A thunderous roar erupted as lightning crackled around the turn.
McQueen once again displayed her Derby-caliber form, blazing through the turn like lightning without slowing down. Even watching it again remained breathtaking, though her speed nearly caused her to crash into the railing.
Thunder and lightning coursed through McQueen's eyes, her once-beautiful gaze now burning with electric light as she transformed into a living bolt of lightning, tearing through the headwind.
"I just told you not to keep accelerating like that!"
The wind surged around her, attempting to calm the rampaging thunder. Like a sharp blade wrapped in cloth, McQueen charged headlong, her horseshoes tearing through the wind like sharpened weapons.
Whoa!!!
The crowd erupted in a chorus of gasps as McQueen shook off her sluggish start and unleashed a furious chase. The peerless lightning had returned to the racetrack.
Kashimoto Riko frowned, and Rudolf, understanding her unspoken concern, remained silent.
McQueen raced alongside Air Groove, her chaotic lightning continuously battering against Air Groove's form. With a sudden twist of her foot, she lunged toward Air Groove.
At the moment of impact, Air Groove's figure shattered into a phantom image. But in the next instant, Air Groove reappeared on McQueen's other side.
The tables had turned. The thunder beast that had launched the surprise attack now found itself trapped on the inner lane.
"What just happened?"
Only the Umamusume and seasoned Trainers truly understand what's happening on the track. McQueen's attacks are ferocious, but Air Groove remains remarkably calm, evading her opponent's onslaught with graceful, dance-like movements.
Her movements are so fluid and natural that they're almost imperceptible. Beyond her innate rhythm, she's also a master of positioning.
Contrary to her imposing appearance, Air Groove's running style is remarkably light and agile. She's a master of crisis management, handling any situation with effortless ease.
Dubbed the "Magician of the Track," her moves are as elusive as a mirror image.
Instead of pulling away, Air Groove chooses to stay alongside McQueen, relentlessly pressuring her from the outer lane. Air Groove lacks the raw power to overwhelm McQueen head-on; a frontal clash would inevitably result in her being torn apart by McQueen's Thunder Echo.
This was already evident from their earlier exchange.
Air Groove gradually slows her pace, avoiding direct confrontation and effectively boxing McQueen in, preventing her from unleashing her full potential.
Even if McQueen attempts another lightning-fast Crescent Turn, Air Groove can restrict her. Turns are where technical prowess matters most—a slight misjudgment in posture or speed control can lead to a significant loss of ground.
Air Groove isn't in a rush to widen the gap. Their two previous clashes had already demonstrated McQueen's terrifying acceleration capabilities.
This position allowed her to both restrain McQueen and conserve her own energy.
"I'll decide the race in the final Turn."
Gathering her strength in concealment, she waited for the opportune moment, a dormant power about to erupt in a thunderous display.
This was the Empress.
"Whenever I close my eyes, that scene flashes before me: countless shadows stretching across the dazzling sunset, moving toward the fading light.
I stood motionless, hearing someone calling out to me from afar."
Everyone told me I could. Everyone told Kousei she couldn't.
Why?
It could be said that it's impossible, yet it couldn't be called impossible.
"What kind of scenery did Kousei truly see?"
Air Groove's pupils constricted, and the Thunder that had momentarily dimmed roared back to life. A blinding Thunderbolt engulfed the racetrack, as a single bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
McQueen hurtled into the Turn at breakneck speed, terrifying onlookers. She seemed to have lost control, barreling straight toward the guardrails.
"I can't stop!"
The thought consumed her mind, rendering her powerless to even shout. She was moving too fast—so fast that the moment people predicted her future, that future had already arrived.
A tragic future?
No.
In that Turn, McQueen demonstrated her extraordinary leg strength, digging deep into the ground to anchor her massive, surging momentum.
The searing pain shooting up from her hooves snapped McQueen out of her daze. She stood pinned to the ground at an unnatural angle, like a statue, with no way of knowing what would happen next.
Thunder and Lightning erupted again, bathing the elite mare in their searing glow. Like a gunshot, she spun on her heel, launching herself forward like a meteor, each hoof strike leaving a deep imprint on the earth. The lightning goddess who split the sky was now wreaking havoc in the gale.
In an instant, before she could even shake off her terror, Thunder swept across the track with unstoppable force.
Air Groove followed closely behind. Though she lacked McQueen's explosive acceleration, Air Groove's superior straight-line speed allowed her to steadily close the gap.
Another turn loomed. Air Groove frowned slightly; McQueen showed no signs of slowing down.
She was certain McQueen was fully conscious, meaning this reckless maneuver was deliberate.
With ample room to sprint and no interference from Air Groove, McQueen entered the turn even faster than before. She attempted her signature move, but this time, disaster struck.
A deep furrow carved through the turf couldn't withstand the force. McQueen lost her balance, swaying wildly and narrowly avoiding a catastrophic fall.
The heart-stopping moment sent shivers down everyone's spines. Kashimoto Riko even unconsciously knocked her cup off the table, shattering it across the floor.
"Damn it! One after another! What are they doing?!"
Kashimoto Riko had always believed McQueen would be the most reliable of them all, given her unwavering adherence to rules.
She greatly admired McQueen's racing style—powerful yet composed, never once showing signs of strain. It could be said that McQueen was one of Kashimoto Riko's favorite Umamusume.
But the McQueen before her now was behaving in such a shockingly uncharacteristic manner.
"McQueen..." Kousei murmured, her voice laced with worry.
Teio, abandoning her casual demeanor, adopted a serious expression. "That idiot."
The race seemed to be spiraling into a dangerous direction.
"Damn it! I can't do this!" McQueen cried out.
McQueen paid the price for her recklessness. The excessive strain on her legs triggered a recurrence of her injury. The pain felt like thorny briars coiling inward, relentlessly battering her nerves and body.
"Why can't I ever get it right?!" she screamed.
The object of her heart's desire remained shrouded in confusion. Barely regaining her balance, she felt a sharp gaze piercing through her. Air Groove's face turned icy cold.
"It seems you've chosen the wrong path."
This wasn't the gentle breeze of a spring day, but a tempestuous wind sweeping through dry grass like a child's game. Beneath its deceptive calm lay a furious gale, roaring forth to proclaim the wrath of the Empress.
"Perhaps I pushed you too hard. As the Empress, I should never have made such a mistake. I will take full responsibility and crush you completely."
The swirling debris stung like razor blades against the skin, forcing McQueen to squint against the suffocating vortex.
"Air Groove Senpai..."
Standing firm against the gale, she brought disaster wherever she went.
Air Groove took a step, her speed surging. Her footsteps left only shallow, razor-sharp imprints as the wind erased her figure—or perhaps she herself had become the tempest.
McQueen could no longer see Air Groove; the faint floral scent had vanished, replaced by a chilling, deathly aura.
The once-renowned member of the Twins were now just trapped beasts in the storm.
"Is it over?"
The electric arcs no longer crackled, and her body felt leaden. Only the wind's roar filled her ears, the thunderous echoes silenced forever.
"I just wanted to see the world through Kousei's brilliant eyes... to understand what made her different from me and everyone else."
A dreamer's murmur, never to reach reality.
Like an unbridgeable chasm, forever separated.