Hanshin Racecourse.
The moment Barbatos crested the slope and hit the final straight, the roar of two hundred and twenty-three thousand spectators packed into the Takarazuka Kinen seemed to have a mute button slammed down on it.
That race, which should have been Silence Suzuka's victory lap, the Takarazuka Kinen that the announcer had already called, flipped completely on its head the second Barbatos entered the final straight.
If Silence Suzuka, since leaving Rigil, had been known for her dazzling front-running Great Escape, and today that very escape had left legendary Uma Musume, the five-time G1 winner Mejiro Dober, in her dust…
Then Barbatos…
Whether it was the Oka Sho or the Japanese Oaks, she'd taken the lead and seized the crown.
Almost everyone had pegged Barbatos as a front-running Uma Musume.
Few remembered that before the Winter Dream Cup, before Barbatos was famous, what she was really known for was her final surge, that terrifying closing kick!
And today.
At the Takarazuka Kinen, defying all logic, Barbatos shattered everyone's expectations once more, unleashing that same breathtaking finishing speed!
A four-and-a-half-length gap evaporated in the blink of an eye!
The crowd held its breath, eyes wide, desperate not to miss a single second.
"What an incredible closing kick!"
"Can Barbatos do it? Can Barbatos catch Silence Suzuka on the final straight?!"
"Four lengths behind Silence Suzuka!"
"Down to three lengths!"
"Three hundred meters to the finish!"
"Barbatos is now only two lengths behind Silence Suzuka!"
--+--
Barbatos's eyes were half-closed, fighting through the immense strain this pace was putting on her body.
She triggered Mundo's ultimate, [Maximum Dosage], which began knitting together the damage.
The physical feedback, the sharp pain—Barbatos could clearly feel it was from her legs struggling to cope. A few capillaries had probably burst. If she kept this up, a fracture or break was a real risk.
But with [Maximum Dosage] active, her legs were repaired the instant they tore. The pain and the maddening itch of healing flesh were both shoved to the back of her mind!
With the boost from her [Righteous Glory], the gap to Silence Suzuka wasn't insurmountable anymore.
She was closing in!
Just a little more!
"Barbatos is just one length behind Silence Suzuka!"
"Half a length!"
"Less than two hundred meters to go, and Barbatos has drawn level with Silence Suzuka!"
"Barbatos!"
"Barbatos is half a length ahead of Silence Suzuka!"
"Barbatos…"
Akasaka Misato's call died in her throat. For some reason, right after Barbatos had drawn level and then nudged ahead of Silence Suzuka, after that mind-bending kick, she seemed to run out of steam.
--+--
Barbatos stared fixedly at the finish line, forcing her legs, heavy and aching from the insane speed, to keep moving.
This wasn't unexpected. [Righteous Glory] had a short duration, especially when pushing past your limits like this. Even with the momentum from that burst of acceleration, she couldn't coast to the finish.
Her body's natural safeguards would fight the inertia and force her to slow down.
By now, the crimson glow of [Unstoppable Onslaught] had faded completely.
Every active acceleration skill on her system was on cooldown. The only thing still running was [White Lightning], a skill that just needed stamina to maintain.
For the last two hundred meters, Silence Suzuka was faster than her now.
All she could do was fight tooth and nail!
--+--
Silence Suzuka, who had led from the very start, had worn a cool, distant expression right up until she heard Barbatos's hoofbeats behind her. It was a part of her unique charm.
But being caught, then overtaken, just before the line…
Along with the bitter regret and the burning desire to reclaim the lead and win the Takarazuka Kinen, another fierce thought ignited within her, a firestorm.
"I will never let anyone take the view from the front!"
This conviction, the moment Barbatos passed her, became stronger than ever. The aura around her, previously faint and unformed like a child's, suddenly solidified and expanded.
That barely-there Zone, just beginning to bloom, transformed in an instant into its true, complete form.
The moment the Zone fully manifested, her physical limits shattered. Silence Suzuka's stride lengthened, her pace quickening, rapidly closing the half-length gap Barbatos had opened!
The view from the front was not up for negotiation!
"What's this?! The tables have turned again!"
"Silence Suzuka is about to catch Barbatos!"
"Can Barbatos summon another one of those incredible bursts of speed?!"
"Can Silence Suzuka finally seize her first G1 crown?!"
"One hundred meters to the finish!"
"Silence Suzuka and Barbatos are neck and neck!"
--+--
From the Canopus section, Seiun Sky, Minamizaka, Nice Nature, and the others were screaming encouragement, trying to will their support to Barbatos, hoping she could find one more gear.
In a secluded spot in the stands, a man in sunglasses, her grandfather, clenched his fists. "Come on, kid! GO!!"
But even though Seiun Sky and the others were in the stands near the finish, even though their cheers were close…
Barbatos didn't hear them.
Her focus was absolute, locked entirely on the final hundred meters.
Even without any active skills left to boost her, even if it was just her own two legs now, the natural gap in talent had long been bridged by her system.
With the system, she could push herself in ways others couldn't. She had acceleration skills they couldn't possess.
So, even in a moment like this…
No room for disappointment or complaint!
If she couldn't win now, if this was truly her speed limit, then she'd give everything, and smash through it!
"AHHHH!!!"
A breeze stirred around the streak of white lightning, carrying a whisper of freedom.
Her own unique Zone unfurled. A green wind intertwined with the white lightning, shattering the barrier of speed.
"Photo finish!"
"Barbatos takes it by a nose over Silence Suzuka!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.