"All participants, take your positions!"
The gates shut tight, and the countdown flashed across the big screen.
The final was about to begin.
Many spectators held their breath, nervously staring at the track.
"3... 2... 1!"
The gates sprang open.
In an instant, every runner surged onto the track.
"The race has begun!"
"Number 10, Mejiro McQueen, and number 3, Kitasan Black, are fighting for the leading position. Right behind them are number 7, Tokai Teio, number 11,
Mejiro McQueen, number 2, Rice Shower, number 18, Oguri Cap..."
"Everyone's position is very forward from the start."
"There's no helping that. Mejiro McQueen and Kitasan Black are too strong. No one wants to see them escape smoothly."
"But this is a 4,800-meter long-distance mixed course."
"They still can't relax. Before this tournament, who could have imagined that there would be umamusume who could run Great Runner at long distance?"
Hearing that, quite a few people nodded.
Indeed.
The final course was certainly difficult to run.
But judging by the strength Mejiro McQueen, Kitasan Black, and the others had previously displayed, it really was not impossible for them to run away all the way to the end. So after the start, the other runners' choice to contest the front and break the rhythm of the Great Runners was truly a very rational decision.
"Oh my, number 1, Gold Ship, seems to have had a late start?"
Hearing the commentator's surprised shout, many people finally noticed that Demon King Gold Ship, second in popularity, had actually fallen to the very back of the pack. There was a two-length gap even between her and the second-to-last runner. There was no need to guess. A gap like that meant she had definitely had a late start.
"No way. The Demon King actually had a late start."
"Impossible. I don't believe it!"
Fans supporting Demon King Gold Ship cried out that it was impossible. In their eyes, the Demon King was an extremely powerful umamusume. A laughable mistake like a late start absolutely could not appear on the Demon King.
But the fact was, Demon King Gold Ship had indeed had a late start.
Of course, Demon King Gold Ship had done this on purpose.
At the moment, she was relaxed as she watched the movements of the runners ahead.
"You all want to put pressure on me? Hmph, good. Run like that. It would be best if you could force McQueen into a dead end!"
Demon King Gold Ship was arrogant, but not stupid. Before the race began, she had known that the other runners would definitely stop the rhythm of the Runners. After all, Runners on the level of Mejiro McQueen and the others were far too unfair. Once they got moving, catching the gap from behind would be much too difficult. Anyone who was not stupid would know what to do, and the umamusume able to enter the final were certainly not stupid.
So now, she could completely use the late-start tactic she had not used in a long time. A late start could make her even stronger.
She had not used this tactic before because it was not easy to use and not necessary. But if she wanted to win this final, she had to use her head a little. After all, McQueen and those other girls were not easy to handle.
But if she could possess all three divine skills,
why would this be so troublesome?
Thinking of this made Demon King Gold Ship a little displeased.
"But what belongs to this Demon King will always belong to this Demon King. Whether it is the throne of the strongest or the divine power, I will obtain all of it through this race!"
Red light shone from Demon King Gold Ship's eyes.
But she did not use interference skills or her domain.
Because if she used them now, it would only help her opponents.
"You had better do this Demon King proud!"
"...The Demon King didn't use her ability. I see. So you thought the same way after all. In that case, next-"
Tokai Teio looked back toward Rice Shower.
Different colors surfaced in Rice Shower's eyes. She saw Tokai Teio's signal, then decisively made her choice as well.
Her intuition told Rice Shower that this was the best approach.
"Sorry, McQueen-oneesama."
Divine power surged forth!
[Sun Power: All skills released next will gain the effects "doubled consumption," "doubled effect," "invulnerability piercing," "guaranteed hit," and more! Note: Skills enhanced by this state all belong to divine power. They cannot be immunized against, and only skills of the same level can oppose them.]
Mejiro McQueen instinctively sensed what they were about to do.
Her brow tightened.
"No helping it. It seems I can only do this."
In the next instant, Mejiro McQueen released all her states.
