"It is a true honor to meet you, Ten Point-san. But make no mistake—I have no intention of losing to you today."
"Hah! You've got spirit, kid. If you want the crown, come and take it. Show me what you've got."
"Man, there really is nothing like a race, is there!? I was going to say I hope there are some worthy challengers out there, but that's a stupid thing to say when everyone here is a monster!"
"Hahaha! You're a strange one, but I like you. Tell me, care for a drink after the race?"
"Oh, I'd love to! I actually know a few snacks that pair perfectly with a good brew."
"Is that so? I look forward to seeing if they can satisfy an Emperor."
In the moments before the gates opened, the air crackled with a unique energy. Some girls withdrew into themselves, centering their spirits; others sought out the idols they had worshipped from afar, sharing words they had waited a lifetime to say. Rampage stood apart, staring silently at the sky as she bit down on an unlit herb cigar. She didn't need the spark—her heart was already a furnace. There was nothing left to hold her back.
The fanfare erupted, a golden clarion call that signaled the end of pleasantries.
"..."
The field moved as one. Sixteen legends, each a pillar of their respective eras, stepped into their stalls. The stadium, packed to the rafters, fell into a breathless, expectant silence.
『The Battle of the Century is seconds away. What kind of drama will unfold on this turf? Predictions are useless here; we are in uncharted territory. The final gates are closing... Mejiro Rampage is in. The field is set!』
The cramped darkness of the gate was a sanctuary. While others might feel the suffocating pressure of the start, Rampage found only focus. She stared straight ahead, her eyes locked on the horizon, waiting for the hinge of destiny to swing.
『The Legend Race, Middle Distance: Turf 2400 meters... AND—THEY'RE OFF!』
In the infinitesimal fracture of a second before the gates cleared, Rampage kicked. She exploded into the light just as the metal swung wide, a bolt of lightning launched into a shower of deafening cheers. It was a perfect start—but she wasn't alone.
『MEJIRO RAMPAGE WITH A STUNNING BREAK! But Katsuragi Ace and Maruzensky are right there with her! Rampage seizes the lead by a hair, but the two speedsters are breathing down her neck!』
『The battle for the front is a three-way war right out of the gate!』
"I knew you'd be there!" Rampage roared over the wind.
"Heh! It's been too long since we did this, hasn't it!?" Maruzensky laughed, her crimson silks fluttering.
"Consider this interest on the debt I owe you from the Japan Cup!" Ace added, her eyes burning.
Rampage felt a surge of affection for the two. They had pushed her to her limits once before; today, she would show them exactly how much she had grown. But then, she felt a familiar, lingering presence.
"Still stalking my six, Flora!?"
"As if I'd let anyone else have the privilege of watching your back!" Flora shouted back.
"Ugh, you absolute creep!" Rampage barked.
"Hey! That's uncalled for!"
『Rampage, Ace, and Maruzensky are dictating the pace, followed closely by Agnes Flora—the "Stalker" strategy remains in effect! Behind them, a pack of titans: Tamamo Cross, Ten Point, Green Grass, Tosho Boy, Super Creek, Oguri Cap, and Sirius Symboli. Two lengths back, we find Crime Kaiser, Hosho Tsukige, and Mejiro Ryan, with Inari One and Akari Point anchoring the rear!』
『Wait... the pressure coming from the back is insane. It's not just speed—it's pure presence.』
The weight pressing against Rampage's back was heavier than any race in her active career. Every girl behind her was a predator, their eyes locked onto her muscles, waiting for the slightest twitch that signaled her "Full-Body Stride." But their vigilance was about to be turned against them.
『They hit the backstretch! 1000 meters in... WAIT! Is that right!? 57.2 SECONDS!?』
『That's impossible! Is the timer broken!?』
A wave of shock rippled through the grandstands. 57.2 was faster than any "Twin Turbo" suicide lead in history. As the crowd panicked, thinking the leaders would surely collapse, Minamisaka stood in the stands with a grim, knowing smile.
"She's actually doing it. What a reckless, beautiful monster."
"Wh-What do you mean, Trainer?" an assistant asked, trembling.
"This isn't just a lead," Minamisaka explained, his voice hushed with awe. "She's turned the entire race into a war of attrition. Everyone was waiting for her to 'activate' her final gear in the straight. She used that expectation to bait them into a pace that should be fatal. But Rampage isn't waiting for the finish line to accelerate..."
He paused, a look of pure disbelief crossing his face.
"She's been floored since the gun. This is a 2400-meter sprint."
"This pace... you've really done it now, Rampage!" Ace wheezed, her lungs starting to burn.
"Tch! It's working... the pressure is unreal!" Maruzensky hissed.
The trap had sprung. Ace and Maruzensky, the two closest to her, had been the first to fall for the bait. They had followed her into the abyss of a sub-58 tempo, and by the time they realized the "Full-Body Stride" wasn't a finisher but the baseline, it was too late. To slow down now was to forfeit. There was only one way out.
"We just have to break her!"
"Let's go, Rampage!"
