Volume Two: Life and Death in the Northern Frontier - Farewell

"Drink!"

With a low shout, Gustav slashed down with his long, muscular legs, striking a crystal giant squarely on the top of its head! A crack several meters wide burst open above its head, spreading rapidly downwards like a waterfall! From its head to its crotch, the giant was cleaved in two!

The giant's corpse, broken in two, crashed to the ground, causing the entire Crystal Island to tremble violently! The colossal body made of crystal turned into crystal sand at a visible speed, gradually dissipating into the air.

"Two."

Gustav skillfully adjusted his suit collar, gently brushing away the glistening sand from his long hair, exuding elegance and maturity. His hand, clad in a high-quality leather glove, slid down his dark hair, then casually swept it behind him without glancing back.

Ding!!!

The roaring, charging crystal giant stumbled, its massive crystal head exploding! The headless corpse collapsed to the ground, turning into crystal sand and vanishing just like the previous one.

However, Gustav's hand didn't actually touch it—meaning he shattered the world's strongest crystal remotely by using the wind pressure generated by his punch!

"Three."

The cold gaze locked onto the last standing giant.

"Only one left? How tragic, this is the fate of the weak... So--"

Gustav's figure blurred, and hundreds of afterimages rushed towards the final giant, with countless fists comparable to intercontinental ballistic missiles raining down on every corner of its body.

"--I'll see you off!"

However--

Clang----!

In the final instant, the giant's body suddenly transformed into countless ribbons of crystalline light, losing its physical form. Billions of these light ribbons surged downwards, merging into the World Crystal Tree itself. As the light ribbons merged, one of the two Crystal Realm Fruits at the base of the World Crystal Tree —the unstable one—suddenly erupted with a dazzling light, its metallic clang resounding throughout the heavens and earth! At that moment, the spiritual energy suppressed to its limit in the world boiled like water, all flowing into that Crystal Realm Fruit under the guidance of the crystalline light!

"Is it finally ripe?"

Gustav murmured, but he did not relax at all; on the contrary, he became more vigilant.

"The moment of maturity is the moment of explosion; leave one alive, let one self-destruct... We must race against time!"

"Everyone, I'm here!!!"

Having finally completed my mission, I rushed through the palace hall at the fastest speed I'd ever seen. Fragments of the crystal giant kept falling from the sky; anyone hit by one would surely die. But I couldn't worry about that now—a torrent of spiritual energy was continuously flowing into the Crystal Realm Fruit, and it wouldn't be surprising if it erupted at any moment!

"Welcome back, A Ye."

"Sister Ye!"

"So you're alright! I was so worried about you! By the way, what's up with that man in the sky? How can someone be so strong!"

"No time for all that nonsense! Just get out of here, the longer you stay, the harder it is to survive!"

"How--"

Listen to me!!!

I yelled, interrupting Ally.

"... A Ye, you're always like this."

As she ran outside, Ally let out a dejected sound.

"Ha?"

"I always feel like you're hiding a lot from me and Ailin, and from you too, and from Givinia too... We've been teammates for so long, but I still can't see through you guys at all..."

"Ally..."

Indeed, I hid far too much from her.

If we had told her about the organization and the Crystal Realm Fruit from the beginning, we might not be in this dangerous situation now.

So--

"I'm sorry, I do know a lot about the inside story of the competition, and I'm truly sorry for keeping it a secret all this time! But it's impossible to go into details now. I promise, after we get back and have our victory celebration, I'll tell you everything!"

"... Oh well."

Ally looked at me and gave me a bright smile.

"I'm so sorry, thinking about such nonsense at a time like this... I'll definitely throw a huge celebration when we get back!"

The long-awaited sunlight shone on us, and beneath our feet was no longer the palace floor tiles, but the smooth, crystalline earth! Having survived this life-or-death ordeal, we finally escaped from the palace!

Sirius, now in a dilapidated state, appeared directly in front of us. Although severely damaged, we could still manage to leave Crystal Island if we put our mind to it!

