An overwhelming wave of heat, pulsing excitement, a burning drive to fight, and the wind caressing her cheeks... She had never even stood here before. Yet, standing on this stage brought a strangely intense wave of nostalgia—so much so that she felt out of place, wondering if she even had the right to be here.
"Keeeeeey!!"
"Whoa—!?"
Someone glided in from behind and threw their arms around her, nearly knocking her over. Turning around, she met the beaming face of Bizen Nishiki, who was smiling from the bottom of her heart.
"I've been waiting forever for you to come back—me and Rudolf both."
"Ni-Nishiki... I... I'm..."
"We really, truly were waiting, Kei."
Rudolf wholeheartedly agreed with those words. Soul Decayer—Rudolf's former roommate and closest friend. Looking at her now, Rudolf's eyes were a complex mix of joy and deep nostalgia. Teio caught that glance and instinctively leaned over to speak to Rampage.
"H-Hey, what's up with the President? It feels like she's looking at a friend she thought she'd never see again."
"Because that's basically what happened. Soul Decayer used to be at the Central Tracen Academy, but she dropped out voluntarily—all because of the jealousy around her."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Turbo tilted her head in confusion, prompting Rampage to share what she had heard from C.B. and Monsney, who knew about that era. Soul Decayer possessed a monstrous talent: she could watch another Uma Musume run just once and perfectly replicate that form into her own style.
"Monsney said she could even pull off the Full-Body Form after seeing it just once."
"ONCE!? That's crazy!!"
"So cool~! It's like those anime swordsmen who learn a legendary style just by watching a demonstration!"
While those two saw it in a completely positive light, others felt pure terror. To have techniques mastered through agonizing effort or running forms researched over years stolen in a single moment was horrifying. Consequently, she was branded with vile names—a devil who trampled on others' efforts, a destroyer of races—until her spirit broke.
"Word is she's running in the Legend Race because the President patiently convinced her to come back... Her talent is the real deal."
"The President did?"
"Yeah. After all—she won every single trial race by a massive margin."
"!!"
The standard of the Legend Race was higher than most realized. While many Uma Musume were past their physical peak, they made up for it with elite technique and deep experience. Terrifying competitors routinely emerged here—and winning every trial by a landslide was unheard of. The reality made both Teio and Turbo swallow hard, their eyes sharpening.
"If the President went out of her way to convince her, she must be incredible."
"Right? Then Turbo can go all out from the start, too! In fact, it'd be rude not to!"
A roaring fire of competitiveness ignited within them. Even as Breeders' Cup champions, the fact that Rudolf personally invited her made them fiercely curious. A blowout victory at every turn? They were already calculating how formidable her running must be and how they could overcome it. Rampage's mind was racing too.
(Gaining a style just by watching them run, huh...? If that's the case, there's only one thing to do.)
"Coming here was the right choice. To think I'd get to race against someone like that."
"You say that like you belong here. You're basically in the same boat."
Locksmith. She had run in the Finals last time, but she had pushed into the Legend Race this time for one reason: to race against Rampage. Yet, looking around, her eyes sparkled at the realization that there were plenty of other thrilling opponents here too.
"Just to ask—who's your main target?"
"Who else would it be besides you?"
"Figures..."
"Don't bore me, Tyrant."
"Ha. Don't get arrogant, troublemaker. You think you can stand up to a tyrant?"
"HEY! YOU!"
Silverio shoved her way between Locksmith and Rampage, bristling like a loyal guard dog standing up its fur to protect its master, glaring at Locksmith with a ferocious expression.
"How dare you speak to Ms. Rampage like that...! Someone like you could never beat her! Learn some respect!"
"Silverio, I heard you were completely lifeless for a while, but look at you now—what a sharp expression. You look like a loyal hound. Show me how you run."
"LISTEN TO ME!!!"
Silverio growled like a wild beast at Locksmith, but Locksmith completely ignored the threat, focusing entirely on Silverio's athletic potential. Nothing was lining up, and as Rampage wondered if it was really okay for a Legend Race to start like this, she stepped in.
"Goodness, what on earth are you two doing? You came here to compete on this legendary stage, didn't you? If you want to fight, take it somewhere else."
Flora stepped forward with a smug, composure-filled attitude, trying to calm the two down. To Rampage, seeing Flora act this composed was so rare it made her wonder if she'd eaten something weird off the ground. But her motive was transparent: she was just trying to act sensible to raise her favorability. What a shallow scheme. And stop winking over here every two seconds, it's gross.
"SHUT UP, YOU FREAK UMA MUSUME! YOU DISAPPEAR! Don't act high and mighty when you're just a stalker obsessed with Ms. Rampage!"
"Wh-What!? Who are you calling a stalker!? My love for Ms. Rampage is just deeper, heavier, purer, slightly clumsy, persistent, fanatical, enthusiastic, and a bit shadowy than normal!"
"I think that's literally the definition of a stalker."
"WHAT A JOKE! You don't even realize you're a stalker!"
"I am NOT a stalker! If anything, I am a Hunter—a hunter of Ms. Rampage's love!"
"You're disgusting."
"Is this really the stage for the Legend Race...?"
"Looking at the lineup, it should be... but isn't this fine in its own way? Unconventional."
Black Cloud gave a comforting, wry smile to Cedar Blade, who was standing there utterly speechless. It certainly felt a bit unbefitting for a legendary stage... but in the end, what was demanded of them was their performance on the track. As long as they delivered that, everything else was secondary.
"It's finally here... the stage I've been waiting for."
Sunday Silence muttered to herself. Yes, this stage was created for her as well. A wish she had harbored for so long was finally coming to fruition, sending a thrill through her entire body. I want to run. Hurry, I want to run right now...
As if answering her burning desire, the time came—
"GATES OPENING NEXT CHAPTER! (For real this time!)"
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