I get it, cancer, I get it."

Bi Ryuyeon frowned in a refreshing tone.

"Say, say, say, say, say!"

"Uh-oh, have you eaten your own ears now? If you want to hear it again, I can give it to you, to restore your identity. Here we go. Loser. Loser. Loser. Loser!"

The implication was that your identity was that of a loser, and that you could never be anything else. There was no human being who would listen to such words and remain silent, at least not within the confines of this temple.

"Shut up!"

Rakvio's words echoed in the great hall, bloodshot eyes glittering in his beak.

Loser.

It was the word he hated and loathed the most. He had spent all his life building strength to not be a loser. To not live the life of a loser.

"With those words, your death is sealed. I will kill you here and now without the need to capture you alive. The cause of death will be a bludgeoning!"

The more Rakvio talked, the more the smile on Bi Ryuyeon's face deepened.

"Don't try to talk to me with words you don't know how to use, use your fists, use your fists. That's all you know how to do anyway, right? Come on, do it, do it, do it, I'm right here, I'm not moving a step, so hit me, hit me, you coward!"

"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

Bi Ryuyeon was a master at inciting others to anger. By the time he had argued with him, Rakvio's defeat had been sealed. But while he had lost the battle of words, he still had a swirling fist.

"I'll make you bloody!"

And at this moment, she was indeed ready. Bi Ryuyeon slowly curled her five fingers.

Rakvio's iron fist ripped through the air once more, rushing toward Bi Ryuyeon's face. It was a stark contrast to the way he had been deliberately hitting her in the stomach.

"Dodge, Ryuyeon!"

Horrified, Hyo-ryong cried out.

A blow like that would shatter Bi Ryuyeon's head like a watermelon dropped from three stories, revealing its red flesh.

But Bi Ryuyeon didn't even flinch, not taking her eyes off the fist flying toward her.

"Huh?

Slow.

Slowly, but too slowly. It was a fist of unbridled rage. It was a fist balled up with murderous intent. He felt like he could crush anything with this blow. Not even a human skull.

At first, the blow had the power of a typhoon, then it became weaker and weaker as I stretched out my fist, until it finally turned into a harmless breeze.

Poof!

The sound of his full-force fist connecting with Bi Ryuyeon's forehead was breathtaking. But that was it. She couldn't extend her fist any further.

"Oh, no, no, no, no!"

Rakvio's reaction was completely normal. Bi Ryuyeon laughed at the look of bewilderment on his face. The look of anguish on his face, which had been caused by Rakvio's back-to-back blows just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

"See, the prophecy was right on the money. You can't quickly deny that you can't handle it, because that's the trademark of losers."

He had that look on his face that said he knew this was going to happen.

It felt more like I was intentionally letting him land a blow rather than just barely missing.

"But how?

Rakvio brought his fist back. This time, he was able to return the blow without any resistance. The resistance from earlier was nowhere to be found. Once again, countless questions occupied his mind. But again, no answers.

"If you don't believe me, you can try it again, though it won't work."

Rakvio still had one more chance to attack. But Bi Ryuyeon was telling him to give up because it would be useless.

"I don't believe it!"

To lower one's fist here was to admit defeat; it was to break one's own belief in the worship of strength as justice.

GOOOOOOOOOOO!

Rakvio's right hand began to glow white as he focused his inner energy into one spot. It was the same trick as a sword being enchanted.

Now he was able to unleash a force many times stronger than he had been a moment before. There was a determination there, a will to crush the enemy no matter what.

"Take it!"

Thump!

With a loud thud, Rakvio's right foot stepped out, and with a tremendous spin, Rakvio's right fist was sent flying toward Bi Ryuyeon in a gust of wind.

"Yay!"

It was a perfect strike, catching me off guard. White power flashed. And……

Poof!

This time, Rakvio's blow barely touched the leather of Bi Ryuyeon's face. Rakvio cursed inwardly.

"It feels exactly the same as before!

It felt like an invisible web was wrapping itself around his body, but he couldn't tell what it was. The more he struggled, the tighter it tightened around him.

"What the hell is this……."

This invisible thread was binding him like a fateful cord, and it seemed that it was not he who was holding it now.

"Is that you?"

A triumphant smile spread across Bi Ryuyeon's face.

"I'm a slow learner. Who else but me?"

Flying Sword Misunderstanding

Intestinal Obstruction of the Scorpion (傀儡)

Jumangpobak (蛛網捕縛)

That was the nature of the technology that was now binding Rakvio's body, but he didn't realize it yet. That he was already a prey in the spider's web, and that he had already completed all five attacks. Bi Ryuyeon was already spinning the Yunyun without asking.

"Now, wait!"

Something was definitely off, and it needed to be pointed out, but she didn't pretend to hear him.

"Uh-huh, what? I can't hear very well these days, so I'm trying to…… kolokolok!"

Once again, he coughs in a sickly handsome pose.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait! Hey, what does coughing have to do with you?"

But Bi Ryuyeon still pretended not to hear, and faked coughing for a long time.

Unfortunately, the number that came out was one.

He had used up all his luck blocking Rakvio's blows, and his remaining luck wasn't much better. Panicked, Rakvio called out for good fortune.

"That's too bad."

She was confident that she would never be able to defeat me with that, but Bi Ryuyeon had other ideas.

"Well, I guess that's good enough?"

Bi Ryuyeon's bangs flutter in an unseen breeze for a moment, revealing her golden eyes.

"This bet, I win!"

Tsk-tsk!

