The moment the gates flew open, two figures shot forward. With unparalleled gate-breaking speed and acceleration, they instantly pulled away from the pack.
No jostling for position, no chaotic scramble. From the very start, the race became a one-on-one duel.
"You're actually keeping up this time!"
"No need to hold back against you!"
McQueen's spirits soared. After years of dominating the Central circuit, no one dared challenge her head-on anymore. Yet here was Kousei, as dazzling and defiant as ever.
"In that case, you'd better keep up!" Arcs of electricity crackled around McQueen as she transformed into a white blur, streaking across the racetrack.
Kousei snorted, flames erupting beneath her feet. McQueen's figure sharpened in her pupils as she whispered, "Mark—"
McQueen's form faltered as several chains materialized, binding her. The white blur solidified back into a physical form. "You've improved," McQueen praised, "but it's not enough."
With a slight exertion of force, McQueen shattered the chains. The Power of Generations wasn't just an empty title.
She stomped down hard, her horseshoe sinking deep into the soil. The wheels of her chariot flung mud high into the sky, carving deep ruts into the earth—a stark warning of her presence.
The engine roared. Mejiro McQueen once again unleashed her chariot-like leg strength.
Kousei followed close behind, some of the mud flung by McQueen's heavy hooves splattering across her face. The sharp slap was audible even to the spectators, but Kousei remained unfazed, her gaze locked on McQueen.
She lowered her stance slightly, and the crowd instantly knew what was coming.
"Here it comes!"
A beastly growl rumbled from her throat, and her pupils instantly flooded with crimson. McQueen sensed the shift and glanced back just in time to see a gaping maw lunging at her.
BOOM! Dust filled the air.
Drawing on the wildness and posture she'd learned from Narita Brian, Kousei used an explosive burst of speed to close the distance to McQueen in an instant. The phantom image of a Red Serpent materialized, sinking its fangs into the Pegasus before coiling its massive body around it, immobilizing it completely.
In a clash of Power, McQueen, ever confident, strained with all her might to push Kousei away.
But the harder she pushed, the tighter the Red Serpent coiled.
McQueen frowned. Though she had successfully suppressed Kousei, she couldn't shake her off.
"Think you can get rid of me that easily?" Kousei taunted.
A scholar absent for three days must be viewed with new eyes. Kousei had mastered the art of close-quarters combat. Breaking free with brute force alone, as McQueen had done in the past, would be no easy feat.
"I've fought incredible opponents—dragons that pierced the clouds, stars that hung high in the sky. McQueen, have you made no progress at all these years?"
McQueen sneered. "You've certainly exceeded my expectations, but I guarantee that none of the opponents you've faced were nearly as troublesome as me."
As she spoke, more and more electrical arcs erupted from her body. You could even hear the shockwaves ripple through the air.
"Because I am the strongest Umamusume in history!"
The winds howled, the clouds churned, and the Thunder Lord beat his drums.
Forked lightning stabbed the heavens as dark clouds rolled in like a thousand crashing waves. The silver-saddled white horse streaked through the gloom like a shooting star. The thunder chariot shook the earth, its assault a torrential downpour.
Amidst this phantasmagorical scene, the white Pegasus galloped with such majestic power that all who witnessed it trembled, their will to fight utterly extinguished.
The meaning of "strongest" was instantly clear.
The Sun Wheel blazed, scorching the sky into a sea of fire. Fiery serpents writhed and tangled with the lightning across the heavens. The Red Serpent reared its head, its roar shaking the very firmament. The dark crimson of its form reflected the terror in the eyes of the world as the sky itself became a horrifying canvas for their struggle.
In a heart-stopping battle for position, Kousei and McQueen refused to yield an inch. Their brutal Power tore the turf apart, leaving a trail of near-total destruction.
The Umamusume behind them tried to advance, but the inner lane had become so thick and viscous it was impossible to find a foothold.
No one had ever witnessed such an outrageous opening. Neither Kousei nor McQueen had ever displayed such terrifying power in their individual races.
It seemed their proximity ignited an intense fighting spirit in both of them.
The clash was far from over. Neither Kousei nor McQueen were Front-Runners, yet under their lead, the pace shattered all historical records. In the Spring Tenno Sho, the longest of the G1 races, no one had ever pushed the pace to such an extreme. It made one wonder: could they truly maintain this without losing speed?
Soon, they reached the first turn. Each had their own calculations. With a tacit understanding, they pulled apart. In this first turn of the race, their actions were more about probing than outright confrontation.
McQueen executed her signature lightning-fast cornering as usual, while Kousei's arc was equally flawless, without a millimeter of error.
It seems there's no room for any tricks on the turns, Kousei's mind raced. As an old rival, McQueen naturally knew what Kousei was thinking. She gave Kousei no time to strategize, accelerating instantly upon exiting the turn in an attempt to shake her off.
Kousei, of course, couldn't let McQueen get away. The Sun Wheel flared to life again as she latched onto McQueen, refusing to let go. In a straight-line clash, McQueen had the advantage.
But she had barely taken a few strides when the familiar Red Mist began to spread behind her. Usually, this meant Kousei was about to attempt a breakthrough.
Her vision obscured, McQueen remained wary of any movement from behind. Kousei had her Red Mist to disrupt, but McQueen had her High-Speed Eye to counter it. No matter which lane Kousei burst out from, McQueen was confident she could intercept her before she reached a passing position.
Initially, High-Speed Eye was merely a tool to assist McQueen in entering turns, preventing her from being thrown off the track at high speed. Gradually, McQueen realized that if she could instantly capture the movements of other racers, why not use her formidable physical prowess to block them?
Thus, McQueen slowly gained a reputation for her interception skills, though it was merely an added flourish to her already impressive abilities.
"There!" By observing the subtle shifts in the mist, McQueen pinpointed the exact moment Kousei made her move.
Kousei burst from the mist, choosing the deep outer lane—a significant distance from McQueen—sacrificing stamina for a safe buffer. The idea was sound, but perhaps a bit too naive.
For McQueen, covering such a large distance was effortless.
She rapidly closed in on Kousei, crossing the entire width of the track in less than two seconds. She was just inches away; any closer without intercepting would result in a foul.
With a flicker of intent, McQueen appeared beside Kousei as if she had teleported.
"It's over!"
With the interception imminent, Kousei showed no panic. Her footwork shifted, hinting at a change in direction.
Even the slightest movement couldn't escape McQueen's High-Speed Eye. The instant Kousei altered her course, McQueen mirrored the change.
Unlike Kousei's light, nimble steps, McQueen's method was simple and brutal: she forced herself to a dead stop and then used her explosive acceleration to change direction. This running style inflicted severe damage on her body, but at this moment, she couldn't care less.
Locked in close-quarters combat, they saw the fierce fighting spirit blazing in each other's eyes.
Technique versus Talent—who would prove superior?
Kousei's technique was exquisite. She constantly varied her footwork—seven parts real, three parts feint—fooling even the commentators several times. Yet, McQueen remained an unbreakable wall. While most people's bodies react only after their minds make a decision, McQueen was different. The moment an idea formed in her mind, her body would act before she was even consciously aware of it.
Therefore, she didn't need to predict Kousei's moves. She only had to keep her eyes locked on Kousei, never missing a single action, and her body would instinctively shut down any possible opening for a breakthrough.
Was Kousei truly blocked by McQueen just like that?