This stunning black-haired beauty, with her exceptional looks and overwhelmingly warm presence, held no small amount of interest in that little Pegasus.
After all, here in Europe, a land overflowing with little Western fillies, at the most prestigious Epsom Derby in England, an Asian horse girl had suddenly appeared!
And what's more, that Pegasus, Platinum, gave off a dangerous vibe that was absolutely unlike any ordinary horse girl.
'What a pity… Platinum's understanding of European turf is far too shallow. It seems her school and trainer haven't taught her much at all.'
'From experience and adaptability right down to her physical recovery, she's definitely not at her full strength, is she?'
'This lesson will have to be taught to her through the bitter taste of crushing defeat.'
In the eyes of Galileo, an over-raced Platinum simply couldn't have recovered physically enough to be at her peak condition.
Even in the European racing circuit, which constantly produces top-tier turf horse girls, one who can manage one G1 race per month is already considered a battle-hardened monster with terrifying physical prowess!
But Platinum? She'd just clinched two G1 victories in the last half-month, and both of those were over the longest middle-distance of 2400 meters!
After such a brutal schedule, and now facing the extremely soft, strength-sapping turf of Europe for the first time, how could Platinum possibly adapt?
It was clear from her choice of running style and her slightly slow break from the gate!
The supremely confident Galileo calmly looked down upon the front-running horse girl not far ahead of her.
A veteran of countless battles and a scion of a prestigious family, she understood this deeply demanding course intimately.
Her current family, the Sea family, had only seen her mother, Urban Sea, win one G1—the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Perhaps in Japan, a single victory like that would be enough to etch one's name into the history books, but neither Galileo nor Sea the Stars felt it was sufficient!
For their family to become truly renowned throughout Europe, just their mother's one upset Arc victory wasn't quite enough.
As daughters of Urban Sea and the current twin stars of the Sea family, they believed they each needed to win several international G1 races for their family!
And it would start with this world-class, top-tier classic race—the Epsom Derby!
Winning this race would allow the Champion Uma Musume to rightfully stand at the very center of the world's younger generation, becoming the foremost of all Derby winners, the most noble of British Derby horse girls!
Even for the typically less combative, free-spirited black-haired maiden Galileo, the desire to win this Derby swiftly and decisively burned within her now.
"The first turn is approaching."
"The break, the inside position, even the pace—everything is going perfectly!"
This fast pace, this strength-draining turf… it wasn't something a Japanese horse girl, only skilled in speed, could easily adapt to.
It could be said, without a doubt, that at this moment…
The advantage—is mine!
"Once we navigate the second turn and secure a good position after the switch, victory will be completely within grasp!"
The most critical part comes next… the turn switch!
The first turn after breaking at the Epsom Derby is a right-hand turn, while the subsequent turn… is a left-hand one!!
It's not like the typical oval tracks common in Japanese racing, where you can just bury your head and hug the inside rail.
This is the Epsom Derby, where the strong get stronger! Only the true monarch of a generation can achieve victory in this, the oldest Derby in the world!
--+--
[Currently, the leading front-runner and Galileo, positioned among the leading pack, are safely transitioning into the first turn.]
[The closely pursuing chaser group is also quickly catching up and passing through. Only Platinum, positioned at the very rear and not hugging the inside, has begun her pursuit… from the middle-outside lanes!]
[A come-from-behind running style is quite rare and difficult to win with at the Epsom Derby. Let's hope Platinum can deliver a pleasantly surprising performance.]
[Next up, we're about to reach the critical moment of switching turns!]
At this moment, the British Commentators, not yet realizing anything amiss, were chatting and casually offering their analysis.
They probably saw Platinum as just making up the numbers—a random competitor who hadn't even adapted to European turf and running styles.
The type of horse girl who racks up a few G1 wins fighting domestically in some minor second or third-tier region, only to come to European turf and suffer a crushing defeat… there are too many of those to count.
That's why, from the very start, some European horse girls and even spectators viewed Miss Pegasus as just another common "small fry" or a "Cinderella" from the countryside.
