Chapter 41: Zero Martial Ethics!
Belle tapped the holographic interface, officially locking in the final round mode through the chat group. Instantly, a crisp chime echoed, and the system projected a brand-new, glowing route map directly into everyone's field of vision. The neon lines traced a path straight toward the Blazestone Fire Lake.
But the moment Wise and Belle laid eyes on the updated trajectory, the confident grins on their faces shattered. Their expressions stiffened, melting into matching looks of utter dismay.
"This... the entire route has been completely overhauled?" Wise muttered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A heavy sigh escaped him, his usual analytical calm replaced by sheer helplessness.
"And the spatial structure is way more complicated now..." Belle groaned, her shoulders slumping as her face fell in defeat. "All those calculations we did earlier? Completely useless."
As Proxies, their greatest—and arguably only—advantage in this chaotic group was their intimate familiarity with Hollow routing and their unmatched navigational processing speed.
They had banked entirely on that expertise to secure a decent ranking in this absurd multiversal race. What they had not anticipated was that igniting the Blazestone Fire Lake would trigger a massive spatial reconstruction within the Hollow itself. The chat group's updated map was a cruel joke, instantly rendering every ounce of their careful prep work obsolete.
Stripped of their home-field advantage, reality set in. ultimately, the siblings were just ordinary humans. They did not possess the monstrous physical specs or world-shattering combat prowess of powerhouses like Stelle and Lumine. Wise and Belle exchanged a single, deeply understanding glance. In that split second, a silent sibling consensus was reached.
"Ahem, well..." Wise cleared his throat, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "Belle and I have decided that for this particular competition... safety comes first! Just crossing the finish line in one piece is a victory for us. As for fighting over the top rankings, we will leave that to you heavyweights!"
Belle nodded furiously, her head bobbing up and down like a pecking chick. "Exactly, exactly! It is the taking part that counts!"
Zhongli, leaning casually against his ride, seemed to share their exact sentiment. He crossed his arms, his golden eyes reflecting a serene calm. "A high-speed race such as this is the perfect stage for the youth to display their vigor. I shall remain at the rear of the pack, providing support and ensuring no unforeseen circumstances befall anyone."
It was abundantly clear that the retired Geo Archon had fully embraced the role of a leisurely, glorified safety officer.
Catching onto the vibe, Paimon subtly inched backward. She gripped the handlebars of her tiny, custom-built motorcycle—which proudly sported an adorable, oversized decal of her own face on the chassis—and pulled up right alongside Zhongli.
"I-I am still not very good at driving, so I definitely should not drag Lumine down!" Paimon declared, puffing out her chest defensively. "Following Zhongli is the safest bet! I just want to finish the race without crashing!" Her little belly was still visibly round from her earlier feast; a slow, breezy cruise was exactly what she needed right now to digest.
Meanwhile, at the front of the pack, the atmosphere was entirely different. Stelle, Lumine, Dan Heng, and March 7th were practically vibrating with competitive energy. They cracked their knuckles, their eyes burning with an intense, unyielding fighting spirit.
"Alright, everyone, get ready—" Belle, acting as the local administrator and impromptu referee, raised her hand high to give the starting signal.
But before her hand could drop, the ground trembled.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Deafening explosions shattered the tense silence.
Out of the open ground flanking the Hollow entrance, several massive, exquisitely designed firework cannons erupted from the dirt without a single warning. Their metallic surfaces shimmered with blinding neon lights, their heavy muzzles locking directly onto the sky above.
"Enemy attack?!"
"Watch out!"
The sudden, violent commotion sent a shockwave of panic through the group. Nerves snapped taut. Combat instincts flared. Stelle did not even blink before a flash of light materialized in her grip, her trusty baseball bat already swung back and ready to crush skulls.
Lumine summoned her blade in a heartbeat, dropping into a low stance, while Dan Heng summoned Cloud-Piercer, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the perimeter for threats.
But the anticipated ambush never arrived.
Instead of artillery fire, the muzzles of the cannons let out a series of high-pitched whistles. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless dazzling ribbons, confetti, and sparkling energy flares blasted into the air. They bloomed in the sky above their heads like a grand, over-the-top festival celebration, raining glittering light down upon the hyper-alert combatants.
The sparks cascaded downward, weaving together to form a magnificent, holographic light curtain. To make matters worse, an incredibly loud, obnoxiously cheerful, and inspiring pop track began blasting from invisible speakers.
[System Notification (Visible to All): Tour de Inferno Champions' Showdown Final, now—BEGINS!]
"..."
"..."
An eerie, deadpan silence washed over the starting line. The upbeat music continued to blare, completely at odds with the murderous auras radiating from the racers.
"What the heck is this!!!" Stelle was the first to snap. She waved her baseball bat furiously at the sky, screaming her protest at the holographic text. "This stupid chat group! What is with this damned obsession with ceremony?! If you are going to set off literal cannons, at least give us a heads-up! I almost swung at nothing!"
March 7th aggressively patted her chest, trying to soothe her racing heart. "Exactly! I thought we were getting ambushed again! My life flashed before my eyes!"
