At the forefront of the dirt track!
From the inner lane to the outer lane, from left to right, two Uma Musume were simultaneously executing dazzling, yet utterly distinct, front-running strategies!
If Nearl was a blazing, radiant sun, then Easy Goer was like an unceasing, relentless storm!
Rain cannot be knocked down. Seemingly less instantly impactful than a sudden gale, the torrential storm that was Easy Goer represented her peak condition—heart, skill, and body honed to perfection at this very moment.
Unless completely drained and dried up, this rain, embodied by Easy Goer, would absolutely never stop.
In an incredibly short time, they had accelerated together from before the first turn and raced all the way to a point past the second turn, maintaining their lead past the halfway mark of the race! They had already built a massive, nearly twenty-length super margin over Sunday Silence in third place!
And yet, they were still pushing forward!
Judging by Easy Goer's efficient and relentless form, or by Nearl's resolute and brilliantly dazzling figure, neither showed the slightest intention of holding back or slowing down to conserve stamina.
Typically, many front-runners who build a significant lead in the first half would try to slow the pace around the midway point, seizing a precious chance to catch their breath, recover, and save energy.
Only by doing this could they preserve their stamina to prevent fading or being overtaken by other horses with strong finishing kicks from behind.
But both Easy Goer and Nearl seemed to be locked in a death match with no thought of retreat, each tightly focused on the other and the path ahead. There was no unspoken agreement to slow down together!
Because for both the current Easy Goer and Nearl, they held only one belief in their hearts:
Their opponent was that monster right beside them!
While Nearl had activated her zone but not yet used its skills, the third-generation Big Red Monster, Easy Goer, was going all out—utilizing everything from her zone to her skills—clinging on desperately with everything she had.
Paying a tremendous price and showing her full power, Easy Goer was the first, in all this time, not to be shaken off by Nearl's front-running pace!
But what if…
The Radiant Knight wasn't at her limit? What if she hadn't even accelerated to her fullest?
Right now!!
[Zone: Blazing Sun's Obeisance] had just been activated!
--+--
[(O Sun, Please Nod for Me): When the racetrack is illuminated by sunlight, slightly increases acceleration and explosiveness, and continuously restores a small amount of stamina.]
[(Do Not Fear Hardship or Darkness): Moderately negates suppression from opponents' Zones, moderately increases power, slightly increases speed and explosiveness…]
[(The Fearless): When only one Uma Musume is nearby, moderately increases fighting spirit, slightly restores stamina, increases power…]
[(Nod of the Radiant Sun): …]
[(Unilluminated Glory): …]
[(Twilight): …]
[(Sword Rain Torrent): …]
--+--
All those zone skills were finally unleashed at once!
Nearl's already incredibly swift, charging footsteps underwent a visible sublimation in the next instant, perceptibly accelerating even further!
A second burst of acceleration while already leading from the front—executed to perfection by that Radiant Knight on the longest and most challenging leg of the American Triple Crown!
--+--
In the commentary box.
Secretariat, hailed as the contemporary strongest on dirt, stared with slight astonishment at the dazzling golden figure on the far outer lane.
"As expected—"
The current Secretariat could be said to know Easy Goer's abilities better than anyone else in the world, bar none.
After all, she had briefly taken over as Easy Goer's trainer, pushing her through a radical, potentially body-damaging schedule of nightmare-level training to maximize her potential and breakthrough.
The current Easy Goer probably stood a decent chance of winning against past Triple Crown winners from previous eras.
And right now, this third-generation Big Red was absolutely giving her all, striving relentlessly to overtake that golden-haired girl on the outer lane!
Even now, with her zone active and going all out… she still couldn't catch up?
Even worse, after Nearl activated her skills, a gap was forming between them, and it was starting to widen?!
When the senior that Secretariat always admired, the original holder of the title [Big Red Monster] and the dirt GOAT Man o' War, was commentating during the second crown, she had offered this evaluation:
'If it's Nearl, she might surpass me.'