But that silver-haired maiden at the very back of the field…
She, from beginning to end, had never once felt that being a Japanese horse girl made her inferior in any way. If anything, she believed only the ultimate victor had the right to such arrogance.
Who would win and who would lose? This was only just the beginning…
Platinum desperately wanted to reach out, grab that little Western filly Galileo ahead, and refine her into nothingness on the spot!
But the race had only just begun. Too many horse girls still stood between them, and it was far too early for a direct confrontation with Galileo at the front of the pack.
A flicker of an assassin's aloofness passed through her amber, spiritedly glimmering eyes, as if she had instantly comprehended every nuance of this unfamiliar racecourse.
'The pace… feels a bit slow.'
Finding the current pace too sluggish, Platinum decided to change rhythm.
'Well then, let's shift the tempo!'
In the next instant, from within Platinum, an astonishing aura and power erupted from her petite yet imposing body!
Platinum's unique pressure began to manifest, a pure white radiance that started to cover over half the racecourse, wanton and extravagant across the vast track.
It was a terrifying pressure substantial enough to suppress and weaken every horse girl on the field!
And correspondingly, even the horse girl wielding this pressure would see her stamina consumption increase!
It could be said that employing pressure early to suppress a strong opponent was like wielding a double-edged sword.
Whether it would hurt the enemy first or throttle the user themselves was unknown. Therefore, most of the time, horse girls only unleashed their pressure when approaching the final turn or even the home stretch.
But now, Platinum was applying pressure over the entire field at the critical moment of adjusting position for the next inside turn?!
Instantly, the horse girls who had just prepared to switch to the inside for the distant second turn shuddered. Their legs felt significant weight, as if shackled with heavy chains.
"Guh… such strong pressure."
"No way, which maniac is this? They haven't even started crossing to the next inside lane yet and they're already unleashing pressure?"
"Damn it, how dare someone act so recklessly in a long 2400-meter race?"
Ahead of Platinum, more than one European Uma Musume sharply detected it and couldn't help voicing their surprise.
The commentator's voice simultaneously provided the broadcast analysis.
[The first turn is over! As expected of the top favorite, Galileo! Her position hasn't dropped at all as she moves to the inside, maintaining her advantageous spot!]
[If this trend continues, waiting for the later…]
But the next moment, the commentator's voice halted. She noticed the horse girls switching to the next inside lane had almost all slightly slowed their pace?
Another commentator, a younger female voice, immediately spoke up with astonishment.
[Hm? The speed of almost every horse girl on the field has decreased slightly. Whose pressure is this?]
In Europe, retired horse girls are sometimes invited to serve as professional commentators.
Similar to how retired professional e-sports players sometimes become casters.
Maybe they aren't as vivid or comprehensive as other professional commentators, but when it comes to certain aspects of the race that only horse girls truly understand, they offer greater expertise.
Thus, the horse girl commentator for this race immediately discerned the change in the field's pressure levels.
An astonishing, pure white, dazzling pressure had emerged, powerful enough to suppress the entire field! Even Galileo, second only to the front-runner, was no exception, her steps slowing slightly!
[Incredible! This is the Epsom Derby—a full 2400 meters with multiple uphill sections!]
[Let alone newcomers like them, even if you substituted experienced older horse girls specializing in middle distances, it's extremely rare to see anyone dare use pressure this early in a race of this intensity and length.]
[Is this a carefully calculated move by a certain horse girl, or a reckless misjudgment?]
The horse girl commentator's voice began to carry a note of doubt.
After all, this was Europe, where [Long Distance] was never emphasized. 2400 meters was already verging on Long Distance.
Even if some stamina-specialized, long-distance expert horse girl wanted to use pressure early to suppress opponents, weakening them early to increase her own chances, victory was still hard to achieve.
Because these monster horse girls daring enough to compete in the Epsom Derby were all specialists in power and explosiveness. Their outstanding burst power was enough to compensate for slight deficiencies in stamina.
[Huh? The only horse girl not experiencing a brief slowdown is actually… Platinum, the Japanese horse girl in last place who started as a chaser?]
[What a surprise! It seems she has full confidence in her stamina, being a champion of two 2400-meter G1 races after all.]
