"I, the Great One, won't fall in a place like this!"
Skills were still ready to be unleashed. Gold Ship, through a combination of surging momentum, willpower, and forcibly pressing her body, ran with powerful strides. She quickly overtook the trailing pack and reached the position of the forward group. At this point, the track was about to enter the middle straight. There was a downhill slope before exiting the turn. Gold Ship, who hadn't mastered the downhill running skill, could only focus her mind. Although the slope was slight, she dared not accelerate without the related skill. Compared to downhill tracks, she was much better at running uphill; she could run fast even without an uphill skill.
Tokai Teio and Rice Shower suddenly accelerated at this moment. Mastering the downhill skill, they rapidly closed in on the leading group.
However, aside from the outright leader Mejiro McQueen, the others in the leading group—Mihono Bourbon in her Valentine's outfit and Kitasan Black in her festival outfit—were very strong. Tokai Teio and Rice Shower's acceleration failed to put pressure on the lead group.
The race entered the middle straight.
It was only now that the spectators recovered from the shock of the start.
"How long has it been?"
"I don't know, it's too fast."
This speed was nearly comparable to a race car; it was absolutely terrifying.
"Demon King, you bastard, why are you running so ugly!"
[Gold Ship] was startled.
At first, when she saw Gold Ship falling behind, she genuinely thought that arrogant Demon King was going to lose.
"It must be that Admire Vega. What's wrong with her? She doesn't seem to want to win at all."
[Tokai Teio] could also see Admire Vega's behavior.
[Mejiro McQueen] was a little curious.
'Does [Teio] have the potential to develop gate skills?'
Admire Vega had fallen too far behind the pack. Compared to the outstanding performances of the other contestants, her strength was truly unworthy of her third-place popularity.
"Hey, what's up with you? What exactly are you running for?"
[Twin Turbo] asked the [Admire Vega] beside her.
[Admire Vega] replied, her mood shattered: "Don't ask me."
She had originally been full of anticipation for her other "self."
But who could have guessed that "self" would be this kind of character!
[Admire Vega] had seen the other "self" unleashing skills.
But why were they all gate skills?
That person seemed like a one-time bomb, never intending to win the race.
"Hahaha, that person! She has that kind of running style?"
[Maruzensky] laughed so hard tears were about to fall.
Everyone else also looked surprised.
They had realized Admire Vega's running style: to act as a sacrifice to interfere with opponents.
But the problem was, all the contestants in the race were opponents. What was the point of this running style? Although Admire Vega's gate skills were indeed frightening, perhaps even more terrifying than the Demon King's Zone, she couldn't win the race with this style.
"It should be starting now. With the rhythm of this race, they should be starting their final dash here."
[Symboli Rudolf] watched the other "herself" on the track intently.
'What will you do?'
Just as [Symboli Rudolf] expected, the contestants in the back started to accelerate after entering the middle straight.
"Satono Diamond is looking for an opening!"
"Symboli Rudolf leaves the rail and begins her dash!"
"..."
Symboli Rudolf, glowing with a crimson lightning aura, caught up from behind. The skill [Emperor's Majesty] was already activated. Similar to the effects of Zone, but without the interference effect, it granted acceleration and speed boosts upon overtaking opponents.
[Symboli Rudolf] was fully focused.
"That is the brilliant skill mastered by the other me!"
It was so similar to her own Zone. If they could be combined...
Wait a moment.
"Why hasn't anyone entered Zone?"
It was only then that she realized that among the contestants present, only Mejiro McQueen and Gold Ship had the aura of Zone.
She hadn't noticed this before because the aura of the other contestants was simply too strong.
Had they reached this level without Zone?
[Symboli Rudolf] felt a chill run down her spine.
This was too terrifying.
This was what the power of [Skills] looked like when pushed to the limit.
"..."
[Oguri Cap] also saw the blue light appearing on her other self.
Was that a recovery skill?
Was her other self proficient in this type of skill?
The ordinary spectators were just watching the race.
But the Horse Girls were watching the race while observing the skills mastered by their other selves.
According to [Agnes Tachyon]'s research, they had already learned that everyone has a predisposition towards skill development.
For example, some found it easier to develop gate skills, while others couldn't even perceive the mental light of a gate skill.
By observing the skills of their other "selves," they could more quickly find the direction in which they were naturally suited.
In the race.
Mejiro McQueen felt the presence behind her.
'Too slow.'
She wasn't just talking about Gold Ship.
She was also talking about the robots.
Although she couldn't push the effect of Zone to its absolute limit—even her recently reinforced body couldn't handle that strain—by just refreshing the duration of one or two skill effects, her speed could remain stable in the realm of Godspeed.
[Godspeed]—this was the name she gave it herself.
The realm entered when speed exceeds 1200 is [Godspeed]. How difficult is it to enter this realm? A Horse Girl with a maxed-out SS attribute (1200), when running without using skills in a race, can only unleash a speed of about 900-1000. This is because no one can fully exert their full power under normal circumstances.
But for her, entering this realm was simple. By just activating Zone, she didn't even need to burst; after continuously refreshing the skill duration, her maximum speed would exceed the limit of 1200, potentially reaching around 1500. Even without the ability to exert her power to the absolute limit, with the cap raised, the strength she could unleash naturally increased.
