Volume Two: The Northern Realm's Life-or-Death Race - Chapter 163: Gustav

Just as the Sick Spider and the Stone Strike were staring intently at the World Crystal Tree—

"How is it?"

A slightly indifferent middle-aged male voice sounded behind them.

Even with their powers suppressed, the two remain formidable warriors.

Even so, they didn't even realize someone was coming.

"Gustav... sir!"

"We've been waiting for you."

The two immediately bowed in respect.

The Sick Spider, slightly flustered, blurted out the other's name, but fortunately reacted quickly, adding "Sir." Stone Strike's response appeared composed, but his shifty gaze betrayed his inner tension.

"Let's skip the formalities, please rise."

"Yes, sir!"

The two quickly straightened up and looked at the newcomer, their gazes still somewhat evasive.

He was a man who looked to be in his thirties or forties.

His face possessed both maturity and fortitude, yet also handsomeness and elegance, exuding an indescribable masculine charm; he had long, glossy black hair that reached the middle of his back, meticulously combed; and a striking mustache adorned his lips, perfectly complementing his features and showcasing his mature beauty.

He was nearly two meters tall, and instead of combat gear, he wore a sharp suit. The suit was made of extremely high-quality material and was very well-made. The outer garment was a deep blue-gray, over which was a snow-white shirt, and he wore a bright blue tie. All of this made him look like a mature and capable business elite. Through the suit, one could vaguely see the powerful muscle lines. His muscles were not like Stone Strike's, which were large and bulging like rocks, but were extremely firm and well-proportioned, with every fiber being incredibly precise. This was the result of training to the extreme.

However, what is most admirable is his temperament.

Mature and elegant.

Capable and steady.

Unfathomable.

Flawless.

A near-perfect male image.

This is the organization's second-in-command.

The strongest being besides the Leader in legend.

The Leader's most trusted person--

Gustav van Mar.

The northernmost point is Crystal Island.

This doesn't mean that this area is actually an island, but rather that the environment here contrasts sharply with the surrounding forest, like a purplish-blue island appearing in a vast emerald lake.

Crystal Island, a sacred place for the ancestors of the Northern Realm, has only been visited by explorers for thousands of years since their extinction. Countless Crystal Pillar and peaks on the island stand silently, seemingly unchanging since time immemorial, untouched by the dust of the outside world.

And now, the tranquility here has finally been broken.

"Finally—we've arrived!!!"

After passing through the last layer of trees, we finally left the Engai Forest and the view opened up before us.

We, along with Kilga and his team, were all awestruck by the breathtaking scenery before us, and for a moment even forgot that we were in the middle of a competition.

"This is... Crystal Island..."

Ailin let out a soft sigh.

An endless expanse of purplish-blue stretches towards the distant horizon, formed by purplish-blue crystals accumulated over countless millions of years. The entire land is covered in thick layers of crystals, reflecting the sunlight and shimmering against the blue sky above. These beautiful purplish-blue crystals would undoubtedly be highly sought-after items at major auction houses elsewhere, yet here they serve as the cheapest floor tiles!

The crystalline ground is as smooth as a mirror, but this doesn't mean the terrain is flat. Countless giant Crystal Pillar, hundreds of feet in diameter and thousands of feet high, rise from the ground. Some stand alone, a single pillar reaching for the sky; some are arranged in lines, forming giant screens spanning the Crystal Island; some gather in groups of three or five, forming majestic crystal mountains. Crystalline, exquisite, magnificent, vast, and orderly in its chaos, such a beautiful scene cannot be seen anywhere else.

But that's not all. Countless tiny plants sprouted on the crystal plain. These plants resembled ferns on Earth, each with a different shape, but all had a crystalline texture, like countless exquisite crystal sculptures. These were the juvenile Crystal Tree. Although there were countless of them at first glance, probably less than one in ten thousand would survive the fierce competition for spiritual vein nutrients and grow into adults.

Unfortunately, we didn't come here for tourism, so our appreciation of the beautiful scenery only lasted for a fleeting moment at the beginning.

"Now, after a long journey of 11,820 kilometers, a team has finally entered the Crystal Island area! That's right, it's the much-anticipated Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team and Vino Lions Team!!! Although there are other teams following behind, the distance is clearly impossible to overtake! Vino Lions Team is slightly ahead, while Ferruggio is closely following behind, and the battle is evenly matched!"

Boom!!! With the roar of the engine, we sped across the Crystal Plain at the fastest speed we'd ever seen—not driving directly on the crystal layers, of course, as that would inevitably cause the wheels to slip. The organizers had specially laid out a long asphalt road on the Crystal Plain as the track for the final battle.

Although the danger of slipping is gone, this road is still very challenging. The Crystal Pillar pillars make the road extremely winding, with countless sharp turns hugging the Crystal Pillar. The hardness of the Crystal Pillar is far greater than that of trees; a collision would definitely result in a fatal accident.

But this obstacle was no problem for Ally and Kilga at all.

"The next bend—is right now!!!"

While driving at high speed, she suddenly pulled up the handbrake and turned the steering wheel all the way. The Sirius's rear end swung around the sharp bend, and after reaching the critical angle, she quickly released the handbrake—a beautiful drift. In an instant, Ally closed the distance between herself and Kilga. Now the two cars were driving side by side, Ally on the left Kilga on the right, speeding along the narrow asphalt road!

"Tsk..."

The number of Crystal Pillar ahead increased exponentially, as did the number of sharp turns. When turning left, Ally was on the inside, and when turning right, Kilga was on the outside, constantly shifting the advantage. Both cars drifted through almost every turn. The road wasn't wide, and a slight misstep could send them sliding off the track, into the slippery crystal layer area, making it difficult to get back on track!

