"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," said a man with a purple tuxedo and blue bow tie, holding a microphone. "It is I, your beloved host, Kramer." The crowd cheered for his presence.
"Calm down, calm down. I know you're not really here to see my pretty face." The crowd laughed, causing a storm of laughter.
"We will begin the race immediately," commented Kramer. "But beforehand, I have some good news. A crowd favorite is here, and it is an old face." He paused for dramatic suspense.
"Let's welcome the old champion, Nom Tulleto. After only three years of retirement, he is back in the game."
A black and yellow car came from an opening underneath the stadium. Most of the spectators were fans of old-era sports cars, so they quickly identified it was Veilside Mazda RX-7 Fortune. And after the fans saw the no-hair driver with a sleeveless shirt, they screamed even louder.
"You may not know this," continued Kramer after calming the crowd. "But this match has some fascinating history behind it. Our next competitor was once married to Nom's sister; he was a part of his family. But he betrayed them and became champion in this track last year.
"So, welcome, Lian O'Connor."
Suddenly, the crowd became divided: half cheered for O'Connor while the rest booed him. O'Connor drove a Dodge 'Ice Charger' and parked it next to Nom.
"Did our family mean nothing to you? Did all the time we spent together mean nothing?" asked Nom.
"No, it did not. I only became close to your family to learn all your drive skills and become a champion. Now, all that remains is to show the world I'm better than you," replied O'Connor.
"What about my sister?"
Lian paused for a moment, his mind momentarily distracted as he remembered her beautiful smile.
"She also meant nothing to me."
"Is that so? Do you know she's carrying your child?"
Lian's hand trembled slightly on the steering wheel. However, he quickly regained control of himself. "You're lying to affect my mind. I won't believe a word out of your mouth."
Nom looked out at his old friend, his old brother, and shook his head. He could tell he was no longer the man he knew. The person before him was a man driven by the desire for success, and he would do anything to achieve it.
"Now, let me introduce the remaining ten contestants," announced Kraven. However, he and the fans were not as enthusiastic about the others. Meanwhile, Chris observed everything through the large screen showing above the stadium.
"These champions are very popular."
"Indeed. There is one every year, and they have to win several matches before taking the spot," explained Cruz.
"What about this match? Is this some kind of special event?"
"Basically," replied Cruz.
"Why don't they participate in official sports? From the highlights I saw, many of them have the talent for it," Chris asked, something he's been wondering for some time.
"There are many reasons. They do not like the strict rules of official sports. And more importantly, they are delusion by the state of sports in this age."
Chris understood. With [Aura] and [Magic], sports in the Empire had to evolve and adapt. Firstly, they had to be classified based on Arcanist Tiers. After all, a Tier 2 Aura Master was faster, stronger, and had overall better stats than Tier 1–let alone an average human.
The existence of Aura Master has made sports more interesting for many people. After all, it is normal to watch a sport like American Football, where the quarterback throws a ball at Mach 5 before the receiver catches it.
Furthermore, there are leagues where magic is integrated into sports like basketball, baseball, and cricket. The rules were changed to accommodate magic. However, although many enjoy these sports, many people also feel they are no longer the sports from the old era despite the name.
They complained about it and refused to watch or acknowledge the existence of these new-era sports, as they called them.
Kramer finished introducing the other participants before proceeding to the race itself. A countdown appeared on the scream as a beautiful woman holding two black and white flags with checked patterns.
On the count of zero, she waved the flags down, signaling the start of the race. All the participants rushed forward, their engines making beautiful and powerful starts.
Immediately from the start, Nom rapidly drove his car and took the first position. Meanwhile, O'Connor appeared as if he was in a hurry. He approached another car and remained a certain distance in front of it.
The first obstacle was the Loop Track, where the cars had to drive upward before going down, traversing in a circular motion by defying gravity; the entire thing looked like one of the tracks for the hot wheels.
Nom rushed into the loop track. An enchantment on the floor would boost the car's speed at the entrance. However, this did not mean he could pass the track. He had to maintain the car's speed at about 830 Km/h. Below that, he will not make it to the next enchantment and fall down the track,
And if he goes higher than that? A driver needs superb skills to even achieve 830 Km/h, let alone surpass it and maintain the car's balance. No one could reach this speed if it were not for these people's Aura.
While Nom was rushing from one Acceleration Enchantment to the other, O'Connor took a different approach. His method was more ruthless, targeting the other competitors.
He drove before another car. After the first acceleration, his vehicle reached 830 km/h speed. Then, he began to interfere with the car behind him, preventing the latter from reaching the speed requirement.
With his superb skills, O'Connor maintained his vehicle's speed by allowing the car's behind him to bump into him and give him a slight boost. He calculated the exact increase to be about 3 km/h, so he drove his car to precisely 827 km/h.
Meanwhile, the participant began to slow down because of the constant bump. Without achieving the required speed, he did not reach the second enchantment, resulting in the car falling hundreds of meters from the sky.
Bang!
The car fell, and the crown cheered with excitement. A few seconds later, the slightly injured driver punched a hole out of his vehicle.
The race continued until the drivers reached halfway up the track, where they could form a perfect vertical line with the ground. Many people failed to maintain their composure while driving upside down. The fear affected their skills and prevented them from reaching the next enchantment.
The result is that they fell from the sky, resulting in more severe injuries than the guy O'Connor played with. However, with these people's [Aura], these injuries could not kill them. Not to mention, the organization prepared medical aid for this event.
A total of four contestants failed in the first obstacle: the Loop Track. Then, the participants drove to the next obstacle: the Drifting Mountain. The spectators cheered as they watched from the enormous screams, showing their fever for this adrenaline-fuel sport.
And despite its danger, Chris felt excited and a sense of excitement that his original dull never had.
'Maybe, this was a chance for a change.'
Chris had pursued the dream of being an Arcanist for so many years. And so far, there has been little to no suspect. However, he could see his life as a driving champion, adored by countless fans.
Maybe, the path of Arcane was not for him.