[And now, welcome her… the Strongest middle-distance Uma Musume in History, the Strongest long-distance Uma Musume in History, the Strongest sprinter Uma Musume in History, the most versatile dual-surface Uma Musume in History, the only Irregular Quadruple Crown winner in History… make your entrance!]
[Hailed as the Pegasus, the legendary Uma Musume spoken of in the same breath as Eclipse, her radiance in this moment already rivals his.]
[But just as Secretariat chased Man o' War, no one wishes to remain forever in the shadow of their predecessors.]
[Pegasus… the only thing standing between her and surpassing Eclipse is this very race! Let us wait and see… will it be the shattering of a legend, or the dawn of a new myth!!]
The announcer's voice, brimming with feverish excitement, declared the arrival of Platinum, the overwhelming favorite to win.
The stands were already a teeming sea of humanity.
Tens of thousands of spectators filled every available space. Despite a last-minute expansion project months prior for this very [Queen Anne Stakes], every single ticket had been snatched up in an instant.
The result was a truly global spectacle. Fans from Japan, Australia, Dubai, America, and all across Europe had gathered, buzzing with anticipation and excitement, all here to witness this super race.
Countless more, unable to secure a ticket, could only watch with regret from their homes, cinemas, or public viewing halls, glued to live broadcasts, terrified of missing a single moment of this world-shaking event.
"She's here! Just being able to see this incredibly intense race makes the ticket price worth it, even if I die right after!"
"Frankel is strong, amazing, and she's our homegrown British representative, but… I'm sorry, that's Platinum. I can't not support her."
"Platinum, go for it!! Platinum, you can do it!!"
"Frankel, shoot down the Pegasus's undefeated legend! Prove you're the true Titan of the Mile!"
"More than seeing the mile-specialist Frankel win, or the outsider Winx triumph in her expedition… I want to see Platinum achieve that mythic feat of rivaling Eclipse… no, of surpassing him!"
"Sniff… Winx, my dear Winx… why does no one else support her?"
Amidst the countless heated discussions and cheers of support, the atmosphere solidified.
Platinum was the main attraction, Frankel a clear second, with both enjoying a level of popularity that dwarfed all other competitors.
It was worth noting that a significant contingent of Australian fans had made the journey. By all rights, they should have naturally thrown their support behind Winx.
Not to mention, Winx had scored a major victory just months prior in the [Pegasus Kinen], defeating the world-famous Daiwa Scarlet by five lengths and beating Japan's 'Golden Tyrant', Orfevre, by two or three lengths.
By that measure, Winx had already proven her caliber, demonstrating she was no slouch in international competition. Combined with her immense, Australia-wide popularity…
Under normal circumstances, Winx would be a solid favorite in any mile race… or, at the very least, a strong second favorite.
But in this race, Winx had been relegated to third favorite, and a significant gap separated her from Frankel.
What's more, if you added up all the votes for every other Uma Musume besides Platinum, they still wouldn't equal Frankel's total alone!
And Frankel… she herself trailed Platinum by a not-insignificant margin in the voting!
How could the symbolic popularity of a single nation hope to compete with a legend known throughout the entire world?
This was the sheer, transcendent appeal of the two greatest legends of the turf, on full display for all to see.
Beneath this fever-pitch atmosphere, all the Uma Musume entered the track.
The countdown reached its final moments.
[3!]
[2!]
[1!!!]
The instant the starting gates flew open, not only did the entire audience focus their expectant gazes onto the course, but every single competitor on the track revealed an absolute, surging will to fight.
But then, in the very next moment…
Something happened that made most of the competitors simultaneously display shock and disbelief.
A scene unfolded that made the countless watching fans first stare in stunned silence, before quickly erupting into even more frenzied cheers and support.
The sight was this—from the inside gate positions, two Uma Musume exploded forward with a reaction speed and initial acceleration visibly, staggeringly superior to all the rest.
In the blink of an eye, their two figures had already begun to easily surpass the others. In the incredibly short time since the gates opened, they had already secured a slight lead.
Frankel!
Platinum!
The two top favorites, the only two. In the fleeting moment of the start, they had surpassed their rivals, first by a nose, then by a neck.
"That's Frankel for you!"
"The Pegasus lives up to her name!!"
Gate three: Platinum.
Gate two: Frankel.
What made the spectacle even more thrilling was that this race had no inherent gate advantage or disadvantage. One wasn't stuck on the inside rail, the other stranded wide.
A case of two Kings never meeting?
No. This was the scene of King confronting King.
The gazes of Frankel and Platinum inevitably, simultaneously locked onto the figure running beside them.
The silver-white maiden Pegasus's eyes held no particular surprise.
After all, this was the [Final Boss], the [Demon King] of what the entire world acknowledged as the final battle before she surpassed Eclipse and entered the realm of myth!
