ZONE!
This was the supreme domain that horse girls could only enter upon reaching certain limits of strength!
Demanding extreme requirements of both ability and mentality, it was a technique even more powerful than Flash-tier skills!
User Friendly had first entered ZONE during the Arc de Triomphe.
But even with ZONE, she'd lost that race.
This race would be different—this time she would win!
Because this power existed precisely for this purpose!
"Could it be?! Is that the legendary supreme domain—ZONE?!"
Though the commentators had seen ZONE before, they still couldn't contain their excitement each time a competitor entered this state, because ZONE was just that powerful.
Its effects and visual impact were completely different from ordinary skills!
It was almost like something from another dimension!
User Friendly, expressionless, gave chase.
That terrifying footfall echoed in every competitor's ears.
In an instant, she'd returned to the front ranks.
Tokai Teio's and Naturalism's expressions also grew serious.
Neither had expected User Friendly to activate ZONE now.
Nor had they expected her to catch up so easily and overtake them.
"So fast—this is her ZONE?"
"Worthy of someone who challenged the Arc de Triomphe, recovering from that state."
Tokai Teio and Naturalism both found this extremely troublesome.
User Friendly entering burst mode so early was completely unexpected.
Tokai Teio had timed her advance to capitalize on User Friendly's mistake, and she hadn't planned to enter burst mode so early. Her earlier display was mostly meant to deceive Naturalism and other interference-skill users behind her, hoping to bait them into expending their interference skills early.
But she hadn't expected User Friendly to be provoked into activating ZONE directly.
This ruined her plans.
About to be caught!
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Legacy World felt the skin-piercing chill and panicked completely.
But before she could gather her thoughts, User Friendly flashed past her side.
That terrifying figure simply crushed any will to challenge her.
"So that's ZONE?"
Legacy World gritted her teeth, suppressing the fear rising within. She couldn't let herself be overwhelmed here—if she broke now, it wouldn't just mean losing this race. She'd lose all confidence to compete again!
The previously spaced-out Detours Galore was also startled awake by User Friendly's ZONE.
Realizing her previous performance and current depleted stamina, Detours Galore's expression turned to shock.
Though recovering her awareness was good, she almost wished she'd stayed spaced out until race's end—at least then she'd have an excuse. Her current skill reserves and stamina truly offered no hope of winning.
Let alone competing against a ZONE-wielding monster.
"Incredible! User Friendly has returned to the lead with complete dominance!" the commentator exclaimed.
It happened in just an instant.
The overtaken User Friendly suddenly adjusted her form, caught up, and surged to first!
ZONE's power was demonstrated thoroughly!
Spectators stared in amazement.
This moment, this appearance of a dimensional gap in strength between competitors—
This was the supreme domain, the power only true powerhouses could master.
"A ZONE with state adjustment and acceleration effects!" Mejiro McQueen expressed surprise at User Friendly's ZONE abilities—they were simply too excellent.
Not only could it instantly restore her state, but such powerful explosive force as well.
Had User Friendly not made her earlier mistake and prematurely revealed ZONE's effects, this technique would have been even more threatening. But even now, this ZONE remained troublesome.
How long could that acceleration last?
Or was it similar to the stamina-burning effect, calculated based on remaining stamina?
Though since she'd chosen to burst now, perhaps the consumption was lower than expected?
"So terrifying!" Daiwa Scarlet felt the pressure and aggression from User Friendly in this state.
Vodka silently clenched her fists.
"So this is ZONE!"
She would obtain this power someday too!
Compared to these three watching intently, Gold Ship was over at the merchandise booths selling Tokai Teio merchandise with Special Week. Saddled with a useless trainer who didn't understand team operations and refused to cooperate with her arranged commercial activities, the team's funds needed to be earned by their own hands. "Come see, come look! Official Tokai Teio merchandise!"
Back to the race.
After User Friendly's burst, the race tempo accelerated rapidly.
Trailing competitors began pushing forward.
Various skills were deployed.
Taiki Shuttle, also competing in this race, felt somewhat dejected seeing the gap between herself and the leaders.
Was the difference between herself and her seniors really this vast?
She'd been prepared to be a supporting runner, but hadn't expected to fall so far behind.
At least Didis was keeping her company.
Didis, currently behind Taiki Shuttle, didn't know her teammate was thinking this way.
She was, in fact, racing seriously.
But serious effort still offered no chance.
They simply couldn't keep up with this race's tempo.
After User Friendly entered ZONE, they'd already started falling behind.
Both couldn't help looking at the dark figure ahead.
"Can't Rice keep up with this pace either?"
They were somewhat surprised that Rice hadn't followed those at the front.
After all, Rice was the undefeated Triple Crown winner.
Was she not in good condition today?
Not just them—Rice's fans shared similar thoughts.
Trainer P in the stands couldn't help frowning.
He'd been too naive earlier.
"So that's ZONE's effect?"
Though he'd watched race footage, this was his first time witnessing it in person—such terrifying acceleration.
He'd naively thought these overseas competitors couldn't surpass Rice in speed, but User Friendly had just slapped him in the face with reality. What had made him think ZONE's effects weren't much different from ordinary skills?
As a newly promoted trainer, he simply hadn't known ZONE could be this powerful.
He'd originally thought that even if Rice couldn't beat Tokai Teio, she had a good chance at second place.
But now he'd lost that confidence.
"Rice..."
Thinking that child might lose, his heart ached.
Should he not have agreed to let Rice compete in this race?
The gap in strength was too vast—not even close.
"Approaching the turn entrance! Past halfway now, User Friendly is running away in the lead!"
"Behind her by three lengths are Tokai Teio and Naturalism!"
