Volume Two: Life and Death at Speed in the Northern Territory - Lightning and the Undead

Since the beginning of time, countless powerful monsters have been born on the Spirit Star.

They may be fierce, brutal, beautiful, or exceptionally intelligent.

But in the end, they are all just mortal beings, and as long as they live, they will be bound by their physical bodies.

The only exception is the alien race.

They are purely non-physical beings, aggregates of spirit and energy. They are born from the elements of heaven and earth and feed directly on them. Unbound by the constraints of the physical body, they roam freely between heaven and earth. As long as there is a sufficient supply of energy, they can survive indefinitely. They can be considered more noble than humans, representing the pinnacle of life evolution.

Depending on the element from which they are born, there are significant differences between individual spirits.

The Aggregate of Fire Element Fire Spirit element; the Water Spirit Favorite of Water Element; the Wood Spirit Symbol of Wood Element; and the Wind Spirit Master of Wind Element...

There are also some unconventional methods.

For example, this is Spirit Element Spirit that Devouring Spirit, Controlling Spirit, and Destroying Spirit.

Tekeli-li!!!!!!!!

Black Ghost Mist — Spirit Element Spirit hovered above our heads, seemingly amused by our panicked and foolish state. As the mist churned, a giant hand composed of black Vengeful Spirit pierced through the void and reached out to grab us!

Ally jerked the steering wheel, executing a beautiful drift to narrowly dodge the giant hand of the Vengeful Spirit! The spirit hissed, and countless black, gaping fissures immediately split open in the swamp, from which countless undead surged forth like fountains, surrounding us completely!

"Damn it—how many people have died here?!"

The thrust erupted from the chassis, Sirius roared out of the encirclement of the undead, jetting airborne jets to dodge fountains of the dead. Upon landing, it executed a 180-degree drift, narrowly avoiding the black mist of the otherworldly spirits. Ally's superb driving skills were on full display at this moment; her sense of self as a driver even outweighed her fear. Her expression was neither sad nor happy, a testament to her complete immersion in driving the race car.

The cries of "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!" grew urgent, clearly indicating that the spirit was also impatient with the slippery little mouse below. The black mist suddenly spread, stirring up countless ghosts and forming an invincible tidal wave of the dead, sweeping towards us with overwhelming force!

"Ally, behind you!"

"I know— Givinia, find an escape route immediately!"

"I can't do it! If I project my thoughts nearby, they will be devoured by the alien spirit!"

"Then project it outside the valley! Can't you project it up to tens of kilometers away? We just need to know the general direction out of the valley!"

"Alright! I'll give it a try... Ah! There's a narrow path to the west of the valley, and a large mountain to the southeast! Neither of them are within the territory of the otherworldly spirits!"

"Then let's head west! We don't have time to climb the mountains; taking the narrow path will be faster!"

"No... wait a minute!"

With her eyes tightly closed, Givinia's brows furrowed; the more she probed, the more surprised she became. Suddenly, she jerked her head up—

"Go to the mountains in the northeast! Trust me, you won't go wrong!"

"Why? Are you crazy?"

"Whether it's madness or not, we'll find out soon enough! Just head that way, and you might not only escape the alien spirit, but you could even destroy it!"

Huh!?

Listen to me!!!

"That..."

Ally's expression twitched a few times, and finally, as if she had made up her mind, she slammed her fist on the steering wheel.

"Okay, I'll do as you say!"

What followed was the craziest fifteen minutes of my life.

Behind us, towering waves of Vengeful Spirit surged; above us, swirling demons hovered. We sped across the muddy swamp in a race car exceeding 200 miles per hour. A chilling aura of the dead constantly seeped into the car, freezing our bodies and invading our minds. Givinia projected her thoughts into the car to help Ally, who was driving, dispel the spirits. Because she was controlled by the demons, the amount of her projections was very limited; Ailin and I could only resist with our own willpower.

Perhaps due to the surge of adrenaline, every second felt like an eternity. Any minor discomfort was magnified countless times. I knew this was a sign that my mental state was about to reach its limit. If I was like this, then Ally, who was driving, was even more so. She not only had to endure immense psychological pressure but also had to constantly use her supernatural jets to accelerate, dodging repeated attacks from the otherworldly spirits and racing against the surging waves of undead. Although Givinia was constantly feeding her Spiritual Medicine, it was clear to everyone that Ally was struggling to push herself to the limit.

