Spring Race

"I lost to a treadmill?"

"Don't get excited, Ron. Our current technology is still at the level of boiling water."

"What?" Ron wondered if he had misheard.

He's no longer the clueless little wizard who knows nothing about the ordinary world.

He was a wizard chosen as Champion, a wizard with knowledge of the alien race— the Skrull.

Boiling water is something that can be done with a single Incendio.

"You heard me right. Whether it's a steam engine, internal combustion engine, or nuclear reactor, they're all just boiling water," Dr. Tsuchiya said. "Because water is an extremely perfect energy conversion medium. It's readily available, non-toxic, reusable, easy to convert, and has high conversion efficiency for other forms of water."

"The end of science is boiling water."

"Black Hole Engine, Perpetual Motion Machine?" Ron asked.

Dr. Tsuchiya shook his head. "It's still boiling water, only the firewood has changed."

"Theoretically, direct energy conversion is more efficient, such as converting heat energy into electrical energy."

"We used to think that 'boiling water' was just a helpless measure due to outdated technology."

"But the affinity Soul of the Car Power and water, and the fourth form of water beyond the supercritical state that shakes the foundation of past physics, make us realize that it cannot be bypassed, does not need to be bypassed, and cannot be bypassed."

"There's a fifth and sixth form? Even the illogical Perpetual Motion Machine can't bypass it?" Magneto incredulously.

"Perpetual Motion Machine are rooted in the seventh state of water," Dr. Tsuchiya said. "In this state, it is no longer just a simple energy conversion medium; it also has the characteristics of a catalyst and a magnifying glass. As long as there is energy to operate, it can exist stably."

"If the energy required to process water to the seventh state is 1, and the energy it needs to transfer is 10, then the energy it transfers is 100."

"Output exceeds consumption."

"If combined with an energy recovery system, this means that Perpetual Motion Machine only needs an initial force and a device to consume excess energy, and it can operate forever."

"Fatigue of the constituent materials is also not a concern, as it will automatically absorb energy to repair itself, and energy is not a problem for Perpetual Motion Machine that require additional high-power consumption equipment."

("The seventh state?" The water balloon in Harry's hand was heating up.)

(He was consciously slowing down the rate at which heat was being injected.)

(Therefore, the water did not instantly vaporize and reach a supercritical state, which is between gas and liquid.)

(After quite some time, they arrived at the initial stage of the ice crystal form known as Ice No. 7.)

(It took nearly 3 minutes for the electrons in the hydrogen and oxygen atoms to be flung out and pulled back into their ionized state.)

("It's turned into liquid again?" Harry looked at the liquid in his hand, all its structures destroyed, the molecules and atoms resembling the chaos of the primordial universe—the 'quark soup' of physics.)

(But it does not exhibit stability; instead, like most matter in the universe, it constantly undergoes entropy change.)

(This is completely inconsistent with Dr. Tsuchiya's description of the seventh form.)

("Is it the Soul of the Car Power?" Harry shook his head. "It seems that simply increasing the temperature and pressure can't create it.")

(The attempt to replicate the Perpetual Motion Machine ended in failure.)

(Because the Soul of the Car Power is a power that even the Cosmic Knight cannot replicate, just like the Source Magic Power of the Wizard.)

(Phenomena that are easily understood in the ninja world cannot be replicated in this world.)

"Let's get back to the utilization rate of the Soul of the Car Power," Katy interrupted.

She felt that Perpetual Motion Machine were too far removed from her reality.

The wizards in the Merlin Universe are practically Perpetual Motion Machine of magic; theoretically, they can cast spells indefinitely and use magic to maintain their bodies in peak condition.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Ron.

Ron was that kind of wizard. The reason he hadn't shown the characteristic of inexhaustible energy was simply because he couldn't master the technique of wielding magic without consuming his physical and mental strength.

"Utilization rate, ah, utilization rate." Dr. Tsuchiya seemed to wake up from a dream. "Yes, Ron, your [Green Spider], if I'm not mistaken, you should already be able to use your signature driving skills, so after the modification surgery, your utilization rate is still in the range of 175%, above 100%, and below 200%."

"This is already quite good for a newcomer, but it's completely unacceptable to me."

"1000% is the mark of an excellent mini-race car driver."

This technique requires perfect harmony between driver and car. It can only be executed when the driver and car are in complete sync. It allows one to unleash the full Soul of the Car Power tenfold, even a hundredfold.