Lumine and Dan Heng slowly, reluctantly dismissed their weapons. The glowing sword and spear vanished into golden and teal dust. They exchanged a long, tired glance, both seeing the exact same deep exasperation mirrored in the other's eyes.
Hovering near Zhongli, Paimon clutched her round stomach, her face pale. "Ugh... you almost made me throw up all that good food!" she whined, glaring at the confetti.
Even the eternally composed Zhongli was not entirely immune. The corner of his mouth twitched, a microscopic break in his stoic facade.
"Pfft..." Wise and Belle, watching from the sidelines, could not hold it in anymore. They burst out laughing, thoroughly amused by the collective overreaction of these multiversal powerhouses.
But just in that fleeting instant—while everyone was still distracted, their guards lowered by the ridiculous fireworks and the ensuing complaints—
VROOM! VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!
Four engines roared to life, their mechanical screams tearing through the brief lull!
The three members of the Astral Express crew—Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th—alongside the Traveler Lumine, shot forward like four arrows released from a single, high-tension bowstring.
They had completely weaponized the distraction. Taking full advantage of the half-second delay caused by the fireworks, the four of them slammed their throttles to the maximum. They surged past the starting line in a blur of motion, kicking up a massive cloud of dirt and exhaust, and instantly vanished into the dim, swirling entrance passage of the Hollow!
"Ah! You guys are totally cheating! Zero martial ethics!" Belle finally snapped out of her laughing fit, stamping her foot indignantly at the settling dust cloud.
"It is alright, Belle. Let them fight it out. We will take our time; we were not aiming for the podium anyway." Wise chuckled, unhurriedly kicking his own motorcycle into gear.
Paimon scrambled to start her mini-bike, the tiny engine purring to life as she prepared to follow at a safe, leisurely pace.
Zhongli smoothly engaged the throttle of the grand, ancient-looking, Geo-accented motorcycle beneath him. He set off with the remaining stragglers, his vehicle leaving a steady, reassuring trail of golden light in its wake.
And just like that, amidst a barrage of jump scares, fake-outs, and utterly shameless false starts, the chat group's very first multiversal racing final officially began!
Deep within the Hollow, the four-person vanguard tore through the shadows. After burning through the initial straightaway sprint, they rapidly approached the newly reconstructed, highly complex terrain of the Hollow interior.
Because the chat group system had strictly standardized the base performance of all mounts, raw speed was not enough to pull ahead. The four motorcycles were locked in a dead heat, practically scraping paint as they rode neck and neck. The deafening roar of their engines echoed wildly against the distorted walls of the Hollow passage.
However, the stalemate broke the moment the first wave of obstacles loomed in the headlights. A jagged cluster of scattered Ether crystal pillars blocked the path, surrounded by a pack of wandering, low-level Ethereals.
Seeing the blockade, Stelle's eyes lit up. Her so-called winning strategy instantly came online!
"Haha! Eat my dust!" Stelle shouted, a manic grin spreading across her face. Her right hand clamped down on the throttle, twisting it to the absolute limit. At the same time, she reached out with her left hand. A burst of intense heat flared as she summoned her flaming lance, hoisting the heavy weapon high into the air. The blazing fire of the Path of Preservation ignited the dark tunnel!
A dense, roaring blaze instantly cascaded downward, enveloping both her and her custom ride, the Galaxy Transcender One, in a dome of searing fire.
Faced with a solid wall of crystals and monsters, she did not even tap the brakes. Instead, she leaned forward, revved the engine until it screamed, and violently plowed straight into the blockade like a flaming meteor!
CRASH!
The rock-hard Ether crystal pillars stood no chance. Upon impact with the furious, Preservation-fueled charge, they shattered into a million pieces, sending razor-sharp fragments rocketing in every direction!
Several unfortunate Ethereals caught in her path were brutally punted into the air like bowling pins, their corrupted bodies instantly vaporizing into dissipated Ether energy before they even hit the ground!
"Woohoo! Strike!" Stelle cheered triumphantly, her laughter echoing over the roar of her engine.
However, her spectacularly violent method of clearing the road immediately spelled disaster for the three racers drafting right on her tail!
The sheer force of her impact turned the debris into shrapnel. Countless Ether crystal fragments and dissolving Ethereal remnants flew backward like a barrage of shotgun blasts, pelting directly toward Lumine, Dan Heng, and March 7th!
"Stelle! Are you trying to kill us?!" March 7th shrieked in sheer terror. Her face drained of color as she hastily raised her hand, summoning a thick, pink-and-blue hexagonal ice shield to cover her front.
Clang! Clang! CRACK!
The high-speed fragments slammed brutally against the crystalline ice. The kinetic force traveled straight down March 7th's arm, leaving it completely numb. The sheer volume of debris forced her to swerve, severely killing her momentum and dropping her speed.
"How are we supposed to race if you are just blowing up the entire track?!" she shouted, her voice cracking with exasperation.
"That is the beauty of my winning secret! Just try to keep up!" Stelle yelled back arrogantly over her shoulder. She did not even bother to look back, fully committing to her new role as a high-speed demolition ball.
Without missing a beat, she locked her eyes on the next cluster of obstacles looming in the dark, tightened her grip on her flaming lance, and brutally rammed straight into them!
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