The century-defining battle between Mejiro McQueen and Oguri Cap quickly went viral online. Although it was only a two-person race, because neither of them stopped bursting with power throughout the entire match, all the Aemushi (horse girl fans) were thrilled. They felt like they had seen a new world, exclaiming that they never knew horse girl racing could be this intense.
"So strong! Is this really not a competition between two world-class champions? I feel like this intensity is even greater than the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe from the year before last." An Aemushi who had just returned from abroad felt his eyes light up after watching the recorded broadcast.
To be honest, the recent Arc de Triomphe races had actually been a bit boring.
Because the world's strongest runner, Rigil Antares, was just too dominant, she had no rivals. Thankfully, she had already won the Arc twice in a row and was retiring this year. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine any horse girl who could challenge "The World's Strongest."
No—this Aemushi suddenly had a realization.
He looked at the recorded broadcast.
Wasn't there one right here?
Although Mejiro McQueen had only debuted a little over a year ago, this Aemushi felt her strength had already reached the standard to run in
the Arc de Triomphe. If "The World's Strongest" wasn't holding the top spot, he even felt Mejiro McQueen could win!
You have to remember, Mejiro McQueen is a horse girl who excels at "Lead" tactics.
That terrifying "Great Escape" had an unparalleled dominance over a race, just like the current "World's Strongest" and her terrifying finishing kick. They were both absolute rulers of the track.
If those two could face off, it would definitely be an incomparable clash. Just thinking about the possibility made this Aemushi want to buy a ticket immediately. But a sliver of reason told him "The World's Strongest" was retiring, meaning this match-up would never happen. He would never get to see that race.
"What a shame. But it's not all bad. In the same year the older "World's Strongest" retires, a new "World's Strongest" is taking her place..."
As for that supernova horse girl from overseas?
Who was that? He had no idea.
He had completely forgotten the "Volk" merchandise he'd brought back from overseas. Although he had been a die-hard fan of Volk and firmly believed she would be Rigil Antares's successor, now that he was back home and had seen Mejiro McQueen, he declared he had no idea who "Volk" was. Starting today, he was a ten-year veteran fan of Mejiro McQueen!
If this race, for the Aemushi, symbolized the birth of a new king and the arrival of a new era, then for the horse girls, this race was a true "battle of gods." It made them feel a deep sense of unreality.
Is this really just racing?
Why can't I understand it!
The horse girls felt their entire worldview (three views) being shattered.
They had never imagined a horse girl could reach this level.
They really wanted to check what was under the bodies of those two. Maybe they were Terminators or something.
If a normal horse girl dared to run like that, she'd probably risk half her life. A bone fracture would be the light outcome; she might end up with a lifelong disability.
Tracen Academy. Symboli Rudolf listened to Air Groove's report with a pleasant smile on her face. It was clear that the "Emperor" of Chuuou was in a good mood lately.
"Emperor, are you listening?"
"Of course. Please continue."
Air Groove looked helplessly at the Emperor's goofy expression. So what if a horse girl who can truly control ZONE has appeared?
Emperor, can you please not be so happy about it.
It's all that live broadcast's fault. They were incredibly busy now!
"That's all for internal academy matters. Next is news from the Association. They are asking if Mejiro McQueen has any plans for an overseas expedition. If so, they ask to be notified in advance, and they will provide their full support."
As Air Groove spoke, she felt it was surreal.
Was this the kind of treatment a horse girl who debuted just over a year ago should receive?
Look at the Association's obsequious attitude.
They were clearly begging her to go on an expedition!
"You can go to Team Sirius and ask McQueen's opinion on this matter. If she wants to go, let her go." Symboli Rudolf didn't seem concerned about it. Whatever the Association thought, she would ultimately support the horse girl's own wishes.
The Emperor had clearly forgotten what she herself had done back in the day.
Air Groove couldn't help but want to criticize her.
But it made sense. The Emperor was already very satisfied with Mejiro McQueen's current performance. Besides, the tracks overseas were different, and McQueen's running style was so aggressive. She was worried an accident might happen if they let McQueen run overseas.
In truth, it wasn't just the Association that wanted McQueen to race overseas.
Many fans online were also strongly demanding that McQueen go abroad to conquer the Arc de Triomphe. Although the Arc wasn't any "nobler" than a G1 in terms of rank, for Japanese Aemushi, the Arc was the ultimate race.
In response to these voices, neither the Team Sirius trainer nor Mejiro McQueen herself responded. A Mejiro McQueen who had just debuted a little over a year ago shouldn't be racing overseas, no matter how you looked at it. After all, she hadn't even finished the domestic races.
