"Forty Niner's sudden burst of speed failed to steal the lead! Xingyun Liuge powers into the turn! After this comes the final straight—does that mean she's really going to lead from start to finish and become a legend who conquered a bottomless track from the front?"
Under normal circumstances, a stalking style was the most suitable way to run on a ruined track like this, with a late-closing style second. Even a deep-closing strategy was more appropriate than outright front-running.
And yet Xingyun Liuge had seized the lead the moment the gates opened and held it all the way to the final phase. If she managed to win like this, this race would absolutely be enshrined as a classic by racing fans across the world. It might be talked about for years—perhaps even longer.
As the "most exciting two minutes" entered its final stage, the voices of the crowd only grew louder. Their shouting, cheering, and cries of encouragement tangled together into a wave of sound like mountains collapsing and oceans overturning.
That overwhelming noise crashed down over Churchill Downs and brought immense pressure to the girls on the track. They gritted their teeth until their faces were nearly red with strain, but not a single one of them cared. All they wanted was to squeeze out every last scrap of strength still left in their bodies and keep accelerating.
Horse girls chased after brilliance, after the victor's stage, after the glory of triumph. For that glory, they would never spare themselves. On the contrary, they would only keep piling more pressure on themselves.
Brian's Time let out a scream so fierce it was almost ragged, then suddenly surged in the bend. If she waited until after the turn to accelerate, she might never get another chance to challenge for the crown. Every first-rate horse girl would make the same judgment.
Because Xingyun Liuge, who was still running in front, showed no sign whatsoever of slowing down. She looked as though she truly intended to flee all the way to the edge of the world.
But wasn't that utterly absurd?
Could that girl really feel no fatigue at all?
The headwind crashing into her, the track that had become little more than a swamp, the crushing pressure from behind, and the repeated bursts of acceleration required to hold the lead—those four factors layered together into a terrifying net powerful enough to snare even a top-class horse girl. Unless she was someone like Secretariat or Eclipse, there was no way anyone else could endure it.
So why did Xingyun Liuge still have something left in the tank? Why was she still clinging to the lead?
That was a mystery no horse girl on the track, no one in the stands, and no one watching from afar could understand.
At that moment, all they could do was cheer for the girl they supported.
Goodbye Halo clasped her hands tightly and prayed to the Three Goddesses: Come on, Winning!
"Brian's Time accelerates sharply, and the order changes again! Xingyun Liuge is still in front! Two lengths behind her are Risen Star and Forty Niner running side by side, with Seeking the Gold half a length behind them—and Brian's Time has now drawn level with Seeking the Gold!"
In the commentator's narration, it sounded like nothing more than a simple reshuffling of places in the final chase. But for the horse girls themselves, that muddy water was devouring their stamina in great gulps, and their legs had become as heavy as lead. It felt as though, at any moment, they might no longer be able to lift them at all.
They could only keep squeezing out what remained of their strength, step after step. At this point, it had become a battle of sheer willpower. If the race ended right now, they would probably collapse on the spot, unable even to stand back up on their own.
My body's getting heavier and heavier... Every time I lift my leg, it feels like punishment, like I'm hurting myself. My breathing won't stay steady. Sweat is almost blinding me...
If they gave up on accelerating and just held this pace to the finish, it would probably be much easier.
But—
"It's not ending like this!"
A blue-violet flame blazed in Winning Colors' blue-purple eyes as she practically roared.
It was as if one could hear the eruption of fire itself. An intense azure aura engulfed her whole body, and even the mud seemed to shrink away from her.
Her right foot slammed down into the muck, but in the blink of an eye the muddy water in that small patch vanished, replaced by steam rising into the air.
The materialized force of her spirit boiled away the water itself—so violently it looked as though it might crack the track open!
"Boom!"
Azure flames tore across the course.
"Risen Star has passed Forty Niner and moved into second—but just then!" The commentator abruptly corrected himself, speaking so quickly his words nearly tripped over each other. "Just when the field looked like it was settling down, Winning Colors, who had remained almost completely silent the whole race, suddenly explodes! In one breath she passes Seeking the Gold and Brian's Time, and now she's aiming for Forty—no, she's already gone past Forty Niner almost in an instant! Incredible speed!"
While he was still speaking, Winning Colors had already drawn level with Risen Star—and seemed to be in the process of overtaking her. Even the commentator's call could barely keep up with her.
"Risen Star is running for her life, but Winning Colors is in all-out pursuit! Bursting up from the inside, Winning Colors has already put half a length on her, and the gap is widening! Unbelievable turn of foot! Chase the crown, Winning Colors!"
Watching Winning Colors pull away from her, Risen Star's eyes widened until the corners almost split.
For one brief instant, she wanted to spend everything she had left, retake second, and then launch one last direct thrust at Xingyun Liuge.
No. No, I can't.
But just as her rationality was about to be swallowed by her obsession with victory, Risen Star hauled herself back from the brink and held on to what little reason remained.
She had already calculated it while running. Her target was the final two hundred meters. If she made her move early, then even with her Domain activated, she still might not be able to beat Xingyun Liuge.
And if she lost by a neck—or worse, by a nose—she would never forgive herself.
That was the nature of racing. A horse girl had to distribute her stamina according to the actual flow of the race, calculate the best moment to accelerate, revise that calculation again and again as conditions changed, and then carry it through without compromise. Otherwise, defeat was the only ending waiting for her.
Ahead of her, Winning Colors and Xingyun Liuge entered a pure one-on-one duel.
Azure flames licked at Winning Colors' horseshoes—but they weren't hurting her, nor weighing her down. They were giving her a powerful boost of acceleration. Yet when that same azure blaze swept toward Xingyun Liuge, the effect was entirely different.
That nonexistent and yet unmistakably tangible heat nearly seemed ready to scorch the ends of the silver-haired girl's hair.
The raging fire rapidly wrapped around Xingyun Liuge's legs, starting to drag at her stride and chew away at her stamina.
Her horseshoes struck the muddy water hard, sending dirty spray flying everywhere—but the flames were utterly unaffected. If anything, they evaporated the water in the mud, baking it down into cracked, dry earth.
The commentator shouted at the top of his lungs, "Winning Colors! Winning Colors has reached a height none of the others managed—she's running side by side with Xingyun Liuge, battling for the victor's throne!"
"Winning Colors! Xingyun Liuge! Winning Colors! Xingyun Liuge!"
His voice turned raw from yelling, and he didn't dare blink, afraid he might miss the instant that decided everything.
At this point, the Kentucky Derby had only two hundred meters left.
And at that very instant, a faintly savage smile spread across Risen Star's lips.
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 132)
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 (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
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 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
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 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
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