She instantly increased her speed to create distance, while also reducing stamina consumption through special footwork.
However, the other participants present were not to be underestimated; they all relied on their skills to catch up.
Following closely behind Absolute Zero, of course, was Maruzensky.
Maruzensky is also adept at all distances, and the only reason she is an Escape runner is simply because she is too fast.
But now, with everyone "basically" evenly matched, her proud speed was still a little lacking.
The advance group behind her consisted of Narita Brian, Oguri Cap, Gold Ship, Sakura Laurel, Katsuragi Ace, and Oguri Cap, with the majority being Stride runners, while the Chase group only had Hishi Amazon and Representative Chiaki.
Absolute Zero had naturally tried this ordinary Escape method before, but if she was to show her full strength under her own conditions, this level was far from enough.
After the uphill of the first curve, a short flat stretch led to the downhill of the second curve. Although the slope was not too steep, for Absolute Zero, this was where she would once again open up a lead.
"Absolute Zero! Another downhill acceleration! Will the other competitors choose to follow!?"
[ Decisive Straight Descent ]
[ Courageous Stride ]
[ Escape Curve ]
[ Arc Professor ]
[ Arc Master ]
And the other competitors, all veterans who had run countless races, each possessed their own techniques for accelerating on downhills or curves.
Moreover... with a junior showing such spirit, as seniors, they naturally couldn't allow themselves to be looked down upon.
The second curve quickly ended with everyone accelerating, then entered the straight.
The Nakayama Right Inner Course has a relatively long downhill straight after the second curve. After the downhill, running on flat ground for a short while leads to the third and fourth curves, and the race thus entered its middle stage.
By the middle stage, skills were being unleashed wildly, and Absolute Zero, who hadn't managed to open up too much distance, was now closely followed by Maruzensky.
Hehe~ Z-chan, if you don't speed up soon, I'll overtake you, big sister!
Maruzensky curled her lips and began her advance.
[ Gear Shift ]
[ Full Throttle ]
And simultaneously deployed her domain.
She accelerated instantly like a sports car shifting gears, closing in on Absolute Zero ahead at a visibly rapid pace.
Overtaking acceleration in the middle stage, while also stealing the opponent's speed through [ Speed Hunter ].
Although it wouldn't last too long, this was her most skilled domain.
And as Maruzensky made her move, others with domains also activated theirs.
However, for the sake of fairness, they tried to avoid Uma Musume without domains as much as possible.
Yet... "What's happening! Absolute Zero has suddenly started to slow down! Her ranking has plummeted all the way to the Chase group, no! Even further back!"
Why?
Of course, because she was also going to start blocking people.
Absolute Zero's sudden change in running style caught everyone off guard. Even if they had prepared in advance, they wouldn't have expected this one to switch directly from a Great Escape to a Great Chase.
And this also meant that the stamina they had expended to accelerate and catch up to Absolute Zero at the front had become wasted effort. The opponent had even conserved more stamina by adjusting her pace with the change in running style.
[ Sound of Wind: Even if completely blocked ahead, one can ignore the obstruction and see a wider "field of vision" ]
Relying on her extremely excellent hearing and ability to sense the wind, even if her petite figure was completely blocked by taller Uma Musume ahead, she could accurately know their current positions.
At this moment, after Absolute Zero fell behind, they were faced with a choice.
Should they continue to accelerate?
They also had a lot of stamina, but it was far inferior to Absolute Zero's. Her extremely extreme switch in running style this time directly rendered their initial stage strategy useless.
An Absolute Zero in a Great Escape would focus on conserving stamina in the middle stage, so this was the best time to overtake and create distance.
But now, she had moved to the very back of the pack. If they accelerated rashly, they could easily be targeted by her, and at the same time, if they expended too much stamina here, the competition in the Late Charge would be very disadvantageous.
They were here to target Absolute Zero, true, but if possible, they also wanted to win.
Not a single Uma Musume participating in the race wasn't aiming for the championship, not one!
However, if they maintained the current situation, by the Late Charge, it would be a battle of Late Charges. Absolute Zero's dimension-crossing Late Charge meant that no matter how much they accelerated, if they didn't open up enough distance beforehand, they would be caught.
Of course, clearly, some Uma Musume wouldn't think that much.
Since there's an opportunity, they must seize it!
"Oguri Cap! Oguri Cap is also accelerating! Closely following are the Stride runners Tamamo Cross and Inari One, as well as Fuji Kiseki! Maruzensky at the front is still maintaining her previous acceleration speed! Even still accelerating!"
As expected, they started accelerating.
The middle stage was already past its halfway point; it was time for the Chase tactics to begin. Hishi Amazon and Representative Chiaki ahead of Absolute Zero also started their accelerations, and the Stride runners were also about to accelerate.
"The race enters the third curve, and the competitors are all preparing to accelerate! One can see the intense competition among them!"
However... "Absolute Zero! Accelerating powerfully again! Is this another tactical switch or an all-out acceleration to the end!?"