Sizzle------

The screeching sound of friction continued, the sound of tires battling against the asphalt road, accompanied by a faint smell of rubber. The constant drifting had a significant impact on the wheels and tires. Although the two cars remained neck and neck, Ally was beginning to fall behind.

Both drivers were roughly equal in skill, but race cars were different— Kilga's Lion had suffered damage before, but Sirius's problems were far more serious. Not to mention, the Lion used its own proprietary parts, while Sirius used Earthwalker and Freya's, which, although highly compatible, were not original components.

In such a high-level showdown, any slight difference will be magnified infinitely. It may not be obvious in the curves, but after passing the Crystal Pillar area, the difference will become apparent.

The colossal Crystal Pillar finally disappeared, and flat ground reappeared, the track turning into a straight road again. But this straight road wouldn't last long; ahead lay a massive cliff, like a giant staircase, below which lay the true center of the Crystal Island. This structure was somewhat like an exaggerated basin, with a flat bottom. In the distance, a crystal palace-like building could be seen at the bottom center, which was undoubtedly the finish line of the entire Northern Realm Rally.

This massive cliff was the final obstacle. Although it wasn't very high, it was impossible to go down directly. Therefore, a zigzag path was laid out on the cliff, extending downwards like a ladder until it reached the bottom.

Sirius... please, just hold on a little longer!!!

However, Ally's request was not granted. Since they entered the straight section, the distance between her and Kilga began to widen rapidly. The Lion could continue to accelerate, while Sirius was already nearing its limit!

Five meters... ten meters... twenty meters... The distance kept widening, and when the gap finally approached one hundred meters, the commentator's disappointed voice came from above.

"The gap between the two cars is widening, and the performance difference is becoming apparent! Will Ferruggio, who has fought its way through all the challenges, suffer a crushing defeat here?"

Of course not!!!

Inside the car, Ally shouted excitedly into the air, but of course, she received no response. No matter how she pressed the pedals or shifted the gear lever, Sirius's speed did not increase at all. The engine's rumble sounded like the howl of a wild beast. Sirius, having overcome all obstacles, continued to move forward, constantly breaking down, and finally reached its limit at this moment!

"Ally! Don't hesitate, use the spray! There are only five Jet Point left on the car!"

"I've sworn I won't use it! We can't use superpowers on Kilga's side; a victory gained through unfair competition is meaningless!"

"But Sirius was already more severely damaged than them! Isn't that unfair?"

"No need to say more, I... have another way!"

Ally's eyes suddenly became resolute.

I suddenly had a bad feeling.

She gently stroked the steering wheel with a touch of tenderness, like a mother caressing her child, with unparalleled gentleness.

"You've had a tough journey, Sirius... It's going to be dangerous if you don't spray, so hang in there... And you guys, cover your heads between your legs!!!"

Boom! Suddenly, Ally swerved the steering wheel on the straight road, and Rick veered off course, hurtling towards the side of the road!

"Elder sister--"

"I know what I'm doing! Take care of yourselves!!!"

Slippery— Sirius, having burst off the track, continued its high-speed glide up the crystal surface, with a giant cliff right in front of it!

"Ally! Are you crazy!? Stop it!!!"

"..."

Ally didn't reply; she was completely focused. The smooth, crystalline surface was impossible to stop, and she had no intention of braking anyway, letting Sirius hurtle towards the precipice!

"Oh my god! Ferruggio has veered off the track and is heading straight for the cliff! This is undoubtedly suicide!"

The commentator screamed, and I clutched my vitals tightly. Unable to use my powers, I could only place my hopes on Ally!

"--Now!"

Just before reaching the cliff, Ally slammed the steering wheel all the way. Because the mirror was too smooth, the direction of travel did not change, and the car did not slow down or stop. Instead, it veered sideways and slid towards the cliff!

"Oh my god, they—they flew away!!!!"

Sirius flew horizontally off the cliff, landing on the first step!

The path down the cliff is zigzag, extending downwards like terraced fields. Ally's landing point is on the first level of these terraces!

The enormous impact made my insides churn violently, and I could vaguely hear something breaking inside the car, but none of that mattered anymore—because Kilga, which had left us far behind, was back in front of us!

However, this is not the end --

Another sudden turn! Ally used the same trick again, and Sirius flew horizontally out once more, landing on the second step, this time completely surpassing Kilga! The same method was used on the next few steps, all the way to the bottom! At this point, we were already far ahead of Kilga!

Sitting in the back seat, I felt dizzy and my stomach was churning, as if my internal organs were being ripped out. After the last jolt, I finally opened my eyes and was shocked to find that we had reached the lowest level!

The finish line—I've seen it.

Just a few hundred meters ahead on the road, the Crystal Palace stood quietly, and you could see many staff members ready to welcome it from afar!

"Good! Just a little bit more!!!"

Ally accelerated again, however--

Click! Snap--!

A strange noise emanated from Sirius, its speed was much slower than before, and its balance was also greatly reduced! Sirius was now like a severely wounded beast, its speed less than half of what it used to be!

--On the other side, the Lion is also nearing the bottom and could overtake at any moment!

"Give it your all!!! Keep pushing, Sirius!!!!!!!!!!"

Sirius, barely clinging to life, surges towards the finish line, with Lion close behind. It's now a race against time: will it reach the finish line first, or be overtaken?

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Attached is a picture of Gustav, Mugen fans, come out and have some fun!