If her opponent were too weak, Platinum wouldn't feel any joy. She might even feel… a little cheated, as if all her effort had been wasted.
It was like preparing diligently for a challenge you expected to be difficult, only to find all that effort was completely unnecessary…
But Frankel's lightning-fast start and terrifying acceleration were a full tier above even world-class and historical-level Uma Musume.
It was proof of her extraordinary nature, and proof that Platinum's "half-hour" of effort hadn't been in vain.
"It seems," the assassin-maiden Pegasus murmured, her amber eyes holding not a trace of anxiety, but only… a rare, ignited fighting spirit, "this will be a very interesting fight."
Behind her, five arrows materialized in her quiver, intended for the five other Uma Musume on the track.
Not even Frankel would be spared!
To surpass Eclipse—it would be here and now!
As if to validate Platinum's resolve, in the next second, an astonishing aura erupted from her, radiating outwards.
High above, even the most brilliant sun… vanished! This was a true case of [the sky blotted out, the sun eclipsed]. The Platinum Sovereign did not care for the harsh sun!
And in the next moment, replacing the sun were… two moons, one bright, one dim, slowly rising into the sky!
The sun had been instantly replaced! It was as if the daytime itself had been forcibly reversed into night!
Terra's unique twin moons, summoned as Platinum galloped and unleashed her aura, now hung fully formed in the sky, having taken the place of the blazing sun.
In the next instant, the Kazimierz Knight Arena materialized completely, overlaying the original racetrack—a vast, expansive dueling ground with distinctly foreign architectural features.
And at the finish line of this Queen Anne Stakes, superimposed upon the Knight Arena, descended the world-renowned Pegasus Hall.
It was a majestic, awe-inspiring, and deeply mysterious ancient hall, as if built to worship a supreme deity.
At the center of the hall stood a throne, and upon that throne sat a figure nearly identical to the maiden Platinum, yet more ethereal and dignified, a divine version of Platinum!
This spectral goddess sat high upon her throne, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, just like—the Huntress Goddess under the moon, beginning her divine hunt!!
--+--
Behind the starting gates!
Only six Uma Musume were contesting this race.
As Platinum and Frankel both secured a slight lead and began to show signs of accelerating, the other four competitors immediately sensed something was wrong, a feeling of crisis rising within them.
This was a mile race!
Why was the middle-distance circuit considered the [King's Course] in almost every Uma Musume community, in every nation, even transcending type?
Precisely because it perfectly balanced a Uma Musume's display of [Explosive Speed] and [Stamina]. These two crucial aspects were demanded in equal measure, making for the most visually spectacular viewing experience.
By the same token, the sprint and long-distance courses were often relegated to [niche status] in most communities, largely due to this visual factor.
Sprints were the ultimate test of explosive speed—tense and exciting, yes, but the race was over far too quickly.
Long-distance was the ultimate test of stamina—the races were extremely long and often failed to sustain viewer excitement, hence their niche status.
Compared to the balanced middle-distance, and the extremely specialized sprints and long-distance, the [Mile Course] was, in a way, the most unique.
While the middle-distance demanded a near 50-50 split, the mile leaned more towards explosive speed, requiring about 60-70%, with the remaining 30-40% being stamina.
It wasn't balanced, nor was it extreme. It sat between the two, placing significant demands on an Uma Musume's ability to manage her resources.
Therefore, mile specialists placed extreme importance on acceleration and power, as these were key factors influencing their final kick.
In a start and position battle where significant gaps shouldn't easily open—where "all are equal"—it wasn't even rare for historical-level Uma Musume to fail to secure a good position.
Take the near-perfect Sea the Stars: in her debut race, she got trapped in the pack, unable to unleash her final kick, and suffered a crushing defeat in 4th place, leading a certain black-hearted young doctor to label her as mere cannon fodder.
By comparison, the "frighteningly" excellent starts of Frankel and Platinum, allowing them to immediately bypass the usual scrum and launch their accelerating charge from the front… defied all common sense.
Further back, the other Uma Musume who had also started cleanly, including Winx, mostly sensed something unusual in the air.
Winx had faced Platinum once before in the Australian The Everest, making her the only one among the other five with prior experience against the Pegasus.
'Here it is, an even faster pace than in The Everest…'
'From the very start, she has no intention of letting Frankel get even a step ahead, does she?'
The snow-white Empress of Australia frowned slightly. She knew she had very little time to ponder strategy.
The dictionaries of these two legends clearly contained no entry for "strategic front-running." What was coming next was undoubtedly a massive, utterly relentless, all-out charge!
Should she try to match Frankel and Platinum's pace?
As an Empress with over thirty victories in Australian races, Winx had no obvious weaknesses in her overall ability, and was filled with the veteran experience of a senior Uma Musume.