[But European turf and Japanese turf are worlds apart. Can Platinum overcome all the disadvantages and show us a powerful dark horse performance?!]
Under the commentators' explanations, many spectators in the arena shifted their gaze with slight surprise, looking away from Galileo towards the silver-haired maiden Platinum, who was finally beginning to accelerate from the very back.
The situation… was changing significantly in an instant!
--+--
The black-haired maiden Galileo, running prominently at the front, was full of surprise, but her attention remained locked on the path after the next turn.
Galileo monitored the race's rhythm, noting the speed of the surrounding horse girls as they switched to the inside lane after the second turn, and she successfully transitioned to the other inside lane herself.
'Strange… all the other prominent runners and front-runners have slowed down slightly as a group.'
'The chaser group isn't far behind. If someone was going to increase the pace, they should have accelerated and appeared within my field of vision by now, right?'
'The horse girl manipulating the pressure… could it be… Platinum?'
Galileo quickly and sharply deduced the correct answer.
For her, this wasn't particularly good news.
The one who loved an unchanging rhythm the most was undoubtedly Galileo. This world-class genius horse girl was no ordinary prominent runner.
In the perception of many spectators, front-runners and prominent runners, being positioned forward, consume more stamina, thus tend to be relatively weaker during the final sprint.
Typically, front-runners possess no final kick whatsoever. Prominent runners might have some final kick ability, but it's usually not very strong.
Judging Galileo by such standards would be a grave underestimation of this renowned daughter of the Sea family!
Galileo's connections and affability couldn't all be reliant on her social skills. Without exceptional talent and strength, she probably wouldn't even have the qualification to step onto the track or training grounds to meet other horse girls.
'It seems she wants to disrupt the rhythm, but pressure alone is far from enough.'
'In Europe, we're never short of unknown monster geniuses. Final kick freaks, stamina monsters, even those extremely specialized in pressure monsters—we have them all.'
'Trying to disrupt the race before it's even half over requires showing another extraordinary aspect at the very least!'
This was where the world's finest young turf horse girls gathered!
In Japanese classic races, among twenty-plus horse girls, you might find no more than three or five who could skillfully wield pressure.
But at the Epsom Derby, among just over ten horse girls, you'd be hard-pressed to find more than three or five who couldn't wield pressure!
The difference was starkly obvious.
And at the apex among countless geniuses, Galileo, daughter of Arc de Triomphe winner Urban Sea, curled her lips into a faint, composed smile.
"If that's all you've got… it's far from enough. You'd barely qualify to dance in my wake."
"Come at me, Platinum!"
Having already navigated the last tricky inside lane and begun her run, what Galileo failed to notice was…
Behind the chaser group, just ahead of the last-place European filly, a silver-white figure had appeared!
In other words—
The Pegasus had spread her wings and begun her ascent!
The Phantom of the Goddess symbolizing Victory was about to draw her Bow!!!
--+--
Turf Track, Rear.
"Wha—what incredible speed?!"
The second-to-last European filly widened her eyes in disbelief, looking towards the space beside her.
On a path slightly leaning outside, she actually saw Platinum's figure continuously drawing closer.
Coupled with the oppressive pressure from moments ago that forced her to slow slightly…
"Ugh… Could it be that this Japanese horse girl intentionally chose a chasing style to avoid being boxed in, to freely control her acceleration timing?"
"Just what kind of confidence maniac is this?"
Such reckless use of pressure, plus accelerating this early in a long European 2400-meter race… could only lead to two outcomes.
Either she would completely reverse everything, overtaking every horse girl from last place to seize an overwhelming victory that would shock all spectators!
Or, she would completely run out of steam before the finish line, losing her powerful final kick, thus falling utterly to pieces, failing to even secure a spot in the top three as a mere dancer… maybe not even the top five!
Faced with a crazy opponent, one must either match Platinum's madness or choose to yield…
This second-to-last European filly ultimately chose to maintain her current speed, not accelerating to resist.
"Anyway, it's no big deal. She'll definitely run out of steam after overtaking from behind!"
