"Silence Suzuka! Silence Suzuka overtakes Mejiro Dober and Barbatos to seize the lead!"
"The gap is already widening!"
"Silence Suzuka takes the front! Running alone at the very front!"
Akasaka Misato's voice echoed throughout the Hanshin Racecourse.
Many spectators rubbed their eyes, feeling as if they hadn't fully woken up. It seemed like they had only blinked for a moment, and yet, Silence Suzuka had suddenly surged to the very front.
Even Barbatos and Mejiro Dober couldn't hinder Silence Suzuka's pace?
Wasn't she a Uma Musume without a single G1 victory?
"No way!"
At the Canopus team area, Twin Turbo wore an expression of disbelief.
As an escape-type Uma Musume who had been training starts with Barbatos recently, she knew exactly how fast Barbatos's acceleration was.
But to be overtaken by Silence Suzuka just like that?
While Twin Turbo could usually be all laughs and jokes, having trained alongside Barbatos and understanding her start speed made this comparison truly highlight the terror of Silence Suzuka's initial burst.
"Silence Suzuka's start has probably become even stronger than in her previous races."
Minamizaka rested his chin on his hand. In order to help analyze the optimal starting style for Barbatos, he had studied Silence Suzuka's starts countless times.
Even without a tablet in hand now, he could clearly sense that Silence Suzuka's start had gotten faster.
If Barbatos's start after training with her [Zone] could already approach the original Silence Suzuka's level, then that gap had now been widened once again.
Silence Suzuka was truly a genius in the realm of escape running.
Minamizaka couldn't help but form this evaluation in his heart.
On the track, Barbatos had already fallen over two lengths behind, and the distance was continuing to grow.
Mejiro Dober and Barbatos were positioned close together, holding second and third place respectively.
Following closely behind, just one length back, was King Halo.
Positioned in the middle, waiting for her chance, was Air Groove. Behind her were Grass Wonder, Matikanefukukitaru, and finally, in last place, Mejiro Bright.
Under Suzuka's blistering lead, the entire field had become extremely strung out, causing the long-distance specialists like Matikanefukukitaru and Mejiro Bright to feel intensely uncomfortable.
"At the 500-meter mark, the leading Silence Suzuka has opened up a four-length gap over second place!"
"Barbatos and Mejiro Dober still haven't chosen to push yet! Air Groove remains positioned in the middle, biding her time!"
"Everyone is waiting for Silence Suzuka to tire! At this speed, can she build a lead so great that even the most powerful final kicks won't be able to close it?!"
From her position at the back, Grass Wonder watched Suzuka's silhouette ahead.
Compared to races before her injury, the intensity of this year's Takarazuka Kinen had already surpassed all her previous competitions.
In the past, she might have thought Silence Suzuka couldn't maintain this pace for the entire distance, that she would inevitably weaken in the final stretch. Waiting to make her move around the third turn, she might have had a real chance at the title.
But after witnessing the races of King Halo, Seiun Sky, and others—seeing escape runners who maintained their speed without slowing down—Grass Wonder had long abandoned such plans.
Not long recovered from her injury, she didn't possess the astonishing stamina of King Halo or Barbatos. But if she wanted to win the Takarazuka Kinen, she had to give it a try.
"700-meter mark! Silence Suzuka has opened up a gap of nearly six lengths!"
"Grass Wonder from the back has surged to the inside lane! Is she starting her pursuit of Silence Suzuka from here?"
"Has Silence Suzuka disrupted her rhythm?"
Akasaka Misato analyzed the situation on the track. Typically, escape runners would disrupt others' rhythms through their lead, causing their rivals' stamina to drain rapidly.
"Grass Wonder has overtaken Air Groove and is now chasing down King Halo ahead."
The overtaken Air Groove remained composed, feeling that Grass Wonder was still being a bit impulsive. If she started pushing now, she wouldn't have enough stamina left for her final kick in the home stretch.
Conserving energy and making a move at the third turn—that was the optimal strategy.
The seemingly widening gap now would gradually shrink in the latter half. By the time they reached the final straight, the difference wouldn't be insurmountable. That would be the true deciding ground.
"Seven lengths!"
"57.3 seconds! Silence Suzuka leads second place by seven lengths, covering the first 1000 meters in 57.3 seconds!"
"This is...!"
Akasaka Misato's voice rang out in genuine astonishment, no longer just for hype.
Forget the 57.3-second time for the first thousand meters. Based on her commentary experience and Silence Suzuka's past race data, the runner should have eased up slightly here, conserving energy for the final sprint!
But at this point where she should have been recovering, Silence Suzuka chose to push even harder!
Her already cheetah-like speed increased further. Even through the camera feed, one could almost see her cutting through the wind, hear its rush!
And that faint, yet palpable aura emanating from her.
Had Silence Suzuka, one of the era's prodigies, also awakened her [Zone] after El Condor Pasa and Barbatos?!
The aura around Silence Suzuka wasn't intense. It couldn't even impose negative effects on the other Uma Musume, a far cry from the overwhelming presence displayed by others who had mastered their [Zones].
Yet, it was undoubtedly a genuine [Zone].
Grass Wonder, who had already begun her push, stared into the distance at the figure now becoming hard to make out clearly, at that faint, seemingly unimpressive aura. She could distinctly feel the gap widening!
Ahead of Grass Wonder, King Halo's gaze was severe. Having raced against Seiun Sky multiple times, she had prepared countermeasures for escape runners.
But facing Silence Suzuka felt vastly different from dealing with Seiun Sky's escape style.
Without overthinking it, the world before her seemed to shatter instantly.
The [Zone] first unveiled during the Japanese Derby manifested once again. King Halo launched her pursuit—she couldn't let Silence Suzuka widen the gap any further!
That overwhelming, kingly aura surged forth, pressing down on the surrounding Uma Musume.
Faced with this pressure, Grass Wonder's momentum faltered for a split second. But merely a moment later, her own aura explosively swelled, clashing directly against King Halo's imposing presence!
"Is this... a [Zone] clash?"
Barbatos couldn't help but mutter inwardly. The terrifying aura from behind had no effect on her or Mejiro Bright. [Ghost] activated at that very moment.
She had no intention of letting Silence Suzuka open up an even greater lead!
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T/N: While there was an issue with the site i used to get the free raws, the site started working again recently, which was the cause of the delay.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.