In the early stages of this race, Demon King Ship was extremely low-key. She didn't use any skills, nor did she use her "bewitching" power. She held back completely, simply running on her physical stats alone. She carefully observed the rhythm of the other runners and the undulations of the track, verifying bit by bit the knowledge she had recently learned about traditional running styles and racecourses.
Instead of using her skills to crush noobs, Demon King Ship felt it was better to seal her abilities for now to gain more racing experience. She didn't know if any runners in this race had preliminarily grasped the power of skills, but even if they had, they would likely only be basic skills. Skills of that level didn't require her attention.
When they reached the middle straight, Demon King Ship glanced at the runners ahead and couldn't help but think: 'These guys are running way too slow. How stupid. Have they forgotten how to race because they're too wary of this great one?' She could afford to ignore the leading escape horse for now, but these guys shouldn't be able to.
If they really let the leading runner open up too big a gap, Demon King Ship didn't think many of these runners could catch up from behind. She believed they knew this in their hearts, yet they still chose to defend against her, a Chaser.
Understandable, but not agreeable.
Demon King Ship could understand their wariness of her, but she couldn't agree with their foolish actions. Changing your running style and rhythm just because the opponent is too strong? That's just baffling! Having the courage to challenge the Demon King is a good thing, but if you challenge with such a timid mindset, you might as well fall even harder.
'Can't be helped. Let's stimulate them a little.'
Crimson light shone from Demon King Ship's eyes. The skill "Demon King's Aura" activated. In an instant, a powerful pressure landed on the backs of all the runners in front. The moment they felt this chill, their expressions changed. Although they looked grim, it was clear they had started to exert force. It seemed they were somewhat mentally prepared, as their speed wasn't affected too much by the aura.
'Here it comes!'
This thought appeared in everyone's mind. Thinking that the Demon King was about to catch up, everyone began to give their all. The speed of the pack instantly shot up, quickly closing the distance on the lead runner.
The leading Seiun Sky was currently drenched in sweat. The escape running style consumed a lot of stamina to begin with. While others were holding back, escape horses had to use 80% or even 100% of their strength from the start. That's why in reality, escape runners often run out of steam at the critical moment, throwing away all the advantage they had gained.
As an excellent horse girl, Seiun Sky naturally wouldn't make such a rookie mistake. She had calculated her stamina consumption precisely and reserved enough energy to activate her unique skill on the final stretch. However, the sudden appearance of the Demon King's Aura disrupted her rhythm. At this moment, not only did her stamina consumption increase drastically, but her mood was also severely affected.
Truth be told, "gating" (debuff) skills affect escape horses the most. Their consumption is already high, and they need to be more focused on their own running style. Once they fail to escape the range of a gating skill, the consequences are severe; the skill hits them with double effectiveness.
This was Seiun Sky's current situation.
In the end, she hadn't escaped thoroughly enough.
To win as an escape runner, you either have to escape completely—get out of the opponent's interference range—or possess focus strong enough to ignore the opponent's interference. If you can't do either... how can you win running escape? With the arrival of the new era, escape runners must achieve at least one of these, or victory will be out of reach. That running style, more dazzling and brilliant than any other, isn't something just anyone can use!
And right now, Seiun Sky was the first victim; her traditional running style was already obsolete! Tosen Jordan gritted her teeth and charged up. As a victim who had tasted the Demon King's gate since childhood, she found it easier to endure the skill's effect. With Seiun Sky unable to control her speed, she, as the leading escape horse, no longer held the advantage.
"Seiun Sky has been overtaken by Tosen Jordan! Tosen Jordan is now in the lead! But the pack behind has caught up! Can Tosen Jordan maintain her lead?" The commentator stood up, slamming the table.
The race reached the late middle stage, about to enter the corner. The runners, stimulated by the Demon King's Aura, began to burst. Mejiro Ryan unleashed a powerful last spurt, and a wave of qi erupted from her body. That wasn't the first stage of a domain, but a specious effect brought about by a basic skill. Similarly, Narita Taishin began to sprint. The two runners, who should have been in the rear, rushed to the front in the blink of an eye. These two popular runners were making their move; their strength was indeed far beyond the others.
"Mejiro Ryan! Narita Taishin! These two runners have broken out of the pack! The front of the race is now a competition between these two! Will the winner be decided here? Where is the Demon King? The Demon King is still at the very back! What is going on? Demon King, what are you doing?!"
seeing Demon King Ship still seemingly strolling at the very back, the commentator couldn't help but question her. No one doubted the Demon King's strength, but the problem was, the Demon King truly hadn't shown any spectacular performance in this race today.
