Volume Two: Life and Death at Full Throttle in the Northern Realm-The Shifting Darkness
This is truly a magnificent sight.
This is an enormous underground cavern, a true paradise. Countless torches illuminate the darkness, and in the flickering light, hundreds upon hundreds of marble towers stretch out in the distance, forming an incredibly magnificent architectural complex. Although the ruins are abandoned, high-rise buildings, streets, and walkways are all intact. Moss and vines cover the crumbling walls, creating a desolate yet beautiful scene. The ruins are arranged in seven layers, but only the top two have been fully excavated; the deeper one goes, the more dangerous it becomes. From the darkness at the very bottom comes the sound of an underground river flowing, its echoes reflecting off the cave walls.
Now, uninvited guests have intruded into this paradise. Countless race cars of various colors and shapes have flooded into the underground ruins. Instead of obediently following the safest first level through the racecourse, they have all rushed down to the next few levels. After all, most of them haven't found all the bonus points.
Three-layer underground cavity--
Two racing cars, one silver-gray and one red-yellow, drove side by side, their rumbling engines echoing through the ancient stone pillars, creating a jarring contrast. Ally and Emilia both slowed down, their eyes glued to the crystal pendant, afraid of missing any change.
Although we were among the first to enter, our luck was really bad. We had found two bonus points, but they were both taken by people who had the advantage of proximity. Helpless, we went down to the third level first, which was the first level that hadn't been fully explored.
At times like this, taking risks is not an option.
But...
I rubbed my slightly sore eyes and looked away from the pendant. For the entire time I'd been underground, I'd been staring intently at the pendant, my nerves on edge, constantly on guard against anything that might leap out from the darkness on either side of the path—it was incredibly tiring and mentally taxing—and of course, everyone else was too. Ally was straining her eyes in the dim torchlight, Givinia was manipulating her hundreds of projections to search the third level, and Ailin was also glued to the pendant, though much more focused than I was.
"Hey everyone." Bored to no end, I wanted to say something to liven things up.
"""What's wrong?"""
"Since I'm bored anyway, I'll tell a joke."
"..."
"A girl was trying to get home at night, but there were no buses left on the street. Just as she was feeling troubled, a boy on a bicycle appeared. He offered his help, letting the girl sit on the crossbar of his bicycle and taking her home. The girl sat on the crossbar the whole way, and when she finally got home, she got off the bicycle and took a closer look—guess what?"
"... What's wrong?"
"This bicycle doesn't have a crossbar at all!"
Oh ho ho, how about that? This dirty joke is definitely in my top five classics. Every time I tell it to my buddies, it makes them laugh lewdly.
"..."
"... You guys, give me some kind of response."
"... I don't understand, is it a ghost story?" ← Ally
"Sister Ye, you're too... too..." ← Ailin
"Oh, A Ye, you have these kinds of shady moments too? But I don't dislike them." ← Givinia
"Well..."
A huge failure!
Disappointed at not getting the response I wanted, I looked out the window... Hmm?
"Stop the car!!!"
Squeak~~~~~~!!!!!!!!
The brakes screeched, Sirius left two long black marks on the old stone pavement. Seeing us stop, Emilia also slammed to a halt, her car lurching and swaying precariously.
"Hey! A Ye, you--"
"There's something here!" I interrupted Ally, jumping out of the car as fast as I could and looking outside warily.
"Something? But I didn't find anything..." Givinia was a little puzzled.
"Hey, you idiot Ally! What's wrong with you guys? Why did you suddenly brake like that!" Abidar's four people also got out of the car, Emilia glared at Ally with a displeased expression.
"A Ye said there's something outside..."
"But my detection field isn't reacting." Abidar's navigator, Tani Hana Mei, was also puzzled.
In other words, I can't detect it using my five senses or force field detection? But I still trust my intuition. After absorbing Yan Yi Ming Hua, my perception of "living beings" has greatly improved.
"They are in the darkness..."
"Dark?"
"Hmm, I can feel it..." I was still looking around. Although I could sense that "there was life in the darkness," I couldn't pinpoint its exact location. That eerie presence seemed to be everywhere.
"Could it be..." Givinia mused, her gaze gradually becoming serious.
"Givinia, just say what's on your mind."
