Jolly Jenny stood on the stage, microphone in one hand and the other raised high.
"Alright, racers to your marks—"
"The Tour de Inferno begins now!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the three members of The Vanquishers and the Sons of Calydon—Caesar, Billy, and Clorinde—shot out from the starting line almost simultaneously.
The main purpose of the Tour de Inferno wasn't just to crown a champion, but also to destroy the Ether Crystals on the Lake of Fire.
To prevent direct clashes from slowing things down, the two teams split off shortly after the start, taking different routes into the Hollows.
Just before entry, Belle, speaking through Eous, gave a warning.
"Everyone, be careful—we're entering the Hollows."
Not that they needed the reminder. Caesar, Clorinde, and Billy had already spotted the entrance up ahead.
Caesar called out, "Clorinde, Billy, stay close to me. Don't get separated inside!"
Though the Hollows ahead were partially decayed, they were still full of Ether, and the spatial stability was poor. Without a Proxy's guidance, getting lost would be a real problem.
Caesar led the charge into the Hollows, with Clorinde and Billy close behind.
As locals, Caesar and Billy were already familiar with the terrain. They'd been through the Hollows countless times. So even with the sudden spike in Ether concentration, they felt no discomfort.
Clorinde, however, was in a very different situation.
It was her first time in Zenless Zone Zero, her first time entering the Hollows—riding a motorcycle at high speed, no less. She had no preparation at all.
The moment she crossed the threshold, dizziness struck, and her bike nearly spun out of control.
Fortunately, Clorinde was well-trained.
She shook off the disorientation and muscled through the Ether surge.
Up ahead, Caesar was not only leading the charge but also keeping an eye on her.
"Ether concentration and activity are higher than yesterday. Looks like something really did go wrong at the Lake of Fire. Clorinde, you okay?"
Clorinde took a deep breath. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."
Billy laughed. "Big Sis Caesar, time to go all out! Let's pick up the pace!"
Caesar nodded. "Alright—"
With that, she throttled up again.
The terrain inside the Hollows was chaotic—strewn with rocks and obstacles everywhere.
What made Caesar furious was how much worse it had become since yesterday. There were definitely more traps now. It had to be The Vanquishers' doing.
"Watch out for debris on the road!" Caesar called.
Billy shouted, "Got it!"
Clorinde chimed in, "Don't worry, we won't crash!"
Their bikes bounced violently over loose rocks, wobbling dangerously. But Clorinde stayed laser-focused, forcing the motorcycle back under control.
Soon, the trio entered a narrow canyon, flanked by towering cliffs on either side. A winding path was the only way forward.
Not long into the canyon, Caesar spotted a thick tree stump blocking the center of the path.
No doubt about it—it was another one of The Vanquishers' tricks to slow them down.
But Caesar didn't let up. Instead, she yelled, "Clorinde! Billy! Lower your bikes and blast through!"
Without hesitation, she leaned into her handlebars, dipped the bike low, and ducked under the stump with perfect form—never even slowing down.
Billy followed right behind.
Clorinde stared at the stump ahead, frowning.
She hadn't learned that maneuver last night. With no better option, she mimicked Caesar and Billy's technique, lowering her bike while bracing with one foot.
Sparks flew as her foot scraped the ground hard, nearly flipping the motorcycle.
But Clorinde's strength held firm. She pulled the bike back just in time, then twisted the throttle and caught up to the others.
Seeing her pull through, Caesar beamed.
"Not bad, Clorinde! You're the most naturally gifted rider I've ever seen. With you and Billy at my side, we're winning this thing!"
She meant it. Even if Lucy and Lighter were here, they wouldn't necessarily do better than Clorinde and Billy.
Just as Caesar prepared to lead a full-speed charge, Belle's voice came from Eous up front.
"Caesar, watch out—there's a suspension bridge ahead, and it's about to collapse!"
Of course it would fall now of all times.
It didn't take a genius to realize The Vanquishers had planned this ambush perfectly.
"Despicable..." Caesar growled.
"Clorinde! Billy! Stick close—we're punching through together!"
She gunned the throttle.
As Belle had warned, the moment Caesar reached the bridge, a loud crack echoed—then the rotting suspension bridge came crashing down.
But Caesar was already ahead of it, leading Clorinde and Billy through just in time.
As they passed, Belle spoke again.
"Watch out, Caesar—huge boulder ahead!"
Caesar grinned. "Got it."
A rock wasn't going to block the Sons of Calydon. She blasted straight through.
But the closer they got to the Lake of Fire, the worse the path became. Obstacles piled up, some even completely blocking the road—forcing them to smash through.
It was obvious someone had intentionally set them up.
"Fire up ahead!" Belle warned.
"Fire?" Caesar muttered.
Sure enough, mounted flamethrowers lined the path, spraying fire straight down the center.
Unbelievable. So many traps—so many dirty tricks.
If it were any other gang racing today, they'd have been stopped cold by now. The Vanquishers would've taken the win without a fight.
But for Caesar, Billy, and Clorinde?
These were just warm-ups.
The ground beneath them shook violently.
"Caesar!" Belle's voice came urgently. "The massive boulders ahead could collapse any moment! What do we do?"
No doubt about it—this was another trap.
Now, they had two choices.
Or charge straight through.