By Zephyria 
―When was it?
He tried his best to push the man’s voice, which kept leading him back to last night, out of his mind.
Whenever he became conscious of the blue gaze that must have been fixed on him throughout the match, the conversation he had shared with the man floated back like an afterimage.
―The moment we met.
His excuse, born from a belated regret over his honesty, served as a vague answer to the question.
‘A few years ago, we were in the same place.’
―…A few years ago? Where?
“Ugh….”
The participants groaned and recoiled, startled as they locked eyes with those bright yellow pupils. In the cramped space, unable to move forward or backward, their confusion caused several minerals to be pushed outward, plummeting off the cliff. Along with them, the metal shell Leonardo had released fell rapidly, shrinking into a tiny dot.
Soon after, the shell collided with a low-rising boulder, triggering an explosion.
K-boom!
The air, expanding in an instant, became a sharp wind that precariously clawed past the rails. Meanwhile, Leonardo, who had been sitting atop the minerals, slowly dusted himself off and stood up.
‘At the Imperial Palace.’
Standing balanced atop the speeding mine cart, his golden hair fluttered menacingly along with the swirling heatwaves.
―The Imperial Palace?
<The power of that shell is incredible! It was nothing more than a crumpled ball in front of Ryan!>
<Team Vertex’s morale may be dropping, but they must not give up until the end—.>
Then, as if brushing aside the cloak fluttering behind his back, Leonardo extended his arm wide.
Screeech, skree, skree—
Following his gesture, the corroded rails cried out with an ominous sound. Starting from the section where Ero had been riding, the joints of the rusted tracks began to twist, softening under the heat.
―Are you talking about the departure ceremony?
‘That, and in front of the audience chamber.’
―…I didn’t know you would remember that time. You didn’t give me a single glance back then.
<Ryan, what is he trying to do?>
<The tracks are shaking!>
Unable to withstand the sudden force of expansion, some of the rails snapped back violently. The flying debris either embedded itself into the cliff crevices or collided with other rails, causing disconnections. In the moment the severed tracks lost their balance and wavered like a chain reaction, Leonardo pulled his outstretched palm back toward the front.
―I thought you wouldn’t know of my existence.
He then aimed toward the opposing team and, without blinking, clenched his fist tight.
K-boom—!
‘As if.’
The rails winding through the entire gorge were crushed like a shattered spine in sync with the trigger. Sharp metal fragments, along with the plywood supports, plummeted downward one by one. Starting with a collapse of an unbelievably vast scale, the loosely woven rails and rock walls slid down like an avalanche.
By then, the two participants of Team Vertex could do nothing but look around, frozen in place.
“…….”
The golden beast and the savage explosions spreading behind them. The feeling of helplessness in the center of an overwhelming spectacle resembling a disaster was beyond words.
<…The stadium maintenance team is going to have a hard time.>
The broadcasting team was also unable to find the words to describe the thrilling scene that vividly colored their vision.
The chilling Magic Power brushing against the skin, the destructive power and roar that shook the entire stadium as if visualizing that power. The weight of the words lingering in their mouths was woefully insufficient to express the intimidation unfolding before them.
At that moment, the two mine carts that had continued forward rounded the final curve and entered the straight section.
<The moment I say this, the goal is in sight! They have almost arrived at the final destination, the furnace!>
The participants of each team turned their heads in the direction the mine carts were flowing. With a clank, clank sound, a giant furnace shaped like a helmet repeatedly opened and closed its entrance in a regular rhythm. Each time it did, crimson flames and ash erupted from within the boiling furnace. It looked to be at least 30 meters high.
A teammate nudged a participant who was staring at the place with a distant expression and spat out,
“Jump.”
“…Suddenly? Why?”
“Jump, now!”
As he responded without knowing why, he soon looked back at the approaching sharp noise. The collapse of the rails that had started from far above was rushing toward them like dominoes, closing in on their mine cart.
“Damn it.”
It didn’t take long for him to give up, biting his lip and cursing. The two of them jumped simultaneously onto a large rock visible below.
The moment they leaped, the rails collapsed, and the tilting mine cart plummeted off the cliff with them.
<Ah, Team Vertex! Are they abandoning the mine cart?>
<It would have been better if they had held on a bit longer, but it might be a wise decision. Given who the opponent is.>
<But the match is not over yet!>
Though a few beats late, the rail Leonardo stood upon was also sinking at a terrifying speed. Watching this scene calmly, Leonardo leisurely moved to the control cabin of the mine cart.
Leaning his body, he planted one foot diagonally on the rear and leaped into the air, pushing the mine cart with all his might.
<Ryan leaps!>
―But Leo. Other than brushing past each other in such a public place.
K-chak, k-chak—
The lone sliding mine cart shot forward with a sharp sound. After firing three or four bursts of compressed air behind it, the rails that had barely held on collapsed completely, and the mine cart soared into the air from the impact. Leonardo, who moved in front of it instantly via Teleport, grit his teeth and rotated his body.
―I mean, have we ever faced each other and had a conversation before that?
After shaking my heart in the middle of the night, he seems to have completely forgotten.
Filled with resentment toward an opponent who couldn’t even remember, he delivered a sudden kick to the overturning mine cart.
With a crunching sound, the crumpled mine cart flew toward the furnace, clutching the minerals through centrifugal force.
‘Yeah, we have.’
“Beast—!”
Just then, Gillian, who arrived riding Orca’s whale, leaped in front of the furnace. He used his strength to drag a piece of iron that looked to be about 10 meters long and slammed it mercilessly into the gap of the closing entrance. As the maw of the furnace stopped moving temporarily, caught by the timing, the sizzling mine cart and minerals passed through the gap leisurely.
The scattered minerals were buried in the lava, then glowed golden and melted away without a trace.
A moment later, dazzling light and dust erupted from the furnace. The bubbling lava burst bubbles in all directions.
K-boom—!
<Did they succeed?>
Along with a nail-biting gasp, the numbers on Team Joker’s scoreboard changed wildly. Soon after, it tallied a symbolic record of 10 tons. The cheers of the crowd pierced through the gorge even before the voices of the broadcasters.
Waaaaah—
<Team Joker! They record a staggering figure of 10 tons!>
<This is the highest score ever recorded in a match held at Trigon Gorge—!>
Excited voices rang out loudly throughout the venue. Ero and Beatrice, who had been watching anxiously from the cliff, embraced each other and jumped up and down on the spot.
“Woooah!”
“We won—!”
Gillian and Orca, who had taken shelter nearby to avoid the furnace’s explosion, smiled upon hearing the cheers that were loud enough to make their ears ring. Then, the two looked at each other and slammed their right hands together in a strong high-five.
“Killer whale, you’re not bad.”
“Same to you.”
<Team Joker wins the second match of the group league with an overwhelming score difference!>
<It was a thrilling match, like watching a movie—. It was a flawless coordinated operation, as if everyone had become one body. At this rate, I suspect Joker’s Bubble Gun might also be a planned performance—.>
<Haha, that might be the case!>
Joker, Ryan! Joker, Ryan! The voices of the crowd filling the stadium became one, alternatingly shouting for Team Joker and Ryan.
As if responding to that call, a figure emerged, floating leisurely in the air against the backdrop of a fluttering cloak amidst the rough smoke rising from scraping metal and destroyed rock walls.
The ivory-colored magic robe, untainted as if he had brought out clothes he had been saving, stood out more than ever.
As he raised his right hand high toward the crowd, a thunderous cheer covered the entire gorge.