"They're accelerating! The Black Uma Musume and the Gray Monster are both kicking into gear—!" the commentator slammed the table and shouted.
"They're choosing to make their move so early!? If they accelerate now, how will they handle the rest of the race!"
Eighteen hundred meters, a mile-long race. From the very start, two monsters were locked in a fierce duel.
"Could they be trying to decide the outcome right here?!"
That's impossible!
--+--
"That person has shown up again."
Holding a portable screen while accompanying Tamamo Cross during her training, Komiyama Masami couldn't help but sigh.
This was the third time. A full three times already.
They say fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. But this guy treats the racetrack like her own home, coming and going as she pleases.
But then again, thinking it over, it couldn't be helped.
Watching the camera pan to Oguri Cap and the hazy, shadowy blur trailing behind her, Komiyama got this feeling.
Maybe that mist was her true form.
Visible, but untouchable.
During the [Japanese Derby], she'd been at the venue in person, so she didn't really feel what everyone meant about the cameras not capturing her properly.
It wasn't until the [New Zealand Trophy], sitting in the trainer's office, that Komiyama Masami watched the entire race from start to finish.
Only then did she feel truly shocked by what everyone called 'unfilmable.'
In the final stretch, a mist-like shadow weaved through the pack, flashing across the screen.
After snatching victory, that shadowy blur slowly faded out of the camera's view.
The whole thing had a dreamlike, unreal quality to it.
Maybe she really was a character who stepped right out of a dream, Komiyama found herself thinking such an impractical thought.
So, even the URA couldn't catch a figment of a dream.
"What's... appeared..." Panting slightly, Tamamo Cross, who had been doing rapid shuttle runs nearby, finished her set and gradually came to a stop, approaching Komiyama while wiping her sweat and asking.
"It's that Black Uma Musume again. You've seen her too, right, Tama?"
She'd been present at both of those races.
The Black Uma Musume...
Hearing this, Tamamo Cross leaned in closer, her eyes fixed intently on the screen, on the Black mist closely following Oguri Cap.
"Heh, so she encountered her first."
"Huh? What do you mean, 'she encountered her first'?" Hearing Tamamo Cross's tone, which sounded almost expected and lacked strong surprise, Komiyama couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing much. Just a feeling. That one day, for sure, she and I will meet on the track."
Tamamo Cross replied calmly.
There was such a thing?
She'd never heard Tamamo Cross mention this before!
"D-does... does Tama-chan already know her true identity?"
"How could I? I'm no detective or researcher. It's just a feeling, a hunch. Like wanting to eat when you're hungry. Whenever I see her race, I can't help but want to compete against her."
Yes, this impulse had always stayed in her heart.
Just like that person in white on TV had said.
Something was happening simultaneously, yet seemingly unconnected, across the entire world of Uma Musume.
And Tamamo Cross was one part of it.
Before Komiyama could fully grasp Tamamo Cross's words, the latter had already started walking towards the dormitory.
"Tama-chan? Where are you going?"
"Let's call today's training quits, Komiya." She tilted her head to look at the other. "I'm going to the racetrack."
After all...
Chances to see her with your own eyes don't come around often.
--+--
In second-to-last position, just before entering the turn, Oguri Cap began to push.
The Black Uma Musume behind her accelerated at the same moment.
Their movements were strikingly synchronized.
They gradually lowered their bodies, and then—
Whoosh—!
On the track, two beasts collided fiercely.
The massive Gray Monster swung a powerful hand towards those sharp claws, and the other retaliated without hesitation.
This was a pure clash of speed and power, an absolute battleground to decide the ruler of this jungle.
To the victor go the spoils.
The two, brimming with wildness, launched relentless attacks against each other with breathtaking ferocity.
"Oguri Cap and the Black Uma Musume are both moving to the outside! Are they planning to overtake the Number 4 runner ahead? Just what are these two trying to do—!?"
The sight of the two beasts locked in combat sent the entire audience into a frenzy.
"Go!! Go Oguri Cap!!"
"Show her what you've got!!"
But soon, another wave of cheers rose amidst the roar of the crowd.
"Black Uma Musume—!! Accelerate! Show everyone who the true strongest of this generation is!!"
"The true victor of the Derby!!"
"Use your unmatched power!! Conquer this track once again—!!"
"Nameless Champion!!!"
The cheers for the rising star and the cheers for the intruder intertwined.
Hearing the less-than-friendly content mixed within, Hishi Amazon, standing in the aisle of the spectator stands, frowned deeply.
She cautiously glanced at Narita Brian's expression and relaxed slightly upon seeing the other's attention wasn't on the commotion.
Right now, Narita Brian was focused on Oguri Cap's movements.
It seemed every powerfully strong Uma Musume would lower her body close to the ground when accelerating.
She did it, the Black Uma Musume did it, and Oguri Cap did it too.
Narita Brian narrowed her eyes.
--+--
"Why that posture?"
Holding onto his hat, Musaka Ginjirou heard his nephew's question.
"If you'd watched Narita Brian's races, you'd understand."
To maximize their power, they choose to lower their stance while running.
"Doing this allows the leg muscles to store up even greater force."
"You all haven't seen Oguri Cap going all out in her acceleration yet."
That posture, less like running.
Is more like using the full strength of her body to crawl across the ground.
Hands, legs, every muscle, straining forward.
"But Uncle Musaka, are they starting their acceleration now? Isn't it too early?"
Kitahara Jo didn't understand.
"Idiot, look carefully at why Oguri Cap is accelerating," Musaka Ginjirou said, his tone rather displeased as he pointed at the track.
That was just a probing acceleration; Oguri Cap positioned herself just ahead and to the right of the Black Uma Musume.
And that position was precisely the path the other needed to take for her own acceleration.
The path was blocked!
In other words, the purpose of their simultaneous start wasn't to compete for the lead just yet, but to mark and contain each other!
Thwack!
The sharp claw swung by the beast was caught firmly in the Gray Monster's hand.
'Not bad—'
The other seemed to have effort to spare.
Oguri Cap's teeth ground together audibly.
This contest was evenly matched.
Was that it?
No!
The spectators' eyes widened.
This wasn't a battlefield belonging only to the two monsters.
Over ten other competitors were closely watching their every move.
While the two were locked in their duel, a net had been woven around them.
Thick shadows slowly rose, gradually forming a barrier in front of the two monsters.
What is this!?
The audience gasped in surprise.
Just before entering the turn, Long Live Free and Bold Northman on the outside began to slow down and merge towards the inside.
Together with the frontrunners, they formed a prison-like formation, trapping Oguri Cap, the Black Uma Musume, and Sirius Symboli within.
Before this fortress erected by their rivals, any beast would be stopped in its tracks.
"What an impregnable wall—!"
Musaka Ginjirou clicked his tongue.
"Completely pinned down."
Up in the stands, Narita Brian narrowed her eyes.
While there might not have been a specific tactical plan, it was clear that from the moment the Black Uma Musume entered the race, from the moment she chose her pursuing running style, the other competitors had already begun forming a strategy against her.
"The beasts are trapped in a cage." Watching the track, Hishi Amazon gritted her teeth, a trickle of cold sweat running down her temple. "To think these Uma Musume would unite against a common foe..."
This was the price for being too flashy.
While the Black Uma Musume was contained, Oguri Cap was also immobilized.
It was the worst possible situation.
This race was already over for them.
Hishi Amazon wanted to say that, but...
"That's right."
Crimson eyes gleamed faintly.
"This is the reason I returned to Japan."
Hey, Gray Monster! Nameless Black Uma Musume!
It's time for you to witness it.
The radiance of Sirius Symboli!
--+--
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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.