For the Australian horse girls, that kind of reception was not exactly welcome.
Sure, it was a form of respect, acknowledgment, even reverence for the strong. But it also piled enormous pressure onto every other runner on the field.
A few of the girls tossed their hair back uneasily, and the way they looked at Seiun Ryoka subtly changed, colored now by a hint of fear.
Others, however, only grew more restless because of it, enough that it started affecting them even as they loaded into the gates.
Seeing that, the spectators immediately began shouting support for their favorites, with the loudest among them waving banners high, hoping the racers would notice them.
Even the commentator chimed in.
"The atmosphere on the track is already on a knife's edge before the race has even started. A clash between fanbases, perhaps? Who'll be the one smiling at the end? Honestly, I'm so excited I can feel it in my bones!"
In stall seven, Seiun Ryoka could feel the unease and tension radiating from the runners on either side of her, and she could feel their attention fixed on her as well. Clearly, while the legend of the undefeated five-crown queen had shaken them, they had no intention of giving up the race. On the contrary, they were itching to challenge this legendary ruler head-on.
After all, Seiun Ryoka had never once raced on this track before. She was probably still struggling with jet lag, still adjusting to the local environment.
It might have sounded a little mean to say it, but this was very likely the weakest she had ever been.
And that made it the perfect time to challenge her.
If one of them could defeat the undefeated five-crown queen here, she would become a star whose name everyone would sing.
Who could resist a temptation like that?
And besides…
More than half the girls lifted their eyes toward the sky.
The oppressive heaviness in the air felt deeply unpleasant, but it was also the clearest sign that the weather was about to turn.
No—more accurately, it had already started to change.
The breeze brushing across their faces carried a dampness to it. The moisture in the air had thickened enough that rain could fall at any moment.
To put it bluntly, it was almost as if even the Australian weather itself was siding with them.
The girls drew in deep breaths and focused completely on the race ahead.
1400-meter Winx Stakes — Turf — Overcast — Heavy Going
The instant the gates flew open, all ten horse girls drove off the ground almost simultaneously. The explosive burst of speed and raw leg power kicked up a violent gale, and right in front of the stalls, it formed invisible but tangible whirlwinds in the air.
Clods of turf and mud were torn loose beneath their hooves and hurled skyward. Together with the churning air, they seemed to make the thick clouds above even heavier, even darker.
As if the heavens themselves were declaring:
This race is not merely a contest of speed. It is a direct clash of momentum and will.
The moment you hesitate, you lose. The moment fear takes root, you lose. Only by charging forward without flinching can you seize victory.
A drop of rain fell.
A small, cold bead from the sky.
Golden Tide, on the inside, struck first.
Though petite, she exploded with power utterly disproportionate to her size, trying to seize the initiative in one breath—cut into the rail and claim the lead.
But that was every girl's dream. Of course not all of them could have it.
Ryoka stamped down hard.
The ground beneath her seemed to burst with a ring of invisible air ripples. Her silver hair streamed behind her, leaving a white-silver trail in its wake. Grass clippings whipped into the air, driven up by the violent current she generated, almost as if they were trying to block her rivals' vision for her.
That was impressive enough.
What was even more ridiculous was the pressure of the wind itself: the ad banners lining the track flapped wildly, and even some of the spectators near the rails could clearly feel the suffocating force bearing down on them.
It was like she was draining the air itself dry with that pure, brutal running style of hers.
The gale she created at the start became an invisible wall, shutting the other girls out.
How was she doing it?
To the other racers, Seiun Ryoka's body moved with an almost absurd fluidity, swaying ever so slightly as if she could sense every thread of force in the air around her. She was using it to sharpen herself.
More than that, she was cleverly borrowing the side wind, like a surfer riding a wave, searching out the path of least resistance.
Her launch was the fastest, and every stride landed precisely in the fleeting instant when the wind slackened. At the same time, each arm swing sliced cleanly through the drag in front of her.
