With Razor eliminated, the situation on the rooftop flipped instantly.
The two who already couldn't handle Jing Yuan were now completely out of options.
"Kazuha."
At that moment, Tighnari shot Kaedehara Kazuha a look. Kazuha immediately understood. He abandoned Jing Yuan and dashed toward the pile of poles.
"Hm?"
Jing Yuan frowned. At a time like this, he was still going for the poles?
"Wait—that's not right!"
A jolt ran through Jing Yuan's mind.
"Stop him! He's going to destroy the poles!"
But it was too late.
Kazuha reached the poles and, with a swift kick, snapped every single one in half.
"Tighnari, let's go!"
Without hesitation, Kazuha accelerated toward the edge of the rooftop.
"Got it!"
Tighnari followed right behind him, completely ignoring Jing Yuan.
Jing Yuan didn't chase. He just stood there, staring at them with a bitter expression.
This was outrageous. What kind of strategy was that?
Reaching the edge, the two of them leapt simultaneously toward the next building.
[Notice: Player Tighnari has been eliminated.]
[Notice: Player Kaedehara Kazuha has been eliminated.]
The elimination notices followed immediately.
Jing Yuan turned to look at Valerius, who was already crouched on the ground laughing. "Does that count?"
"It counts," Valerius said, still trying to hold back his laughter. "By the way, the current best result belongs to Xiao."
"As expected."
Jing Yuan sighed. So that was their plan all along.
He shrugged at Dr. Ratio, tossed his stick aside, and sprinted toward the edge as well.
[Notice: Player Jing Yuan has been eliminated.]
"Haha… impressive."
Valerius couldn't hold it in anymore. What started as pole vaulting had turned into a full-blown brawl, then somehow evolved into long jump. Truly, only they could come up with something like this.
Now, all players were eliminated—except one.
Dr. Ratio picked up a wooden stick and began striking it against the ground, breaking it into smaller fragments.
"Professor… what are you doing?"
Valerius was puzzled. Everyone else was already out. Was this just frustration?
Holding two small pieces in his hands, Dr. Ratio tested their weight and nodded in satisfaction.
"Carrying objects in hand can assist with momentum while running. This will allow me to run faster and jump farther."
"…Sure."
You're the professor—you win. Valerius stepped aside, silently marveling at how versatile this man was.
Dr. Ratio sprinted toward the edge and leapt.
Valerius watched closely.
Not as far as Jing Yuan.
No matter how scientific the method, raw physical ability still mattered.
[Notice: Player Dr. Ratio has been eliminated.]
All players eliminated. Not a single one had cleared the course.
Still, rankings had to be assigned.
Checking the system's data, the first place was, unsurprisingly, Xiao.
Despite being interrupted by Sampo, Xiao had still launched himself forward with the pole, nearly reaching the opposite rooftop.
Second place: Jing Yuan.
Third place: Kaedehara Kazuha.
Fourth place: Tighnari.
Fifth place: Dr. Ratio.
Sixth place: Razor.
Everyone else: no result.
Valerius couldn't help laughing. Razor, who had been knocked off by Dr. Ratio, still managed to get a ranking. He couldn't help but wonder—if Tighnari and Kazuha had taken Jing Yuan down with them, would Razor have somehow landed second place?
In the stands, Liyue erupted in cheers. They had thought they were doomed to last place, but instead they secured first. That felt amazing.
"Hmph. Liyue only won because of us."
Raiden Shogun couldn't stand their celebration. If Kazuha hadn't destroyed all the poles, they would've been crying instead. And now they were celebrating?
"Sara, when you go up, destroy the poles immediately, then take off."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
Kujou Sara nodded. It was a solid plan.
"Wait. Hold on."
Yae Miko quickly grabbed them both and looked at them like they were idiots. "If you try to fly, do you really think they won't gang up on you?"
"…That's true. Then what do we do?"
"Simple. Jump last."
Once the poles were destroyed, everyone would be forced to rely on long jumps. After everyone else was eliminated, Sara could simply fly to the finish.
"Right, right. That's perfect."
Raiden Shogun nodded in approval and turned to Sara. "Use that plan."
"Yes."
Sara stepped toward the field.
On the rooftop, all participants for the women's division had gathered.
Mondstadt: Eula.
Liyue: Keqing.
Inazuma: Kujou Sara.
Sumeru–Fontaine: Navia.
Xianzhou Alliance: Guinaifen.
Penacony Coalition: Sparkle.
Belobog Alliance: Himeko.
Zenless Zone Zero: Miyabi Hoshimi.
Guinaifen looked like she was about to cry. She had thought this would be a normal pole vault event—something she was actually good at. Who knew it would turn into a brawl?
"Sigh… I just need to grab a pole first."
She looked toward where the poles should be—
And froze.
There was nothing there.
"Huh? Where are the poles?"
The others noticed too, confusion spreading across their faces.
"Hehe~ I already threw them off the building," Sparkle said cheerfully. "Now everyone has to rely on jumping."
"You—"
"…Wow."
"…Seriously?"
Everyone facepalmed. Sparkle was truly shameless—she had just removed the entire mechanic.
"Opportunity."
Sara's eyes lit up. Without poles, no one could throw anything at her. That meant she could just fly freely.
She stepped onto the starting line and looked at Valerius, clearly signaling him to start the match.
"Heh."
Valerius rolled his eyes and blew the whistle.
But no one moved.
Everyone knew it was now a long jump contest. Whoever went first would just get targeted.
"Hmph. If you won't move, I will."
Sara didn't care. She sprinted forward. Seeing no one trying to stop her, she grew even more confident.
Not only would she win—she'd even circle above them afterward.
She reached the edge and leapt.
"…Huh?"
Midair, something felt wrong.
Why couldn't she spread her wings?
This wasn't right.
As she began to fall, panic surged.
Where were her wings?
Why couldn't she fly?
A terrifying realization hit her.
She couldn't fly.
"Oh no."
Regret hit instantly. She hadn't put any force into her jump, assuming she could fly. Now she was just falling straight down.
That meant—
She'd be last place.
[Notice: Player Kujou Sara has been eliminated.]
Raiden Shogun: "..."
Yae Miko: "..."
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