The other competitors were also startled by the commentator's words, completely unsure what Absolute Zero was trying to do.
But even so, they had to ensure they wouldn't be affected.
Their initial strategies were largely disrupted by that sudden switch. What they needed to do now was adapt on the fly while avoiding being led by the nose.
But thanks to Absolute Zero disrupting their tactics, can you still guess what tactics we'll use now?
However, Maruzensky, running at the very front, suffered a great disadvantage.
She had concluded that Absolute Zero, having chosen a Great Escape, would also open up a lead to maintain distance when she overtook in the Late Charge. At that time, her domain would come into play.
Maruzensky's domain could achieve its maximum effect during an overtaking competition. This was something only she understood, but she never expected Absolute Zero to directly give up the fight, even moving all the way to the back, and then starting to accelerate.
But if that's the case, then I'll keep running!
"Because of her extreme speed, no matter how she runs, it looks like an Escape" is not a saying about being better than some but not as good as others, but her genuine strength. Since Absolute Zero intuitively sensed something was off with her domain, she would absolutely not easily give up the advantage she now held.
Time to accelerate!
"Maruzensky! Accelerating again! Is she trying to end this race even faster!?"
"Behind her, Oguri Cap is hot on her heels, and Tamamo Cross is not to be outdone! The intensity is like that Arima Kinen of that year!"
Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, two top-tier gray Uma Musume, had several duels. In their first encounter at the Autumn Tenno Sho, Oguri Cap lost to Tamamo Cross by one horse length. Their second gray showdown was that year's Arima Kinen, but that race was Tamamo Cross's retirement race.
Tamamo Cross carried the responsibility of saving her family farm, and due to poverty, she had always lacked sufficient nutrition. At the same time, she was running at high intensity while also activating her domain, so her physical condition at the time was already not optimistic. But even so, she still stood out in that Arima Kinen with Oguri Cap, turning into a two-way lead, and ultimately lost to Oguri Cap by half a horse length due to Oguri Cap's running posture and physique.
But even so, this Arima Kinen has always been a regret for both of them.
Oguri Cap regretted that her victory was not fair, only winning against Tamamo Cross when her physical condition was very poor; and Tamamo Cross regretted that she couldn't compete at her peak state.
Later, with improved nutrition and medication provided by Absolute Zero, her body had recovered. Coupled with years of accumulation, the two showed a tendency to make up for the regrets of that year in this Arima Kinen.
And Inari One and Oguri Cap, who were closely following behind, naturally wouldn't easily give up the fruits of victory.
Now, as they were about to enter the fourth curve, it was time for everyone to exert their full strength.
One after another, domains that only they could see were deployed. As the domains collided, they overlapped to create strange spaces.
But even so, there was one thing they were powerless against.
Absolute Zero's domain.
It had been active since the beginning of the race, the culprit that made them expend more stamina and energy when activating their own domains.
"All members are accelerating! The direction of this intense race is now unpredictable! At the front is Maruzensky! Closely followed by Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, the other competitors behind are all accelerating to close the distance, the fourth curve is not even halfway through!"
"Rudolph Symbol! The Emperor has started to accelerate!"
[ Monopolizing Power ]
[ Escape Uncertainty ]
[ Stride Uncertainty ]
[ Stride Uncertainty ]
[ Chase Uncertainty ]
[ Strategy Against Escape ]
[ Strategy Against Stride ]
[ Strategy Against Stride ]
[ Strategy Against Chase ]
Unleashing countless interference skills, the Emperor also began her acceleration.
[ You, behold the Emperor's divine might ]
Her Late Charge, far surpassing ordinary people, gave the Emperor unparalleled dominance in the final sprint, which was why she was called the Emperor back then.
But now, she was not the only ruler of the final sprint.
[ Crimson Flame Gear / LP1211 - M ]
[ Shadow Sniping ]
[ Shining Star's Drama ]
[ Duel! Heating Up! ]
[ Blade of Glory ]
...In Absolute Zero's sight, rainbow-like light burst forth from the Uma Musume in front of her. It was a color far more beautiful than the sunset witnessed on that cliff.
This was it... what she had always loved.
What she had always looked forward to.
The perfect battlefield!
[ Under the Sunset, Soaring Beyond the Afterglow ]
[ Zettai Shinsoku ]
[ Senri Shippu - Shinsoku ]
After fully mastering her domain, it was no longer merely replacing her supreme power, but existing as an embellishment.
At the same time, it also made her strength even more terrifying.
"What on earth happened! Absolute Zero! Has caught up to Rudolph Symbol at the very front!"
The spectators present only felt a strong gust of wind, instinctively narrowing their eyes, but the moment they came to their senses, Absolute Zero had crossed an immense distance and caught up to the Emperor, who had already left the other Uma Musume far behind.
"Still accelerating! She's still accelerating!"
The pressure and footsteps closing in from behind were clearly perceived. Even with mental preparation, the Emperor's heart sank.
However, this is what makes it interesting.
Similarly, another figure was catching up.
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