For Rudolf Symbol, America was a place of painful memories.
She had once possessed towering ambition of her own: conquer America in the first half of the year, then set her sights on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in the second, and let the world witness the strength of Japan's horse girls.
What a grand dream it had been.
And yet, one problem had been her inability to adapt to the track; another had been her failure to understand the way American horse girls raced. Add injury on top of that, and the Emperor's overseas campaign had come to a bitter end…
Otherwise, Sirius Symbol would never have ended up going off on her European expedition alone, only to come back empty-handed.
So when Rudolf Symbol set foot on American soil again, she could not help but feel a surge of reflection and melancholy.
Those brilliant days of old had shone so dazzlingly. How had they slipped so completely out of reach?
Still, Rudolf did not allow herself to sink into nostalgia. She stepped off the plane with calm composure. She had come this time for something very important, and had no leisure to dwell on the past.
Sirius Symbol followed close behind. Though this junior of hers had never been able to join her own European expedition—leaving her feeling like a lonely soul back then—they were family in the end.
And when family had important business to attend to, of course she was here to help hold down the fort.
"Yo, long time no see, Your Majesty. Just taking some time off to relax in this barbaric wilderness of ours?" Secretariat greeted her with a light laugh, striking exactly the right note of friendly familiarity, as if she were delighted to see an old companion after years apart.
Rudolf Symbol, however, did not see it that way.
Whether by age or by raw strength, Secretariat was her senior—one of her seniors, and indeed the senior of countless horse girls besides. Even if it was only a joke, Rudolf could not possibly accept it so casually.
With a wry smile, she stepped forward. "Please don't tease me with that, Secretariat-senpai."
A nickname was just a nickname, but that depended entirely on who was saying it. Rudolf Symbol could never sit there with a straight face while Secretariat called her "Emperor," even if her name did indeed carry imperial associations.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Rudolf—ever courteous and refined—said,
"Just as I mentioned in my letter, that child of ours has a mind of her own. I'm afraid she may cause you some trouble during this period, perhaps even no small headache, so I ask for your understanding. And if possible… I would be grateful if you could look after her a little."
Why had Rudolf Symbol come?
Naturally, it was for Xingyun Liuge.
There was no way she believed Secretariat would simply stand by and do nothing. What she feared was that the other woman might strike fast and poach Xingyun Liuge outright. She had come to keep watch.
Not that she had the slightest confidence of success, of course.
After all, her own support for Xingyun Liuge in the beginning had been, at best, average, while the people at Central's board were a pack of hidebound old relics. The road to any real reconciliation with Xingyun Liuge would almost certainly be long and difficult.
By the time Rudolf had departed, public opinion in Tokyo had already exploded. And as the Kentucky Derby drew nearer, the pressure on the board would only intensify.
They were probably regretting by now that they had not pushed through reform sooner. But Rudolf Symbol felt no sympathy for them whatsoever.
She had warned them long ago. She had even raised the matter with the chairwoman and actively sought negotiations. But the chairwoman's attitude at the time had been exceptionally hardline.
Which was exactly why this entire situation was so maddening.
Sometimes Rudolf could not help but think:
If only I had discovered Xingyun Liuge sooner, things would never have escalated to this point.
Meanwhile, Xingyun Liuge knew nothing of Rudolf Symbol's arrival, and cared even less.
She was simply delighted that the girls had come. After taking them around to sample the local food, she promptly sent them all back to the hotel to rest. The last thing she wanted was to see them collapse from jet lag.
Everything was peaceful and harmonious.
So she went straight back to her room and entered another simulated race.
Amid the usual dark, unnerving special effects, Churchill Downs materialized before her eyes.
Only this time…
Looking at the standing water that nearly submerged her feet, Xingyun Liuge finally understood why the event organizers still had not opened the course for training. In this condition, there was simply no way a horse girl could run normally. If they opened it too early, they would probably be dealing with injuries on day one.
Originally, Xingyun Liuge had only intended to delay the Kentucky Derby a little, so she had used Janna's power to cast Reviving Monsoon, carefully controlling the rainfall and its impact on the local environment.
And yet somehow it had turned into Churchill Downs Underwater Edition…
Xingyun Liuge could not help complaining, "If I'd drawn Nami, this environment would've been perfect."
Nami, the Tidecaller: What the tide brings is for me to decide.
Unfortunately, when she had snuck in a quiet draw earlier, what she got was Heimerdinger.
To be fair, the boost in intelligence was delightful. It had even enhanced her hands-on ability, giving her something like an if I think it works, then it works kind of power.
But!
Most of the little professor's signature skills were for off-track research. She had no materials, no workshop, no instruments.
Which made the whole thing rather useless right now.
With that thought, Xingyun Liuge glanced at her last remaining random die, hoping for a more suitable new champion.
Though Churchill Downs in its current half-flooded, mud-pit state was already an absurdly good fit for Volibear's style, she still wanted to try something different if possible.
So—
Silently, she cast the die.
A sensation so strange it bordered on surreal flooded her mind, showing her an entirely new world—a bizarre environment that kept shifting between the macro and the microscopic.
Invisible, indescribable tendrils writhed, intertwined, curled, and multiplied inside her shadow.
"…"
The bizarre spectacle immediately reminded Xingyun Liuge of a certain tentacle-themed deity. Surely only the Beard Lady her faith belonged to could produce something this weird.
But that was not what it was.
A strange light descended over her head, and the grotesque scene swelled even larger.
In that instant, Xingyun Liuge understood its essence—
World Rune: The Wild.
And then a solemn, mysterious voice resounded:
"Join the glorious evolution."
Viktor, the Herald of Arcane.
Glorious Evolution (Passive): You have understood the true nature of the world. To improve it or to conquer it—everything lies in a single thought.
There were so many things wrong with this that Xingyun Liuge did not even know where to begin.
All she could think was:
Oh no, it's Lord Viktor. Are we conquering the world now? Is that what's happening?
Was she not supposed to be racing?
How had she suddenly pulled a champion whose hobby was rewriting reality because he felt like it?
Thankfully, the version she had drawn had been toned down. He was not nearly as dangerous as the original, though he still retained the ability to create something from nothing.
In simple terms, he let her handcraft Hextech gear out of ordinary materials.
Meaning Xingyun Liuge could instantly evolve from divine beast into some kind of bizarre techno-abomination loaded with forbidden science.
Xingyun Liuge mercilessly complained, "Sure, I could use technology to conquer injury, but this stuff doesn't help race-day me at all, does it?"
So what now? Change careers and become a researcher? Mass-produce super-tech horse girls?
She chuckled to herself.
That would be invincible.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
Uma Musume: I Want All 35
I Can Copy Unique Skills 36
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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