It's a miracle they've managed to hold on until now.

Gradually, the mud stopped splashing under the wheels, and the sound of the sticky mud disappeared, replaced by the crunching sound of crushing gravel. The vehicle began to shake violently, clearly indicating that it was traveling on a mountain road!

"We'll be there soon!"

The surrounding white fog was getting thinner and thinner, and the visibility increased from ten meters to hundreds of meters. The surrounding area was no longer a muddy swamp, but a rugged mountain road with jagged rocks. This was the big mountain in the northeast direction of the Fog Hidden Valley!

However, this mountain is somewhat—no, it should be said to be quite unusual.

The summit of the towering Giant Peak, reaching a height of a thousand meters, was shrouded in dark clouds. Thunder rumbled from within, but the clouds only covered the mountain itself, completely excluding the Fog Hidden Valley. It was as if an invisible line separated the mountain peak from the valley.

"Givinia, are you sure you want to go this way?"

"Confirmed! Just watch!"

She had barely finished speaking—

Rumble rumble rumble!!!!

A deafening clap of thunder echoed from the dark clouds, and streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the mountains in a blinding light. The once-mighty tidal wave of undead hordes noticeably slowed, and the strange spirits overhead also decelerated, as if hesitating about something.

The dead seem to be... afraid?

The snow-white lightning grew denser and denser, as if countless thunder serpents were dancing in the clouds. The fiercer the lightning, the weaker the aura of the undead became. Some of the weaker undead even turned into white mist and disappeared in the thunder!

"Just as I expected..." Givinia smiled slightly, her expression one of perfect understanding.

"What exactly is this?"

"In every culture, lightning has always been the nemesis of the undead! It's probably because of the unique climate here that the evil spirit hasn't expanded its territory up the mountain."

"... But don't you think the lightning here is a bit... weird?"

The countless lightning bolts had coalesced into a massive lightning waterfall, and several bolts struck the alien spirit simultaneously. The alien spirit roared in anger, and countless vengeful souls surged forth from the churning black mist, colliding fiercely with the lightning! Before one wave subsided, countless ball lightning bolts descended from the clouds, bombarding the alien spirit head-on!

Why does this lightning seem to be specifically targeting this strange spirit?

The answer to my question was given in the very next second.

Jiliyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyi-----!!!!!!!

A piercing screech erupted from the clouds, and as if in response, a gigantic lightning bolt danced wildly in the air, accompanied by deafening thunder. A gaping hole was torn in the dark clouds, and a dazzling burst of lightning emerged from within!

It was a giant bird made entirely of lightning, with its wings spanning hundreds of meters and crackling with electricity, and its long tail covered in sparks. Every time it flapped its wings, a thunderclap would resound in the sky!

Having seen the Spirit Element Spirit, we immediately guessed the identity of this thunderbird.

It is a great demon beast belonging to the same race as the Spirit Element Spirit, but with completely different attributes.

Lightning Spirit.

"... Givinia."

"... Um?"

"Was this also part of your plan?"

"Uh... um... maybe...?"

The black mist, filled with the wails of all spirits, and the giant bird, flashing with lightning, faced off against each other in the pitch-black sky.

Spirit and Lightning.

Natural rivals.

Telelilililililililililililililili------!!!!!!!!!

Jiliyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyi-----!!!!!!!

A piercing roar echoed across the sky. The thunderbird flapped its wings, and countless lightning bolts instantly transformed into grotesque thunder beasts that pounced on the black mist. Not to be outdone, the black mist suddenly expanded, and giant black hands made of undead reached out to grab the thunderbird in the sky!

"Ally! Run! This battle is not something we can get involved in!"

"Of course!"

Sirius made a sudden U-turn and sped off in the direction away from the two alien spirits, however—

Boom!!!

Hundreds of extremely thick lightning bolts blocked our path like a wall. In shock, we turned around and saw that countless lightning bolts completely enveloped the area, trapping us inside like a birdcage!

It seems the Lightning Spirit originally intended to trap the Spirit Element Spirit, but ended up dragging us into it as well!

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In the afternoon, there's physical education and university student character education... I really want to skip it, but attendance will be taken...

Hey, give us more tags! I'm so tired of seeing the same old ones!