One light, one dark—Terra's twin moons!
Amid the relentless, ever-increasing downpour, this Goodwood Cup had descended into a scene of chaotic, rain-lashed darkness. Even the most famous and brilliant Uma Musume saw their radiance dimmed.
So-called superstars found their brilliance obscured, all except… that silver-white figure in the middle, accelerating from behind to surge forward!
It was as if a silver-white Pegasus, capable of devouring all darkness, had transformed into the sole dazzling meteor beneath the curtain of rain.
"Is this… the legendary Platinum's signature move—the one that pierces through her opponents?"
"I only watch long-distance races, and I'd only heard of the Pegasus special effects, but to witness it in person… it's far more breathtaking than any news report or description."
"Gulp, did the sky just go from overcast to almost pitch black? Just how many special effects does Pegasus Platinum actually possess?!"
"So many Uma Musume, including all-time great long-distance talents like Kyprios and Stradivarius, don't have even a trace of these special effects, right?"
"Sorry, Miss Stradivarius, but Miss Platinum's acceleration in this dark rain… and those special effects are just too magnificent. I can't support you anymore!"
From the countless spectators on both sides, nearly half had originally been fans of Kyprios or Stradivarius.
But now, many were being captivated by the sole silver-white Pegasus shining under Terra's twin moons, unable to resist abandoning their cheers for their idols.
Perhaps soon… those idols would gain a new prefix—former idols.
To encounter Pegasus Platinum in a race, to give your all yet be powerless against her effects!
—Not her all.
That was the reality. What they had witnessed was merely a partial display of Platinum's ability after her initial acceleration. Her true, full-speed flight…
Had yet to begin!
--+--
[The sudden downpour significantly increased the importance of a quick start and securing position out of the gate, and the most eye-catching breakout came from the inside lane—Kyprios!]
[She had already turned her gate position into an advantage, fearlessly charging to the front and taking the lead along the inner rail.]
[But… further back, the highly anticipated Pegasus Platinum was already beginning her acceleration before the first turn?]
[Unbelievable! This is an extremely heavy turf course with no sign of the rain letting up!]
[In an incredibly short time, Platinum overtook another Uma Musume, no longer sitting at the back of the pack.]
[Beyond the finish line, the phantom figure upon the throne in the hall seemed like the mythical moon goddess Artemis, commencing her hunt!!]
The commentator's words, initially a routine report on the start and positioning, were completely disrupted…
By Platinum's acceleration right out of the gate, a move beyond everyone's expectations that threw off the thoughts of spectators, commentators, and all the competing Uma Musume alike!
From her lofty throne, the phantom of the girlish deity pronounced her judgment.
"Two."
The second arrow was loosed not long after!
That arrow transformed into a trail of light, like a single shooting star—dazzling, vast, and terrifying!
The brilliant stream of light appeared repeatedly, one after another, ensuring that even Kyprios, running at the very front in the inside lane where it was hard to see behind, could keenly perceive exactly what it was.
Let alone the majority of the other Uma Musume, who could see it clearly.
It was the intimidating display of Platinum's effects, the shame of being pierced through while falling behind under the gaze of thousands!
And immense pressure, accompanying those arrows, flooded the hearts of most Uma Musume trailing behind Platinum.
"So this is the legendary Platinum's arrow? To get shot by it right from the start… whimper!"
"So scary, it almost made me throw my hands up!"
"What do I do? I'm in the pack chasing the leaders too. Am I going to be shot next?"
"She's insane, this Pegasus! This is a long-distance race on a heavy turf course!"
Feelings of astonishment, shock, or… anxious strategizing flashed through the minds of many Uma Musume.
But very quickly, in an extremely short time, these internationally top-class long-distance runners all independently arrived at the exact same decision.
Namely… to hold their positions and maintain the pace they deemed appropriate.
Even Stradivarius, remaining perfectly calm out in the outer lane, silently watched the swift silver-white figure in the middle positions.
'No need to worry too much. This is long-distance, and a heavy course at that.'
'Neither a front-running dash nor a deep-closing charge suits such a harsh, grueling long-distance battle.'
