"Hmm… my mood's finally improved."
Watching Lafitte's figure shoot straight into the sky, Arashi clapped his hands lightly. His mood, which had been ruined by this completely distorted marathon, gradually brightened again.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi… you killed so many guards and even sent the Chief Security Officer flying… will that…"
Robin pulled her gaze back and asked worriedly,
"Will that get you disqualified?"
That… was indeed a problem.
If his qualification got revoked because of this, it would mean his mission had failed.
And a failed mission meant—
three thousand Travel Points gone just like that.
But thinking about it…
no one should know he was the one who killed those guards.
As for Lafitte—
he'd probably still be flying in the sky for a while.
With that thought, Arashi decided not to dwell on it and simply turned to leave.
"Next, we push forward in one go—straight to the finish line and take the championship!"
"Whoa… why are there so many traps here?!"
"These traps… they've all been destroyed!"
"Damn, look at those spikes inside! Is this even a marathon anymore? This is basically a death game!"
"…But it looks like no one actually died here."
Finally, the mass of contestants arrived at the third stage.
When they saw the traps stretching for several kilometers—all completely destroyed—and the dense, chilling spikes below, everyone couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down their spines.
Thankfully—
they weren't the first group to arrive.
Otherwise, if these traps had still been intact, they would have fallen in and been impaled like skewered meat.
These contestants weren't fools.
From the second obstacle onward, they had already sensed that something was wrong with this marathon.
But they were incredibly fortunate.
Because they had encountered Arashi.
If not for this traveler stepping in, this Death Marathon—personally initiated by their king and meticulously designed by the Demon Chief Security Officer Lafitte—
would have become a lifelong nightmare for all participants.
Although they had encountered all kinds of bizarre, terrifying, and cruel obstacles along the way—
every single one of them managed to pass through safely.
Because Arashi, who had always been at the very front, had already destroyed the most dangerous aspects of every obstacle.
Hidden traps were flattened.
Deadly mechanisms were rendered useless.
What could have killed ordinary contestants a hundred times over—
had been reduced to mere decorations.
Even without those obstacles, the fact that tens of thousands of contestants still participated in this 400-kilometer marathon was enough to show—
just how absurdly strong the physiques of people in this world were.
Constantine City Harbor.
As the marathon reached its climax, the beach near the harbor was already packed with people.
Even the king and queen had moved to the cruise ship where the champion would ultimately arrive.
There, they leisurely sipped wine and chatted while waiting for the winner.
King Topkabo glanced at the crowded beach, clearly in a very good mood.
Turning his head toward the elegant and mature Queen Sophia, he lifted his royal robes and walked to the edge of the deck, gazing into the distance along the marathon route that circled the entire coastline of the Illusia Kingdom.
"Well then—who can tell me how the contestants are doing now?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty! All contestants have passed the fifth obstacle and are heading toward the sixth at full speed!"
"Oh, and—there's a man and a woman moving extremely fast. They've already reached the 300-kilometer checkpoint!"
"So fast?"
The king's eyes widened in surprise. He suddenly grabbed the reporting soldier and pulled him close, lowering his voice.
"You do realize… that's not what I want to hear."
"Y-Your Majesty, please spare me!!"
The soldier immediately dropped to his knees, trembling.
"I-I don't know what happened! The Chief Security Officer suddenly disappeared—we can't contact him at all! And those obstacles… they've all been destroyed by the man and woman at the front! So… so the contestants behind them have been progressing very smoothly!"
"Lafitte… Lafitte!!!"
Hearing that all contestants were passing smoothly, King Topkabo was furious.
He had never expected Lafitte to botch the marathon like this.
Wasn't orchestrating death games his specialty?!
What was he doing?!
Unreachable at a critical moment—
unforgivable!
Absolutely unforgivable!
A useless subordinate like that—
must be expelled!
The more the king thought about it, the angrier he became.
Finally, he stood up and barked an order at the kneeling soldier:
"Find Lafitte immediately—bring him before me at once!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The soldier didn't dare linger and quickly retreated.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Queen Sophia, who had been enjoying a sunbath on the deck, stood up gracefully.
Although she wasn't particularly invested in the marathon, being able to leave the dull palace was already enough to put her in a good mood.
Noticing the king's souring expression, she spoke gently,
"No need to worry… the champion will arrive soon."
The moment her words fell—
the crowd on the beach suddenly erupted into cheers.
In the next instant, everyone rushed toward the shoreline.
A clear path opened through the crowd.
At the same time—
Arashi and Robin slowed down, jogging casually along the marathon route as they stepped onto the beach.
"Wow!"
"This is what you call leaving everyone in the dust!"
"They're here already?! That fast?!"
"Hey, kid! See that cruise ship out at sea? Swim over there—get on board—and you're the champion!"
"Champion! Champion! Champion!!"
The crowd was completely fired up.
No one had expected this year's champion to appear so quickly.
More importantly—
aside from Arashi and Robin, they couldn't even see the other contestants behind them.
The gap was simply overwhelming.
For the spectators who eagerly awaited this annual marathon—
this was nothing short of witnessing a miracle.
Seeing that all attention was focused on Arashi, Robin quietly stepped back into the crowd.
Raising her small fist, she smiled brightly.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi—go for it!"
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