Victory is within reach.

I couldn't help but start thinking about the future.

A victory celebration banquet, is it?

Yes...

We are now the overall champions of the world's largest cross-country rally.

With that reputation, rebuilding the racing team would be a piece of cake for Ally. She and Ailin would be world-renowned as the brightest stars, with limitless potential. At that time, I would also find an opportunity to leave and continue my journey.

But for now, let's escape this troublesome place and go back to hold a victory celebration.

--Clang!

At that moment, the air froze.

I heard the sound of something crystallizing behind me, and despite the noise all around, I could hear it clearly.

Crystallization.

It's unclear when it started, but purplish-blue, flower-like crystals began to spread outwards in a circular pattern from the World Crystal Tree —or more precisely, from the Crystal Realm Fruit that was about to explode—close to the ground.

This was undoubtedly a prelude to its self-destruction.

But I can no longer think about those things.

There was only one scene filling my field of vision.

"... Huh? What's this?"

Ally, who was running at the very back, stopped.

Her lips trembled slightly as she looked down at her legs.

The place where she was standing was the crystallization zone.

"What... is this...?"

A purplish-blue crystal covered her calves, creating a stark contrast with her fair skin, making her look as if she had been violated by a monster.

"Don't joke around..."

The crystals slowly spread upwards from her legs. Ally stumbled and fell onto the crystal-covered ground. Immediately, new crystals climbed onto her hands, connecting her hands with the crystals on the ground.

"Elder sister!!!"

"Don't go over there!"

Ailin screamed and desperately rushed towards Ally, who was being devoured by the crystals. Givinia immediately grabbed her. At the same time, the area affected by the crystals began to expand rapidly, and was less than two meters away from our feet! Givinia immediately hugged Ailin and ran towards the car. I hesitated for a moment, and then followed.

"Let me go! Let me go! My sister—"

Ally struggled desperately to break free from Givinia's embrace, but Givinia's arms remained firmly planted.

"Calm down! Going there now will only be a pointless suicide mission!"

"Please—please! Save my sister!!!"

However, as if mocking the girl's naiveté, the crystallization spread even faster, relentlessly attacking us. As more and more crystals covered Ally, we grew further and further away from her, unable to offer any help!

"Let's get on the bus first!"

I flung open the car door, Givinia prepared to start the engine—

"Oh no..."

Givinia's face, already clouded with gloom from her inability to save her companions, became even more grim.

"How?"

"The Psionic Brick, which serve as an energy source, have been exhausted..."

What exactly happened?

My body feels so heavy... and my consciousness is becoming increasingly blurred...

Ally opened her heavy eyelids, and what came into view was countless dazzling purple-blue crystals.

What's this?

He managed to turn his head, only to find the same crystals spreading across his body.

A cold and hard sensation invaded my body; my familiar body was being taken over by a foreign object, and even the original functions of my flesh were gradually disappearing.

This is Ally Cena's current situation.

"And them...?"

It turned its only remaining free-moving eye, locking onto a target not far away.

It's Sirius.

Her familiar teammates were already seated in Sirius, waving frantically at her and seemingly calling out something, but her ears, covered by crystals, couldn't make out what they were saying.

Making his teammates wait for him? What an incompetent captain!

I need to apologize properly when I get back.

"I am coming..."

Hurry up and catch up with them.

We'll have a celebration banquet when we get back.

Thinking this, Ally used the last of her strength to try and move her limbs—

Crack. He fell again.

This time, he even pressed his face against the crystals scattered all over the ground.

The cold touch immediately crept up her cheek, and Ally turned her head slightly to check her condition.

"Ah..."

Their arms and legs are broken.

Just before, his hands and feet were completely covered by crystals and embedded in the ground.

Newly formed crystals are fragile.

So with just a little effort, I broke my already crystalline hands and feet.

Both hands are essential for holding the steering wheel or shifting gears.

To operate the clutch, brake, and accelerate, your feet are indispensable.

