A crimson mist hung heavy in the air, and danger lurked in every raindrop.
"You're full of energy, Kousei!"
Kousei closed the distance, naturally opening with her signature feint. However, the rain-soaked track hampered her movements, making the feint clumsy and transparent—no match for McQueen's sharp instincts.
"You can't even pull off a proper feint!"
Seeing her feint fail, Kousei switched to her dance-like agility. But her once fluid movements now felt stiff and awkward, like a novice dancer struggling on stage.
It was painful to watch.
"The rain is affecting the Umamusume more than we anticipated."
"Exactly. Even without any physical obstacles, Kousei can't move freely."
The rain was a merciless blade, sharply dividing the mediocre from the exceptional.
"Don't give up yet. Think about what you can do."
Kousei's mind raced. Though McQueen's raw power outstripped hers, Kousei was no weakling. After all, physical confrontation was part of the Gate Technique, and regardless of the course, the best place for a gamble was always the turn.
"Accelerate, burst forward—just for a moment. I need to get into a better position to box McQueen in."
The second turn loomed ahead.
McQueen slowed down to prepare for the curve, and Kousei seized the opportunity to accelerate. This was her only chance to close the gap.
"With my cornering skills, I can stick right behind her here!"
Kousei unleashed her leg strength, momentarily breaking free from the track's constraints as she attempted her signature Crescent Turn. McQueen's eyes flashed, and she moved with ghostlike agility, seizing the turn a split second before Kousei could execute her maneuver.
"What?!"
A smirk played on McQueen's lips. "I knew you'd attack here, and I knew you'd choose this turn. Don't forget—you know me well, but I know you just as well. This corner was specially prepared for you."
Before Kousei's eyes, McQueen unveiled a brand-new technique. She sprinted forward without lowering her center of gravity, maintaining her upright posture even as she passed the turn.
"What is McQueen doing? If she keeps going like that, she'll crash into the barrier!"
Kousei's heart pounded with anxiety, but McQueen remained calm, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"This is the new potential I've unlocked after my awakening."
With a flick of her foot, Mejiro McQueen abruptly changed direction. Her muscles tensed, and white lightning crackled around her like a halo.
"Don't blink!"
Lightning flashed before her eyes, its speed leaving raindrops trailing behind. Despite Kousei's unwavering gaze, she couldn't track McQueen's figure. The white lightning streaking through the rain was breathtaking.
"So that's it! She's abandoned her old cornering technique and forged one uniquely her own!"
A straight line to the turn, McQueen relied on her monstrous leg strength to corner with lightning speed. This wasn't mere skill—it was raw, unadulterated talent!
Mejiro McQueen grew even more haughty.
"What do you think? Stop plotting petty tricks. You know, to defeat Mejiro McQueen, you need to face her head-on!"
McQueen's composure, even in the midst of the race, exuded the arrogance of the elite.
"I hate how effortless you make it look, McQueen! It's infuriating!"
Indeed, they knew each other too well for petty tactics to work.
"Come on! Let your talent blossom!"
A muffled thunderclap echoed across the racetrack as the crimson demon of the rain awakened. The Umamusume behind McQueen surged forward, only to freeze under the icy glare piercing through the downpour. An oppressive pressure unlike anything they'd ever felt swept over them.
"This is our stage, McQueen!"
Unbelievably, this overwhelming pressure emanated from that previously unheard-of Umamusume.
McQueen smiled faintly, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "Still as selfish as ever, aren't you?"
Just like in the Hopeful Stakes, Kousei once again held everyone else at bay.
Unleashing all her animosity, countless chains erupted from the ground like hellish claws, relentlessly coiling around ankles, arms, and necks, leaving no part of her body untouched. The sight was so horrific, it resembled a grotesque painting of the underworld, too gruesome to bear.
Thunder roared, its source uncertain—whether from the heavens or the racetrack itself. Lightning tore through the oppressive chains, shattering the restraints. A crimson phantom surged into the storm, running stride for stride with the thunder.
Amidst the thunder, rain, and mist, the Umamusume's figures flickered in and out of view, fleeting and indistinct.
McQueen burst through the mist first, lightning crackling around her. Casting a wary glance behind her, she planted her hooves firmly on the ground and transformed back into a bolt of thunder. The mist relentlessly pursued, its inhabitant still hidden within.
Thunder erupted anew, intent on shattering the rain's barrier. But the moment her hoof landed, she sensed danger.
"This isn't how a Heavy Track should feel! It's her!"
The grassy track that had propelled McQueen forward had inexplicably transformed into a muddy bog. Her hooves sank deep, trapping her in the mire.
The specter within the mist finally revealed its true form.
"What's wrong, McQueen? Can't run anymore?"
As the mist dissipated, a crimson figure materialized in pursuit.
"A Gate Technique of such pure intensity—fascinating!"
Plasma surged, roaring like thunder as divine retribution descended. Mejiro McQueen's heavy, chariot-like hooves pulverized the earth, her sheer, unreasonable force tearing a massive rift across the landscape as she ravaged the terrain.
"What is this?! Such terrifying power!"
The commentators and spectators erupted in unison, witnessing something unprecedented in racing history.
How terrifying, how astonishing, how magnificent!
Single-handedly, Mejiro McQueen's advance shattered all hope. Her powerful, iron-shod hooves churned the track into an impassable quagmire. The Elite's path to victory allowed no onlookers. Gaze up in awe, then struggle to survive in this rain-soaked hell.
"Damn it! This track was already hard enough to run on, and now she's tearing it apart! Just how strong are you, McQueen?!"
The inherent difficulties of the Heavy Track—the weight and restricted movement—already hindered Kousei's performance, and now she had to navigate the slippery surface as well.
A fall for an Umamusume at full gallop is no joke. Kousei's dazzling speed dwindled as multiple unfavorable factors forced her to proceed with extreme caution.
"Good judgment," Sirius remarked, a rare compliment. "At least she's not letting her emotions get the better of her."
"True, but overcoming this Heavy Track won't be easy," Rudolf added. "She's never been good at handling these conditions, and even her prized Gate Technique is proving ineffective against such overwhelming power. It's as if every possible disadvantage has converged on her."
"The Gate Technique is a treasure for the mediocre," Sirius scoffed. "His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't understand it anyway."
"Sirius, I've told you, there's no need to address me that way."
Rudolf received only a cold snort in response.
The rain intensified, blurring visibility. Losing sight of Mejiro McQueen while running behind her would be suicidal. Kousei's situation grew increasingly perilous, and her patience began to fray.