All four of them thought of that sentence.

These are words revealed by Dr. Tsuchiya during his commentary on Super Downhill Race.

"What should we do?" Ron asked. "175% to 1000% is such a long way off."

"Utilize the omnipotence of the Soul of the Car Power, and reconstruct and modify the parts using your own Soul of the Car Power," Dr. Tsuchiya said. "Make the [Black Hole Engine] and [Acceleration Device] part of your Soul of the Car."

"Dr. Ogami said something similar," Magneto said. "He said it was to prevent soul pressure from causing the modification to fail. Acquired modifications are not as stable as our original ones."

"That's not the whole reason. Because you are racers with potential, he didn't make permanent modifications to the Soul of the Car," Dr. Tsuchiya said. "For most mediocre drivers, higher utilization is far less valuable than high-tech parts."

"Even if a mediocre driver reaches 1000%, their speed will still be limited by their own soul power and they will not be able to break the speed of light."

"It would be better to permanently modify it, implant Perpetual Motion Machine, Time Stop device, or Solar Wind Simulator."

"Solar Wind Simulator?" Magneto, who had just thought he could recreate the phenomenon of solar flares, couldn't help but interrupt.

"A weapon." Dr. Tsuchiya shrugged. "The Da Shen's specialty. In fact, I can do it too, but that doesn't fit my character in the script of destiny. I just do research on how to make the car run faster, more stably, and longer in terms of motors, chassis, and materials."

"The Eternal Kingdom is also because I had researched this aspect in the earliest era, and Gō's Cyclone Rush was born from this."

"Although he needs Aji's assistance, he is a really creative driver."

"Lie is much inferior in comparison. Each of his car series is more of a secondary creation based on Gō."

"That's not what Dr. Ogami said. He said Lie is better—" Ron was interrupted by Dr. Tsuchiya halfway through his sentence, "He said Lie is better? Of course he would say that. Lie is a pragmatist, just like him, except for his views on cars."

"Alright, let's move on to the question you're most interested in."

"After the restructuring is completed, you will have two options."

"Continuously hone your skills in real competitions to achieve true unity between driver and machine, reaching 1000% of the field."

"Or keep going to the Da Shen to make modifications and reconstructions."

"These two are not contradictory."

"But you can't do both at the same time."

"The renovation will reduce the utilization rate, and the reconstruction will require a readjustment."

"Although it's not like you have to start all over again from the 100%-200% range, it's still very troublesome. Your best driving skills may need to be modified or even reset."

"Just like Gō's Cyclone Rush Tornado to Leap Bomb."

"So we need real matches like Dr. Ogami said?" Ron asked. "How long until the Spring Season?"

"Ten days," Tsuchiya said. "You still have to wait until the script for Gō and Ryū's rematch and Tōkichi's appearance is finished."

"Can't we participate in their competition?" Susan asked.

"No," Tsuchiya said. "The duel between Gō and Ryū is between two people. The Galaxy Meteor Universe Space Dream Fantasy Super Track in the amusement park, which is managed by Tōkichi, is not something you can participate in."

"Is a track with such a long name really that impressive?" Ron asked.

"It's not just powerful, it's also very dangerous," Tsuchiya said. "The runway is set up in an artificial universe. You'll not only be facing a vacuum, but also have to avoid Meteor Shower, various forms of radiation, the impact of high-energy particle streams, and you might even get caught in a ring of stars."

"If you die, you probably won't make it to the Spring Split. This isn't a good option."

"Then we can only wait," Magneto asked.

"Of course not," Dr. Tsuchiya shook his head. "You need to learn how to operate in a vacuum environment, using only external forces."

"If we rely entirely on the Soul of the Car Power, the car will be very slow."

"Is it difficult?" Ron asked.

In the Superhero World, his force field can do this.

Not to mention that he also learned Chakra and Sealing Technique in the ninja world, and even, with Harry's help, linked all his abilities together.

"We can all do it," Magneto said.

"You need to not only do it, but more importantly, become familiar with it," the Dr. Ogami said, "And with your race cars as well."

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

If everything he'd experienced these past few days were turned into a comic strip and shown to his past self, Ron believed he would think it was some kind of crazy doodle.

There are no frogs on the moon, only a gray, cratered expanse of Dadi.