Bi Ryuyeon's fist struck the air halfway between herself and her opponent.

I hit the air, but the sound reverberated. It was like hitting a thick wall.

The next moment, a curious thing happened.

As if lifted by an invisible hand, Rakvio's massive body lifted an inch off the floor. Then it swept backward like a kite caught in the wind. The explosion from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh, uh, what the hell, no way, stop-stop!!!"

With a panicked look on his face, Rakvio exclaimed.

'Geumgangbantan Singong' doesn't work, 'Kangsooncheongap' doesn't work!

The invincible armor remained silent, even though it was clearly under attack. At this rate, one more step back and he would be over the gold.

"Hey, what the……. sacroiliac!"

Rakbio quickly exerted his abdominal muscles to bring his floating body back to the ground, but his body remained about an inch above the ground. Moreover, even though he was in the air, he could feel a recoil from the soles of his feet. It felt like something heavy was supporting his feet.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

He further developed his inner qigong and multiplied the power of his taijiquan.

Thump!

Fortunately, this time it worked. The sound of the bluestone floor cracking allowed him to land on his feet, but the smile on his face remained unchanged.

With a smile on her face, she declared.

"That's it. I win."

Stunned, Rakvio looked down at his feet.

"Uh, somehow……."

Already his foot was half a step behind the gold. His defeat was obvious.

"What the hell did they do? I didn't feel any shock, what is this technology?"

It was like being carried away by a breeze.

"It's just a simple gap(隔空掌)."

Sweatshops.

This is a martial art that utilizes the force of air to deliver an impact (tension) to an arbitrary point. It is the highest level of the advanced kung fu technique of kung shan tau, which involves striking a cow on the other side of a mountain, using air as a medium to transmit force to a distant point, rather than a wall, person, steel plate, soil, or water.

"Man, I've never even heard of such a place!"

He didn't recall feeling any shock, even though it was an ascension technique that only the most advanced masters could use. If there had been an external impact, the Kang Shun armor would have reacted immediately.

"Oh, that's because I felt like if you touched it too much, it would go 'pop' and explode, and I didn't want to touch it, so without touching it, I moved the entire air surrounding you, so to speak, into space."

Rakvio's eyes widened at that explanation.

"You moved it across the room? That's ridiculous, how is that even possible?"

Bi Ryuyeon scratched the back of her head.

"Well, if the person you're talking to says something like that,…… that's a little awkward."

Rakvio's face flushed at the words. How could he prove it any more clearly than by showing it to him? Rakvio was a man who would submit to anything that required him to submit, plain and simple.

"Joe, that's good. I lose this time."

"Wait, what do you mean this time?"

Feeling strangely uneasy, Bi Ryuyeon protested.

"Of course, there are two rotations."

"Two turns? I've never heard of that?"

"I fought with both of you. I gave you two a chance, so to speak, and you actually lost."

The inexplicably silent Hyorong could only lower his head with a sullen expression. He couldn't believe that he was holding his friend back……. He was so angry and embarrassed.

"So why don't you give me a second chance too, it's only fair."

"Well, well, well, here's an impartial judge."

Bi Ryuyeon grunted with a giggle, as if she was full of energy. That was it.

"Shut up! I'm not a judge!"

Rakvio snapped. It was so loud that the rafters of the great hall rattled. It was so loud that even Bi Ryuyeon and Hyorong had to cover their ears.

"Ho-ho, it was just a comment in passing, why are you overreacting so much, is there a sting or something?"

Furrowing her brow, Bi Ryuyeon snorted once more. Glancing over, Lacvio's face was ashen like a coal on fire, and his breathing was quite ragged.

"I'm not a judge. I hate judgment."

"No, why is that? Because you're from Black Island, a criminal pre-cadet?"

Rakvio shook his head vigorously.

"No, my father was the damn judge."

Bi Ryuyeon and Hyo-ryong were surprised to learn that Rockio's father, a promising Black Islander, was a judge.

"I only despise those who preach justice to a subject they have no power to back up. They are powerless."

Turning to Rakvio, who was still unable to contain his excitement, Bi Ryuyeon scratched his head again.

"Now, now, now, calm down, calm down. I don't know why you hate judges so much, and I don't really want to know right now, because I have a job to do, so unless you're just putting it off because you're afraid of me, why don't we just make this turn already?"

A light flashed in Rakvio's eyes.

"Onya, if you want to die quickly, I'll make it happen."

Beep!

Rakvio stuck his finger in his mouth and whistled, and the doors on either side of the building opened, from which dozens of similarly armed warriors rushed in, lining up on either side of the wall. Each of them had a ten-pointed star embroidered on his chest, and at a glance they seemed to number at least eighty.

"Open it!"

The warriors at the four corners of the building worked together to pull the rope, and with a snap, the barred ceiling opened on either side, revealing something hanging from it. There, dangling from chains, were a number of huge stone boulders that looked very heavy indeed. When the preparations were complete, Rakvio smirked in satisfaction and turned to Bi Ryuyeon and Hyo Ryong, who were looking a bit fed up.

"Welcome to the 'Stonecrusher'."

The fleshy boulders were much larger and more massive than a human body. If such a thing were to fall on a flesh-and-blood human being, it would be crushed in an instant. It was so huge that the chains that held it were in danger of breaking.

They must have lost their minds to hang such a dangerous thing from the ceiling. And what the hell were they going to do with something so dangerous? I had no idea.

"Okay, let's start this rotation."

Looking back at the two of them, this time Rakvio smirked.