She had encountered situations with one dominant favorite and several strong contenders before.
But this time… it seemed there wasn't just one dominant force, but two legendary Uma Musume: Frankel and Platinum!
And the degree to which these two were "dominant" was… unbelievably, excessively high!
This level of difficulty, even for Winx, was absolutely an unprecedented, nightmare-tier challenge.
This situation, these absurdly strong opponents… it was a first for her!
And the figure of the maiden Pegasus had, almost imperceptibly, stretched her lead from a neck, to half a length, and then to a full length.
Not only that, Platinum was still accelerating, as if she might at any moment transform into a distant silhouette far ahead, her white cape fluttering and dancing before the eyes of almost every other Uma Musume!
That breathtaking scene etched itself into the minds of every Uma Musume on the track, every fan in the stands, and the countless viewers watching the broadcast.
At this moment, Winx gazed at the cape billowing with Platinum's galloping strides, and at her flowing white hair, feeling her own focus waver slightly.
So dazzling!!
But… no matter what, she would never admit defeat easily. She had to make the Pegasus herself say she would not forget her.
'No good. I can't stick to my usual rhythm. There's no way Platinum will fade. She's the super-monster who even defeated long-distance specialists like Stradivarius and Kyprios.'
'And Frankel's dominance in the mile is even greater than mine.'
'If I'm not careful, they'll open up a huge gap, and it'll be impossible to close later.'
But if she followed too closely, and the pace was so fast it destroyed her accustomed running style… the cost would be equally high.
Still, at least by going all out early, there would be no regrets after the race. Losing would simply mean her ability was insufficient, and she wouldn't be tormented for ages wondering 'why didn't I accelerate sooner?'
Winx looked ahead at that silvery-white radiance. In a very short time, she had made her decision.
A moment's thought, and then Winx chose… to accelerate as well, striding forth to chase after the Pegasus Platinum!
The renowned, ever-victorious Empress of Australia joined the chase, initiating an all-out, front-running level acceleration to pursue Frankel and Platinum, launching her flight even before they had reached the first turn.
This move immediately caused the other Uma Musume near Winx to stare, their pupils contracting in shock.
In a super race where only six Uma Musume dared to compete, a race that had scared off many other qualified mile specialists… now [half] of the field were simultaneously initiating an all-out charge?!
"They're insane!"
"This is completely mad!!"
On the wind-swept turf course!
Six Uma Musume. Three charging at the front!
A truly astonishing scene was playing out before tens of thousands of spectators!
"Not enough…"
"Not nearly enough—!!"
The silver-white maiden's cool, amber eyes were fixed on the cold-faced Frankel running beside her, who still hadn't been shaken off.
An acceleration that forced even the charging Winx to merely chase, unable to draw level, posed no difficulty for Frankel, who could still accelerate and cling on!
Since she was a worthy opponent, then… accelerate further!
In that instant, Platinum made her decision. On top of her already magnificent, unprecedented charge, she unleashed a second explosive burst of speed!
--+--
[Pegasus Form (Passive): Greatly increases power and acceleration. Significantly enhances aura intensity. Randomly seals targets based on aura disparity…]
[Pegasus Form (Wings): Spreads wings. Slightly increases stamina consumption…]
--+--
Under the twin moons that had replaced the sun, the previously scattered sounds of the wind seemed to intensify, becoming a roaring accompaniment to her front-running dance!
Behind Platinum, a pair of starkly contrasting black wings materialized. Her lofty, overlooking posture, the second-stage acceleration of her mighty charge…
It was clearly a blatant, outright declaration of war to every single Uma Musume on the track, Frankel included!
— Can you keep up?
— Are you worthy?!
The silver-white maiden's black wings spread wide. Under the second-stage acceleration of her ultimate charge, she actually managed to open a slight gap on the cold-faced Frankel beside her.
Then, it was a neck.
'So fast!'
Even though Frankel had finally been shaken off by a small margin, her gaze was fixed on the ancient Pegasus Hall that lay beyond the finish line.
What she noticed were the statues of Uma Musume within the hall, behind the spectral goddess on the throne.
Each statue was a lifelike depiction of a maiden Uma Musume, all clad in gorgeous, elegant race outfits, their expressions largely frozen in a moment of utter astonishment, as if witnessing the Pegasus achieve a shocking, dominant victory!
Among them were Frankel's close companions and seniors from her stable, including Astronomer.
'But defeating me, capturing me… is an impossible dream!'
Frankel's composure remained unshaken. Her body began to radiate… an overwhelming, supreme aura that seemed capable of crushing everything to dust.
[(Domain): Deploy]!
"Come, Pegasus. Let the battle of myths play out once more."
"Their score… I will settle it!"
--+--
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.