[Wondrous Experience] activates! A second cast of [Demon King's Aura]!
A cold sneer appeared on Demon King Ship's face, her eyes emitting a red glow.
Did you think it ended there?
'Feel pain! Understand pain! Only those who transcend pain can challenge this great one! You third-rate trash are still too green!'
Crimson aura surged forth. The sound of a massive gate opening rang out. Zone: Activated!
Gravity. Weight—
At this moment, on this field, the interference effect was cranked to the maximum!
THIS IS THE HEAVY TRACK!
Every runner except the Demon King lost speed at that moment. Even the waves of air around [Mejiro McQueen] vanished. To the audience, it felt as if time within the race had been slowed down. The only one capable of running within this domain was the Demon King!
Nice Nature's body trembled.
What she saw was different from the others. In her vision, the track was covered in darkness, illuminated only by a smear of crimson red. But that red light formed a terrifying gravity pressing down on all the runners. Furthermore, the track seemed to transform into a swampy mire at this moment, firmly imprisoning the runners' feet. The intense mental stimulation made Nice Nature's scalp tingle.
The moment the Zone and the [Demon King's Aura] activated simultaneously, the speed of [McQueen] and the others plummeted visibly. Meanwhile, skill activation effects appeared under the Demon King's feet. Several skills fired at once. That terrifying explosive power rushed forward in the blink of an eye. It looked as if the entire venue had been slowed down. This visual effect wasn't just because the Demon King's burst was terrifying, but also because the other runners had decelerated drastically. Regardless of the principle, the feeling it gave the audience was one of overwhelming shock.
"So scary..."
Twin Turbo shrank her neck back. The Demon King's running style made her feel like the final boss in a horror movie had just jumped out. Although she couldn't see the hallucination effects that those with strong mental power like Nice Nature could see, she could still vaguely sense the aura exploding from the Demon King. Regarding the Demon King's performance, she could only say she definitely did not want to run against that kind of opponent.
Even the audience outside the track had such a big reaction.
The runners in the race were suffering even more.
[Mejiro McQueen] wore a look of disbelief.
'No... Impossible! She's even stronger... than in the Japan Cup!'
Unaware that the Demon King had held back during the Japan Cup, she was completely bewildered.
[Mejiro McQueen] didn't know that the Demon King had wanted to race the other Mejiro McQueen back then, so the intensity of the gating skills used was only to apply pressure, not to truly drain her stamina. After all, if the other Mejiro McQueen had actually descended into her body, using her body to run, the Demon King naturally wouldn't want Mejiro McQueen's strength to be too affected by the condition of the vessel.
But this time, the Demon King's goal wasn't to let Mejiro McQueen descend, so naturally, she wouldn't hold back.
Facing such a terrifying "Heavy Track," [Mejiro McQueen] knew she had still underestimated the Demon King's strength. Pale purple aura surged from [McQueen]'s body. To withstand the Demon King's Heavy Track now, she could only enter the Zone!
'I am no longer the me of the past!'
After entering the Zone, [McQueen]'s condition temporarily broke free from the interference.
She detached herself from the Heavy Track momentarily, trying to escape the Demon King's interference range. The other runners who failed to enter the Zone could only helplessly feel the gravitational bind from the Heavy Track! Tokai Teio failed to complete her awakening and was knocked into the abyss. After being overtaken by the Demon King, Vodka and Special Week had their spirits completely sealed by a powerful shackle. Daiwa Scarlet followed in their footsteps with a look of horror. This is Domain Suppression! Not devouring, not plundering, but complete sealing!
[Gold Ship] sensed something was wrong, but having passed the duration of her Special Technique, she had no strength left. After running only a few steps, she was sealed by the Demon King just like the runners behind her.
At this moment, the Demon King was only three lengths behind [Mejiro McQueen].
And there were only 100 meters left to the finish line.
Those heavy footsteps approached [Mejiro McQueen] rapidly.
'!!!'
[Mejiro McQueen] felt her heart pounding violently. The chill from behind felt like she had truly been transported into a horror movie. Her previously tense expression completely crumbled at this moment, exposing the panic and helplessness in her heart.
'Third-rate runners, fall into the void for this great one!'
Carrying a crimson-dark aura, the Demon King easily overtook [Mejiro McQueen]. In that instant, [Mejiro McQueen]'s mind went blank. The Zone aura vanished instantly. She began to lose speed, and the distance between her and the Demon King grew wider and wider. Even though the finish line was right there, the Demon King pulled a massive margin ahead of [Mejiro McQueen].
It was a full ten-plus seconds after the Demon King crossed the line that [Mejiro McQueen], gasping for air, dragged herself bit by bit to the finish. Behind her, the other runners looked as if they had collapsed from exhaustion, crawling with difficulty on the track.
This mock race ended with Demon King Ship's overwhelming victory.
Trainer Okino (Main) looked at his team members lying on the track, utterly shocked. Demon King Ship's intensity exceeded his cognitive range. To be able to completely exhaust the opponents' stamina in a race and achieve a crushing victory in this manner... he had never even imagined such a winning condition in the past. Although the Demon King's speed and power were also astonishing, in the face of this brand-new "winning equation," he subconsciously overlooked the Demon King's own powerful physical strength.
"Is this the new era?"
Not just Trainer Okino (Main), but all the horse girls and trainers watching this race felt the premonition of an approaching storm. Now that the power of skills had been verified, this mock race was likely the kind of brand-new competition that runners of the new era would have to face.
"Haa... haa..."
[Gold Ship] lay on the grass, her face haggard.
That was too pathetic... no ability to fight back at all.
She had originally planned to use a red skill to interfere with the Demon King the moment she was overtaken. But the instant she was passed, her brain went blank. Her thoughts felt frozen. In that state, let alone using a skill, she didn't even know how she finished running.
That is the power of the Demon King.
She completely couldn't understand now how [McQueen] and that guy named Trêve managed to finish the race in front of such a monster at the last Japan Cup. This was unrunnable!
...
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