"Galileo is still waiting for me!!"
The whisper from the silver-white maiden was like a death sentence.
But this 'waiting' was nothing like the eager anticipation of reuniting with a lover... rather, it signified her next target to hunt down!
They say bad luck comes in threes, but Platinum was determined to defeat Galileo for the fourth time in her retirement race!
But before that, she had to defeat the renowned Queen of the American Dirt Triple Tiara, Ruffian, head-on!
"Run all you want!"
"Ruffian, I'll start with you."
As if delivering a final command, the silver-white figure spread her wings like a true Pegasus taking flight, her speed instantly surpassing all the mid-pack Uma Musume around her!
--+--
Around the finish line.
The vast and magnificent [Pegasus Hall] had already materialized.
The American dirt racing enthusiasts present watched with curiosity and awe, gazing upon the legendary original Pegasus Hall.
Even though they had seen Nearl's unique [Pegasus Hall] more than once, its completely different manifestation made them equally fascinated by Platinum's version.
To some extent, Platinum and Nearl's worldwide fame complemented each other; each possessed their own charm, yet they shared similarities.
Because of this, many self-proclaimed [Pegasus Connoisseurs] among the fans could be heard saying they supported Platinum exclusively, only to go 'exclusively support' Nearl in the very next race.
After all... they're both Pegasus!
"Is this Platinum's Pegasus Hall?"
"It's starting! Platinum's acceleration!!"
"Wait, hold on. The intensity and timing of this acceleration... it's just as insane as Secretariat and Nearl!"
"You've got it backwards, completely upside down! When Platinum was dominating the world, Secretariat and Nearl hadn't even debuted yet, or were only just gaining some fame."
"Fly, Pegasus! Can your wings overcome the challenges of the dirt and achieve a glorious finale?"
The stands on both sides were already filled with countless pairs of burning eyes, fixed intently on that silver-white figure running in the outer lane!
Platinum's radiant form began to dash forward at an astonishing pace.
And Ruffian, starting from gate three, had been incredibly fast right out of the gate!
In Ruffian's view, the longer she could maintain this lead, the greater her chance of victory!
'Come on, Pegasus!'
'Let me witness what kind of brilliance the legendary Pegasus can display in her final mythical battle!'
'At the very least, don't think you'll get past me easily. I won't give you the chance to face Galileo at your full strength!'
The proud Ruffian had no intention of being easily defeated by Platinum. For a haughty young lady from a prestigious lineage, that would be... the [Ultimate Humiliation]!
Not only did she refuse to be beaten, she even wanted to turn the tables and defeat the Pegasus, Platinum.
No matter what, Ruffian would absolutely not allow Platinum to escape unscathed!
Right now, Ruffian was preparing to increase her pace even further, to pressure the young Pegasus into maintaining a more shocking acceleration and going all out prematurely.
In her previous one-on-one duel with Nearl, Ruffian had chosen a longer, 2000-meter middle-distance race. Though she lost in the end, her performance was certainly not poor.
But this race was the shorter mile distance, giving Ruffian the confidence to recklessly dash ahead at high speed. She wasn't worried about fading in the slightest.
This was Ruffian's confidence. Plus... she wanted to force Platinum to reveal her true limits, her full power. So she immediately launched into a high-speed run!
Behind Ruffian, from the leading pack of front-runners and pace-setters, all the way back to the mid-pack group holding back, everyone reacted to Ruffian's reckless dash at the front and the Pegasus Platinum's early acceleration in the outermost lane with... near astonishment and alarm.
What made them all freeze up even more was what happened in the very next instant—
An incredibly imposing aura erupted from the silver-white maiden with spread black wings. It was an overbearing, icy aura that suddenly blanketed the entire track, suppressing every single Uma Musume!
And in the next moment, this aura completed its evolution, reaching the level of a [Domain]!
The vast Colosseum of Kazimierz suddenly materialized before the eyes of a wide-eyed Ruffian and all the surrounding Uma Musume.
Even the spectator stands of the racecourse transformed into the audience seats of the knightly colosseum. The Domain had expanded to such an immense scale that it even covered the stands!
For the European Sea family and Coolmore group Uma Musume, who had been intensely tested by it, the domination under the Pegasus Vision, even if it had become almost 'commonplace' for them, never failed to feel novel whenever they witnessed Platinum's special effects display.
Not to mention... most of the American spectators were dirt racing enthusiasts, and the last time they saw Platinum race was over a year ago.
From the Pegasus Connoisseur fans to the curious and shocked dirt racing audience, all watched eagerly for the follow-up to the activation of the [Kazimierz Knight Colosseum].