'She will be a formidable opponent in the Dream Cup.'
The assessment from Senior Man o' War was indeed correct!
--+--
On the track, where mud flew and footsteps were urgent, in the view of a certain Uma Musume running almost at the front on the inner lane…
The wind roared incessantly.
A biting, knife-edge sharp cold wind seemed to whip against Easy Goer's body, making her muscles ache faintly as if groaning in protest.
"How… how can this be—"
Easy Goer stared fixedly ahead at the point beyond the second turn, her heart feeling as if chilled by that icy wind as she considered this race that was just past its halfway point.
But she knew the cruel truth in her heart… this so-called icy wind was the nightmare born from the brutal reality of being unable to catch Nearl, the terror of being unable to approach that shining figure.
Why, even after running with all her might, activating her zone and its skills at the first opportunity, aiming to overtake Nearl and build an advantage before the final straight…
Until now, not only had she failed to gain an advantage, she couldn't even run neck and neck with Nearl for first place??
Nearl on the outer lane had already pulled slightly ahead of her. Now, gritting her teeth, pushing with all her might, straining to the point where her muscles and stride were becoming disordered, she couldn't even close that tiny gap?!
Her body's limit!
A certain string seemed stretched to an impossible upper limit, reaching its breaking point, ready to snap at any moment?!
You've got to be kidding me?!
'It's impossible, I must…'
Easy Goer gritted her silver teeth, biting down so hard she drew blood in her mouth without even realizing it. The intense pain shooting through her legs jolted her fully awake.
Despite it all, her gaze remained locked on Nearl running beside her.
That dazzling, golden Pegasus girl, radiant like burnished gold, still looked composed, awe-inspiring and imposing, continuing her run with the silent dignity of a peerless knight, an unmatched monarch!
—Easy Goer, just like Sham of old, was willing to push herself to the point of injury in a race to defeat a fearsome opponent!
Extremely talented, squeezing out every ounce of her potential, and willing to pay a huge price, Easy Goer…
Even so, that Radiant Knight continued calmly into the second half of the race… [Still accelerating]!!!!
Easy Goer's competitive spirit had been thoroughly ignited; her sole purpose was to surpass Nearl on the outer lane. Even after falling slightly behind, even after failing to overtake despite her full acceleration…
Finding it hard to believe, Easy Goer ignored the continuous signals of distress coming from her feet, muscles, body, even her bones.
But such a small gap, even if it was slowly widening, could never break Easy Goer's determination!
You've got to be kidding me?!
'It's impossible, I must…'
Easy Goer clenched her silver teeth. Having worked so hard and held so much expectation for this victory, she would never admit defeat easily, would never go down without a fight!
That dazzling golden-haired girl still looked composed, like a knight capable of breaching city walls, awe-inspiring and imposing, still racing forward!
Finally…
In the very next instant, Easy Goer's graceful form, constantly pushed beyond its limits in pursuit of Nearl, stiffened slightly, as if a groan of protest echoed from within her body!
It was as if her body was subtly reaching its limit, declaring the cruel fact of its powerlessness.
As an Uma Musume whose profession was running, how could she not know her own body well enough?
Let alone being overloaded, reaching her limit; even just feeling a bit tired, slightly weary, should be clearly perceptible. Especially since Easy Goer was a super talent far exceeding ordinary Uma Musume.
So, of course, she understood her own capabilities and limits best.
Continuously running, striving with all her might not to be dropped by Nearl, wanting to surpass that Radiant Knight completely… her body had already reached an overloaded state!
It was as if Easy Goer's body was warning her, urging her, decreeing that she should choose to give up!
Shock…
Anger…
And even, an almost ultimate unwillingness!
Intense emotional waves surged within Easy Goer's heart.
For Easy Goer, Nearl was… the very source of her motivation during this more than a month of the Triple Crown battles, the opponent she was most interested in and most wanted to defeat in her career as an Uma Musume.
Furthermore, this Belmont Stakes should have been the race where she had the best chance of defeating Nearl!
