As the race progressed, the pack gradually stretched out.
At the very back of the first group, a silent cloud of gunpowder began to spread.
On the track, Ardan's running remained perfect, like a precision instrument.
Her back was straight, her stride light. Through the corners, her entire frame seemed to fuse to the inner rail itself.
An utterly terrifying level of control, as if she were showing the world what it meant for running to be art.
But within that flawless picture, an incompatible shadow had been added.
Thump—
A heavy, muffled footfall was steadily drawing closer.
That was Creek.
She did not use any flashy footwork, nor did she engage in crude body-to-body interference.
She simply kept closing the distance.
Relying on that unfathomable stamina like a boundless deep ocean, Creek initiated an extravagantly wasteful tactic.
She continuously micro-adjusted her pace.
Fast, then slow.
Every time Ardan adapted to the current rhythm and prepared to enter an energy-saving cruise mode—
That warm, heavy presence behind her would suddenly press closer.
As if urging the opponent ahead: If you don't accelerate and run, I will swallow you whole.
That invisible psychological suggestion, carried by the steady breathing that felt almost pressed against Ardan's back, drilled straight into her ears.
If Ardan sped up out of impatience, even if her rhythm only broke slightly—
Over a long 3,200-meter endurance war, it would become the fuse that detonated an energy collapse in the later phase.
This was Creek's open scheme.
Even if she wasted her own stamina with pace changes, she would drag Ardan into a high-consumption tug-of-war from the early phase.
Because she could afford it.
After Inari One's retirement, as the strongest long-distance Uma Musume of this era, her stamina pool was bottomless.
…
As expected.
Under that shadow-like pressure, the mirror-still lake of Ardan's mind produced a faint ripple.
In that instant, her long Uma Musume ears twitched once, and a glimmer flashed in her eyes.
The moment Creek pressed closer—
Ardan inexplicably felt as if the leader had slowed, causing the runners behind to catch up.
Should she accelerate and return to a "normal" pace?
Her body almost instinctively tried to exert force, tried to surge forward and shake off that "sticky nuisance" behind her.
However—
At the critical moment, Ardan's thighs, muscles already tensing to drive, relaxed instead.
The flicker of impatience in those lapis eyes receded like a tide, replaced by deeper calm and absolute confidence.
Pointless consumption…
She whispered it to herself, her mind entirely free of distraction.
As an Uma Musume who pursued radiance—
In everyday time trials and training races, she had been psychologically scarred long ago by Fujimasa March and Obey Your Master, two runners adept at rhythm control.
Her body had been forced into a habit.
Compared to that, this clumsy trick was not even close to enough to corner her.
Unfortunately.
If it's stamina, I admit I'm not your match. But if it's control of my body, and adaptability to rhythm…
On this track, no one can defeat me!
Vmmm—
Ardan's presence changed.
She did not accelerate. Instead, she became like a crystal rooted into the earth.
No matter how the waves behind her crashed, she would not move.
You close in? Then I'll let you close in.
You apply pressure? Then I'll ignore your pressure.
She fully reined in her senses and drove her flawless technique to the absolute extreme, focusing only on the course ahead.
With impeccable rhythm, she forced a perfectly quiet sanctuary to exist inside Creek's assault—an absolutely tranquil Domain.
"…Just as I thought."
Behind her, Creek sensed it sharply, a trace of resignation rising within her.
Before she even tried, she had known it would most likely be futile.
"Truly… flawless."
Creek sighed inwardly, the probing edge in her eyes quickly fading.
If the bait failed, there was no point continuing to poke at such a meaningless trap.
As a seasoned veteran, she was decisive.
That aggressive pressure vanished without a trace.
Creek eased back slightly, and the strange alternation of fast and slow smoothed out with it.
Quietly, she lay in wait behind Ardan.
Like a colossal beast slipping into the deep sea—retracting all claws and presence, drifting silently in the ocean's depths.
"The Uma Musume have passed the first corner."
"Right now, Flash Forest is in first, leading steadily. In second is Mejiro Ardan. It looks like she's still following her usual strategy, not intending to fight for the lead…"
The commentator continued the live call. "One length behind Ardan is Super Creek, watching like a hawk—this really is another titanic clash!"
…
The wind on the track seemed to grow louder.
Dada-dada-dada—!
As time passed, the footfalls and hoofbeats carried the runners across the second straight.
The 2,300-meter marker flashed by, and the pack was about to enter the third corner.
In this race, with Creek abandoning rhythm interference, and with Flash Forest deterred by the threat of the two elite runners behind her, the leader made no other moves.
The first group remained strangely peaceful, and the mid-phase tempo was not fast.
But even so, a 3,200-meter race was, for any Uma Musume, a double torment of flesh and spirit.
Now, as the field entered the third corner, they had already run more than 2,300 meters.
Nearly the equivalent of finishing a solid Medium-distance race.
By this point, the line had become exceptionally long.
Flash Forest, once the leader, still pumped her arms desperately—
But her heavy breathing and the beginning signs of her eyes losing focus made it clear her stored stamina was no longer abundant.
"Hah… hah…"
Flash Forest felt the burning heat in her lungs.
Even if she tried to preserve energy, at this speed over more than two thousand meters, the loss was inevitable.
Sweat slid down her finely shaped cheeks, dampening the bangs at her forehead.
Yet her eyes remained clear. Those resolute pupils stayed locked on the course ahead.
Only 800 meters left…
Almost there. The battlefield where it's decided.
She said it to herself.
Up ahead, the texture of the track began to open.
The famous—
Yodo Slope.
A terrifying incline with a vertical difference of 4.3 meters.
It was Kyoto Racecourse's landmark, and the nightmare of countless long-distance Uma Musume.
Here, any overdrawn stamina would be magnified without mercy in the coming sprint, ultimately leading to a collapse in speed.
By conventional tactics, this was where you should ease slightly, bank energy, and wait for the final straight's explosion.
"Take it slow. This is Yodo Slope. Even those two monsters behind me can't accelerate here."
Flash Forest steadied her mind.
"I'm leading. As long as I don't burn too much here and enter the final straight safely, I still have a chance!"
"After clearing the third corner, if I accelerate right away, how much can I open up? One length? Two? Enough!"
Her body relaxed unconsciously. As she approached the slope, she began to slow, just a little.
"Four hundred meters of final straight. I can do it. As long as—"
In the instant her thoughts soared—
Boom! Boom!
Two thunderclap footfalls detonated right beside her ears!
Flash Forest's pupils shrank violently, an icy dread surging through her heart like a flood.
"Wha—?!"
Her world went dark for a split second.
In that instant, two terrifying shadows in gorgeous race outfits swept past her on both flanks at terrifying speed!
Vmmm—!
Endless streams of light began to surge. Deep blue and lapis Domains spread and dyed the track!
At the very front of the field—
Two pairs of pupils, crackling with terrifying arcs of light, poured their will into the world!
Domain — Clear Creek!
Domain — Lapis Glass Realm!
As if moving in perfect accord, the two Uma Musume paused for a heartbeat in surprise—then a liberated smile bloomed in both their chests.
"Here and now, let's settle this!!"
(End of Chapter)
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