"I'm not sure either... but as far as I know, one of the ten great demon beast races can merge itself into darkness..."
"... What is your name?"
"Ranked fourth, the Black Abyss Tribe!"
The words had barely left his mouth--
Sizzle~~~ Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The piercing cries came from all directions—corners, eaves, tunnels, stone walls. The inconspicuous yet omnipresent darkness tore away its peaceful mask, revealing its ferocious fangs.
"You mean, the Black Abyss Tribe?"
"That's right, did you hear the sounds of battle coming from the lower levels? The reason why the levels below the second floor haven't been successfully excavated yet is because of those beasts. Checking the data left by the archaeologists before entering the ruins was definitely the right thing to do, otherwise we would be the ones suffering."
On the second floor, a snow-white high-end racing car— the Earthwalker —was driving on the stone road, while Luo Huan patiently explained things to Lewis.
"The Black Abyss Tribe ranks fourth among the ten great demon beast clans. According to records, they are a race that lives in darkness, with all sorts of strange appearances, but they all share a common characteristic: all members of the Black Abyss Tribe are born with the ability to manipulate 'shadows' in battle, and powerful Black Abyss Tribe can completely merge with the darkness, only revealing their physical form when necessary. If the battle goes against them, they immediately disappear into the darkness, becoming invisible. In that state, their injuries heal rapidly, making them extremely troublesome demon beasts."
"Is that so? As expected of someone who possesses the ability to control demonic beasts, you really know a lot about them."
"I'm telling you... you weren't even listening!"
"Ouch! Ouch! Stop it! I'm driving!"
"You two!" Alba finally spoke, his face grim. "Instead of wasting time fooling around, why don't you take a look at the pendant?"
""... ah!""
The crystal pendant emitted a dazzling light; the bonus points were just around the corner!
"If I'm not mistaken... it's in the tower ahead!"
Lewis was overjoyed and immediately accelerated, but then—
As they approached a fork in the road, a luxurious, all-gold race car suddenly appeared. Neither Lewis nor the other driver expected a car to dart out from there, and both braked sharply—even so, the cars still collided, leaving a small dent in the hood.
The scratches on the car are minor issues; the real issue is the owner of that gold racing car.
"Ha, I thought it was someone important, turns out it's a top Big Figure in the world!" Lewis rolled down the car window, his tone full of sarcasm.
"Oh my, everyone from Noxar, it's been a long time." The other person also rolled down their car window, revealing a handsome face with blond hair, golden eyes, and gold lips, along with a pure gold racing suit.
"I haven't seen you since your crushing defeat at Dakkar, Mr. Lewis. What's this? The coward has stuck his head out again?"
The Vino Lions Team, ranked number one in the world in overall strength, is captained by Kilga.
"I'd love to get out of the car right now and shove a Phillips wrench up your ass, but I have something important to do. Could you please get lost for a moment?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, what bad luck, I have important business to attend to too. You're the one who should just go home, you little loser. When I win the championship and get intimate with Little Ally, you can just watch and masturbate."
Hiss— Alba in the back seat stirred slightly, letting out a laugh that was hard to tell whether it was mockery or helplessness.
"Hey... what are you laughing at?"
"It's nothing, it's just..." Alba gave a cryptic smile, but something seemed to be hidden deep within it. "Just a heads up, Ally Sena is a much better pilot than you think."
"..."
Kilga was expected to immediately lash out in anger, but he didn't. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, and he seemed to become serious.
"Don't get me wrong. I've never underestimated her abilities, and that's why I've been trying to win her over for years. Yes, I like women, but I also have the pride of a race car driver. If money and power can't conquer her, I'll use my driving skills to subdue her. And you, Alba, a traitor like you has no right to lecture me!"
Three surnames... a servant?
Alba's face suddenly turned extremely gloomy, and he clenched and unclenched his hands, as if he was desperately trying to control his emotions.
"Shut up, Kilga!" Luo Huan roared.
"No matter what Alba was like in the past, he's our technician now! Keep your mouth shut!" Lewis also cursed, his anger even greater than Luo Huan's.
"Hmph, looks like a peaceful resolution is out of the question?" Kilga shrugged. "There's only one bonus point, but the team has two... What a hassle."
Noxar vs. Vino Lions.
Conflict is now inevitable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was incredibly busy today...