They went to the moon just to play mini racing.

If it were a dream, the past him would definitely think that this was because he had heard his father talk about Spark, plugs, and cars too much, otherwise why would he play with Muggle toys (referring to mini racing cars).

But it's all true.

Simply follow behind the car, and you can run through the air, all the way to space, all the way to the moon.

This is absolutely fantastical.

Even he, a wizard, thought so.

But most importantly, he finally discovered a power he had long forgotten, a power that could be used in the game.

Standing in front of the track, looking at the towering skyscraper that seemed to reach the sky like the Tower of Babel, Ron secretly cheered himself on.

"Only the top two spots are guaranteed in this competition, so maybe I can get third place and qualify for the World Cup."

Unlike Ron Magneto and his two companions were more focused on observing the adversaries that Dr. Tsuchiya had mentioned they were worthy of attention.

Because the script for the World Cup was broken, the Super National Cup turned into the World Cup.

The spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons have also become open to the whole world.

Therefore, some Eternity figures who should have appeared in the World Cup also made their mark in these four matches.

Brett and Joe will be participating in this competition.

Members of the America Space Rovers.

As for the other Eternity characters, Kurosawa, Acheng, Tōkichi, they are destined to fail in the script, exiting the competition directly by having their cars destroyed.

They are not as worthy of attention as the 'Blood Collector'.

Although they can use the Soul of the Car Power through the [Soul Fragment] inside the vehicle, they mainly rely on the vehicle's performance in combat.

Their mini racing cars are equipped with state-of-the-art devices, and can basically reach the speed of light.

Magneto stared intently at the 'Blood Collector's' vehicle beside him. It wasn't a physical entity formed from the Soul of the Car, but a vehicle built with real materials, a vehicle that housed the future and sacrifices.

"Everyone, are you all ready?!"

"The track for this Spring Tournament is quite challenging, so please listen carefully."

The voice of the Dash rang out.

"This course is 912,000 miles long. The runners will start at the starting point under the Ascension Tower and then go up the course that surrounds it."

"Then it will leave the atmosphere and enter a straight runway to head to the moon."

"Obstruct the moon again, then cross the springboard, plunge into the atmosphere, enter the super straight track, and return to me."

The Dash pointed to the track in front of him.

It too disappears into the Cloud Top, stretching as far as the eye can see.

"Each stage is equipped with cameras that will project everything about you onto the big screen behind me."

"Alright, all runners, please gather at the starting line."

"Ready, go!"

At the command of the Dash, all the motors of the cars started to turn, each displaying its own Kamui.

The Spider have begun to pollute the runway, creating a green swamp.

The Nick transformed into a bolt of lightning.

The Fairy Ship vanished into the void.

The Moon God disappeared into thin air.

("Aren't the Dash going to protect the track this time?" Ginny wondered. "If they don't suppress them and let those cars that reach or even exceed the speed of light run freely, the race will be over in less than 3 seconds.")

("It's already underway," Harry said. "Before the players gathered. The fact that the city wasn't engulfed in explosions is good evidence of that.")

"What is this?!" Ron hurriedly activated his force field.

A huge mushroom cloud suddenly appeared in front of him.

There were vaguely a dozen or so drivers who didn't have time to react, and they were turned into charred remains.

"Me too!"

"[The Spider]! [Muwang Mode]!"

Green steam billowed and spread across the runway.

("King Mu, I almost forgot about the Five-Tailed Beast and the summoned beasts!")

(This stirred the hearts of countless duelists who loved beast fighting.)

("Give them a lesson, let them know what a real duelist is!")

Several drivers vanished instantly, and a skull rolled in front of Ron, who kicked it away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

("There's no need for that, Ron. You're going a bit too far.")

Ron, and the unknown driver who dropped a nuclear bomb on the track, are not uncommon.

Magneto also encountered a similar situation.

To be precise, the entire racetrack has now become a breeding ground for natural disasters.

All three dodged perfectly in their own way.

"Man and vehicle as one!"

Faced with the sudden blizzard, Magneto chose to transform himself into electricity and merge into the Nick.

"A meteorite fell from the sky!"

When faced with the meteorite suddenly summoned by the driver next to them, Katy and her car did not react at all, letting it pass through their bodies.

"Positron Cannon!"

Amidst the heatwave and electric arcs, Susan and the silhouettes of the Fairy Ship flashed by.