How could Easy Goer be willing to let this long-held wish, these prolonged efforts, go to waste?
Her cold, sharp eyes continued to fix on Nearl beside her, but that golden-haired girl who had pulled slightly ahead made it impossible for Easy Goer to regain her composure.
If this continued, Nearl might truly pull far ahead, perhaps establishing a lead, expanding it to one length, two lengths, even more, beginning her signature overwhelming victory by a large margin!
And her body, pushed beyond its limits, combined with the blow of Nearl seemingly not yet at her limit, apparently able to maintain this incredibly high speed… forced Easy Goer into an extremely difficult decision.
Now, she had very little time left to choose; she had to decide quickly.
Should she… continue to accelerate?!
But continuing to race at this pace would only lead to two outcomes.
Either the overload from maintaining such a high speed would completely break her body, completely disrupting her rhythm. Then, forget about challenging for first; she wouldn't even hold onto second place! She would end up with a disastrous defeat.
Or, she could surpass even her body's limits, accelerate all the way to the end, and overtake Nearl!
Either way, continuing to duel head-to-head with Nearl, facing that Radiant Knight fearlessly…
—Meant either a hard-fought victory, or a crushing defeat.
Moreover, maintaining such high speed, even if Easy Goer could briefly exceed her limits and break through her body's constraints, carried a significant risk of injury, fracture, or long-term consequences!
Whether she won or lost, Easy Goer knew her body would likely suffer severe aftereffects!
This was no exaggeration because… the tragic case of Senior Sham had happened just the previous year!
Even the excellent Sham, considered a monster who would have had a high probability of winning the American Triple Crown in any era before Secretariat, after being pushed to the brink and suffering major injuries, took several months to recover and return.
And there were successful Uma Musume too.
The last legendary Uma Musume to face an opponent head-on in a race, repeatedly overcoming her limits with sheer competitive spirit to win, was Seabiscuit.
And Seabiscuit, who repeatedly broke limits with her terrifying will to win, was famously plagued by constant injuries!
One of Seabiscuit's most awe-inspiring aspects was overcoming those injuries, falling and getting back up.
While it sounded incredibly legendary, it also served to show… even legends weren't immune to the physical toll of exceeding limits and challenging at overloaded high speeds! Even peak legends in their prime couldn't escape this fate!
'But… Senior Sham, she eventually came back! Still achieved great results.'
'And whether I win or lose, I can always go see Dr. Lin again.'
In Easy Goer's mind, the figure of that handsome black-haired male doctor flashed briefly.
Hesitating, filled with trust in Dr. Lin and a burning desire to defeat Nearl, she made her choice.
No matter what, in that instant, having prepared herself, Easy Goer did not choose to heed her body's instinctive warnings, did not choose to slow down and rest.
Not a moment's pause, not a second's relaxation! Continue accelerating and racing forward! Until she surpassed Nearl and crossed the finish line first!
Ignoring the consequences of maintaining such an unimaginably high speed without slowing down, Easy Goer kept her focus locked on Nearl.
'Pegasus, I will never admit defeat!'
As long as Nearl made any fatal mistake, Easy Goer would still have a chance to come from behind and overtake in one go.
In Easy Goer's view, Nearl had been flawless, making no mistakes in the first two races!
But now things seemed different. Nearl had run the entire American Triple Crown in just five weeks, with only about two weeks of rest between each race—a nightmare schedule that pushed fatigue to the extreme.
In comparison, Easy Goer's schedule of two crowns in five weeks was much easier, with over a month in between for rest, training, and trial runs.
For most American Uma Musume, especially newcomers in their classic year only racing for a few months, the distance of the Belmont Stakes was somewhat excessively long, truly testing endurance and physical condition.
Therefore, in theory, it was really possible for Nearl to make a mistake or fade in the latter half.
'You can't be flawless, perfect, unless… you are a GOAT, a god, surpassing Man o' War and Secretariat, surpassing those first two Big Red Monsters!'
