Kousei glanced up briefly before returning to her usual composure. "I wasn't distracted."
"Then what were you thinking about so intently?"
"About Suzuka."
"Oh?" McQueen's expression turned subtly intrigued. "Tell me more."
"This is my first time racing against a Front-Runner, and it's Suzuka of all people. Her pace and rhythm will undoubtedly be completely different. After seeing Bakushin's performance, I started wondering—I've never faced a runner renowned for their speed before. If I ever have to confront someone like her, what would I do?"
McQueen understood Kousei's concern. Her Gate Technique was most effective at close range, and if she couldn't close the distance, it would be rendered useless.
"So you want to test yourself—see how effective your technique would be against a Front-Runner."
Kousei didn't reply.
"Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, but it requires a small experiment. I should be able to figure it out just by observing Suzuka's running form."
"Are you preparing a new tactic?"
Kousei shook her head. "No, nothing like that."
McQueen was puzzled. "But you said your Gate Technique might not work. So what will you do?"
"What else can I do but keep honing my Gate Technique?"
Good question. McQueen was stumped.
"Don't worry," Kousei said, fixing her gaze on McQueen. "I'm not saying this because I have no other choice. I'm saying it because I believe in my Gate Technique. I've never doubted it, and it's the key to my victory. If I can hold back Mejiro McQueen, there's no reason I can't hold back anyone else."
So far, no one posed a greater threat than Mejiro McQueen, not even the Front-runner.
"Is that so? Then I wish you the best of luck," McQueen replied, reassured.
With no apparent cause for concern, McQueen returned to her seat in the stands.
Kousei took a deep breath, her eyes resolute. "Let's go! Time to witness the speed of the Dimensional Front-Runner!"
Kousei emerged from the tunnel to find Silence Suzuka already waiting. Inside the racecourse, aside from the staff, only the Gold Generation and McQueen remained, positioned at opposite ends.
"Suzuka, do your best!"
"Haha! Show me the true power of the Dimensional Front-Runner!"
"Good luck~"
The Gold Generation, led by Special Week, cheered for Suzuka, while McQueen quietly observed from Kousei's side.
The two runners entered their gates as a staff member raised the starting gun.
Now, Kousei had to focus completely.
Bang!
The gate burst open!
The instant the gate swung open, Kousei hadn't even begun to move. A gust of wind rushed past her as Silence Suzuka's figure surged ahead!
"What?"
Kousei was stunned. Her reaction speed was usually impeccable, and she had never been late off the mark before. She was certain she hadn't hesitated this time either—Silence Suzuka was simply too fast!
"What kind of acceleration is that?! And she's going all out right from the start?!"
Fast, impossibly fast!
Even with only a brief hesitation, Suzuka had already widened the gap.
"I can't let her get away! I have to close the gap!"
Reluctantly, Kousei accelerated in pursuit. The natural difference in their speeds meant that even with Kousei pushing herself to the limit, the distance remained significant.
"I can't catch up! Then I'll try this!"
A deep crimson aura erupted around Kousei as chains shot forth, coiling toward Suzuka. Just as the chains were about to ensnare her, Suzuka's speed surged again, violently shaking them off behind her.
The chains shattered, clearly beyond her reach.
Unbelievable. This was the reality of front-runner horses: no matter the circumstances, every race would ultimately boil down to a one-on-one duel, where speed annihilated all.
"Forget the strategy! I just need to close the gap!"
Kousei abandoned all restraint, deciding that if she continued to fall behind, the race would be meaningless.
Pushing herself to the absolute limit, she maintained maximum velocity, watching hope inch closer.
But something felt wrong.
"My body?"
Kousei could feel the feedback from her body—it was already exhausted. She glanced at the distance marker and gasped inwardly.
"Over 1,000 meters already?"
It felt so fast. Not the visceral speed of the racetrack, but if not for her body's signals, Kousei wouldn't have realized how far she had run. In her mind, it felt like the race had only just begun.
This is the Dimensional Runaway!
The exclusive domain of Front-Runner Horses—Kousei had unwittingly plunged deep into it.
"Interesting. Let's reel her in first!"
At this distance, it was entirely feasible.
Kousei increased the pressure on Suzuka. Red chains shot out and tightly coiled around Suzuka's ankles.
"What's this?"
Suzuka's stride faltered. She could feel a will pressing down on her.
"My footsteps feel heavy."
Suzuka had long heard that Kousei was a special Umamusume, one of Tracen's rare Gate Technique specialists.
"I've never seen an Umamusume so focused on Gate Techniques before. If you think you can stop me, go ahead and try."
A suffocating aura of death and slaughter descended, causing Kousei's heart to plummet.
Suzuka's eyes flashed, and in the next instant, she snapped her chains, ready to unleash her full power as a front-runner.
The racecourse dissolved into an ethereal haze, and a tunnel stretching across space-time materialized before Kousei.
"What is this?!"
Kousei found herself surrounded by nothingness, as if sprinting through a fissure in reality. Glancing back at Silence Suzuka, she saw multiple overlapping figures coalescing around her. How could such a thing be possible? The Suzuka of the future couldn't even catch up to her present self!
The silent runner surged forward relentlessly, dragging her pursuer into the dimensional rift. There was no escape, no respite. The headwind tore at Kousei like a hail of razor-sharp arrows, piercing her flesh and tearing at her lungs as if they would burst.
Without a shred of mercy, Suzuka sacrificed everything for the fleeting vista ahead. To the eyes of her tormented pursuer, the selfish, relentless front-runner became the final vision before oblivion.
As for what lay ahead... that was a realm forbidden to the dying.
An ultimate chase. A merciless execution.
Victory was declared by a massive margin, just as Suzuka had promised: "I'll never hold back."
The Front-Runner Horse's lethal rhythm struck with near-instant devastation, a first-encounter kill. Even in a training race, Kousei suffered her first crushing defeat.
Clutching her chest, Kousei still felt a sharp pain piercing her lungs.
This was the true hell of extreme speed—a challenge issued by one against all.
"No wonder! No wonder!"
No wonder the crowd had been chanting her name. This awe-inspiring figure, who hadn't dreamed of one day tearing past everyone, leaving all challengers in the dust, with nothing to block the wind whipping at her face?
But that was all there was to it.
Kousei grinned, now fully understanding the Front-Runner Horse.
"Next time, I absolutely won't lose! No matter who it is!"
Kousei looked up at McQueen, who was staring back with a solemn expression.
"As I thought... only she, only she is special."
The echo of thunder still rang in her ears, and the vision of Mejiro's iron hooves remained vivid. The primal terror etched deep in her bones—this was what truly defined a rival.