The Absurd Culmination of the Empire's Greatest Foot Martial Tournament
The mad tournament obsessed with my foot had finally reached its climax.
The final match between Haetae and Kailian remained.
“Final match! Begin!”
The referee’s shout made the ground tremble violently.
Kuang!
At the exact same instant, the two women launched themselves forward with a powerful push-off and collided head-on.
The impact between Kailian’s neck and Haetae’s fist sounded like a cannon blast, the shockwave carving a wide, perfect crater into the dusty arena floor.
“Kyaa…”
Is that even human?
I sat with my mouth still open around the snack I’d been gnawing, staring blankly at the spectacle.
Haetae was a Divine Beast, so I could excuse her. But Kailian was definitely human. She was taking a Divine Beast’s fist straight to the face.
“Hahaha! Not bad at all, Haetae!”
Kailian laughed ferociously and launched a rapid series of strikes at her opponent.
Slash!
The speed was so blinding that Haetae’s sleeve was sliced clean away before she could even blink.
Haetae immediately retreated a full step, putting safe distance between them.
“I… will not lose… for the sake of Lord Blanc’s foot!”
Haetae too refused to yield, dancing through Kailian’s attacks with graceful, flowing movements before driving a sharp kick straight into the gap in her opponent’s defense.
Kailian barely blocked the heavy blow with her forearm, then swept Haetae’s legs out from under her and swung her neck in a powerful downward arc.
Kaaang!
The metallic clang echoed like two swords clashing as Haetae slid backward across the ground.
“Kyaa…”
Wow… people this strong are actually fighting over touching my foot? That’s terrifyingly real.
I hid my front paws under my body, licked the soft bread dough I’d been rolling, and watched the fight wind down.
Kailian and Haetae panted heavily, eyes blazing with far more predatory fury than before the match began.
They were following the no-magic, no-aura rules, yet the arena had already been reduced to rubble by nothing but raw physical power.
Not even the titles “Princess” and “Divine Beast” could hide how disheveled they were—clothes filthy with dust, faces streaked with grime—yet their eyes still burned with absolute determination.
“Blanc is mine! I claimed him first! Give up!”
“Lord Blanc is not an object! As his wife, I must protect him! This is only natural between Divine Beasts!”
“Wife talk? I’m going to marry Blanc for life!”
“That stubborn little princess!”
Kwaang!
Two women trading insults and blows, exchanging kicks and punches, looked less like a spar than a shameless, pathetic catfight over the same man.
“Kyaa…”
How are they supposed to be a princess and a Divine Beast…
Time dragged on. Both fighters had finally hit their limits.
Kailian leaned on her neck like a staff, gasping. Haetae staggered, legs trembling.
“Haa… haa… you’re so persistent…”
“Huu… even in human form… you’ve gone this far… truly formidable…”
Still sneering at each other, they poured every last ounce of strength into a final charge.
“Hraaaaaah!!”
“Hyup!!”
Kailian’s neck blade slashed toward Haetae’s shoulder while Haetae’s fist slammed into Kailian’s stomach.
Poom!
The dull thud reverberated across the arena.
“Guhk…”
“Ugh…”
Both movements froze. A heavy silence fell.
Thud.
Kailian and Haetae collapsed to the ground at the exact same moment.
They lay there face-up, too exhausted to stand, the last of their strength spent on raw, ragged breathing.
“Um… in a situation like this…?”
The referee darted back and forth, panicked.
“Both sides simultaneous down! Counting… One! Two… …Ten!”
No one rose.
Neither woman had any strength left to push herself up.
The referee sat in the imperial box, looking helplessly at the Emperor.
“Your Majesty… it’s a draw. What do we do in such cases? The winner receives the foot-touch rights of a Divine Beast’s foot. We can’t simply split it…”
The spectators murmured in confusion.
A rematch? But those two monsters would need several days of recovery.
The atmosphere grew awkward. The murmurs swelled.
I let out a long sigh.
“Kyauuung…”
What am I supposed to do with these pitiful humans and Divine Beasts…
They were fighting to the death just to touch my one foot. It was supposed to be lighthearted after all.
My foot was soft and jiggly, sure, but did it really have to drive people to kill each other?
These two were weird.
“Kyaa.”
Make way. I’ll handle it. If those butlers cause a scene, the owner cleans it up.
I stood, leaped over the noble seating rail, and landed lightly on the arena floor.
“Eh?! Divine Beast Lord!”
A frantic voice tried to stop me, but I ignored it and bounded down the stairs.
The moment I reached the arena, every eye turned to me.
“Oh… it’s him…”
“Truly… so cute… I just want to touch him once…”
“Cute… I just want to nibble him once…”
I ignored the strange cheers, walked straight between the two exhausted women. The dirt-streaked, panting Kailian and Haetae.
They lifted their hazy eyes to see me approaching.
“Kyaa.”
Up close, you two are even more of a mess.
“Blanc…?”
“Lord Blanc…?”
I walked over and licked their faces with a generous application of my holy power.
