"Currently in the lead is [Mejiro McQueen], but she looks to be in great difficulty." As the commentator spoke, the large video screen zoomed in on [Mejiro McQueen]'s pained expression.
She was covered in sweat, her features tense, looking completely exhausted and anxious. It was obvious at a glance that she was in a bad state.
Tokai Teio said in shock, "[McQueen]'s condition... and the other runners', it's all wrong! Is it that power called the 'Zone'? But this range is... way too big! It's even bigger than the President's!"
She remembered the President's domain was about three lengths, but the gap between Gold Ship and Mejiro McQueen was already six or seven lengths. The interference range was double the President's, and from the runners' reactions, the effect was much stronger. She already thought the President's domain was a cheat, but today she was seeing one that was even more broken.
Tokai Teio desperately wanted to yell at Demon King Ship, "Stop it! This isn't a race at all! This kind of race isn't fun!"
Daiwa Scarlet also said worriedly, "It's over. I don't think [McQueen] can withstand that. Even that foreign runner, Trêve, deliberately fell back behind her."
The fact that even the winner of the Arc de Triomphe chose to retreat was proof enough of how broken Gold Ship's domain was.
Daiwa Scarlet couldn't think of any way for [McQueen] to break this situation. Trêve could fall back because she was a Chaser, so it didn't matter as much. But [McQueen] was currently running a leading tactic.
She couldn't retreat.
"It's true. Just thinking about that feeling... I still get a chill down my spine," Vodka said, also looking shaken. She had been "gated" by the Emperor's domain during the school race, and she still couldn't forget that feeling.
"Damn it! Go, [McQueen]!" [Gold Ship] (this world's) shouted toward the track, retorting fiercely, "Don't forget, [McQueen] also went through that race! She and the other McQueen were 'one heart, one body' at that time! So I believe [McQueen] can definitely break through!"
The others were silent.
They wanted to agree with [Gold Ship], but remembering the pressure of Symboli Rudolf's domain, they couldn't. They had experienced that power firsthand.
[Gold Ship] and Special Week had both had bad starts in that race, so they hadn't been thrashed by Rudolf's domain. That's why they could say such naive things. But those of them who had been "educated" by it couldn't be so optimistic. That kind of power was just too unnatural.
Trainer Okino said nothing.
He just watched [McQueen] with a serious expression. He didn't know what "bewitching" and "domains" felt like, but as a trainer, he had to be rational. He knew [McQueen]'s condition was dire. This wasn't a problem that could be solved just by cheering. The only hope now was whether [McQueen] herself could "evolve" during this race.
He thought about what the Emperor had told him about domains. Under immense pressure, a strong sense of self could unleash one's potential to its limit, like a flower "blooming" (開花), as the mind entered that realm. If [McQueen] could enter that realm, perhaps she'd have a slim chance...
According to the Emperor and her group, a horse girl without a domain could never defeat a horse girl with one.
Even in world-class races, if a runner without an active domain beat one who was using theirs, it was usually because the "loser" was also a domain-level runner who just hadn't activated it.
This was a completely different situation.
Of course, if a horse girl's physical stats were truly on a "once-in-a-millennium" level, perhaps she could win without a domain. But if such a horse girl existed, it was impossible that she wouldn't have a domain.
In the end, the "blooming" process was just a step required for normal talents. For true monsters, they didn't need to "bloom." They could just open their domains.
This was why the Emperor could state with absolute certainty:
A runner without a domain cannot beat a runner with one. It's not that the domain makes them strong; it's that they are already strong, and thus have the "qualification" to open one.
Of course, "watered-down" domains forced open by external stimuli didn't count. Those could only be called "pseudo-domains."
But very few people knew these things.
Domains and "bewitching" were secrets known only to a few elites. Before that school race, even a senior trainer at Tracen like Okino didn't know the details.
After hearing [Gold Ship]'s cry, a wave of cheering erupted from the stands. All the fans were cheering for their favorites, as if they could "lend" their power to the runners.
But it was meaningless.
[McQueen] and the other runners couldn't hear them. The powerful aura and domain were suffocating them. The fact that they were still running was a testament to their willpower. They couldn't spare the mental energy to pay attention to the outside world. Their bodies instinctively filtered the cheers as "noise." In this state, even if "idealistic power" (plot armor) existed, it couldn't be activated.
'It's useless. The gap is too big. The fans' voices can't wake them.' Trêve, unaffected at the back, heard the lively crowd and shook her head sympathetically.
This intensity of "bewitching," multiplied by the domain... she couldn't think of any way to "frontally break" such a combo.
This girl in front of her had the same terrifying "race-dominating power" as that other Mejiro McQueen. McQueen's dominance was her ability to ignore external factors and continuously break her limits.
This girl's dominance was her powerful "interference." That "bug-like" combo that could seal an opponent's state and stamina. And to top it off, her own physical stats were absurdly high.
Mejiro McQueen and this girl named Gold Ship... in Trêve's eyes, both of them were "broken-level." Either of them could "slaughter" the field at the Arc de Triomphe.
'But I can't just give up.'
Trêve looked ahead seriously.
She couldn't see the very front from her position.
But she hadn't forgotten her purpose. She was here to make Mejiro McQueen remember her name. She couldn't give up just because of this Gold Ship who had appeared out of nowhere. No matter what, she had to get in the top three. That was her bottom line.
While securing that, she would try her best to win. But honestly, it was too hard. Trêve remembered that McQueen's performance. That McQueen was immune to bewitching. Her terrifying focus was purely on her own run. It was the purest, most beautiful running style. With this girl in front using this combo... that McQueen was probably the only one who could keep running. She didn't dare to imagine how big the gap was between her and McQueen by now. It would be impossible to catch up.
'No choice. I have to secure second place.'
Trêve began to target Demon King Ship.
When they came out of the final corner, she would overtake her. Even if this girl used that combo again, she could activate her own domain to resist it temporarily... and sprint to the finish!
At that moment, Demon King Ship, running in front of Trêve, wasn't paying any attention to the girl behind her. Her senses were locked dead-on to the runner at the front. The instant "that one" appeared in [Mejiro McQueen], she would immediately use her full power to chase. No one knew "that one's" strength better than her. Strictly speaking, they were the same person. She knew exactly what she had to do to beat her.
Don't give "that one" a chance to "stack" her domain.
The instant [Mejiro McQueen]'s aura changed, she had to sprint, to be at least on the same line as her. If this were a real race against "that one," she would never dare to have a late start. She wouldn't even be running as a Chaser; she'd be a Betweener (Senkou). Once "that one" gets a few lengths ahead, it's almost impossible to catch up.
'Why hasn't there been a change yet?'
The only thing that worried Demon King Ship now was that "that one" might not actually descend. If that were the case, this race would be meaningless to her.
And at the very front, [Mejiro McQueen] was still struggling. She had, of course, subconsciously thought about asking her "other self" for help, but she had suppressed the thought as soon as it arose. She was a proud horse girl. This was her race. How could she call on another self to run for her just because the opponent was too strong?
This was different from the last two times.
Those two times, her "other self" had been the one to race from the start. But this time... she was the one running.
Thinking this, [MeCIQueen]'s emotions gradually stabilized. Her "other self's" running form flashed in her mind. Faintly, her aura began to change.
And behind her, Demon King Ship sensed it.
...
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