And that was—!
The Pegasus, wings spread, was accelerating with her Domain unleashed!
--+--
[Domain (Pegasian Sight): Activated]
[At least three exclusive Domain skills most suited to the current situation will activate, significantly boosting aura...]
[Passive (Auto-sustain): Slightly reduces own speed, moderately increases power and enhances stride frequency, insight...]
--+--
A brilliant silver-white radiance burst forth from within the young Platinum, shining from the inside out and easily suppressing the entire field.
The Uma Musume who had been near her, in the mid-pack and even the pace-setting group, all stiffened, then reluctantly and painfully slowed their pace, suppressed by the powerful Domain.
Even Ruffian, who had already begun a more aggressive acceleration to force Platinum's full power, found her own speed slowing instantly due to the heavy, terrifying pressure of the aura!
Platinum's speed increased dramatically in an extremely short time, right after the first turn, allowing her to overtake even the leading pace-setting group.
Behind Ruffian, the two front-running Uma Musume who had been closest to her had already been led by six or seven lengths.
But now, in their peripheral vision, they saw a silvery light approaching fast!
"S-so fast?!"
"Is she coming already?"
"Wait, accelerating like this... it's almost no different from a full-on dash, isn't it?"
"How can Platinum be so bold? Not waiting for the third turn or even the final straight to accelerate? Isn't she afraid her stamina will drop too much for the next race?"
The two front-runners felt shock and frustration, but could only watch helplessly as...
The raised black wings, and the cape flapping and whipping in the wind, moved up from behind them, to their sides.
And then—transformed into a view ahead of them!
In an instant, the positions were reversed.
Platinum, second place!
[This acceleration from the Pegasus Platinum is truly incredible.]
[She, who has chosen to challenge for two titles in one day, has started her signature acceleration so early?!]
[Right now, Ruffian, who dashed to the lead from the start, had already opened up a gap of six or seven lengths over the original second-place front-runner after the first turn!]
[But now! Her lead is continuously shrinking!]
[Five lengths! Four lengths!]
[Three lengths! And then... the Pegasus, she's here!!]
As the commentator's voice rang out, the many spectators found their interest thoroughly ignited. This was not normal; they wouldn't treat the first half of this race as a boring transitional phase anymore.
And on the track, near the first turn, approaching the second turn.
The silver-white maiden's figure not only broke into Ruffian's peripheral vision with an effortless, composed grace!
The petite Ruffian's pupils contracted sharply. Cold sweat she hadn't noticed before broke out on her back.
'S-so fast!'
Her lead simply refused to grow any further!
How could the sharp Ruffian not realize something was wrong?!
In that instant, Ruffian's gaze became vacant.
'But... it was agreed she wouldn't go all out against me...?'
'Now, mobilizing her full power so early... she must be serious, right?'
She's really activating it before the first turn?
Until now, this Pegasus, governed by stamina that seemed never to fade, had rarely reached the point of unleashing her zone the moment she left the gate, without a hint of hesitation.
Could this be...
The real—serious Pegasus?!
Noticing that something was off, Ruffian actually felt a flicker of excitement.
She had faced legends of the dirt like Secretariat, Flightline, and Nearl before.
Besides, this was a turf Pegasus running only her second career dirt race in over a year!
No matter how strong she was, could she really surpass the likes of Flightline?
'Alright, I'll go all out too and start this showdown!!'
Ruffian, the Great Escapee, opened her own zone without a moment's doubt.
--+--
[(Tyrant's Domain): Activated ]
[(Passive): Judges the average strength of all Uma Musume on the field. The stronger the opponents, the greater the boost to fighting spirit, and the more power and acceleration increase.]
[(Lone Challenger): The fewer the Uma Musume nearby, the faster her speed becomes and the more her stamina recovers.]
[(Warrior): When only one opponent remains nearby, she can slightly drain the opponent's momentum, speed, explosiveness, and stamina, converting a portion to her own.]
[(Call Me Supreme): When in a "Serious" state, moderately increases momentum intensity. In the latter half of the race, slightly recovers stamina and increases speed.]
--+--
Forget the final stretch, never mind the halfway point!
Right there in the early stages, in what should be the heating-up phase, a true death match had already begun!
This was... the Tyrant who dominated the Triple Tiara, daring to challenge any classic Triple Crown champion!
That dark, overbearing figure, like a falcon soaring across the sky with breathtaking speed, was poised to swoop down on its prey.
That silvery-white glow, which had just entered the corner of Ruffian's vision, was finally pushed out of her sight in the very next instant after she fully activated her zone.
