Anyone who's driven in the rain knows—aside from the braking issues—the worst thing is the blurred visibility.
In a downpour, you can barely see five meters ahead.
Crashes become frighteningly easy.
Formula racing is no different.
And F1 has an even worse weakness—there's no roof.
Rainwater pours directly into the cockpit.
If the waterproof membrane isn't perfect and water seeps through…
The electrics will short out instantly, and the engine will stall.
Of course, F1 cars have excellent drainage systems; the cockpit won't literally turn into a fish tank.
But still—rain is a nightmare for most drivers.
For most.
Not for Leon.
To him, this was perfect weather.
The worse the conditions, the more they showcased a driver's true skill.
And the easier it became to overtake.
"What a great day," Leon muttered, eyes shining.
Randall, however, was furious.
"Damn it… this rain's going to turn into a full-on storm!"
Rain racing's real terror lies in cold tires and no grip.
Even switching to full wet tires can't fully solve the traction issue.
And the rain destroys visibility.
If the downpour gets heavy enough, the race director will throw a red flag like they did during the Maple Leaf Grand Prix.
But right now, the rain wasn't quite that intense.
So the race continued.
Randall took his Ishuzark into the next corner.
Because of the slippery surface, he was forced to slow down to around 94 km/h—far slower than in dry conditions.
The race had just gotten complicated.
"Perfect chance," Leon's eyes gleamed as he accelerated.
Just as he entered the corner—
He initiated a drift.
A Formula One drift.
In heavy rain.
With no assistance from the Tyrant's boosters—just pure technique.
With the full-wet tires' deep channels and smaller contact patch, the rear end loosened easily.
Lower grip meant easier, sharper slides.
A normal driver would fear spinning out.
Leon embraced it.
Controlling the Tyrant, he drifted through the corner at 300 km/h.
Randall barely caught the blur passing by him.
Before he could process what happened…
Leon was gone.
A massive spray of water exploded skyward—twenty, thirty meters high—
The rain above was torn into a curtain of liquid light.
The Tyrant's passage was like a dragon tearing across the river.
Majestic.
Overwhelming.
Shocking.
"What the—!?!"
Randall's face turned ghost-white.
His heartbeat went wild.
The rain wasn't hindering Leon.
It was empowering him.
He was using the downpour to drift.
This mad racing style—
Only Leon dared.
The crowd erupted instantly.
"That's insane! He's the first person to drift a Formula car in the rain!"
"Even if he's from America—I SUPPORT THIS GUY!"
"Motorsports has no borders! GO!"
"King of the corners! No one else!"
People cheered, whistled, pumped their fists.
Even the rain couldn't force them back under the roof.
Missing even one second meant missing history.
Another corner approached—
And Leon dove straight in.
The corner had a speed trap camera.
He flashed past.
351 km/h.
Safe.
Stable.
A new record in Formula history.
"OOOOHHHHHH!!!!"
The stadium exploded.
The atmosphere ignited.
The Tyrant, unleashed by the rain, was nearly flying toward Shinjo Naoki in third place.
"Damn it! I won't let you pass!" Shinjo snarled, sawing at the wheel.
But he was too slow.
Leon flicked the Tyrant's rear again—
A wall of water sprayed backward, completely blocking Shinjo's view.
"SH*T!!"
Blinded, Shinjo panicked and stomped the brakes.
Leon shot past like a street racing phantom.
"Fast—too fast!!"
Shinjo gasped for air, trembling.
This is the strength of America's Racing God?
And this was just Formula racing…
If Leon drove Diomas—
Shinjo shuddered.
Terrifying.
Utterly terrifying.
Thanks to the rain, Leon barely needed to slow for corners.
His overtaking opportunities skyrocketed.
The gap to second place shrank rapidly.
And second place was—
Hayato Kazami.
They entered the coastal highway again.
The waves were even more intense now.
Sea spray blasted onto the track.
This section had only two choices:
Beat the wave before it hits—
Or slow down and let the wave pass.
The question was—
Which would Hayato choose?
Which would Leon choose?
"Finally…" Hayato's eyes burned with excitement.
He'd been waiting for a head-to-head clash with Leon.
Leon had been stuck in traffic earlier, too far behind to catch up.
