At the Front.
Kyoei March, who had chosen the front-running style and seized a slim lead, saw something unbelievable unfold in the next instant.
In her peripheral vision, a dazzling, petite silver-white figure was charging toward her at breakneck speed!
When a front-runner spots another horse girl in their periphery, there are only two possibilities.
The first: her lead is razor-thin, and she's being hounded by the pace-setters close behind.
The second: there's another front-runner on the field—a fellow 'pioneer' she can see right beside her.
But it was blatantly obvious that Platinum was neither a pace-setter nor a front-runner!
'This… how is this possible?!'
'Didn't this little pegasus tuck herself into the inner path mid-pack, biding her time as a chaser?'
'Why is she switching to a front-running style again, just like last race?!'
Right out of the gate, Kyoei March had noticed Platinum securing the inner lane, only to be gradually swallowed by other chasers. She'd felt a flicker of relief then.
This way, no one would disrupt her front-running strategy, while Platinum and Mejiro Dober in the back would likely kick off their heated duel earlier than expected.
Anyway, as the front-runner, she ought to maintain her advantage and hold the lead until the final stretch.
So why was she coming up so fast? Shouldn't the chasers be bunched up in a pack?
Stunned, Kyoei March knew she had no time to hesitate. With the terrifying momentum Platinum was carrying… it wouldn't take long at all for her to catch up and even overtake the lead.
She had to make a decision, now!
Either accelerate early to prevent the little Pegasus from surging past and engage her head-on…
Or surrender the lead, let Platinum blaze onward, and risk a repeat of her big stakes victory last time!
A victory where she led from the widest outer lane over 2000 meters and showed not a single sign of fading at the finish!
'I've watched her races. After that dominant front-running win, she didn't even look tired afterward, never mind collapsing…'
'As much as I hate to admit it, a monster who can handle a 2000-meter hard front-run that effortlessly has stamina that surpasses mine as her senior by more than a little!!'
'With my own poor stamina, if she passes me, there's no chance I'll ever claw my way back.'
After making her judgment, Kyoei March immediately chose her only option… to refuse to yield, to not surrender the view from the front, the throne of first place, to the little Pegasus at her side.
"Then bring it on!"
"Though as your senior, my stamina can't even match yours…"
"When it comes to fighting spirit, this is still the senior's domain. Witness it, Platinum!!"
"This is something only a potential crown contender in the classics, a horse girl of favorite-class, can possess!"
In the next instant, an astonishing fighting spirit erupted from Kyoei March's body.
It was a presence only a classic-year prodigy Uma Musume, one who had completed or nearly completed her maturation, could possibly possess.
Even though Platinum was currently competing in the classics, no one would ever mistake her for a classic-year horse girl—she was far too young!
In such a short time, her maturation had probably only just begun; she likely only had a half-baked understanding of what fighting spirit even was.
And this… was one of the reasons Kyoei March had chosen to compete despite her stamina shortcomings.
In her estimation, out of the nearly twenty competitors, only herself and Mejiro Dober were likely strong enough to have mastered this level of fighting spirit.
A genius like Platinum simply didn't have enough race experience.
"Platinum, you are the challenger!!"
Having made her choice, Kyoei March's fighting spirit spread out, covering nearly half the track in an instant, establishing a domain of dominance.
Any horse girl within its range would feel a suppressive pressure, like heavy shackles clamping around their ankles!
This was the suppressive force brought by powerful fighting spirit—a brief domination of the track that caused most of the horse girls behind to show strained expressions and their strides to falter, just a little.
[Swift Movement: Slightly accelerates forward during the mid-phase of the race.]
[Sleeping Lion: Makes leg strength less prone to fatigue during the mid-phase, slightly reducing stamina consumption.]
[The Game Ends Here!: Speed slightly increases when closely followed by a Uma Musume from behind.]
[Unyielding Spirit: Boosts determination when facing a direct challenge!]
(T/N: I simply refuse to search up Uma Musume skills.)
Not only that, but Kyoei March's already swift figure displayed a rapid acceleration in the next moment.
And every one of her actions was keenly observed by the silver-white figure not far behind.
The Assassin had already locked onto the powerful rival ahead; she hadn't missed a single move.
'The ones to watch in this race should be this front-runner and Mejiro Dober behind.'
'Wait… why is her fighting spirit so weak?'
Feeling the fighting spirit emanating from Kyoei March—the pre-race acknowledged favorite—Platinum couldn't help but feel wary.
She'd closed the gap to less than a horse length, an extremely narrow margin. A front-runner who shouldn't easily give up the lead… why did the fighting spirit she was mobilizing seem so weak?
'Or is it… that this front-runner is cunning, feigning weakness?'
Several months ago, back in America before her transformation, when she was still just a horse.
Back when that ruthless doctor was executing his "long-term investment" plan, recruiting many unknown American foals.
Among those foals—Secretariat, Dahlia, Ruffian—they weren't just not in their classic or rookie years; they hadn't even debuted yet.
During their internal training races, every one of them could use fighting spirit, and they could sustain it for a remarkably long time.
Back then, the not-yet-transformed, not-a-Uma-Musume ruthless doctor couldn't sense fighting spirit, let alone its strength.
Since even the small fries could do it, it must be a common, basic skill, right?
And among them, the one with the most terrifying fighting spirit was Big Red, who needed two attempts just to win her debut race. Clearly, this wasn't some rare, precious thing.
Furthermore, back when her own maturation progress was only [5%], she could already wield fighting spirit freely, and she was far from her maturation limit.
Therefore, the suppressive force from Kyoei March's fighting spirit left Platinum puzzled.
Even without activating her own fighting spirit, she felt barely any suppression. This was a top contender in the Japanese Fillies' Triple Crown—how could her suppressive power be this weak?
Something was very wrong!
'Can't let my guard down!'
'If I lose, there's no high prize money. She's definitely feigning weakness.'
The cold-eyed assassin's gaze sharpened like a shard of ice and a bolt of lightning. Based on her own knowledge and perspective, she reached a judgment: this was a cunning, powerful enemy!
This Pegasus is incredibly strong but overly cautious!
'Is she trying to slow down the pace?'
'Or is she waiting for me to take the lead before unleashing her true, full-power fighting spirit from behind for a last-second comeback?'
Whatever the case…
Breaking through decisively will solve everything!
No longer hesitating, the Pegasus decided to accelerate and finally began to release her own fighting spirit.
In the very next instant, in the eyes of all the horse girls—
The fighting spirit that had originally covered nearly half the track from Kyoei March was suddenly engulfed by an oppressive, storm cloud like darkness, which then exploded outward to envelop the entire track!!
It was as if, atop dark, crumbling ruins, a silver-white assassin capable of hunting anything stood tall.
"Guh… S-such terrifying fighting spirit!"
"Can't do it! I can barely run, my stamina is draining way too fast. At this rate, I'll fade for sure!"
"Seriously, with strength like this, why isn't she dropping out to run the Japanese Derby instead of bullying us here?"
Under the shocking influence of the dark fighting spirit, the most dazzling brilliance—a soaring Pegasus with a spirit that seemed to tear through everything—reached Kyoei March's side.
Without even a moment spent running side-by-side, the silver-white figure overtook Kyoei March, who had played her trump card and was brimming with confidence, in one decisive move!
Before the third turn, Platinum, who should have been a chaser, changed her running style, seized the lead, and charged forward unchecked!!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.