Chapter Twenty: The Summit

Two years later.

On the summit of the highest peak of Iga Island, Izumi Inoue stood with his eyes closed, listening to the report from a woman who had emerged from the shadows regarding the recent progress of the five children.

"The quadrennial duel between the Koga and Iga clans is approaching, isn't it?"

Izumi Inoue slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the five children, who were carrying heavy stones and climbing the shortest mountain on the island.

"Yes. Last year, the Koga sent a fourteen-year-old boy. Intelligence indicates he is Akimoto Rei, son of the Koga clan leader, Akimoto No, and the future successor to the clan. He defeated our young expert within ten minutes."

"What do you think if I send Heiwa Yi this time?" Izumi Inoue asked calmly, watching the child who had reached the summit first.

"Him?"

"Only by dueling with experts can one grow the fastest."

"But he will die!"

In a duel, blades have no eyes. The Koga and Iga clans are rivals; while the Iga clan possesses greater overall strength due to the support of a large financial group, the Koga remain a formidable threat. Sending a child who would only be fourteen in two years' time would lead the Koga to believe the Iga were mocking them in retaliation for the last duel, and they would surely kill him.

"I will guide him personally. Furthermore, starting tomorrow, assign different instructors to provide tailored training for each of these children based on the talents they have displayed over the past two years. I want them to become the sharpest blades in Iga in the shortest possible time."

"Understood." The woman in black vanished back into the shadows.

Izumi Inoue closed his eyes once more to resume his meditation.

On the summit of the smaller mountain, Sun Siyi—no, Heiwa Yi—shook his sore arms and reached out to help the other children, pulling them up one by one. They sat on the summit together, panting to catch their breath.

"That mountain is so high! Has anyone ever climbed to the top?" Heiwa Yi asked, pointing toward the mountain where Izumi Inoue stood.

"That is the highest peak on this island. The air pressure there is extremely low and the slopes are incredibly steep. It is called 'The Absolute Peak.' I heard that only the clan leader has the strength to climb it." A boy sitting next to Sun Siyi lay on his back with his hands behind his head, a blade of grass held between his teeth.

"The view from up there must be beautiful."

Heiwa Yi stood up and looked at the scenery below: the boundless sea and lush forests. Unfortunately, the height of their current mountain was limited, and most of their view was blocked by other peaks, with "The Absolute Peak" obstructing the largest portion of the horizon.

"Of course. Once you climb to the top of that, this whole island will be yours. Everyone on the island will follow your orders. If only I could climb it one day," the lying boy said, sitting up and looking at "The Absolute Peak" with longing.

"Sugiyama Ci, stop dreaming. It’s hard enough to climb this one, and you want to climb that one?" A short-haired girl slapped Sugiyama Ci and said speechlessly.

"I just hope I can have something to eat tonight." A girl with shoulder-length hair and straight bangs sat cross-legged, pouting as she rubbed her stomach.

"Wu Xiaohei, didn't we agree that no matter who comes in first, we will share the food with everyone?" Sakai Haruna sat beside Wu Xiaohei, resting a hand on her shoulder like an older sister.

"Hehe."

The five children, who had survived in extreme conditions, had all endured brutal eliminations and cherished their lives deeply. In these two years, the only thing they had taught themselves was unity and mutual aid, all for the sake of surviving.

During training, they were rivals who never gave an inch. After training, when the instructors were away, they were close friends, discussing strategies to cope with their lessons.

"Are you rested? Let's head down; I'm hungry." The short-haired girl walked to the edge of the cliff and tied a rope to a rock.

"Miyazawa Nan, you want to get ahead again! No matter what, I will definitely be first tonight." Seeing Miyazawa Nan preparing to descend, Sugiyama Ci immediately untied the rope from his waist and began to prepare.

"Sugiyama, don't rush. Tie it tight and check it before you go," Heiwa Yi reminded him kindly, seeing Sugiyama Ci haphazardly tying the hemp rope to the rock.

"I'm going first, try to keep up."

Sugiyama Ci grabbed the rope, leaped over the edge, and began to slide down.

"Heiwa, Haruna, hurry up." Wu Xiaohei followed suit, checked her rope, and began her descent.

Heiwa Yi and Sakai Haruna also secured their ropes, checked them, and began to descend.

They gripped the ropes with both hands, alternating between letting out slack and tightening their grip, using the friction of their feet against the mountain face to maintain stability.

"Heiwa always comes in first in this training, yet he takes the smallest portion of food and gives the rest to us. Today, I must come in first and give him a big share. Among these friends, I am the oldest, yet I have to let the younger Heiwa take care of me. No, today, I must win." Thinking this, Sugiyama Ci increased the frequency of his sliding, letting out more slack to descend faster.

Soon, Sugiyama Ci overtook Miyazawa Nan and descended rapidly.

