The race began!
Rice Shower was the first out of the gate.
Azure flames ignited in her eyes. In the blink of an eye, Rice Shower's figure had already pulled a considerable distance away from the Overlord behind her.
This is a race I absolutely cannot lose!
With that resolve, Rice Shower's will to win rose higher than ever before.
Although leading was not her best running style, if she wanted to defeat the Overlord, then taking the lead was the only correct answer.
Go all out from the start!
Mihono Bourbon, watching as the spectator, widened her eyes in shock.
So fast. This speed is completely different from training! Is this Rice's current strength?
She can win!
The unease she had felt before the race vanished completely. Mihono Bourbon was deeply shaken by Rice Shower's strength.
With strength like this, there was no possibility of losing.
"Go!"
Mihono Bourbon clenched both fists nervously.
The first 100 meters were crossed in almost a single breath.
The one leading was Rice Shower, who had entered ZONE first.
The Overlord followed behind. Her position now looked rather far back.
But her expression was quite calm.
She showed none of the anxiety of someone who had fallen too far behind.
Rather, she looked completely at ease.
The Overlord's golden eyes watched the figure running ahead.
So this is your strategy.
Because you fear my power, you want to overwhelm me through distance.
Her power was extremely strong, but it did indeed have one limitation: the size of its release range.
Therefore, if Rice Shower pulled away from her at the start of the race and kept leading from the front, then in theory, she could suppress the Overlord.
It could be called a rather correct answer.
It was a countermeasure prepared specifically after studying the opponent.
However-
"Still too naive!"
Because the current Overlord no longer had any opponent who could suppress her.
The reason she was not shaken by Rice Shower's performance was that she had never cared about this gap at all.
A crimson ring of light suddenly appeared in the Overlord's eyes.
In an instant, terrifying pressure surged from her body and spread across the entire field.
Her crimson aura covered the field.
Under the heavy pressure of that intense gravity, Rice Shower's back suddenly sank.
Because of that, her speed unconsciously slowed by a few degrees.
"This is..."
Shock flashed across Rice Shower's face.
The Overlord's skill could actually affect her in this state?
Did my power fail?
No!
Rice Shower understood her own condition very clearly.
Her power was undoubtedly active right now.
Then how could this situation be explained?
Her power should have been able to immunize her against the effects of interference-type skills.
And she remembered the move the Overlord had just used very deeply. It was Demon King Gold Ship's specialty.
But why could this skill affect her in this state?
Confusion. Thought.
Soon, incredulity appeared in Rice Shower's thinking gaze.
No. It isn't that my power got weaker. Her power is too strong...
Although it looked like the same skill, the strength was completely different.
If her guess was correct, then this move of the Overlord's had guaranteed-hit and piercing effects. That was why even Rice Shower, who had already entered ZONE, could not fully immunize herself against its influence.
She did not merely steal power. She could also make that power even stronger.
This is the Overlord's power!
Having finally understood the truth, Rice Shower felt things had become bad. This unexpected discovery shook her confidence.
"Ugh!"
She could not continue like this.
Her running-style countermeasure had been the wrong choice.
If this continued, she would be caught very quickly.
But now was not the time to regret it.
She had to deal with the problem in front of her as quickly as possible.
Feeling the pressure on her spirit, Rice Shower chose to grit her teeth.
I can't lose speed here!
Although this choice was made entirely because she had no other option, there was only one path left right now.
The flames in Rice Shower's eyes burned even more fiercely.
The iron shoes beneath her feet bloomed with light. The burst of power left a deep mark in the turf.
In that case, I'll use the indirect influence and the skill amplification to charge through!
I won't fall here!
I'll stake everything and defeat you no matter what!
She accelerated?
Behind her, the Overlord's expression changed for an instant when she saw Rice Shower's movement.
She had originally thought this move would suppress Rice Shower a little. But now it seemed she had still underestimated Rice Shower's resilience. Under these circumstances, not only had the other party not been affected enough to lose speed, she had instead accelerated further.
So useless.
The Overlord looked down on Demon King Gold Ship's move.
Sure enough, compared to this kind of clown trick, absolute power was the proper way to win.
Thinking that, the Overlord decisively chose to activate several acceleration skills, ignoring the consumption involved.
Rather, with her current stats, this level of pressure was only just right.
Along with the Overlord's burst, a terrifying aura and the sound of footsteps appeared behind Rice Shower in an instant like a flickering ghost.
In that moment, Rice Shower instinctively showed a frightened expression.
In only an instant, the Overlord's sprint had already caught up. It was a strength beyond Rice Shower's imagination.
Outside the race, Mihono Bourbon also showed an expression of disbelief when she saw that scene.
"What was that?"
Just a moment earlier, she had still been delighted by Rice Shower's lead.
In the blink of an eye, that pitch-black figure had chased up behind Rice Shower like an out-of-control tank.
But she had no time to doubt what she had seen. The intensity of the race gave her no room to think.
