Chapter 48: The Outcome Is Decided!
"What's going on? Has Mihono Bourbon gotten injured? Mihono Bourbon who led from the start seems to have run out of steam, falling back from the lead and being passed by the rapidly closing Taiki Shuttle!"
The intensity of the race exceeded everyone's expectations. Right from the start, a rare dual front-running tactic, not seen in years, emerged. Two horse girls formed a tandem to forcefully break the wind and set a blistering pace, completely disrupting the rhythm of everyone else.
Just as everyone thought this tactic would work wonders, that usually cheerful big sister, Taiki Shuttle, completely ignored the massive disadvantage. Relying on her extraordinary sprinting explosiveness and racing experience, she chased them down in the shortest time possible, stubbornly clinging to the two front-runners without being shaken off.
But then, Mihono Bourbon, pulled another surprising move. With her stamina almost exhausted, she suddenly tried to block Taiki Shuttle's path with her body. However, this veteran once again delivered an unimaginably brilliant maneuver, dodging Bourbon's position with minimal movement, turning the latter half of the race into a one-on-one showdown between her and Stardust Mirage!
Before the audience could fully digest this series of reversals, Taiki Shuttle had already closed in on Stardust Mirage's back. That final acceleration ability, named "Victory Shot," rapidly narrowed the gap between them. In almost a few breaths, they were less than a horse length apart. It seemed Taiki Shuttle was about to overtake the leader and seize victory!
And Stardust Mirage, who had been front-running from the beginning, showed no intention of giving up either. Her running form, which had started to deteriorate, completely transformed as she was pressured. Stardust Mirage lowered her entire body almost parallel to the turf, her strides nearly grazing the grass.
This peculiar running posture instantly reminded most people of that recently retired public racing legend, Oguri cap. This beast-like running motion, this will to win that shatters everything... this... this is practically Oguri cap herself racing! Is this the true meaning of being the a "Second Oguri cap"?!
The burning fighting spirit of the two horse girls had completely ignited all the spectators. The scale of the excitement even rivaled that of a G1-level public race. At this moment, only one phrase remained in their hearts, and the only thing they could do was shout it out for these two runners giving their all:
Run...
Run!
"RUN!!!"
The shouts of countless people gathered above the racetrack, pushing this race, already in its final moments, towards its climax!
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The source of that frantic feeling—the horse girl running before her—turned her head slowly to look back in Taiki Shuttle's eyes.
What is that?
What Taiki Shuttle saw was a pair of eyes utterly blank. Within Stardust Mirage's fiery red pupils at this moment, not a trace of consciousness could be seen, only the most primitive impulse, which could even be called murderous intent. Her originally handsome face was now contorted to a bestial degree, filled with madness.
"Thank you—!"
Stardust Mirage gasped for breath, a slight grin spreading across her lips as she spoke. In the moment she spoke, Taiki Shuttle could even see that blood had completely stained the gaps between Stardust Mirage's teeth...
She... is smiling?
How is that possible?
What is she thanking me for?!
Taiki Shuttle, her own body also nearing its limit, was stunned.
She had only seen Stardust Mirage's current state in a very few horse girls: Oguri cap, Inari One, Gold City... Only when they entered their "Zone" would they exhibit such a primitive, almost completely bestial appearance.
Taiki Shuttle could also sense that Stardust Mirage had definitely not crossed into the realm of the Zone at this moment. Whether in aura or other aspects, there was still a fundamental gap compared to those few. But something had already become the same as them!
During that rainy front-run, Taiki Shuttle had also stepped into the Zone, so she could now clearly judge Stardust Mirage's state. As long as she could remember this feeling and further temper her body, it could be said that fully opening the Zone was a certainty.
No...
We're in the middle of a race!
So what if Stardust Mirage has touched the edge of the Zone? I, Taiki Shuttle, am a runner who has once successfully opened the Zone!
Thinking this, Taiki Shuttle also lowered her head, pouring her entire being into the run. She knew that both she and Stardust Mirage were now running purely on willpower. Even so, Taiki Shuttle still had an advantage over Stardust Mirage.
That was her final kick ability over the same last three furlongs, the one that decided victory or defeat.
Even though today's track wasn't her best-suited mile race, and the starting rhythm was completely disrupted, Taiki Shuttle at this moment felt utterly ignited by this intense race. Even though her body had reached its limit, she could still do it. Achieve her personal best state—33.0 seconds for 600m!
Spectators who had seen her races all felt as if shot directly in the heart by that unique running style. This was the final shot in a Western cowboy duel, the step towards victory!
Stardust Mirage, perhaps you really can climb to a higher level than me in the future?
But in today's race, I absolutely will not hand over victory!!!
Taiki Shuttle endured the burning sensation in her lungs from overexertion, summoned the last of her strength, and exploded forward the moment she entered the final straight. She poured all her remaining stamina into her legs, aiming to overtake Stardust Mirage beside her in one go...
"She's caught up..."
"No! She's disappeared?!"
The Stardust Mirage she had just passed was actually just an afterimage of converging wind and thunder.
BOOM!!!
In Taiki Shuttle's ears echoed the explosive sound of a horseshoe striking the turf with full force. The fighting spirit suddenly erupting beside her scattered everything. The opponent she had been gradually closing in on had now transformed into a storm, treading on thunder, charging towards the finish line!
In that instant, Taiki Shuttle's eyes held only that runner who had leaned forward almost onto the grass. In the air, wind and thunder converged in her vision, forming a massive phantom of a dragon that completely enveloped Stardust Mirage ahead, flying close to the ground.
That suddenly and wildly increased speed, that clear and sharp eruption of fighting spirit... that back she now couldn't hope to reach. For a moment, Taiki Shuttle couldn't distinguish whether it was Oguri cap or Stardust Mirage ahead of her. Their figures synchronized completely in her eyes, merging into one.
She wouldn't mistake it... that was the final kick of a top-tier runner, one that had surpassed her own limits.
[Stardust Mirage—First Place!]
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Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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