Her speed suddenly dropped in a straight line. Before anyone could react, she fell from the leading position into the middle of the pack. Rice Shower, who had just been preparing to release [Fusion], was interrupted like that. Although she could still use [Fusion] on McQueen now, at this point she would only be able to devour a few skills and a little in stats.
"!"
The Conqueror and Rice Shower were both stunned.
They had not expected Mejiro McQueen to do this.
Tokai Teio was also stunned for a moment, but quickly reacted, thinking in admiration, As expected of McQueen.
Was this not also a kind of Runner style?
Because McQueen had escaped from the killing encirclement.
Although she had lost the Runner position, they all knew that McQueen had not been a true Runner from the beginning. Did giving up that position really cause McQueen any actual loss?
No.
Instead, they were now the ones in a difficult position.
Rice Shower's expression turned serious.
Her divine skill and ZONE had already been activated. Divine skills, like ordinary skills, could not be closed once activated. Or rather, if forcibly closed, they could not be activated a second time. They were the kind of skill even Demon King Gold Ship's reset could not restore. Although this divine skill was extremely powerful, it had a negative buff: all her skills from this point onward would consume twice as much.
If the doubled-power [Fusion] just now had hit McQueen and stolen McQueen's domain, Rice Shower would essentially have already won this race. But now, forget victory. After McQueen escaped like that, Rice Shower was instead caught in a difficult bind.
Thinking of this, Rice Shower looked hesitantly toward Kitasan Black.
Kitasan Black's hair immediately stood on end.
The feeling of being watched by the abyss was terrifying.
Cold sweat streamed down Kitasan Black's body.
"Rice Shower-senpai, calm down!"
The current Rice Shower was like a werewolf.
Whoever she targeted would die.
Every nearby participant nervously watched Rice Shower.
However, after hesitating for a moment, Rice Shower still endured it.
No. [Fusion]'s active effect could only be used once. It was also the only trump card capable of threatening Mejiro McQueen. She could not use it lightly. Rice Shower knew very well that Mejiro McQueen was the greatest threat in this race, because no one knew how much Mejiro McQueen was still hiding. The second gate of her domain should already be open, right?
"McQueen-oneesama, don't think you can run!"
Rice Shower firmed her resolve. Even if she had to endure the doubled consumption buff of her divine skill state from now on, she would keep marking McQueen-oneesama to the end and absolutely not give McQueen-oneesama a chance to open her domain.
Mejiro McQueen understood Rice Shower's resolve through her perception.
Because Rice Shower's aura had locked onto her the entire time.
One had to say, Rice Shower had indeed threatened Mejiro McQueen.
Without opening her domain, Mejiro McQueen's invincible resistance and her passive speed stacking could not be displayed.
Mejiro McQueen was incomparably vulnerable at this moment.
Mejiro McQueen indeed did not dare act rashly. What ability the second realm of her domain had was still unknown, but the prerequisite for entering that realm was opening her domain. And now, as soon as she opened it, Rice Shower would definitely use [Fusion] on her.
Mejiro McQueen was still not certain whether the second realm of her domain could withstand [Fusion] under the support of divine power.
"I have actually been suppressed."
Mejiro McQueen thought in surprise.
She had not experienced this feeling in a long time.
But at this moment, her mind was incomparably clear.
One could even say she was more excited than ever.
Mejiro McQueen had always thought that all she needed was victory, that it did not matter whether her opponents were strong or weak. But amid constant victories, she did have some confusion even she herself did not know. Did she truly not want a race that could make her go all out? Now, Mejiro McQueen already knew the answer.
The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile of their own accord.
"Interesting. Then let me see whether you can take victory from my hands."
Mejiro McQueen's eyes were cold and sharp. She had indeed become fired up, but at the same time, she had recovered the domineering style she once possessed.
"They have passed the first straight and entered the first turn. Currently leading is number 3, Kitasan Black. However, the runners behind are following very closely. Kitasan Black has not been able to open much of a gap with the second-place runner as she usually does. Currently occupying second place is number 11,
Mejiro McQueen. But we can see her condition is not very good. She seems under great pressure. Right behind are number 7, Tokai Teio, and number 2, Rice Shower. Further behind is number 18, Oguri Cap. The first favorite, Mejiro McQueen, is currently here..."