She truly did not possess an ultimate phase burst skill.
Gold Ship's assumption was correct.
But for her, who could now sustain the [Godspeed] realm, she couldn't conceive of losing. Kitasan Black and Mihono Bourbon, who were lagging behind, were distanced by over ten horse-lengths by Mejiro McQueen on the middle straight. By the time they were about to enter the final curve, this gap had reached twenty horse-lengths. This gap was achieved even with Mejiro McQueen not being completely serious.
Gold Ship only noticed this as she entered the final curve, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
'How did she open up such a huge gap?!'
The stands were silent.
Mejiro McQueen's performance in the middle phase was simply too terrifying. That seemingly limitless acceleration had, without anyone noticing, overshadowed the brilliance of all the other contestants while she simply focused on her own running.
"This is it! This is the McQueen I was looking for!"
[Daring Tact] (Zhuofu), mixed in the stands, stood up in excitement.
While [Duramente] (Wangzu) was still hesitating after receiving the invitation, she saw Mejiro McQueen's name and immediately accepted the invitation.
Sure enough, she saw the Mejiro McQueen who had once shocked her soul!
[One Horse Takes the Lead, Dimming the Light of Thousands]
"[Mejiro McQueen] is practically the embodiment of that phrase," [Symboli Rudolf] murmured.
[Tamamo Cross] sincerely wondered how they had ever competed against this kind of monster before.
She looked at [Maruzensky].
[Maruzensky] was no longer smiling.
She had to admit that Little McQueen's true strength had frightened her.
'Is she really this strong?'
Unparalleled runaway lead!
Absolute speed and power!
Absolute dominance!
This was Mejiro McQueen's running style.
"Damn it! You won't escape!"
Gold Ship roared.
Completely unleashing her suppressed primal impulse, a dazzling light erupted.
[Gold Triumphant] activated!
[Wondrous Experience] re-activated [Gold Triumphant]!
[Approaching Shadow] activated!
[Demon King Aura] released!
...
A series of skills were activated simultaneously.
The blood-red aura surrounding Gold Ship was so dense it seemed capable of swallowing the entire venue.
The [Demon King] had completely revealed her true form at this moment.
All contestants other than Mejiro McQueen were affected by the Demon King's aura. That intense demonic quality could even interfere with the hundreds of thousands of spectators present. While being awed by the Demon King's aura, the audience also raised their focus. After seeing Mejiro McQueen's performance, they had already thought she was unbeatable, but the Demon King's burst gave them a sense of the [Unknown] possibility!
The Demon King's fierce and powerful strides even trampled the turf!
At this moment, the Demon King's speed had already surpassed [Godspeed]!
In almost the blink of an eye, she overtook the opponents ahead and reached second place.
As she entered the final curve, Mejiro McQueen was already leading by nearly 30 horse-lengths.
If nothing went wrong, this gap would only widen until Mejiro McQueen achieved a complete victory.
But the Demon King broke out!
Clad in a dark-red dual-colored flash, a terrifying monster, like a dark shadow emerging from a pool of blood, dashed down the track.
"I can absolutely not be defeated!"
No longer calling herself "The Great One," the Demon King, fully in the mode, displayed a frightening burst of power.
Unlike her run at the Arc de Triomphe, where she had split her burst skills and used them in different parts of the race, that was not strictly her strongest state. Possessing multiple acceleration burst skills, her absolute strongest part was the final dash!
"Under Mejiro McQueen's absolute dominance, Gold Ship has burst forth! An astonishing explosion! The gap is shrinking!"
"Can she catch up? We are also concerned about the condition of contestant Gold Ship."
Audience: "..."
Is this kind of burst truly power that a living being can unleash?
"The track enters the final straight!"
"The leader is still Mejiro McQueen!"
"Mejiro McQueen is still running away! So fast! A complete lead!"
The Demon King ignored the commentator's voice, her eyes fiercely locked onto Mejiro McQueen's back ahead, silently calculating the distance.
'Sixteen.'
'Fourteen.'
Mejiro McQueen felt the closing presence behind her, and her mood started to fluctuate slightly.
'How is that possible?'
Could Gold Ship's skill set actually unleash this kind of burst power?
Frankly, even though she was the one who trained that character card, she hadn't known that combination of skills could achieve such a feat.
While skills generally don't incur a burden under normal use, simultaneously using so many burst skills is a different matter.
'She's crazy!'
Even so, the desire for victory in Mejiro McQueen's eyes would not yield.
Her left eye emitted a dark purple flame, and her body began to burn with a dazzling aura of shifting colors.
Zone activated.
The power she had been accumulating was now fully unleashed.
'I will win!'
She truly did not have an ultimate phase burst skill in her panel. But one must not forget that the power spurred by the symbol of her heart—the desire for victory—completed the final puzzle piece on her path to triumph!
She could gain multiplied acceleration based on the number of skills used in the race!
Mejiro McQueen's aura wasn't intensely strong, but it was captivating, like the light radiating from her heart.
That light was so beautiful, as if it were the symbol of victory!
"Those two have entered a 'world' that we cannot touch yet."
[Symboli Rudolf] sighed in admiration.
For the first time in her life, she felt incredibly weak.
In front of those two, the current her couldn't even chase their shadows.
...
Get 20 chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"