We plunged into the Rocky Mountain Area, hot on the heels of Scarlet Blue, and it was genuinely terrifying. Under normal circumstances, the gaps between these peaks would have been plenty wide, but that only applied if you could fly in a straight line.
The Flying Board was a massive thing. Since it was designed to carry three people, it was naturally quite wide. Because it refused to travel straight—weaving, swaying, and following a generally erratic trajectory—the path ahead felt incredibly narrow.
"Aoi, how are our magic power levels?"
"We’re burning through it faster than originally planned, but I built a buffer into the distribution. We’re still fine for now."
"Kaito-senpai, are you okay with the handling?"
"It takes a lot of concentration. Everything feels so much tighter than I expected... but as long as we don't hit any sudden changes, I think I can manage."
Our initial plan had been to gain altitude and then descend just before the checkpoint, so we hadn't intended to push this kind of speed. However, Scarlet Blue's masterful maneuver had forced our hand. We had to accelerate just to keep up.
The terrain was intricate down at this altitude. Scarlet Blue’s board was only visible as a fleeting glimpse far in the distance, appearing and disappearing behind the jagged peaks.
Still, we hadn't been fatally distanced yet. It felt like we had narrowly avoided losing the race right then and there. Even so, I couldn't afford to let my guard down for a second.
Out of the other teams that had accelerated and dived into the canyon alongside us, two had already dropped out after colliding with the rocks. I focused entirely on the board, determined not to repeat their mistake.
"Honestly, the only silver lining is that the board has been moving relatively predictably so far."
"True. It’s wobbling, but it hasn't made any violent shifts. I just hope it stays stable until we clear the mountains."
"Kaito-senpai! Aoi-senpai! I see the checkpoint!"
Since we were maintaining a low altitude and didn't need much height adjustment, I had Hina focus all her attention on the path ahead.
Just as she said, the checkpoint appeared through the crags. My heart sank when I saw it—the checkpoint was sandwiched between two massive rock walls. We had to thread the needle.
In this layout, missing the mark was essentially synonymous with a high-speed collision. Concentrating more intensely than ever before, I adjusted our lateral swaying and successfully slipped through the gap.
"Alright, we made it... What should we do about our altitude?"
"We’ve cleared the checkpoint, so it’s safer to ascend. Hina..."
"No, don't!"
"Eh?"
Once we were past the narrowest point, the logical move was to gain altitude and put distance between us and the dangerous rocks. In fact, I could see Scarlet Blue and several other teams already beginning their ascent.
I thought a higher altitude would be best for prioritizing safety until we reached the Forest Area, but Hina firmly rejected the idea.
"I don't really know why, but... I have a feeling a strong wind is coming."
"Wind? I don't feel much of a breeze right now..."
"No, I think we should trust that kind of intuition. Let's stay low, just like Hina suggests."
Hina didn't seem entirely certain herself, but I knew her Wild Intuition was something that couldn't be ignored.
Since the Flying Board was essentially a giant plank, the wind would have a massive impact on us. Besides, we were almost out of the Rocky Mountain Area anyway; staying at this altitude for a little longer wouldn't hurt.
The roar of the wind followed almost immediately. Ahead of us, I watched as Scarlet Blue and the other teams that had climbed higher were suddenly slammed by a violent gust.
As expected of teams that had made it this far, they managed to recover from the buffeting, but they were clearly struggling to maintain their balance. Their speed plummeted.
In contrast, the surrounding mountains acted as a windbreak for us. We were able to continue our flight almost entirely unaffected. As a result, we closed the gap with Scarlet Blue significantly without having to expend extra magic power.
"Incredible. It happened exactly like Hina said it would."
"Ehehe. I don't really get it myself, but I'm glad I could help!"
"Thanks to Hina, we’re in a great position. We’ve closed the distance, and while the wind is still bothering the others, we might even be able to pull into the lead..."
"...It won't be quite that simple."
"!?"
Just as I was starting to believe we could take the top spot and build a lead toward victory, another board surged past us from the side. Standing upon it was the team in the matching black robes—Black Muscat.
"Splendid situational judgment. To pull that off during your first tournament... you are not to be underestimated. We were curious about your movements, so we decided to stay low as well. It seems we made the right choice."
They truly were the veterans they were rumored to be. It seemed they had observed our behavior, assumed we had a specific intent, and decided to maintain a low altitude while everyone else climbed.
Then, the moment our guard was down, they had accelerated all at once to overtake us. I felt the sheer weight of their experience in that move.
However, it wasn't all bad news. We had already pushed our speed beyond our original schedule to get this far. Having Black Muscat in front of us now meant we could use their veteran pace as a reference for our own energy management.
With the battle in the Forest Area and the final stretch to the goal still to come, I decided we should stay calm and follow them, waiting for the right moment to make our move. The race was definitely heating up.
Serious-senpai: "Scarlet Blue hasn't dropped out, but that was a significant loss for them. And now Black Muscat makes their move... This is a truly excellent development; I actually feel satisfied for once. As for Hina reacting to the wind, was that the influence of the Blessing of the Sky? The reason Kaito didn't notice the wind himself was because the Blessing of the Creator God has been suppressed for the duration of the race... though the Blessing of the God of Fate clearly still has his back when it comes to those fine adjustments on the board."