After catching up beside Rice Shower, the Overlord looked coldly at Rice Shower, whose face was now covered in sweat.
With Rice Shower's stamina, she should not have been sweating at this point, much less showing such excessive consumption. But because the pressure had been too great, Rice Shower's recent consumption had been too high.
"..."
Their gazes met.
The Overlord's momentum was so forceful that it made fear rise involuntarily in the heart.
That pitch-black fluctuation seemed to distort even space.
The terrifying values displayed through her speed were enough to make all her opponents despair.
In the blink of an eye, the Overlord successfully overtook Rice Shower and left her behind.
Rice Shower could not help widening her eyes.
She looked at the figure growing distant, and her heart sank to the bottom.
Even though the Overlord had not taken advantage of the situation to use Fusion against her, the fear that swept over her nearly suffocated her.
Her body began to lose control. Her speed began to visibly fall.
A voice appeared in her heart.
You can't win.
You'll lose.
Give up.
Even if you keep struggling, there is no way you can defeat an opponent like this.
After witnessing the Overlord's terrifying strength, Rice Shower instinctively understood the fact that she absolutely could not win right now.
The experience she had accumulated in the past, along with her instincts as an umamusume, were all shouting at her.
You can't win. You absolutely can't win!
This was a fundamental gap in strength, not something that momentum and resilience could make up for.
Her unfocused eyes.
Her heavy breathing.
Her footsteps, gradually growing heavier, as though she could no longer lift them.
But!
That wisp of azure flame still flickered. The shout from the depths of her soul still echoed.
"I..."
"Even so..."
"I still don't want to admit defeat!"
Yes.
She absolutely did not want to admit defeat here.
This was her battle against "herself."
Unlike every race in the past, to Rice Shower, the Overlord was another self.
So she could lose to anyone, but she absolutely could not lose to "herself."
The fighting spirit returned to Rice Shower's once-scattered eyes.
"It isn't over yet!"
Rice Shower adjusted her emotions. Her stride returned to normal.
Although the distance between them had already been opened, the true battle for victory was only beginning now.
Having her early lead taken away was not an unacceptable effect.
Rice Shower was more skilled at chasing opponents from behind in the first place.
"Stay calm!"
Rice Shower locked her eyes on the Overlord's back.
Do not be frightened by the opponent's strength. Even if the chance of victory is slim, the possibility is not zero.
If the Overlord had used Fusion on her just now, then that might truly have been a desperate situation.
But no matter what, even if it was because the Overlord underestimated her, under the current circumstances, she still had a chance to win.
"Hah!"
She took a deep breath.
Then-
Control yourself. At the most critical moment, break your limits with everything you have.
"It's all right."
She could do it.
As long as she was "Rice Shower," she could absolutely do it.
After passing through the bend, the race entered the second straight.
The Overlord and Rice Shower both chose to slow their rhythm in perfect unison.
Even so, the lights flashing under their feet still proved how intense this race was.
With speed skills being released, their race rhythm had slowed, but their actual running speed was not much slower than before. Rather, it was somewhat faster than before they entered the second straight.
The slightly slowed feeling was only an illusion created by the naked eye.
"Their stride has synchronized."
Mihono Bourbon watched the race nervously from outside the track.
The heavy atmosphere made it difficult for her, as a spectator, to breathe.
It was as if she were watching two beasts fighting in an arena.
"Can they still increase their speed?"
Mihono Bourbon felt dazed.
At this moment, she deeply sensed the fundamental difference between herself and those two.
That talent and effort were far too beautiful, and far too distant.
The sight of those two racing was simply too dazzling.
Dazzling enough that merely witnessing their race could make one despair over one's own weakness.
The mid-race straight soon reached its end.
Ahead lay the second bend, one of the final sections of the race.
At this moment, less than half the course remained before the finish.
The one in front was still the Overlord.
And it was an absolute lead.
The gap between her and the trailing Rice Shower was a full fourteen lengths.
That was almost a crushing difference.
But one thing had to be understood: the Overlord in this state was not going all out.
Mihono Bourbon, watching the race, did not know that, so she could still feel a little reassured.
But Rice Shower, who was in the race, understood that truth very clearly.
That was why it hurt.
Although Rice Shower had adjusted her emotions, she was still being suppressed by the opponent's strength to the point of near suffocation.
This could be called the most difficult race she had faced since her debut.
She had clearly experienced so many races before, but this was the first time she had encountered a race where she was being crushed so completely.
Not even when racing McQueen and the others had she felt this.
Could the Overlord's current strength already be above McQueen's strength from back then?
Rice Shower could not help thinking that.
But she quickly extinguished that stray thought.
Because the Overlord ahead of her was about to enter the next section.
The instant she entered the bend, the black fluctuations around the Overlord grew even more intense.
Skill release!
The Overlord began accelerating once more.
It was clearly the stacking of multiple acceleration skills, yet not the slightest burden could be seen on her.
"She's so strong!"
"Do I really still have a chance?"
She could not control the growth of those cowardly thoughts.