"Rice Shower is currently in sixth!"
Rice's mood at this moment was heavy.
She didn't find this pace difficult, and her stamina reserves were completely fine.
She could finish this race in this state.
But there was no meaning to it.
Even if she could follow to the finish, she couldn't catch those ahead.
Though she'd been mentally prepared to face ZONE, at this moment she still felt tremendous panic.
This is what happens when you enter a race on pure passion!
Her explosive power versus ZONE-wielders was simply too different.
Unless...
Unless Rice also unlocked her ZONE usage restrictions...
But thinking of her own ZONE, Rice remembered those death-like NPCs from her simulation training.
Would she strangle other competitors' futures for the sake of victory?
Did she really have to do this?
But if she didn't...
She couldn't win like this!
No—the race was almost over, no time left!
What should she do?
In her fear, Rice began feeling nauseous.
Under this emotional turmoil, her speed dropped rather than rose.
Meanwhile, at the front.
Seeing the turn just ahead, Tokai Teio decisively activated the first two stages of ZONE. The surge and momentum boost raised her speed further, then she continued into ZONE state, activating the stamina-burning-for-acceleration effect. Under multiple buffs, her speed barely kept pace with User Friendly.
But she was still slightly short of truly catching up.
"Come on! If you want to use skills on me, now's the perfect time!"
Tokai Teio stared ahead at the turn with a serious expression.
She had to bait out the other competitors' interference skills here.
Though Naturalism was puzzled by Tokai Teio's actions, she decisively activated her skill.
She didn't understand why Tokai Teio wasn't using ZONE's true effects.
But regardless of Tokai Teio's intentions, she couldn't wait any longer.
Red light shot from her eyes toward Tokai Teio's back.
Then her focus intensified, her gaze going hollow.
In an instant, white-purple lightning flickered in Naturalism's eyes.
Naturalism had now officially entered ZONE's burst state.
Simultaneously, several competitors behind her used interference skills.
But unlike Naturalism's targeted approach against Tokai Teio, those competitors chose area-effect releases.
Though this couldn't guarantee hit rate, for trailing competitors, everyone ahead was dangerous. Those caught in the crossfire—Legacy World and others whose conditions were already poor—now locked down by interference, immediately fell back with panicked expressions. Especially Legacy World, whose mental state was about to explode.
"You foreign competitors are truly one more disgusting than the next!"
She resolved: next year she'd definitely return and crush these foreign competitors!
Rice was also within these skills' range.
But though her speed also slowed, it wasn't due to interference skill effects.
Those skills, upon hitting her, were directly devoured by the pitch-black aura surrounding her body.
The competitors behind stared in shock.
Meanwhile, those at the front didn't know what was happening behind them.
Feeling the interference skills' effects on her body, Tokai Teio smiled.
"Here it comes—in that case, I won't hold back!"
Her smile faded as Tokai Teio entered serious mode. Blue flames emerged in her right eye, that refreshing aura instantly erasing Naturalism's skill effects. And that wasn't all—blue healing light effects now appeared on her body. Her ZONE had multiple effects!
Seeing this, even the hyper-calm Naturalism in ZONE state couldn't help being surprised.
And Tokai Teio's ZONE seemed to have even more effects.
Naturalism and Tokai Teio launched their sprints almost simultaneously.
But in speed, Tokai Teio still held the edge.
"My explosive power is inferior to hers?!"
Naturalism couldn't believe this result.
Her ZONE was purely acceleration-focused.
And single effects typically represented reaching a certain extreme!
Yet even in ZONE, she still couldn't outrun Tokai Teio.
Naturalism's shocked expression was captured by the cameras.
Those in the VIP section watching this all shook their heads silently.
The logic about ZONE effects was correct.
But one had to remember: ZONE effects didn't represent a competitor's strength.
How much power ZONE could unleash still depended on the horse girl herself.
Tokai Teio's ZONE was inferior to Naturalism's in explosive power, but Tokai Teio was inherently faster. Add the difference in speed skills, and of course she was faster than Naturalism's burst speed.
And to be precise.
Tokai Teio's ZONE was recovery-type.
Because the opponent Tokai Teio most wanted to defeat deep down was Mejiro McQueen. So she—originally weak in stamina—had awakened this type of ZONE. Conversely, McQueen's ZONE was actually explosive-type.
These two rivals' ZONEs were reversed from their specialties.
Tokai Teio and Naturalism, now in ZONE, chased User Friendly at tremendous speed.
Only upon catching up did they discover User Friendly was already drenched in sweat, her ZONE presence unstable.
At this rate, even left alone, she'd probably lose speed on her own.
User Friendly had clearly overestimated her own limits.
"User Friendly is losing speed! Tokai Teio now leads, but Naturalism behind is pressing hard!"
"Entering the final straightaway—can any competitor still catch up?"
The commentator thought of third-favorite Rice Shower.
Rice had seemed invisible throughout this race.
Was the gap between Rice and Tokai Teio really this vast?
That shouldn't be.
Wasn't Rice supposed to have mastered ZONE?
And winning the undefeated Triple Crown proved her strength!
So why couldn't we see Rice's performance in this race?
Just as she thought this, the atmosphere around Rice on the track suddenly changed.
At this moment, every competing horse girl seemed to hear something—
Footsteps treading upon everyone's hearts!
Her entire body radiating pitch-black aura, even the flames in her eyes veiled in darkness!
The Overlord had taken control of the body.
Because Rice in that state could no longer continue running—The Overlord would finish this race in Rice's place.
Sensing Rice's current fear, The Overlord coldly regarded the figures ahead.
"So you are the ones blocking 'my' path."
...
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