"Sugiyama Ci, that’s dangerous!" Miyazawa Nan shouted in alarm as she watched him speed past her. Although this was the lowest mountain on the island, it was still nearly a thousand meters high. A fall would mean certain death.

"It's okay, I can do it." Sugiyama Ci looked up and smiled at Miyazawa Nan, continuing his descent.

"Sugiyama seems to be sliding a bit too fast; he’s exceeded the instructor's safety limit." Sakai Haruna looked down the cliff and saw that Sugiyama Ci was already nearly a hundred meters below them.

"Be careful, I'll go check," Heiwa Yi said. Looking down, he saw it was true. He noticed Sugiyama Ci's rope swaying violently and, worried, he quickened his own descent.

"Less than three hundred meters to go. I've got this win," Sugiyama Ci thought happily. He imagined winning the food tonight and sharing it with Heiwa, Miyazawa, Haruna, and Wu Xiaohei like a big brother.

"Sugiyama, watch out!"

Heiwa Yi's voice came from above. He was less than fifty meters away, closing the distance. Seeing Heiwa Yi approaching, Sugiyama Ci was startled and accelerated again, letting out more slack.

His body began to sway violently. When his feet could no longer touch the mountain wall, he panicked and tightened his grip on the rope.

At the summit, the knot of Sugiyama Ci's rope, tied to the rock, slowly came undone.

"Ah—"

The rope lost its anchor and fell instantly. Sugiyama Ci’s body began a free fall, accelerating rapidly.

Hearing his companion's scream and feeling the wind rushing past him, Sugiyama Ci closed his eyes.

Two hundred meters... one hundred and fifty... one hundred... fifty...

"Thud."

"Ah—"

Heiwa Yi caught Sugiyama Ci’s body between his legs and gripped the rope tightly with both hands.

Due to the momentum of gravity and the sudden addition of a person's weight, Heiwa Yi felt his palms burning as if they were on fire. He wanted to let go, but he couldn't.

Letting go meant certain death.

His palms were shredded by the rough rope.

Fresh blood stained the dull, earthy rope with vibrant color.

The sudden deceleration caused their bodies to swing wildly in the air, and having lost the contact of his feet against the rock face, Heiwa Yi’s body collided repeatedly with the jagged mountain.

His flesh and blood slammed against the mountain, which had absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for ages.

Every dull impact tore at Sugiyama Ci’s heart.

Because he was pinned between Heiwa Yi’s legs, Heiwa Yi bore the brunt of every impact alone, taking on both their momentum and their combined weight.

Sugiyama Ci tried to break free from Heiwa Yi’s legs; he didn't want Heiwa Yi to suffer such agony.

But Heiwa Yi held him tightly. He couldn't break free, nor did he dare to force it, lest he put Heiwa Yi in even greater danger.

Though Heiwa Yi endured inhuman pain with his own flesh and blood, he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out. He feared that if he let out a sound, his hands would loosen, and both of them would fall to their deaths.

"Heiwa! Sugiyama! Hold on! Don't let go!"

The instructor waiting below saw their perilous situation. He wanted to do something, but he could only watch. There was no time to fetch a cushion.

"Call the doctor!" the instructor shouted to his assistant, then stood directly beneath them, reaching out his arms. He hoped to catch them, even if it was futile—it was all he could do. He had already steeled himself for the possibility of broken arms.

Thirty meters, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten...

Inoue, Miyazawa, and Wu Xiaohei closed their eyes, unable to bear looking, their minds already filling with a gruesome image.

"Heiwa Yi!"

Sakai Haruna opened her eyes and screamed downward.

She had thought that once they passed that hurdle, they wouldn't face life-and-death situations anymore.

She had thought he would always be at the front, protecting and taking care of them.

She had thought that in the future, she could become a diamond-level assassin of the Iga clan with him.

She had thought...

"I can do it!"

Heiwa Yi, whose consciousness was blurring and whose body was going numb, heard Sakai Haruna’s scream. He snapped back to clarity, opened his mouth, and used every ounce of his remaining strength to grip the rope, shouting aloud.

Sugiyama Ci’s face was covered in tears. He closed his eyes. It was him—it was all his fault. His selfish desire had implicated Heiwa Yi.

In the end, their bodies came to a halt just four meters above the ground.

The rope had wrapped several times around Heiwa Yi’s arms; the skin was torn away, leaving a bloody, mangled mess.

Heiwa Yi smiled. He looked down at the instructor below and released his legs.

Sugiyama Ci fell the remaining distance.

This time he didn't scream; he was calm, tears flying from his cheeks.

"Thud."

The instructor caught Sugiyama Ci steadily.

"Why is a big kid crying..."

Before the instructor could finish his sentence to Sugiyama Ci, Heiwa Yi let go of the rope and fell.