She had no confidence whatsoever that she could defeat this opponent.
All she had left right now was that stubborn refusal to lose.
But that was fine.
That was enough.
"Because this is who I am!"
Pitch-black fluctuations surged over Rice Shower.
[Fusion] activated!
Powerful spirit turned into an illusion, and blue-rose petals drifted down across the track.
The Overlord's eyes trembled slightly when she sensed it.
She instinctively looked back.
And then she saw those eyes she could not ignore, along with that unbelievable figure closing in on her.
An astonished look appeared on the Overlord's face.
"She's actually catching up?"
She found it hard to believe.
She knew Rice Shower's [Fusion] could give birth to unknown power, a miracle with no theoretical upper limit.
But even if that was true in theory, Rice Shower, as the user, still had limits.
With the values the Overlord was displaying now, she should have been able to completely suppress Rice Shower.
And yet... even so, Rice Shower broke through?
Behind the Overlord, Rice Shower chased after her, wrapped in a powerful current of air.
"I can't fall here! It isn't over yet!"
Flames had already ignited in Rice Shower's eyes, and the aura of her domain erupted fully from her body.
It was a power similar to the Overlord's, yet different.
If the Overlord's black hole devoured every opponent, then the black hole Rice Shower displayed now used herself as the sacrifice.
She offered up everything she had in exchange for greater power. Only her unchanging will remained eternal.
This was the spirit Rice Shower displayed.
This was her ZONE.
Of course, such a method could not possibly be without risk. This power was dangerous to begin with.
The more power she fused, the greater Rice Shower's consumption became.
And the stronger the power, the greater the burden on her body.
But compared to the strength of this power, that fatal side effect was not worth mentioning.
If she did not do this, Rice Shower knew very clearly that she could not defeat the Overlord right now.
Talent, values, mechanics. She lagged behind the Overlord in every aspect.
Under these circumstances, how could she defeat the Overlord?
No matter how Rice Shower thought about it, she could only reach one answer: it was impossible to defeat an Overlord like this.
Then-
The only option left was clear.
If no matter what she did now there was no chance of victory, then the only thing left was to gamble on an unknown miracle.
And by coincidence, Rice Shower had the power to touch that miracle.
Of course, she also understood very clearly that miracles came with a price.
That price might be collapsing suddenly at the very end of the race. It might also be being sent to the emergency room after the race ended.
But if it was necessary for victory.
Then do it!
Bursting power filled her entire body.
In that instant, her body seemed to burn.
Her blood boiled and rolled. The pressure on her heart increased explosively.
Tearing pain came from every part of her body.
But Rice Shower's mood was strangely light.
Because now that she had staked everything she had, there was nothing left for her to fear.
Let's decide this, Overlord!
"Interesting."
The Overlord withdrew her gaze, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously rose.
The spiritual pressure Rice Shower had erupted with could indeed make one's back go cold, giving the feeling of thorns pressing against the spine. If an ordinary umamusume were here, Rice Shower's pressure would surely affect her.
But the Overlord would not be shaken by an effect of this level.
Although the fighting spirit Rice Shower displayed now truly surprised her somewhat, to be honest, that was all it was.
"...Too weak."
Even facing Rice Shower in this form, the current Overlord could still easily be certain of her own victory.
"That's right. I will win."
Because this was the destined result.
In the next instant, the Overlord's step seemed to shatter the ground.
Along with the sound of time breaking-
Time itself was conquered by the Overlord in that moment.
"Fall."
One corner of her power was revealed here.
It was the embodiment of the Overlord's absolute strength.
At this moment, after plundering the powers of countless opponents before her, she had already obtained an invincible form.
"I acknowledge that your resolve to chase me even at the risk of death is beautiful."
"But right now, I have already reached a realm you cannot touch."
This is the end, hero.
In Rice Shower's vision, afterimages appeared around the Overlord's body.
Without any warning, that pitch-black figure began an extraordinary acceleration.
The gap that had almost been closed could no longer be narrowed by even half a step.
Rather, in an instant, Rice Shower was thrown far behind.
She understood what had happened at once.
That was... Teio's...
Her previously blazing emotions could no longer hold. They cooled as if cold water had been poured over them.
Ah... aaah...
A despairing groan.
If that's the case, haven't I already lost?
The figure that exited the time-acceleration state rushed toward the finish line ahead.
The final straight.
The Overlord held a complete lead.
The gap was over 100 meters.
Unlike Tokai Teio, the distance the Overlord could open while in a time-acceleration state was far too great.
One could say that even though it was the same move, when used by the Overlord, the difference was like something from another dimension.
With a gap like this, Rice Shower no longer had any chance of catching up.
And because despair had already taken hold, her speed was now falling instead of rising.
The result was decided.
As the Overlord crossed the finish line, Rice Shower could feel the "pitch-black" within her flowing toward the Overlord.
That power had originally belonged to one whole.
At this moment, it finally returned completely into a single whole.
Ultimate power!
Here and now, it fully awakened!
...
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