Both hands and feet were crystallized and broken.

"We won't be able to drive anymore..."

What a pity...

If there truly is a god in this world, he must be a guy with a very perverse sense of humor.

Just as her dream was about to come true, her ability to drive a race car was taken away.

What a tragedy this is.

But at the same time, God must also be very merciful.

At least, in the very end, it allowed her to win the match and become the undisputed world number one.

What incredible luck!

"Ah, ah..."

He won the highest honor as a driver.

So, there's nothing to regret.

At the same time, he lost his eligibility to be a driver.

Therefore, there's no point in continuing to live.

Having no regrets, one loses the meaning of living.

This must be the end of Ally Cena's short life.

When the race reaches its finish line, so too does life.

To fall in this beautiful crystalline world, to die with honor in one's heart—perhaps that is a kind of fortune.

But--

His teammates were still waving and shouting desperately, praying for their safety.

Why aren't you leaving yet?

He would have ended up like her if he had been just one step later.

Is there something wrong with Sirius?

What a headache this car is.

In that case--

As the team captain, at the very least, I must ensure the safe departure of my most important teammates.

"Ally! Damn it, she's completely—"

In the sea of crystals, Ally's figure was reduced to a tiny dot; she had completely ceased moving. Her crystallized limbs were shattered, and her body was almost entirely covered by crystals, with only her deathly pale face visible.

It's too late to save it.

Even if a miracle happens and we manage to bring her out, there is simply no cure.

Moreover, broken limbs mean her racing career is over.

For someone who values racing as much as life itself, this must have been a death sentence and an incredibly painful experience.

"She moved!"

A scream came Givinia the front seat, and I immediately focused my gaze—sure enough! Ally had almost lost all signs of life, had opened her eyes again, gazing at us from afar, her pale lips moving slightly.

"Tell... they..."

It was a very soft sound, but it traveled a long way.

"Tell them...we...won..."

Her little mouth opened and closed frantically, weaving together fragmented words.

"Tell them... the Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team ... have risen to power..."

The voice grew softer, but the emotions it contained grew stronger.

Boom!!!

Just then, Sirius, whose energy had been depleted, roared again, but the roar did not come from the engine, but from—

"These are the Jet Point she pre-set but didn't use! Ally is remotely controlling them!"

"Givinia exclaimed, and I was equally shocked—this dying girl, for the sake of her teammates, was able to unleash such potential in such dire circumstances!"

"Tell the whole world... what a great man Uncle Alba was..."

The Jet Point at the bottom emitted a dazzling light, Sirius had already risen several meters high, continuing to accumulate power.

"Tell the world... I am Ally Cena, daughter of Elton Cena."

... He was the ultimate champion of the Northern Realm Rally!!!

Ally's desperate shouts echoed in our ears, and at the same time, with a tremendous roar, the Jet Point at the rear of the vehicle unleashed an unprecedentedly powerful thrust! Sirius shot off like an arrow, becoming a blurry gray shadow as it flew beyond the Crystal Island.

The powerful inertia pressed me firmly against the back seat, rendering me unable to move. The scenery of Crystal Island outside the window flashed by as we moved away from the center of Crystal Island at extremely high speed.

Behind them, a blinding blue crystalline light erupted from the palace, a force even greater than an atomic bomb explosion. The dazzling light, like a ferocious beast awakening, devoured everything it touched—rocks, plants, animals—and countless newly formed Crystal Pillar, thousands of feet tall, rose from the ground, expanding outwards with the explosion. Not only the ground, but countless beams of light shot straight into the sky, even the clouds above were not spared, condensing into countless crystal grains.

The crystalline beam followed closely behind the Sirius vehicle, and more than once I had the illusion that I was about to be swallowed up, but the Jet Point showed no signs of weakening, continuously providing life-saving thrust.

This was probably Ally's final gift.

Speaking of Ally--

"Hey! Givinia! Where's Ailin!?"

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After holding back for the entire volume, it's finally time for the characters to die...