On the track, the runners quickly formed several tiers.
Arataki Itto led in first place, followed by a cluster of players, with Cyno trailing at the very back.
Thanks to his buff, no one could catch up to Itto for the moment.
But buffs didn't last forever.
After some time, the effect faded—and Itto's speed dropped noticeably.
"Now's my chance."
Kaeya, who had been hanging back, noticed immediately. His eyes lit up.
This was the moment to overtake.
Without hesitation, he raised his wooden plank—
But suddenly—
A bolt of lightning struck straight down from the sky, hitting Itto dead on.
"What the—?!"
Kaeya froze.
Clear skies—and lightning?
And it specifically targeted Itto?!
Thud!
Itto collapsed, twitching on the ground.
"That's dirty!"
"Sumeru, you're shameless!"
The Inazuma players immediately protested—they had seen clearly.
That lightning came from Cyno.
"Oh? So Itto can attack people, but we can't retaliate?"
Navia crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"I'm talking to Sumeru—what does Fontaine have to do with this?"
"We're allies now."
"…Fine."
On the track, everyone stared at Itto's miserable state and instinctively slowed down.
Lightning from nowhere?
That was terrifying.
"Hmph. Lightning strike—whoever's in first gets zapped."
Cyno calmly overtook everyone and took the lead.
As he passed Itto, he even gave him an extra tap with his plank.
"Hiss—!"
Everyone inhaled sharply.
This guy was dangerous.
If they attacked him—
What if he zapped them too?!
So, they all obediently followed behind him, not daring to overtake.
"Pfft—"
The Sumeru-Fontaine side couldn't help laughing.
They'd scared everyone stiff.
Victory seemed guaranteed.
Only Amber was trembling.
Her flight magic had limits.
If she got into first place without any way to defend herself—
She'd get beaten up immediately.
"Don't panic, Amber. Stay at the back at the start. Then use your magic at the end to overtake."
"…That makes sense."
Amber nodded.
Stay low early, then burst ahead later.
That was the winning strategy.
Crackle—
After lying on the ground for a while, Itto suddenly exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly stood up.
"…He's still alive?!"
"That's terrifying…"
Seeing this, Bronya walked over to Valerius.
"So in this game, players can't be eliminated?"
"Right. Everyone has stamina. As long as it doesn't hit zero, they won't be eliminated."
"I see."
That explained everything.
"Wife, you didn't join, right?"
"No."
Valerius sighed in relief.
This kind of chaotic brawl… Bronya would definitely get beaten badly.
And he couldn't interfere.
If she joined, she'd be on her own.
Back on the track—
Itto finally steadied himself and raised his hand.
"Attack Speed Boost!"
…Nothing happened.
"…Huh? Why isn't it working?"
He was confused.
But everyone else understood instantly.
Ah—
So abilities were one-time use.
Cyno's heart sank.
…That's bad.
Sure enough—
Wooden planks began raining down on him.
"Ugh—!"
He was instantly buried under attacks.
"Hahaha! Charge!"
Kaeya surged ahead, reclaiming first place.
While others had thrown all their planks earlier—
He had secretly saved two.
"Whoosh—!"
Something flew at him from behind.
Kaeya blocked it smoothly with his plank.
"Bye now~"
He grinned and sprinted forward confidently.
"Kaeya is amazing!"
"First place is ours!"
Mondstadt erupted in cheers.
Victory seemed within reach.
"Not so fast!"
A black blur shot forward at incredible speed.
"That's Arlan!"
Kaeya's eyes widened.
"…Why are you so fast?!"
"You can't outrun me!"
Arlan roared, accelerating even further.
He was about to overtake—
"Heh. Maybe I can't outrun you… but I can hit you."
Kaeya smiled brightly.
"Take this!"
Smack!
Arlan hit the ground instantly.
"Now!"
The runners behind saw the opening and rushed forward.
They aimed to disarm Kaeya—he couldn't be allowed to keep his weapon.
Gaming, Gepard, and Lycaon all lunged at once.
"Big mistake."
Kaeya spun, striking with both planks—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
All three collapsed.
"Hehe. Enjoy the ground. I'm off."
He dashed ahead again.
"Hahaha! I thought I was out of it!"
Itto caught up again, overtaking the fallen runners.
Soon after—
Cyno got up as well.
"You again?!"
"Relax. Let's deal with Kaeya first."
Cyno stopped Itto.
Why fight each other when the leader was right there?
"…Good point."
Itto agreed.
If they didn't take Kaeya down now—
He'd win.
From the stands, everyone was speechless.
This "race" was pure chaos.
Unexpected twists everywhere.
Only Diluc looked annoyed, muttering under his breath:
"Hit him already… why are you letting him run first?"
He didn't care who won—
He just wanted to see Kaeya get beaten up.
Unfortunately, no one seemed capable of stopping him.
Watching this, even he felt tempted to jump in himself.
After all—
Kaeya's ability was basically useless.
And yet they still couldn't take him down?!
"…Looks like Mondstadt's going to win."
Robin sighed.
"No, not necessarily."
"…Brother, you think someone can still overtake him?"
Sunday smiled mysteriously.
"Gepard has an ability—'Heaven and Earth Shift.' Why hasn't he used it?"
"…!"
Robin's eyes widened.
That's right—
Gepard had a skill too.
Even if it could only be used once—
Used at the right moment—
It could completely turn the game around.
Which meant—
This race…
Was far from over.
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