[Is this the peerless talent universally acknowledged to be qualified for the Dream Cup and ranked among the top twenty in American history, even halfway through the Classic Triple Crown?]
[Nearl's power has been displayed to the fullest. In this race, just past halfway, she already leads by eighteen, nineteen lengths over third place behind Easy Goer! She's out-"Great Escaping" the so-called Great Escapees!]
[This is simply—a Great Escape surpassing Great Escapes!]
The professional commentator couldn't help but stand up in the commentary box, watching the front of the field with astonished eyes.
Even having witnessed and commentated on countless races, this professional commentator had never seen such a spectacle! This scene was truly rare!
The first half of this race had completely turned into a one-on-one duel between Nearl and Easy Goer, with third place already dropped into a super large margin!
Beside the professional commentator, Secretariat, serving as a temporary guest, now spoke up with keen interest.
[And Easy Goer is still maintaining her incredible speed, trying to catch Nearl, but she's trailing by a length… looks like it's about to become two lengths, yet she's still holding her accelerating form!]
[Such high-intensity acceleration is undoubtedly the greatest test of both Easy Goer and Nearl's careers, a tremendous… test, even potential harm, to their bodies.]
[Can the new monarch of the era continue leading all the way to the end, seizing the most prestigious Triple Crown crown in history!!]
[Or will the third-generation Big Red turn the tables?]
--+--
Time flew by!
From the moment her body issued its "warning," and Easy Goer defiantly chose to continue desperately chasing Nearl beside her…
Stomping on the dirt with all her might, mud flying from her boots, accompanied by faint creaking sounds from within her body that she seemed utterly unaware of, she pursued only that extreme speed, to keep herself from being dropped by Nearl.
Without a doubt, once a meteor is ignited, it cannot be extinguished!
Sunday Silence in third place, behind Easy Goer, couldn't help but stare with shocked eyes at Nearl at the very front and the third-generation Big Red girl clinging on desperately behind her.
Possessing resolve beyond anyone's imagination, that near-crazed girl ignited the final flames within her body, completely transforming into a fleeting meteor!
But that dominant, immensely powerful, and frantic Easy Goer, burning like a candle in the wind, finally could accelerate no more. She could only try to maintain her current ultra-high speed to keep racing forward.
For Easy Goer now, the sensation from her legs had finally surpassed "tiredness" and "soreness," reaching the level of… [Severe Pain]!
Even more than her body declaring the result of injury, she was unwilling to accept her powerlessness to fight on!
Easy Goer could no longer command her body, could no longer burn everything for the super speed needed to chase Nearl.
Now, she had burned everything out, completely emptied in her pursuit of the Radiant Knight!
'No more, I can't catch up—'
In the very next second, finally unable to maintain her ultra-high speed, Easy Goer watched helplessly as Nearl instantly expanded the two-length gap to three lengths, four lengths!
Could Nearl… not only maintain this ultimate speed but even carry it all the way to the finish line?!
The commentator's voice, spreading throughout the venue, continued to ring out.
[At the midpoint of the first turn, Easy Goer, who has been challenging Nearl since the start, has finally slowed down after a duel lasting more than half the race!]
[No—that's not slowing down, it's just shifting from constant acceleration to maintaining her original speed—a conventional front-running pace.]
[After Easy Goer could no longer persist, could no longer maintain that "Great Escape surpassing Great Escapes," the Pegasus Nearl in first place is wildly increasing her lead with incredible speed!]
[Five lengths! Six lengths! Seven lengths! Eight…]
['Ten lengths!! Just before the third turn, that Radiant Knight has already secured a massive lead and is continuing to gain even more terrifying margins at a frightening speed?!']
['That is simply—Man o' War returned, Eclipse II!!']
The excitement in the commentator's voice reporting the current situation was palpable to anyone listening.
On the track ahead, that dazzling golden figure on the outer lane was completely pulling away from all the other Uma Musume.
The Pegasus's flight continued!
[There's still an entire turn and an entire final straight stage left before the race ends!]
