"Trapped—! Oguri Cap! Sirius Symboli! The Black Uma Musume! They're completely boxed in by the pack—!"
"Ten Uma Musume on the track have formed an encirclement, leaving not a single gap!"
Anyone could see it—this was a coordinated assault targeting just three of them.
What should have been an individual race for victory had its nature twisted in that moment.
Their goal was to eliminate all three at once.
As long as these three were firmly held back until the final stretch, no amount of raw talent could possibly shine through.
"They can't break through…"
Even though he'd anticipated this scenario, Musaka Ginjirou's expression was grim.
The inside rail ahead, the diagonal right front, the direct right, the right rear—every path was blocked by opponents.
To Oguri Cap's left and rear, at the very heart of this formation, gripped like a fist…
The Black Beast was locked tight within.
Such a targeted setup was rare even for Musaka. They weren't just forming a line; they were arrayed in a curved, diagonal wall, surrounding them completely.
Breaking out of this? Extremely difficult.
"Oguri…"
In the stands, Norn Ace and the others unconsciously clenched their fists.
"This is too much, just too much!"
From the very start, Oguri had been battling the Black Uma Musume right behind her, constantly keeping her in check.
Yet in the blink of an eye, these others had surged forward, sealing off every possible path for Oguri.
Just who do you think was the one holding that monster back for you?!
It was Oguri! Oguri Cap from Kasamatsu!!
"Right? Tell me I'm right, Rudy!"
Norn Ace grabbed the girl with the shoulder-length hair beside her and shook her incessantly.
"I-It is, truly, quite excessive…"
Finally freeing herself, Rudy Lemono tugged at her tightened collar. After catching her breath, she continued, "But, you see, they aren't technically breaking any rules."
Maliciously impeding an opponent or deliberately swerving would certainly lead to disqualification.
But look closely at where they've formed this net.
Rudy pointed at the track.
"They've set this up right on the turn. That means they can perfectly justify slowing down on the outside and gradually shifting inward."
As long as their positioning was reasonable, their actions couldn't be called fouls.
And this encircling movement could easily be passed off as unintentional.
"How can that be? They're being so blatantly targeted! And it's not a foul? Rudy, are you just making excuses for them?!"
"N-No! I'm just analyzing this objectively, see? You think so too, right…?" Rudy looked to Mini the Lady beside her for support.
But the short-haired girl was just staring towards the starting gate, a puzzled look on her face.
"How did that guy even get out there…"
"Hey! Pay attention to the race!" An irritated Norn Ace promptly grabbed her ear.
Meanwhile, on the track, the pack was entering the turn.
Faced with this tight encirclement, Oguri Cap's brow furrowed deeply.
She remained in her current position, unable to move.
The Black Uma Musume lurking behind her showed no intention of trying to break out either.
If this continues… it's no good.
If this net holds all the way to the finish, she'd have no chance to build up speed.
In terms of pure explosive power, Oguri Cap simply couldn't match the likes of Narita Brian.
She couldn't reach her top speed in just a few strides.
She needed a runway hundreds of meters long to fully unleash her velocity.
But now, her opponents gave her no such opportunity.
Every path forward, backward, left, and right was completely blocked.
The Gray Monster was now locked down by solid metal plates.
Her strong hands hammered relentlessly against the massive wall that had formed around her, the impacts echoing.
Faced with this seemingly insurmountable barrier, only one method came to Oguri's mind…
"Don't make the wrong choice now."
Musaka Ginjirou couldn't help but mutter to the restless grey monster.
As Oguri Cap's trainer, he knew exactly what was going through her head.
To break through an encirclement this tight, there was only one way.
"During a race, Uma Musume can physically bump into each other."
They could use their powerful bodies to literally force their way through the crowd.
However, the cost of doing so was incredibly high.
As beings capable of reaching speeds of sixty kilometers per hour, the risks Uma Musume faced were far beyond those of humans.
The loads they endured just from normal running were unimaginable.
If those high-frequency moving legs collided, the damage inflicted could be catastrophic.
Pain and fractures, or worse, tripping and crashing into the side rail…
Musaka gripped his cane tightly.
The Gray Monster's hands, forcibly hammering the wall, would be left bloody and bruised even if she shattered it.
This was his greatest fear.
Oguri Cap must not get injured in this race.
That's why he kept repeating, "Absolutely do not make the wrong decision."
Even Kitahara Jo, beside him, was gripping the railing tightly.
Just as the race seemed locked in an inescapable deadlock, the front-most runner within the encirclement, Sirius Symboli, smiled.
"All these years, and you lot haven't improved one bit—"
Her ragged breaths carried a tone of disdain.
During her time racing abroad, Sirius Symboli had faced terrifying Uma Musume who dwarfed her in size and strength.
Before them, she had felt as helpless as a child.
But even then, Sirius Symboli had defeated them on the track.
How?
Head-on confrontation was always the stupidest method.
To stand atop a peak no one else could reach, brute strength alone was never enough.
Hey, you, the Black one!
Sirius Symboli glanced back at the Black Uma Musume following closely behind her, her steps steady, completely unshaken by the enclosing net.
Gorgeous red and brilliant gold intertwined.
'I've heard the rumors. How you run on the far outside, where no one can reach.'
'You clearly have the power to leave this place, yet you play the part of a trapped beast.'
'Hah, what an affected performance.'
'But I don't dislike it.'
'Because a stage full of twists and turns is what makes it truly spectacular.'
'Watch closely.'
'This is the skill I honed on the European battlefields!'
This is the star that cannot be obscured by the night sky—!
"Sirius Symboli is accelerating! Sirius Symboli is accelerating within the pack!!" The announcer's voice swept through the entire stadium.
"Sirius Symboli is launching an assault on this impregnable fortress!!"
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.