The Rigil training grounds lay quiet for a heartbeat before the storm.
The Uma Musume participating in the mock race had already gathered at the designated starting line.
Curiously, a life-sized cardboard cutout of Hishi Amazon stood guard at the mark.
"Isn't that supposed to be at the finish line?"
Barbatos couldn't help but stare; the sight was genuinely bizarre. At first, she'd mistaken the starting point for the end of the track, but finding it here—completely unattended by any actual staff—felt off.
"The track length for this mock race wasn't set in stone until you arrived," Fuji Kiseki explained, noticing her confusion. "Besides, having Amazon stand watch here is... well, it's safer."
"Safer?" Barbatos blinked.
It was just a mock race.
All they needed was a signal to go. How could "safety" possibly be a factor at the starting line?
Further down the track, Toujou Hana, Symboli Rudolf, and Maruzensky stood with Grass Wonder, Seiun Sky, and King Halo, waiting at the 1000-meter finish line.
The lineup for this race was nothing short of legendary. Alongside Barbatos stood T.M. Opera O, Narita Brian, Hishi Amazon, Air Groove, Fuji Kiseki, and Taiki Shuttle.
It was, without exaggeration, the most star-studded roster Japan could assemble.
While Grass Wonder and Seiun Sky had bowed out after learning it was a 1000-meter sprint—as the distance didn't suit their aptitudes—Taiki Shuttle remained, a titan of the mile with speed that was terrifying even in a short burst.
Yet, Barbatos felt a surge of absolute confidence. At 1000 meters, the entire track was within her "strike zone." Even if her opponent were Symboli Rudolf herself, Barbatos knew she had the winning hand.
Usually, distance aptitude is a test of a girl's judgment—knowing when to kick into high gear and when to conserve stamina. But Barbatos didn't need to pace herself.
Her only concern was the timing of her abilities to achieve maximum acceleration. In the current landscape of Japanese racing, even the longest tracks didn't require her to hold back.
To put it simply: the shorter the track, the more her skills blanketed the distance.
The shorter the race, the more godlike she became.
Standing at the start, she waited, curious about how they'd signal the break. Narita Brian reached into her pocket and pulled out a single coin.
"When the coin hits the dirt, we go," Brian said, her voice steady. "Ready?"
"No problem!"
"Let's get this moving!"
"One-on-one! Let's go!"
Barbatos nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was brewing.
She braced herself for the sprint, but also kept an eye out for the unexpected.
While a coin toss was common for private duels between Uma Musume, this was Rigil's turf, and she was facing legends. Even Special Week's match against Taiki Shuttle hadn't been this informal.
There had to be a catch.
She glanced again at the cardboard Amazon. "Safer," Fuji Kiseki had said.
Under what circumstances would a human starter be in danger? What kind of pressure were these girls about to release?
The coin left Narita Brian's hand, flipping lazily through the air before beginning its descent. Every girl on the line locked in, eyes tracking the silver glimmer, muscles coiled like high-tension springs.
In a 1000-meter dash against Barbatos, there was no such thing as "between-to-mid" or "trailing" tactics.
If you didn't seize the lead at the snap, you had already lost.
Clink.
The faint sound of the coin hitting the ground was instantly swallowed by a violent roar of displaced air.
The life-sized Amazon cutout was sent tumbling backward as if struck by a physical gale.
A cacophony of auras collided. In that specialized field of vision known only to the elite, the starting line erupted into a kaleidoscope of special effects.
It was a chaotic soup of raw power; every single Uma Musume had triggered their Zone the exact millisecond the coin touched the earth.
"I knew it!"
Lightning and gale-force winds mingled with a crimson hue. The explosive start Barbatos had refined to counter Silence Suzuka at the Takarazuka Kinen flashed into existence.
Activating Ghost alongside her "Triple Zone," Barbatos surged forward with the starting boost, instantly snatching the lead.
This was Barbatos at her peak, lacking only the finality of Righteous Glory.
The combined pressure of several Legends releasing their auras at once was staggering, but in terms of pure mastery over the Zone, Barbatos stood a head above.
Prepared for the mental onslaught, she didn't falter for a single step.
She wasn't surprised they could maintain their Zones from the start; the girls at the pinnacle of the Japanese racing world were more than capable of such a feat.
"Did Taiki miss the break?!"
At the finish line, Toujou Hana frowned, her thumb hovering over the stopwatch. Even a seasoned pro like Taiki Shuttle was struggling to adjust to such a violent opening.
This was the chasm between a champion and the "Strongest of the Era."
Hishi Amazon, meanwhile, was struggling just to stay in the conversation.
As a "chaser," forcing her body to explode into a full sprint from a standstill was an uphill battle; she was falling behind before the race had truly begun.
Air Groove fared little better; despite her Zone being active, Barbatos was widening the gap with terrifying ease.
That start...
It was just like Suzuka.
No—at 1000 meters, Barbatos was something even more monstrous than Silence Suzuka.
On the turf, Barbatos maintained her lead, fueled by the active effects of Ghost, Highlander, and the sharp edge of her blade, waiting for the final straight.
In a race this short, the distance vanished in the blink of an eye.
400 meters... 300 meters...
Targeting the figures at the finish line, she triggered the acceleration of Righteous Glory.
The legendary closing kick that had stunned the world at the Takarazuka Kinen returned, now even more potent. The turf beneath her boots seemed to singe from the friction of her speed.
Against this unbridled momentum, even the "Centurial Overlord" and the "Monster in the Shadows" faded into the background.
With an invincible stride, Barbatos tore through the finish line, securing a dominant victory by a clear five lengths.
"That's... incredible," Toujou Hana muttered, her mouth agape.
She had been so captivated that she'd nearly forgotten to stop the timer.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.