Super Fighting Tokyo.

"..."

Retsukai grabbed the wound on his left shoulder and used the pain to examine his conscience.

So, am I serious?!

Did I really ever think about being eaten?!

Deep down, wasn't I hoping to "survive"...?

Isn't he hoping that he won't actually be eaten?!

"..."

Retsukai no Okita lowered his head in deep thought, feeling immense pain.

shameful……

Absolutely shameful!

……

……

Time passed second by second, but Retsu no Haiwang was completely unaware of it.

suddenly--

dong dong dong.

A gentle knock on the door brought Retsu Kaioh back to his senses.

He turned his head and saw someone push open the door; it was Bai Mucheng and Wu Fengshui.

At this moment, the two people were dressed casually, wearing sunglasses, and carrying a bag of oranges, clearly there to visit the sick.

But when he reached the door, Bai Mucheng asked Wu Fengshui to wait outside while he went in alone, and closed the door behind him.

"..."

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

Bai Mucheng walked to Lie Haiwang's bedside, placed the bag of oranges on the bedside table, and then took off his coat, leaving him in only a T-shirt.

Looking at his friend, Retsukai immediately understood everything.

"So that's how it is..."

Presumably, the reason his right leg wasn't bitten off was because Shiraki Cheng intervened and saved him from Pi Ke's mouth.

Lie Haiwang paused, then looked up at Bai Mucheng, "Anyway, I want to thank you first for saving my leg."

Bai Mucheng smiled faintly, but did not respond normally.

"I will not say—you're welcome, I will never utter those three words."

Bai Mucheng looked at Lie Haiwang and said, "My answer is: that matter is irrelevant to me."

"..."

Upon hearing Bai Mucheng's words, Lie Haiwang was visibly taken aback, and spoke with even more force, "Really...it's alright?"

Bai Mucheng nodded, took off his sunglasses, and casually placed them on the bedside table.

Seeing this, Retsukai no Okita straightened his expression and said, "Then, I understand..."

"..."

The two remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly—

Swish!

Sitting on the hospital bed, Lie Haiwang suddenly threw a punch to the side, hitting Bai Mucheng hard in the face.

Bai Mucheng neither dodged nor flinched, letting the punch hit him, causing his eyelids and lips to fly off wildly, and his whole body flew backward with a "whoosh".

Whoa!

He crashed straight backward, smashing the cabinet against the wall, shattering the decorative vase on it, and lying on his back inside.

Splash...

Sawdust and porcelain shards were scattered all over him, along with petals falling from the sky, making him look quite disheveled.

"Wow~~~~!!"

Bai Mucheng grimaced, clearly having fallen hard; his back was aching from the impact.

……

……

The commotion inside naturally attracted the attention of the hospital security guards, and even Yingchu, the "Anatomy Demon," came to join in the fun, but was stopped by Wu Fengshui.

The girl pleaded with everyone not to disturb the two people in the ward.

……

……

A large piece of the cabinet was smashed, and Bai Mucheng was embedded inside it.

Sitting on the hospital bed, Lie Haiwang's face was contorted with rage as he shouted loudly, his voice deafening.

"Shiraki! You have to save me—you have to save Retsu Kaioh?!!"

Bai Mucheng struggled to his feet, his mouth and nose bleeding from Lie Haiwang's punch, and his arms and back scratched by debris.

But he didn't care at all, and asked Retsu Haiwang with a smile, "Retsu, even if you lose your right leg, it doesn't matter to you?"

"..."

Retsu Kaioh replied seriously, "I don't care!"

Bai Mucheng smiled wryly, "For a martial artist, how could losing an arm or a leg be insignificant?"

Retsukaion's brows furrowed as he replied earnestly:

"If you ask me if that would make me waver, then I certainly would."

"If you ask me if I would feel inconvenienced if I really lost a leg, I can only say that it would definitely be inconvenient."

"However……"

Retsukai-oh changed the subject, "There is nothing shameful about a martial artist losing a battle and losing the function of his body!"

"So, I don't care!"

"The one who is truly shameful... is me."

"I made it sound like I actually had an awareness and courage that didn't exist."

"Even if others can't see it, I know it perfectly well!"

Retsu Neptune lowered his head and murmured an example:

“Words like ‘I’m prepared to fight to the death,’ ‘I’m prepared to die,’ and ‘I’ll kill them without hesitation’…”

"People always say things they can't bring themselves to do."

Retsukai pursed his lips.

“Words that lack resolve must never be uttered—I have always believed that I have diligently kept this precept.”

"However, I have now broken it."

"Faced with Piccolo, I was still unclear about my true intentions, yet I blurted out such childish things as: Let me become food."

"This is a shameful thing..."

"..."

Lie Haiwang looked up at Bai Mucheng.

"Bai Mu, do you know what? The moment I woke up, I actually felt relieved because you saved me!"

"—This is shameful!"

"My anger doesn't stem from you saving me, but from you letting me live a shameful life!"

"..."

Sunlight shone on Retsu Kaioh's profile.

Shiramu Cheng stood there, seemingly savoring Lie Haiwang's words, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth while muttering to himself.

"Yes, yes, that's it..."

He looked up at Lie Haiwang and nodded:

"Indeed, just as Retsu Kaioh himself said—he should keep his promise, he should be eaten by Pike after his defeat."

"but……"

Bai Mucheng abruptly changed the subject, opening his mouth to shout, "But—so what?!"

The sound was so loud that even the Sea King was taken aback.

Shiraki Cheng continued frankly:

"烈—the meaning of this word is intense, fierce, and never deviating from the right path, upright and incorruptible."

"Retsu Kaioh is the embodiment of the word 'Retsu'!"

"Sometimes, your superb martial arts skills can make people overlook one thing, which is that the true value of fierceness lies in the height of its spirit."

"The willpower of Retsu Kaioh is truly admirable!"

Bai Mucheng raised an eyebrow and quietly looked at Lie Haiwang.

"But I am not like you."

"In the end, I'm not some transcendent guy, but a fool with a lot of flaws."

"I might participate in a gambling game out of curiosity, or suddenly decide to open a martial arts school, or play cheap video games, and of course, exercise, and accidentally buy very sour oranges..."

“I never felt that I made the right choice at every step.”

"But I still enjoy it."