Seeing the current positions,
many people were surprised.
"Something's wrong. How could Mejiro McQueen be this far behind? Isn't she a Runner? Did she already get hit?"
"It isn't just Mejiro McQueen's situation that's off. All the Runners in this race feel wrong. They don't have their usual strength. Kitasan Black and the other
Mejiro McQueen aren't in good shape either. Are they being targeted by the other participants?"
"No way. Is Mejiro McQueen going to lose?"
For a time, many people panicked.
The umamusume they adored might lose?
No, they did not want that!
An umamusume with refined features and a gentle temperament looked at the race thoughtfully. "What a tense atmosphere."
She could see the current situation of the race.
It was not as the other spectators said.
The central figure in the race was still Mejiro McQueen. The other participants all wanted to target Mejiro McQueen. They simply had not found an opportunity for the moment. She was somewhat glad she had not rushed into this final. A race like this would not feel pleasant to her at all.
She still preferred races without nuisance runners.
Nuisance runners were an unorthodox path.
Umamusume should run happily.
That was what this umamusume thought.
And she had a legendary name: Eclipse.
She was also one of the absurd participants in this event with a shocking win rate. She had merely failed to enter the final because her point-gaining speed had been a step too slow. In reality, her strength was absolutely enough to enter the final. There were quite a few runners like her.
"[McQueen]..."
[Tokai Teio] and the others looked worriedly at their companion's figure in the race. Because of the course conditions, combined with the collision of the runners' forces, one could see that
Mejiro McQueen's consumption was much greater than in ordinary races.
And it was only because the race rhythm had not yet risen, because everyone was intentionally controlling the pace, that
Mejiro McQueen could run in second. In this final,
Mejiro McQueen's strength belonged near the bottom tier.
Another runner lacking strength was Nice Nature, who had entered the final through footwork skills and luck. She also felt terrible right now. Her dirt aptitude had only been raised to B rank, but the final course was mixed turf and dirt, with both surfaces interwoven along the track. On top of that, the weather changed every 400 meters. It was simply too difficult to adapt to.
She had just rushed out of a stormy zone only to encounter scorching sunlight over dirt. That kind of change made the mind feel dazed.
Nice Nature clenched her teeth and endured.
"I can't admit defeat. An opportunity like this might not come again in my entire life. Even if I can't win, even if I can't get a good placing, at least I have to hold on!"
Demon King Gold Ship looked at Nice Nature falling back, her face full of question marks. How did someone with your strength enter the final? I haven't even put in effort yet. How can you still compete with me for last place?
"They've passed 1,000 meters!"
"The race is currently entering the second straight."
"The current leader is still number 3, Kitasan Black. But second place has already become number 7, Tokai Teio, followed by number 2, Rice Shower, and number 18, Oguri Cap."
Number 11,
Mejiro McQueen, also began to lose speed.
This course was even harder to run than everyone had initially imagined. Even if one's aptitude matched the surfaces, the weather changing every 400 meters doubled the difficulty of the course.
Of course, Mejiro McQueen had not yet exhausted her stamina. She simply could not maintain her best state. That was actually normal. The problem was that her opponents had not become weaker. Once she weakened, she naturally could not hold her position. She had now dropped to fifth.
Mejiro McQueen remained unchanged in sixth place.
Her condition looked very stable.
Even without activating any state enhancements, she easily maintained the current situation through combinations of skills alone.
And that performance made everyone even more wary.
Demon King Gold Ship could not hold back after seeing this.
"What a bunch of trash!"
Red light spread across the entire field.
In an instant, aside from Nice Nature, who had fallen to last place, every participant was hit by the Demon King's skills.
Kitasan Black did not open her domain either.
Because she could not guarantee that after she opened her domain, Rice Shower-senpai would still be able to hold back and not come devour her.
And so, at this moment,
no one had resistance.
Demon King Gold Ship's skills exploded in a chain!
At that moment, everyone's expression changed.
...
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