Tosen Jordan barely had time to warm the first-place seat before it was snatched away by Mejiro Ryan and Narita Taishin. Her last spurt's explosive power couldn't compare to those two monsters. After all, in the game, one of these horse girls had a T0-level Unique Skill, and the other was born with "Rising Shadow." Even if their real-life counterparts didn't have those exact skills, as the originals, their explosive power was naturally not to be underestimated. They were first-class runners.
But compared to the two temporarily in the lead, Tosen Jordan was more concerned about Demon King Ship, who hadn't started sprinting yet. Compared to Mejiro Ryan and Narita Taishin's burst, that Demon King's last spurt was the true monster.
Demon King Ship heard the commentator's questioning, but her expression didn't change. She was here to gather experience. Since the "mobs" hadn't leveled up yet, beating them completely wouldn't yield much XP. It was more important to familiarize herself with traditional knowledge and absorb its essence to find a running style better suited to her. As for whether being this relaxed would make her lose? Don't joke. That kind of joke isn't funny.
Just as they were about to exit the corner, Demon King Ship shifted directly to another lane. The skill "Technician" activated. The most intuitive sprint route instantly appeared in her mind. In the next moment, she launched her sprint. She didn't use any extra skills, merely unleashing the first and second stages of her domain. Compared to skills, she was less familiar with her domain, so she decided to grind some proficiency for it first.
Demon King Ship, her body wrapped in a golden aura, rushed out of the pack's encirclement in an arc like a bolt of lightning. Almost instantly, she reached the front, catching up to Mejiro Ryan and Narita Taishin. The Demon King's Aura was still in effect; their steps had clearly become a bit ragged.
Demon King Ship was expressionless.
It's useless. The power of a domain is a massive watershed for horse girls. Just like how even the physically superior Mihono Bourbon felt powerless against Rice Shower in that state, even in her current state, she was not an existence Narita Taishin and Mejiro Ryan could defeat.
Without any suspense, within just a few strides, Demon King Ship overtook Narita Taishin and Mejiro Ryan. Even if Demon King Ship wasn't proficient with the effects of "Tides" and "Aura," that "unfamiliarity" was relative. Her control over her domain was indeed inferior to Mejiro McQueen and the Emperor, who had already entered deep into the first layer, but she was still someone who could release and retract her domain at will.
"The Demon King has broken out!"
That momentary burst was simply incredible. It was unimaginable what kind of powerful force was hidden in Demon King Ship's body, allowing her to overtake two popular runners in full sprint in such a short time.
"Such strength!"
Mejiro Ryan looked at the tracks left by Demon King Ship in disbelief. She had thought she possessed an absolute advantage in strength, but the power Demon King Ship displayed now was even greater than hers. That terrifying explosive power was the combination of speed and strength.
Ooooh! Even so, as a Mejiro horse girl, she would not admit defeat here! Mejiro Ryan's speed increased again. That was the manifestation of her will. The Demon King's Aura had worn off, and she wanted to catch up again.
Narita Taishin was equally unwilling to admit defeat. She wanted to prove herself! In the past, no trainer had high hopes for her. Even those guys who knew nothing looked down on her for her naturally small stature. But only that guy believed she could win. In that case, she absolutely could not run a race that would disappoint that person! Even if the opponent was the Demon King, she would chase her down! She would show the world that the girl they once looked down on could achieve dazzling results!
Strong willpower can allow a horse girl to go further in a race. This is also the foundation for a domain to "bloom." Demon King Ship felt the "sound of the tides" exploding from the two behind her, and the corners of her mouth gradually curled up. This was a nice harvest. It seems pressure needs to be moderate. In the past, she only thought about copying the anime and inflicting maximum pain on other runners, but she forgot that people only rise up and explode with power when they can see hope. As expected, anime isn't reliable; it made her take detours for so many years.
Demon King Ship didn't continue to unleash more power, because it was enough. This amount of pressure and motivation was just right. And she had already secured her victory. Those two who had just awakened "Tides" could not overtake her no matter what. Although her domain indeed had no buff effects, the effects of "Tides" and "Aura" were universal; how much one could utilize depended entirely on proficiency.
The race ended. Demon King Ship took the victory with a seven-length lead over second place. Mejiro Ryan took second. Narita Taishin was only half a length behind Mejiro Ryan. Finally, Tosen Jordan in fourth place surprisingly wasn't eliminated; she crossed the line just one second behind the limit, thrillingly securing fourth place.
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