When accelerating out of a turn, Mavuika would twist the throttle to the limit, the rear wheel slipping slightly under the powerful torque, but he corrected it quickly.
What made it even more unbelievable to Tony was Mavuika's sense of speed; he seemed to be able to'see' every detail of the road in advance.
Where the road was uneven, where there was sand and gravel, where there were blind spots... His riding line was always the optimal solution, without a single wasted movement.
After a few turns, Tony had already been left behind by some distance.
He tried hard to catch up, and the sports car could gain a little ground on the straightaways, but the gap would widen again as soon as they hit a curve.
'Is this guy a monster?' Tony muttered to himself, staring at the increasingly smaller speck of the motorcycle's taillight ahead.
He was driving quite aggressively, with gear shifts precise to the millisecond and cornering lines as optimized as possible, but he still couldn't catch up.
What shocked him most was Mavuika's boldness. On some turns with poor visibility, he dared to pass at full speed, as if he could predict that there were no oncoming vehicles behind the curve.
This kind of riding could no longer be described as 'good technique'; it was simply...
'He's got a death wish!' Tony shook his head, his foot subconsciously easing off the accelerator.
He suddenly regretted agreeing to this race.
With Mavuika's riding style, if something went wrong, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Meanwhile, Mavuika was immersed in an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
The wind whistled past him, and the scenery outside his helmet visor flew backward rapidly.
He could feel every vibration of the motorcycle, hear every breath of the engine, and perceive every subtle change in the contact between the tires and the road.
This feeling reminded him of Natlan, of the days spent chasing the sunset on a Flamestrider.
The long years, the solemn priesthood, the duties of Asgard... none of these had worn away his innate love for speed.
Ahead was a hairpin turn, the angle very sharp, with a slight incline on the road surface.
Mavuika did not slow down. He shifted his body's center of gravity to the limit before entering the turn, and the motorcycle cut into the curve in a posture that was almost touching the ground.
The tires hissed slightly but held firmly to the road.
When exiting the turn, he twisted the throttle hard. The rear wheel spun in the air for a moment under the powerful torque before grabbing the road, shooting the bike out like a cannonball.
That instantaneous sense of acceleration made him laugh out loud. Wearing a helmet, only he could hear the laughter.
He had completely let go.
In comparison, Tony could only rely on his naked eyes and limited track experience.
The gap, just like that, continued to widen.
...
Howard stood at the entrance of the Villa, watching the two figures that soon disappeared at the end of his field of vision, and sighed helplessly.
The roar of the engines gradually faded away, eventually dispersed by the wind, leaving only the chirping of birds in the forest and the rustling of leaves.
'Tony is one thing...' Howard shook his head and turned to walk into the house: 'He's been like this since he was a child, liking thrills, liking challenges.'
But what he didn't expect was that even Mavuika would have such a playful side.
When interacting normally, Mavuika gave the impression of being gentle, wise, and steady. Although he would occasionally reveal a sense of humor, he generally matched the solemnity expected of a millennial deity.
But now... looking at how excited he was while racing with Tony, watching the aggressive posture of the motorcycle in the corners...
Howard suddenly realized that his understanding of this sun goddess was still very limited.
'But since Mavuika said so...' Howard muttered to himself, pushing open the door of the Villa.
'He guaranteed that he would ensure safety, so that should... be fine, right?'
Even so, Howard couldn't help but worry.
After all, that was his son, after all, that was a public road, and after all...
'After all, she is the legendary sun goddess.' Howard smiled bitterly and shook his head, 'Racing shouldn't cause any problems? Probably...'
He walked into the living room, where Maria was arranging flowers. Seeing him return alone, she was a bit puzzled: 'Where are Tony and Ms. Marvica?'
'They went out... for a ride.' Howard chose a milder way of putting it.
Maria nodded and didn't ask further.
Howard sat on the sofa and picked up a magazine, but his gaze always drifted toward the window.
...
On the empty road, Mavuika had already left Tony far behind.
This was not surprising; the performance of this motorcycle, which Howard ordered Stark Industries to specially manufacture, was truly impeccable.
300 horsepower was already top-tier for a motorcycle, and combined with the lightweight frame and precision suspension system, it performed excellently in both straight-line acceleration and cornering control.
But the key was Mavuika's reaction time and control ability, which far exceeded that of ordinary people.
As a deity, his neural reaction speed was incomparable to that of ordinary humans; he had ample time to observe, judge, and react.
His body control ability had reached its limit; every muscle contraction and every shift of the center of gravity was precise to the extreme.
In his hands, the motorcycle was not a vehicle, but an extension of his limbs, a direct manifestation of his will.
In comparison, although Tony had good driving skills, he was a human after all.
His reactions had limits, his body had inertia, and his judgment would be limited by his line of sight and experience.
In this unfair race, he basically had no chance at all.
Tony himself realized this as well.
At this moment, he was staring intently at the empty road ahead, his face looking a bit grim.
Mavuika's taillight had disappeared behind the turn ahead five minutes ago, and he hadn't seen him since.
The speedometer on the dashboard pointed to 180 km/h, which was the limit speed he could reach on this road; any faster and there would be a risk of losing control.
And Mavuika...
This ridiculously beautiful man was simply a madman! No, 'madman' wasn't enough to describe him.
That riding style, that speed, that disregard for danger...
Tony considered his driving skills to be quite good, and he played with cars crazy enough, but he dared not drive like Mavuika.
And that was a motorcycle! Once control was lost, there was almost no possibility of survival.
Cars at least had the protection of a chassis, airbags, and various passive safety systems.
What about a motorcycle? Flesh wrapped in iron; falling off meant serious injury or even death.
At this moment, Tony somewhat regretted the proposal to race Mavuika.
It wasn't because of losing face—although he really didn't like to lose, he wasn't someone who couldn't afford to lose.
He regretted it because he was worried, worried that something would happen.
At this speed, if something went wrong, his father would definitely strangle him.
No, his father wouldn't even have to do it; Tony wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
After all, it was he who spoke first, which led to this race.
He wanted to call it quits, but the problem was...
He couldn't catch up to Mavuika, and now he didn't have the other party's contact information; he couldn't even call him to stop.