Amid the chaos of that violently contested opening stretch, she looked like she was performing a graceful, dangerous waltz—finding tiny openings in a battlefield measured in inches.
How elegant.
And how overwhelmingly powerful.
But that was only the beginning.
Almost at the same moment, three girls in the center of the pack surged forward abreast.
For some reason, the pressure generated by the three of them running side by side was unusually fierce—almost as if it were stacking together.
If they hadn't barely known each other, an outsider might have assumed they had planned this in advance, setting up an ambush for one Miss Seiun Ryoka.
That cross-track pressure created a chaotic horizontal low-pressure zone in the center of the course. The air there was rapidly compressed and shredded, giving off a mournful howl.
But that was not its true effect.
Stardancer, who had tried to slingshot around the far outside and challenge Ryoka directly, suddenly felt her body grow heavy, like she had plunged headfirst into a vat of glue.
Every motion now demanded twice the effort. The neat acceleration curve she had been building was mercilessly torn apart by that accidental turbulence.
"Tch!"
She clicked her tongue in frustration and was forced to change tactics.
And right then, a chill touched the racers' faces.
The commentator shouted, "A brilliant start! The girls have entered combat mode almost instantly, all watching one another, all probing for a chance to steal the lead! Right now it's Seiun Ryoka in front, with Golden Tide and Silent Thunder right behind her, only about half a length separating them, while the rest of the field is practically packed into one mass—"
Then he broke off with a cry.
"It's raining! A sudden downpour! This is bound to have a massive effect on the runners' footing and the battle for position! When the road narrows, the brave prevail! This is the moment their resolve will be tested! Who will come out on top of this melee?!"
The red bangs of Silent Thunder were seized by an invisible hand of wind and whipped backward. Dense rain pelted her face so hard it almost stole her breath, and her acceleration rhythm immediately broke apart.
She grit her teeth and desperately tried to steady her stride, fighting to overcome the interference.
Though it had been no more than a hundred meters or so, the horse girls felt as if they had already weathered a bold voyage through the heart of a storm.
They could all feel their stamina draining at an alarming rate.
But the rain had no mercy.
It did not weaken in the slightest. Instead, it grew heavier still, and the girls who lacked aptitude for running in the rain gradually began to drop away.
The formation of the field started to stretch out accordingly. The deadly, chaotic wind pressure created at the opening gradually settled, as if none of it had ever happened.
Had the brawl ended?
No.
The real battle for the lead was only just entering its fiercest phase.
join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 210)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Completed)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Completed)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa (Completed)
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 240
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (Completed.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume5/8
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 135
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 160
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 125
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 180
My Harem Is Indescribable 110
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 115
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 120
Still playing traditional Honk 105
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 120
What Should I Do After Switchi 70
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 140
Checking In in Demon Slayer 100
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 115
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 90
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (Completed)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 95
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 100
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 135
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 150
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 70
The Uma Musume Who Became 75
I'm Definitely Not the King of 130
After Maxing Out Every Class 135
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 120
I, the Elden Sword Saint 70
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 65
No One Knows Pokémon Better 65
From Trilobites to Titans 65
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 105
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 120
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 80
Honkai: The Fire Devil 115
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/70
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 85
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 80
At age 8, she co-starred with 80
Honkai: Schicksal Media 81
An Extremist in a Slice-of-Lif 80
Chainsaw Man, but I'm Aatrox 65
Honkai Apocrypha: Are the Valk 60
Morgan Shirou's Journey in Dan 43
DanMachi: Get to Work, Dimensi 80
Honkai: Star Rail—Kiana Cried! 63
Sakiko Togawa: A Blood-Soaked Cards Volume2/32
Detective Conan: My Whole 65
Honkai: Star Rail:Reincarnated 70
In the Nasuverse, but I Practice Scientific Cultivation 53
Honkai: Starting Out as a God of Luoxing 30
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