In truth, an all-out dash from the start was inherently unsuited for long-distance races—it was far too extreme.
Take, for example, the Japanese Classic triple crown's long-distance 3000m G1, the Kikuka Shō!
The Uma Musume named Seiun Sky won back then with a "tactical front-running dash," becoming the "Kikuka Shō's only dash-style winner in forty years."
Forty years, and only one. And remember, most Uma Musume in the Kikuka Shō have only just completed or are about to complete their Maturation, their stamina far from its peak.
Under such conditions, only one in nearly half a century managed to win with a dash, proof enough of how disadvantageous such an extreme running style was in long-distance events.
And here was Pegasus Platinum, in what could be called a rare battle seen once in decades, a top-tier race in long-distance history, facing opponents like "The Longest River·Stradivarius" and "The Highest Mountain·Kyprios."
Moreover, she was doing it on a super-heavy turf course, the worst condition for a dash! It was practically taboo.
Platinum hadn't secured a favorable position out of the gate like Kyprios, so her start seemed deceptive, making it look like she was holding back…
But any Uma Musume with even a little knowledge of Platinum, who had seen a few of her races, knew that Platinum never held back her acceleration until the final homestretch!
So, in a way, she exhibited traits of both a deep closer and a front-runner.
Her signature move—accelerating after securing position—was even more extreme than a typical Great Escape, something Stradivarius categorized as the most extreme of escapes.
'This is Platinum's first European long-distance G1, on a super-heavy course that even I find tense and intimidating, and she's not even sticking to the conventional, kingly running style…'
'With so many "debuffs" stacked against her, surely not just me, but Kyprios must be full of confidence too?'
In the battle-hardened Stradivarius's view, even if Platinum was a super-stats monster, she'd had those stats significantly nerfed by the conditions and couldn't possibly display the same absolute dominance she showed in middle-distance races.
By any measure of common sense and conventional wisdom, this was the correct assessment.
Even as Pegasus Platinum drew infinitely closer to her, after careful thought, Stradivarius made the same choice as the several Uma Musume around her.
Namely—trust in herself, and don't overestimate the opponent or worry unnecessarily!
But sometimes, the wall between overestimating and underestimating an opponent is paper-thin.
The silver-white maiden, the Platinum rank from the Armorless Union, was about to display a speed that overturned all expectations!
In Stradivarius's field of vision, Platinum had already reached her side.
And in the next second, Platinum overtook her, who was in fourth place, with an ease so casual it was as if she were passing some nobody.
'So… so fast!'
'W-Wait, she's heading where?!'
Even with mental preparation, even with long-distance experience as rich as, say, Kyprio's—likely the most extensive among all the Uma Musume in the race—Stradivarius couldn't contain her shock.
'Pegasus, where do you think you're going?!'
If it were just a matter of pure speed, of being overtaken due to an acceleration while she maintained her pace, it wouldn't have been enough to startle Stradivarius so.
What Stradivarius saw was—
Platinum, that somewhat petite, delicate, and cute silver-white girl, was deviating from the outer path Stradivarius occupied as she overtook her, veering instead…
Veering towards the inside lane, embarking on a diagonal run all on her own!!
Taboo! Yet another taboo!
Following the extreme dash on a heavy course, Platinum was repeatedly, one after another, breaking taboos of an even greater magnitude!
"Sh-She's really…"
Stradivarius sucked in a sharp, cold breath.
If she continued to judge based on her own understanding, on conventional norms…
Then the answer was…
The Pegasus had gone mad!!!
But was that possible?
An Uma Musume who had already conquered two of the four major turf events, effortlessly earned the title of history's strongest dual-threat, and single-handedly mastered three highly prestigious [GOAT] titles… how could she be mad?
This was the universally acknowledged first turf Uma Musume to rival Eclipse, unprecedented and likely never to be seen again!
Unable to comprehend it, and utterly shocked, Stradivarius stared fixedly at the figure cutting diagonally alone towards the inner rail.
Unconsciously, a sense of foreboding rose in her heart, a faint doubt beginning to creep in about whether her decision to hold her position and observe Platinum's moves from afar was right or wrong.