『They enter the third corner! Agnes Flora and Oguri Cap are starting to climb! Ace and Maruzensky are hanging on by sheer will! But here come the legends—the Eternal Three and the TTG are surging! New and old eras are clashing in the turn! Crime Kaiser and Hosho Tsukige are moving up! Akari Point is trailing slightly—this pace is simply too much for any mortal to endure! This is a dictatorship! A total Tyranny of the Turf!』
Legend or not, it didn't matter. Rampage wasn't running against them; she was running against the very concept of limits. She leaned into the fourth corner, maintaining maximum velocity. On any other girl, the centrifugal force would have shattered their ankles. But Rampage had the "Iron" body she had forged through madness. Her hooves gripped the dirt beneath the turf, carving a path through the turn.
The final straight opened up.
"Come on then!" Rampage screamed, her voice tearing through the air. "Show me the best the world has to offer!"
『The final straight! Mejiro Rampage still leads! She hits the hill and she's not slowing down—she's accelerating! It's unbelievable! She's going for the wire without taking a single breath! But the pack is coming for her!』
"This is it! This is the feeling!" Tamamo Cross roared. "Come here, Rampage!"
"Witness the meaning of a falling star!" Akari Point cried.
"I am the one who dances in the heavens!" Tosho Boy declared.
"Know the sting of the assassin!" Green Grass hissed.
"My path is mine to carve—charge! Nya!!" Tsukige yelled.
"The Emperor of Crime? I like the sound of that! I'll show you a coronation!" Crime Kaiser laughed.
"I'll overwrite every record, every memory, with my own light!" Flora screamed.
One by one, "Domains" ignited across the track, a kaleidoscope of reality-altering pressure. The air grew thick with the weight of their legacies. Flora was closing in. But then, a massive, crushing presence surged from the center of the pack.
"I'm coming for you! Take everything I have!!!"
『OGURI CAP WITH A MONSTER SPURT! That closing speed is terrifying! She's flying! She passes Ace! She passes Maruzensky! She's in second! The Gray Monster is unleashed!』
"I won't... I won't lose!"
Akari Point, who had been at the very back, was now a blur of motion. Her lungs were on fire, her vision blurring, but she refused to let her legs stop. She tore through the middle, passing those who had faltered on the hill. She could see the leaders. She could see Ten Point. Just a little further!
『Akari Point into sixth! But wait—from the depths! MEJIRO RYAN! The Mejiro Triple Crown is launching a desperate assault! She's blowing past Super Creek and Inari One! She's past Sirius Symboli! Is it a Mejiro duel for the ages!? NO! AGNES FLORA IS STILL THERE!』
"I will not yield my place as her rival to anyone!" Flora shrieked.
"The hell you won't! That spot is MINE!" Ryan roared back.
They ran for the friend they loved, for the rival they respected, and for the legends they were destined to become.
The Godspeed Stride.
The Desperately Sought Bloom.
The Dash for a Dearest Friend.
『Mejiro Rampage leads! Ryan is gaining! Flora is showing the grit of the current generation! Oguri Cap is still coming—she's closing the gap! Two lengths! 200 meters to go! Rampage is digging in! Tamamo, Inari, and Creek are in the hunt! The TTG are flying! Hosho Tsukige is a whirlwind! This isn't a race, it's a massacre! Oguri is leveling—no! RAMPAGE FINDS ANOTHER GEAR! Does she have no bottom!? Is this the true power of the world champion!?』
"ORRRRRRAAAAAAA!!!!"
『Oguri Cap is lunging! But Mejiro Rampage is still in front! She's holding! SHE'S HOLDING! GOAL IN! MEJIRO RAMPAGE! THE WORLD'S FASTEST HAS LED THE LEGENDS HOME! Oguri Cap takes second, Mejiro Ryan third, Ten Point fourth, and Agnes Flora fifth! And the time...』
The screen flashed. The stadium went silent for a heartbeat before erupting into a riot of sound.
[2:20.9]
『2:20.9!? SHE'S SHATTERED HER OWN WORLD RECORD! Mejiro Rampage has crowned herself once more! A victory worthy of the inaugural Legend Race!』
Rampage's legs gave out the moment she passed the wire. She collapsed onto her knees, the grass cool against her skin. She was beyond exhausted; her body felt like it had been liquefied and poured into a mold of lead. The record didn't matter. The glory didn't matter. Only the searing, wonderful ache in her chest remained.
A hand appeared in her field of vision. She looked up to see Ryan, her face flushed and sweaty, but smiling.
"Good run, Ran."
"...Yeah," Rampage wheezed, a tired grin spreading across her face. "Thanks, Ran."
She took the hand and let her friend pull her up.
"I really thought I had you," Oguri Cap said, walking over. "I gave it everything."
"I thought you had me too," Rampage replied. "By the way, Oguri-san... you realize you broke the world record too, right?"
"Oh?" Oguri blinked, her usual stoic expression softening into confusion. "Does that mean I'm a world record holder now, too?"
Rampage burst out laughing. Only Oguri could survive a death-match like that and remain so perfectly herself.
"Yeah," Rampage smiled, looking out at the cheering stands. "Yeah, you are. This really was the best."
The 1st Legend Race
Inaugural Middle Distance Champion: Mejiro Rampage
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