[Will any Uma Musume be able to overtake and catch her? Can Nearl achieve an overwhelming victory by a huge margin?]
[Without a doubt, a once-in-a-century famous race is approaching its conclusion!!]
--+--
Under the commentator's utterly unrestrained, excited, and hyped words.
Nearl, still racing relentlessly without the slightest tendency to slow down, continued her run!
Nearl had already taken the lead, and even Sunday Silence's figure was completely out of sight, completely left behind in the periphery of her vision!
This didn't mean Nearl could relax and let her guard down. On the contrary, Miss Radiant Knight was staring fixedly ahead.
Only when facing a strong opponent on the track, in a fair contest on the field of competition, could Nearl feel so… serious, excited!
In Nearl's view, this half-race duel with Easy Goer… meant Easy Goer was temporarily almost equivalent to a legend!
The terrifying pressure Easy Goer exerted in the first half, her explosive speed refusing to yield an inch, was almost at the level of a legend, already surpassing her performance in the Kentucky Derby!
How could such a strong opponent not bring joy to Nearl, who craved battles against the strong?
And now, with her condition stimulated to an unprecedented peak, what Nearl desired in her heart was…
To win—
Behind her knightly armor, her swaying black cloak, contrasting with the silver-white cold armor, fluttered violently, mirroring the immense battle on the track!
Transcending everyone's imagination, after entering the third turn, Nearl proceeded to expand her lead even further!
Eighteen lengths!
Nineteen lengths!
Twenty lengths!
Having just entered the third turn, with most of the turn and the entire final straight still ahead, Nearl had already achieved a super large margin!
And the Uma Musume behind Easy Goer, including Sunday Silence, hadn't even caught up to the third-generation Big Red yet, let alone… Nearl!
--+--
The heated track, the unprecedented duel, had stimulated the audience to countless levels of anticipation and shouting.
This legendary battle, worthy of entering the history books, its pace already extremely fast.
When the third turn was more than halfway through!
Easy Goer, running with all her might, was being forced to (grit her teeth and accelerate early by Sunday Silence behind her, who was trying to close the gap.
The third-generation Big Red, who had already front-run to her limit and lacked the strength to accelerate further, was being caught from behind.
But astonishingly, the leader's advantage wasn't being reduced in the slightest; that terrifying margin was actually continuing to grow!
It had already reached a super large margin, over twenty lengths, approaching thirty lengths. The second-place Uma Musume, accelerating with all her might, couldn't shorten the distance.
That shining Pegasus, the maiden knight, continued to race forward like a meteor under the helpless, upward gazes of the Uma Musume behind!
"What… what kind of monster is this? Is she really an Uma Musume?"
"Are we even the same species? Why, after she's been accelerating for so long, can't my finishing kick even close the gap, let alone overtake?"
"Easy Goer… she's such a monster herself, to duel with such a being for half the race and still refuse to give up."
And in the commentary box, that extremely excited voice rang out again.
[Nearl has already built an advantage of nearly thirty lengths, and she's all alone in front! She's finally about to reach the final straight first!]
[All the Uma Musume behind are accelerating, but facing Nearl, it's like facing… a deity!]
[Over thirty-one lengths! She's still racing! A monster worthy of the Pegasus name, showing her truly "legendary" side!]
[That Shining Knight has stepped onto the final straight. Her momentum hasn't diminished. Will she create an unprecedented miracle on this long home stretch?!]
--+--
"As powerful as a deity, this is the Golden Pegasus? This performance must be on par with that contemporary number one, the Silver-White Pegasus Platinum, right?"
"Go Easy Goer, never give up! You're the third-generation Big Red, don't lose face!"
"Nearl is about to reach the halfway point of the straight first. Looks like she's leading by… around thirty-something lengths? Amazing!"
"Just how many lengths will she win by?"
For Nearl, victory was within reach!
No one doubted the inevitable outcome; the only suspense remaining was…
—How many lengths would Nearl win by? Could she break Secretariat's legendary record of thirty-eight lengths?!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.