'But if Platinum isn't mad, then that must mean… I'm the one who's mad?!'
--+--
Turf course, leading positions.
The silver-white maiden's agile steps fell upon the rain-soaked, heavy turf.
Platinum's figure had angled all the way to the inside lane!
For the vast majority of Uma Musume, veering diagonally like this was absolutely unacceptable, a blunder as embarrassing as a bad start.
At best, it wasted more stamina and added extra distance.
At worst… it could obstruct the path of nearby Uma Musume, resulting in a foul.
It had happened before in a Japanese G1: an Uma Musume who veered and affected a whole line of runners, after crossing the finish line first, faced such severe consequences due to the egregious interference that she was disqualified from first to last.
When Platinum angled towards the inside, the only Uma Musume behind her was on the outside lane. Even if she caused interference… she could only interfere with herself!
"The inside lane—this is the spot!"
Platinum didn't suffer from some hard-to-correct habit of veering.
She wasn't one of those famous "Gold Family" veerers from Japan, not like Stay Gold or Orfevre!
In this sharp assassin girl's mind, it was simply a matter of basic arithmetic, leading to this choice.
By accepting a short diagonal run, Platinum could seize the advantage of the inside lane!
Compared to the other Uma Musume, who were mostly near the middle or outer lanes, she, already in third and claiming the inner rail by the first turn, would only gain more advantage the longer the race went on, right?
But this seemingly simple math problem, this flight along the inner rail, required a price… the dominance to rule a super-heavy turf course, and the terrifying stamina to handle both long-distance and such conditions!
In the eyes of most Uma Musume, it was an unprofitable, extremely high-risk choice.
But what Miss Platinum thought was…
—"This inside lane… isn't it plenty wide?"
[This? This is…!]
[Pegasus Platinum, what has she done?!]
[Veering to the inside lane—does she plan to challenge the twin long-distance sovereigns with this common-sense-defying running style?]
[The Eclipse Pegasus, rival to the Sun, can her miracle continue under this rain? Let's wait and see!]
After the first turn, the silver-white figure was flying at high speed along the inner rail.
That diagonal move to claim the inside lane utterly astounded the massive crowd of spectator fans, shocking them even more than it had Stradivarius.
"I-Incredible as always, Miss Pegasus. She never disappoints, breaking conventions even in the rain."
"Yes! A front-running dash on the inside rail of a heavy course! The trip was worth it, got my money's worth!!"
"Hmph, is she looking down on the invincible Miss Kyprios? Don't underestimate long-distance racing!"
"If it's Stradivarius, she'll definitely seize this chance and turn it into a winning advantage!"
--+--
Alongside the endless shock…
Some of the long-distance fans of Stradivarius and Kyprios still maintained faith in their idols and refused to believe in Platinum.
After all… after all, Platinum was the Eclipse, the Moon, not the sun that everyone would raise their hands in celebration to see.
But the moon… might not be inferior to the sun!
After the first turn, the Uma Musume who had been second, at the very front of the leading pack, let out a small cry of dismay.
She could only watch helplessly as the silver-white monster on the inside rail swept past her.
The brilliant, flowing arrow followed right on its heels!
And at the very front, it was still Kyprios, with her smooth start, setting the pace.
But her lead wasn't by much, so… she had already caught sight of that figure entering her field of vision.
The tall, lean, and coolly aloof Kyprios felt her pupils contract sharply. She wasn't someone unaware of Platinum's acceleration.
In fact, Kyprios had considered the possibility of Platinum accelerating to near her position before the halfway point.
But what she never expected was… Platinum would appear there, in the [very inside lane]—a position infinitely more extreme and risky than her own inside-middle path.
Kyprios had thought her position was somewhat extreme, but… Platinum was infinitely more extreme than her!
After the initial shock, Kyprios clenched her silver teeth.
"I can't lose here."
The race wasn't about who got the inside lane.
The real contest was only just beginning! She would…
--+--
[(Domain): Deploy ]!!
--+--
"Sever all attachments, forget everything!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.