'Not enough—!'
'As the Great Escapee, I burn stamina even faster than Platinum, and Platinum herself is a peerless monster famous for her endurance!'
'The fire in my body has only just been lit; this lead is far too small.'
Ruffian was still not satisfied.
So in the next moment, with a swift and domineering intensity that seemed capable of overwhelming any rival, Ruffian sought to expand her advantage further!
Feeling the fire continuously burning within her body, growing fiercer and fiercer, Ruffian fully displayed the splendor of being a runaway leader.
But...
What she failed to notice was that the silvery-white glow, seemingly gone from the corner of her vision, apparently left far behind by her all-out sprint as the front-runner...
Was now boldly, openly moving to a position right behind her!
A silvery-white and black interloper, lurking within the shadows.
Platinum, the great one, seemed poised to begin her hunt at any moment, while the prey, Ruffian, remained self-satisfied, recklessly setting the pace!
--+--
In the spectator stands.
The elegant Japanese ojou-sama, Satono Diamond, watched with sparkling eyes.
"Platinum seems... a little different today?"
"I can feel it—it's like she's filled with intelligence now!"
"Not that Platinum lacked intelligence in her previous races, but she was more... casually composed."
Satono Diamond had already noticed: after Platinum reached the edge of Ruffian's vision, she used that intimidating, pressing manner to force Ruffian, the runaway leader, to "go all-in," pushing her zone to its limits.
In contrast, Platinum, seemingly left behind, actually calmly moved into a position behind Ruffian, shifting from the outside lane to the inside!
"The Pegasus in her retirement race is truly different from before!"
"This race is probably just the appetizer. The main event will be her next match against Galileo, right?!"
After the second turn!
Ruffian's position had stretched her lead over the third-place Uma Musume to a large margin.
Keep in mind, this was a mile race, not a middle-distance race over 2000 meters.
A gap like this was already significant!
And Ruffian, not seeing that silvery-white interloper closing in, felt a faint sense of relief in her heart...
Yet for some reason, an ominous premonition lingered.
'I can't see Platinum out wide anymore!'
'Could it be that she activated her zone, but isn't using any zone skills?'
'Hmph, drown clinging to your full power then!!'
Snorting coldly, Ruffian fixed her eyes on the third turn ahead, maintaining her blistering pace!
But...
Then, in the very next moment.
A sudden change occurred!
Not out wide, but in the corner of Ruffian's vision—right beside her, less than half a length away!
The silvery-white and black-winged great one, Platinum, that Pegasus arrived effortlessly at Ruffian's side in an instant, with an air of utter composure.
Suddenly, the assassin had arrived!
Ruffian's eyes weren't just wide with shock; her heart leaped into her throat. She stood stunned, sensing the figure racing alongside her.
But in Platinum's amber eyes, there was only cold sharpness. This great one seemed... dissatisfied!
Not only that, in the next instant, an astonishingly powerful aura erupted from her.
--+--
[(Unilluminated Glory): Zone passive slightly enhanced. The more lengths she leads by, the more it inflicts a slight to moderate... on all Uma Musume on the field.]
[(Time to Hunt): When in the latter half of the race, slightly reduces stamina consumption, slightly increases...]
[(Twilight): ...]
[(Blazing Dawn): ...]
--+--
In an instant—!
[Pegasian Sight] was finally, truly unleashed!
The previously balanced situation shattered in a moment, replaced by absolute domination.
That terrifying pressure enveloped the entire track, making even the all-out, zone-activated Ruffian and the other American dirt Uma Musume feel the weight and powerlessness in their legs.
Then, it became absolute replacement.
[Platinum has taken the lead, surpassing Ruffian just before the third turn!!!]
[Incredible! Even the runaway pace set by the undefeated Triple Tiara empress has been easily caught and surpassed by the Pegasus.]
[And Ruffian, along with the other dirt Uma Musume, have clearly started their acceleration early, unwilling to let the Pegasus get away!]
The commentator's voice was full of amazement.
[But it's hard to contain Platinum's momentum! She's already soaring through the third turn, flying boldly toward the final homestretch!]
[As expected of the strongest dual-surface talent in history, returning to the dirt after over a year, her brilliance undimmed!]
[The myth that surpasses Eclipse is truly well-deserved!]
Platinum was moving to end this race, advancing toward Galileo!
Under the large screen, the cool silvery-white girl's lips seemed to curve slightly.
"Galileo, get ready."
"You're next!"
Platinum had begun her "declaration of love"!
--+--
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.