Mejiro McQueen's own wish was to conquer the Tenno Sho first.
No matter what the voices outside said, it didn't affect things inside Chuuou Tracen Academy.
Mejiro McQueen's life didn't change.
Her account's follower count had already broken five million, and it was still increasing every day. Many foreign horse girls had also followed her account.
Among them was the famous horse girl "Volk."
However, she had only followed the account and not left a comment.
Mejiro McQueen looked it up and found that this world's timeline was indeed messed up. Because this famous horse girl was not yet the champion of the Arc. The current champion was a horse girl named "Rigil Antares."
This champion also held the title of [The World's Strongest].
Mejiro McQueen couldn't gauge this "World's Strongest" true strength from the Arc de Triomphe race videos, because she won too easily. She was basically in "stroll mode" for the entire race, only to suddenly burst at the end, pass all the runners in front of her, and take the championship.
During this time, she hadn't used a single special skill, nor had she used any of the three stages of ZONE.
At least, based on
this race alone, this "World's Strongest" had an overwhelmingly powerful stat sheet. Just her physical attributes alone were stronger than some horse girls who had entered ZONE. You could tell her title wasn't just for show.
'A bit interesting. If it were her, she could probably barely keep up with the me I am now. But unfortunately, she's retiring this year. And as for Volk, who comes after her... the current Volk is no match for me.' While Mejiro McQueen was studying the overseas runners, the overseas horse girls were studying her race videos.
After seeing the recording of the race between Mejiro McQueen and Oguri Cap, some overseas trainers finally reacted. They realized the supernova born in Japan this time was not just another "genius" like in the past, but a true powerhouse with the qualifications to become a champion.
After all, Mejiro McQueen had not only achieved the "Undefeated Triple Crown" in her first year, but had also defeated a "monster" who had opened ZONE. The strength Oguri Cap had shown in that race made many overseas trainers' scalps tingle. This was an Oguri Cap who had surpassed her prime. If she weren't already in the Dream Cup, there were very few active horse girls who could outrun that monster.
After Volk watched the race video her trainer brought back, she immediately went to follow Mejiro McQueen's account. Volk, who had only just begun to touch upon ZONE, was not yet confident she could beat McQueen or Oguri Cap. Although she was certain she was physically stronger, that McQueen girl didn't win through physical stats. Otherwise, Oguri Cap wouldn't have lost.
'But... that power... I can see it too.'
Volk felt it wouldn't be too late to challenge her after she had mastered the power of ZONE. Besides, her opponent wouldn't just give up on the Arc de Triomphe, right? In that case, she could just wait at the Arc for Mejiro McQueen to come and challenge her.
As for the loser, Oguri Cap, Volk skipped right over her.
In that race, Mejiro McQueen's light was just too bright. Oguri Cap's burst was impressive, but it was just a fleeting flash.
Mejiro McQueen had led from start to finish.
With that kind of terrifying dominance, almost no one would pay attention to her opponent.
Of course, there was another reason no one was paying attention to Oguri Cap: she didn't even have a personal account. She didn't use a phone. According to her, the sudden ringing and vibration were "too scary" for a horse girl.
Oguri Cap's info was all updated by her trainer or the team account. And that trainer's account was Kitahara's personal account. Volk had no interest in following an old man's account, so she just followed Mejiro McQueen's personal account and the Team Sirius account. She also casually checked the other runners on Team Sirius, and confirmed that, as expected, Mejiro McQueen was her great rival.
'I'll be waiting for you at the Arc!'
Volk declared this to Mejiro McQueen's photo.
It was a pity she had no idea that Mejiro McQueen actually had no interest in the Arc. Especially after seeing the skill gap between the champion and the other runners, McQueen felt the "prestige" of that race was just so-so.
And "The World's Strongest" was retiring this year. So why would Volk, whose talent hadn't even blossomed yet, think she could compare to McQueen, who was already in her prime?
After all, even after Volk eventually won the Arc, she never beat Special Week in her prime. In Mejiro McQueen's eyes, the Arc de Triomphe was just a "strongest" title that was hers for the taking. And did "The Strongest" really need to go out of her way to claim a title? Completely unnecessary. Maybe when she was thinking of retiring, she'd casually go over and pick up the title. But she would never treat the Arc as a goal, unlike others. Because the fact was, she was the strongest.
And so, while the world was still reeling from the race between Mejiro McQueen and Oguri Cap, Mejiro McQueen quietly arrived at her next race: the Arima Kinen. This was destined to be a "cruel" race. Even if many of the runners were upper-year horse girls, Mejiro McQueen's strength was already on another dimension.
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