"And it's Number Two, Sadamu Patek! Another Uma Musume has lost speed and dropped out of the pack!"
Outside the racetrack, Akasaka Rin stared at the course with astonishment. This was already the fourth Uma Musume to falter and fall behind.
"Could it be that today's heavy rain is so severe that it's making it incredibly difficult for the Uma Musume to run?"
Sugimoto Kentaro wondered aloud, stroking his chin. He had considered how the track conditions might affect the Uma Musume before the race, but he never expected the impact to be this dramatic.
As a seasoned professional commentator, he quickly reached a conclusion.
"In today's Japan Derby, the muddy, heavy track is the greatest enemy these Uma Musume face. Only those who can maintain their speed have a chance to seize the championship."
His explanation was met with agreement from many. After all, with so many Uma Musume collectively losing pace, it seemed the most reasonable interpretation.
Yet, amid the crowd, two Uma Musume frowned upon hearing this.
"It's a Zone," Oguri Cap said seriously. As someone who had experienced the track firsthand, even from outside the course, she could tell what was happening through experience.
"Exactly. A little rain couldn't possibly cause this many Uma Musume to slow down. That has to be Dream Weaver's Zone," Tamamo Cross chimed in. After their last encounter, she and Oguri Cap had carefully studied the Satsuki Sho race records.
They had already formed a preliminary understanding of Dream Weaver's Zone. Seeing the racers on the field in such disarray, Tamamo Cross realized almost instantly that it was Dream Weaver's power at work.
"But…"
"Isn't it too early to activate her Zone now?" Tamamo Cross voiced her concern. For her and Oguri Cap, Zones were weapons to be unleashed only at critical moments. Maintaining it from start to finish would put far too much strain on the body.
"Perhaps she has her own strategy," Oguri Cap shook her head. They weren't Dream Weaver and couldn't dictate her tactical choices.
After a pause, she added with some worry, "The real focus right now is Orfevre. Based on her performance in the Satsuki Sho, her Zone should be able to resist Dream Weaver's chains."
"The outcome of this Japan Derby will depend on whether Orfevre's Zone can give her the power to break through this curtain of rain."
True to their reputation as the "Miracle Generation" of Uma Musume, the very duo who shattered the myth that gray horses couldn't run fast, Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap understood the race far better than any spectator outside the track.
On the course, Orfevre, who had been maintaining a mid-pack position, had unconsciously advanced to the front of the group.
The interference from Dream Weaver's Zone hadn't forced her to accelerate prematurely; it was simply that the Uma Musume ahead of her could no longer withstand the pressure and had gradually fallen back.
Orfevre could feel the scorching track relentlessly draining her stamina, yet the corner of her mouth lifted in a grin.
Dream Weaver was truly her rival, just as she'd promised, turning all the other Uma Musume into kindling to set the track ablaze.
This was Dream Weaver's power—the power of the Golden Tyrant's fated rival!
This Zone, which seemed to dominate the entire track and make every Uma Musume tremble, felt like an invitation to Orfevre.
She could almost hear Dream Weaver whispering in her ear:
'Show me your power.'
The thought made Orfevre even more excited.
In this moment, she no longer cared about the so-called glory of the Gold Family. Even the eager, expectant gazes of her subjects in the crowd no longer felt burning hot.
The only thing she wanted, the only thing she could see, was Dream Weaver.
To defeat her, to triumph over a rival who had unveiled such breathtaking power—only then could the Uma Musume named Orfevre truly claim her own glory.
Golden lightning seemed to crackle in her eyes. The violent downpour seemed to pause for an instant, and Orfevre could even see her own smile reflected in the raindrops before her.
The next moment, the rain poured down anew. The sodden turf was torn apart by tremendous force; shredded grass and water droplets were sent flying in all directions, whipped into a frenzy by the violent shockwave. At a moment no one could have predicted, Orfevre began her sprint.
The power of her Zone roared within her. Her heart felt like a sun, constantly and violently radiating her wild energy. Her already fearsome power and speed, amplified by her Zone, became even more violent.
In an instant, she left all the other Uma Musume behind.
Even the curve couldn't hold back Orfevre's momentum. She charged through as if on a straightaway, smashing everything in her path with overwhelming force.
This time, her power didn't leak out wastefully. Orfevre's Zone didn't set the track ablaze with another sun.
Yet, through her terrifying speed and power, she seared her image into the eyes of every onlooker.
That golden figure seemed to slice through the gloomy rain, bursting forth with a dazzling radiance.
Orfevre had become an undeniable sun in everyone's eyes.
"What?! Orfevre is accelerating on the final turn?! Isn't she afraid of losing her balance and falling?!"
Akasaka Rin nearly leaped from her seat. As a professional commentator, she had her own understanding of the race.
For an Uma Musume who typically ran a mid-pack race to start her final sprint on the last turn, in the pouring rain no less—the power required to maintain such speed was simply unbelievable.
"She's instantly overtaken every other Uma Musume to take the lead! And the gap between her and the others is still widening! Still widening!"
"Is she planning to throw everyone away in a one-sided Escape and charge straight to the finish line?!"
Sugimoto Kentaro shouted in amazement, his eyes glued to the window.
A wild, absurd thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps, just perhaps, Orfevre was deliberately mimicking Dream Weaver's strategy from the Satsuki Sho.
It was like a mirror image of that race: now Orfevre had become the front-runner, while Dream Weaver, famous for her Great Escape, had become the pursuer.
But how could that be?
Would Orfevre really do something so outrageous just for the sake of symmetry?!
It was a bold idea even Sugimoto Kentaro could hardly believe, yet it had struck upon a part of the truth.
Orfevre was indeed intentionally mirroring the scenario from the Satsuki Sho.
However, this mirroring wasn't meant as a provocation, nor did she believe leading offered a greater chance of victory.
She was simply, eagerly anticipating what kind of surprise and power her rival, the Golden Tyrant, would unleash when faced with such a situation.
This feast of a showdown was far from over. In Orfevre's eyes, the true protagonist was only now about to step onto this stage woven from glory and brilliance!
"Come, my rival!"
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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.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.