Slurp, slurp.
“Eep… ticklish…”
“Ah… my body… feels so warm…”
Once the divine energy had spread through them, I sat down in front of them, rear end on the ground.
And.
Tap.
My right front paw hovered right in front of Kailian’s nose.
Left front paw hovered right in front of Haetae’s nose.
I lifted both paws at once, showing off the soft pink jelly.
“Kyaa.”
Here. Touch.
I turned my head in irritation and thumped my tail on the ground three times.
It was my own personal Solomon ruling: stop fighting, be nice, touch each of you separately.
At that exact moment, tears streamed down Kailian and Haetae’s cheeks.
“Kyaa…?”
Hey, why are you crying… did you hurt your head?
“Aaah… our Blanc… is so kind…”
“This… is the true… vessel of a Divine Beast… I’m still so far behind…”
Both women stretched trembling hands toward my feet.
Soft. Springy.
The warm, innocent touch of harmless jelly filled their fingertips.
They buried their faces in the dirt, sobbing with ecstatic expressions as if they had everything in the world.
“Hwaaaang! I love it… so soft, and that little tail scent… it’s the best smell I’ve ever smelled while alive… our Blanc… I love you so much…”
“Thank you… thank you… I will never forget this blessing.”
“Kyaa…”
Even more than Lina… but whatever, it’s fine.
I kept my front paws outstretched until they were satisfied.
The knights and spectators watching the entire scene were moved to tears by my sacrifice.
“Aaah, the Divine Beast Lord came down himself!”
“He really is… the symbol of peace…”
“Long live! Long live Lord Blanc! Long live those adorable paws!”
Applause erupted from every corner. Emperor Carchion smiled with deep satisfaction.
I sighed and looked up at the sky.
Is this empire really okay? The fanatics worry me a little.
While the two women kneaded my feet, I licked their hands and faces.
Whether I liked it or not, they were my butlers. I had to take care of them.
Thus the tournament concluded in a moving way, thanks entirely to my voluntary jelly supply.
The citizens called my name, cheering. Kailian and Haetae both looked dazed, lost in the scent of my foot.
That night.
I bathed, then collapsed onto the bed so exhausted I might have died.
Mentally more drained than physically. Maybe because I’d been through a whole day of chaos.
Beside the bed, Kailian slept with the happiest smile imaginable.
Normally she’d wait for me to join her, but today she was too tired and passed out first.
I poked a dollop of jelly onto the stupid butler’s face and closed my eyes, sinking into deep sleep.
“Kyua…”
Tired…
As usual, I entered the dream realm, tail wagging, ready to meet my grandfather.
Through the fog, a huge silhouette appeared. I prepared to dash forward.
But something felt off. The outline was smaller than my grandfather’s yet more elegant, carrying a faint, familiar scent of a white tiger.
“…?”
Who are you? Not my grandfather… but why does it feel so good?
I’d never seen this white tiger before, yet I wasn’t scared.
The massive beast approached me slowly.
Its blue eyes flashed, but the gaze held no threat. In those depths, infinite warmth and love melted my defenses.
When it stopped in front of me, I felt the same instinctive relief I did as a tiny kitten.
Not helplessness—pure comfort.
Even more comfortable than my grandfather…?
“Kyaa?”
Who are you?
I asked cautiously. Instead of answering, the white tiger slowly lowered its head.
Slurp.
A huge, rough tongue licked my entire face.
It was the same affectionate grooming a mother would give a newborn—warm, full of love.
“Kyuaaaung!!”
I jumped back in surprise.
But I wasn’t unhappy. My heart actually swelled, a warm, fuzzy feeling spreading inside my chest.
[My little one.]
A voice seemed to speak inside my head.
[My pretty little one.]
The white tiger gently wrapped its front paw around my fallen body.
So cozy…
Warmer and safer than Kailian’s embrace, or anyone else’s.
A complete sense of security that nothing in the world could ever harm me.
I instinctively rubbed my head against its side like a kitten begging its mother.
“Kyaa…”
What is this feeling…?
I stayed dazed, nestled in the arms of this giant white tiger.
Even though it was the first time I’d seen it, why did my chest feel so heavy with longing?
It rested its forehead gently against mine and hummed, patting me.
Slurp, slurp.
Again, its tongue brushed across my cheek.
The rough-yet-warm sensation.
“Kyuaaaung…”
I love it…
…!
My eyes snapped open.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window.
Was it a dream?
But the warm, soft tongue sensation on my cheek remained vividly alive.
“Kyaa…”
Who was it… I want to see them again…
I looked up at the sky outside the window.
Who was that white tiger in the dream?
Even though I’d never seen it before, why did it feel so painfully familiar in my heart?
“Kyuaaaung…”
I burrowed deeper under the blanket and curled up.
Kailian and Lumia were right beside me, but an inexplicable loneliness crept in.
The massive embrace and that warm tongue had become too precious.
Sllrrp, sllrrp.
My once-strong tail drooped limply.
“Kyaaang…”
My chest feels empty…