He thought it'd take another seven or eight laps.
But now—
In just the second lap—
Leon had arrived.
And with impossibly bold two-corner overtakes in the rain.
"Come, Leon! Show me your strength!" Hayato shouted.
"Asurada! Boost Stage One!"
"Warning: incoming wave detected. Recommend deceleration."
"No. We're pushing through!" Hayato roared.
The Asurada's turbine roared, unleashing blue flames.
It skimmed low along the coast, taunting the roaring sea.
"Acceleration Mode," Leon ordered calmly.
Two maniacs raced along the coastline—
One mistake meant being swallowed by the ocean.
Both cars launched forward—
Ignoring the massive wave forming behind them.
"The wave's coming!"
"Will it hit them?!"
"Engines will drown if that hits!"
"This is insane!"
Spectators held their breath, glued to the screen.
The track was slick with water, but neither Hayato nor Leon faltered.
Their speeds were monstrous.
Black and white streaks—
Twin destinies hurtling toward the shoreline's end.
Tires tore through standing water, sending fountains exploding outward.
The spectacle drew gasps from everyone watching.
Before they cleared the stretch—
The wave struck.
BOOOOM!!!
A column of sea water blasted upward, debris exploding across the road.
A towering wall of water—twenty, thirty meters high—came crashing down.
Hayato looked up and froze.
The monstrous wave blotted out the sky.
If they were even a moment late—
They'd be wiped out.
"Boost Stage Two! Go!!" Hayato screamed.
The Asurada unleashed its second-stage booster—
Speed doubling instantly.
The white machine became a streak of lightning.
"Air thrusters—full power," Leon commanded.
The Tyrant roared.
Compressed-air boosters fired at maximum output.
He didn't activate Tyrant Mode—
He didn't need to.
Both cars reached impossible speeds—
Hayato's Asurada hitting 800 km/h, tearing the air apart.
The wave crashed behind them with apocalyptic force.
They escaped the coastline at the last possible moment.
Hayato braked hard and twisted the wheel into the upcoming corner.
The G-force slammed into him—
His bones felt like they were cracking.
The rain made it too dangerous; the tires couldn't grip.
He had no choice but to slow down.
Leon did not.
The Tyrant surged forward.
Not slowing.
Not hesitating.
Entering the corner at over 300 km/h.
"HE'S NOT AFRAID OF FLIPPING?!" Hayato's eyes nearly popped out.
No driver alive dared enter a wet corner like that.
Only Leon.
A huge curtain of water burst upward as the Tyrant slid sideways—
A ferocious beast tearing through the rain.
Second place—secured.
Only Bleed Kaga remained ahead.
After one more lap, Kaga entered the pit lane to change tires.
He had barely rolled to a stop when—
Leon shot past the pit exit.
"What the—?! So fast?!"
Kaga was stunned by the Tyrant's pit efficiency.
The robots were faster than human crews!
By the time Kaga finished his stop, Leon was already on his tail.
He slammed the throttle—
The Firebird accelerated, hitting 100 km/h in 1.89 seconds.
Soon they reached the legendary Dream Straight—
Four kilometers of pure, unrestricted acceleration.
"Boost!" Kaga barked.
The Firebird's engine howled like a jet turbine.
A golden flame burst from the rear nozzle.
The front water spray formed a shield-like vortex—
A stunning, aggressive display.
"Acceleration Mode."
Leon shrank the Tyrant's frame once more.
The rear thruster erupted with blue fire.
Both machines carved twin water curtains—
Lightning slicing through the storm.
Even spectators could feel the shockwave of wind as they passed.
This speed…
One mistake meant instant catastrophe.
"DON'T LET LEON PASS!!"
"FASTER!!"
"KEEP PUSHING!!"
The crowd was losing their minds.
Kaga pushed the Firebird to its absolute limit—
He had never needed to unleash so much power.
Both drivers were nearing the threshold of physical failure.
"Damn… is this my limit?"
Kaga's forehead dripped cold sweat.
The speedometer showed 900 km/h.
One more push would break 1000 km/h—
A speed where any car would start to float.
This was Kaga's limit.
But not Leon's.
Not the Tyrant's.
1000 km/h—
The ultimate barrier—
Was within Leon's grasp.
~~----------------------
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