"Fine, I'll just let Platinum pass…"
The moment this European filly finished the thought—
In the very next instant, that silver-white maiden Platinum reached her side and immediately surged past!
At the moment of being overtaken—
In the calm pupils of this originally composed European filly, in a daze, she seemed to see a sacred, dazzling golden light!
The light abruptly coalesced into a female phantom almost identical to Platinum's petite form, drawing the string and nocking an arrow!
There was no time to react, no time to comprehend.
The arrow was shot!!
It was as if… a sacred Goddess was patrolling her domain, hunting her prey!
Gulp…
'Wh-what is this?!'
'A Goddess? Or a Pegasus!?'
Staring in stunned reaction, this European filly could no longer maintain any composure.
Her heart was instantly filled with shock and terror!
It felt as if a sharp, holy arrow had truly pierced through her body?!
Her original thought of calmly waiting for Pegasus to run out of gas was utterly destroyed, replaced by…
'With such a Divine Pegasus… will she really run out of steam?!'
--+--
The next instant!
Platinum boldly continued her charge forward, launching an assault on the remaining four or five horse girls within the chaser group!
One arrow had finally been spent, but for Miss Pegasus, it was far from enough.
Mission: Empty the Quiver!
Progress: 1/12!
"...Well then, let's start accelerating."
The silver-white maiden mumbled as if she was making a trivial decision.
Her footsteps, her astonishing speed, visibly quickened.
The five chaser horse girls, already close together, collectively saw the silver-white maiden's figure.
But before they could even gasp, express surprise, or ponder why Platinum had appeared so early, that silver-white radiance, seemingly capable of tearing through everything, was already upon them!
Then, in the next second, this dense group of chaser maidens was overtaken as one.
In an extremely short time, Platinum had gone from last place to seventh!
This time, the pure, sacred Goddess Phantom manifested again.
The Phantom drew her bow, and the arrow shot in the next instant wasn't just one, but simultaneously shot towards almost every Uma Musume in the sizable chaser group!
The radiant arrows, with flash-like speed and brilliance, collectively pierced through the running forms of the several wide-eyed European horse girls!
"No way, what in the world… is that?"
"What I'm seeing is! A Goddess?"
"N-no, impossible. The Three Goddesses couldn't possibly appear here. Is it my illusion?"
"If I chase and overtake Platinum… will I get shot again?"
"I have no obligation to face an opponent I simply cannot beat, aaaah!!"
One particularly dispirited horse girl even let out an "Impossible!" sound on the spot.
More than one or two European horse girls were deeply shocked, almost collectively stunned into a state of disbelief.
"Wait, since when did Platinum's quiver have several arrows?"
"Ugh, this monster probably only Galileo can handle, right?"
"Can't chase her. If Platinum runs out of steam, there might still be a chance!"
Precisely because they were well-informed, precisely because they had never valued or paid attention to Platinum, their current loss of composure was all the more severe.
But the race continued. That scene, as if from a dream, that noble Bow-Drawing Goddess seemed to declare this was no mere duel or race, but a hunt belonging to Platinum!
Those who had already fallen behind, overtaken by that mysterious Pegasus, seemed to have been pierced by the arrows of that nameless Goddess Phantom, summarily eliminated!
--+--
[What… what exactly am I seeing?!]
[A great, sacred phantom, like a Goddess, is drawing a bow and piercing the horse girls overtaken by Platinum?!]
[All the horse girls' bodies are normal, their speed unchanged. It appears to be a specific visual effect of pressure or a domain, manifesting when Platinum overtakes an opponent!]
Something Platinum herself would never have expected: a retired horse girl commentator was actually providing live commentary describing the scene with an incredulous tone.
[Platinum! That Japanese Pegasus, she's come to shoot down all the horse girls, including Galileo!!!]
After the horse girl commentator stated this, the entire arena erupted in an uproar!
And simultaneously…
As they approached the third turn, the silver-white maiden Platinum flashed through the prominent runner group, overtaking the last horse girl within it.
Her figure finally entered the view of Galileo, who was at the very front of the prominent runners, second only to the front-runner.
Seeing clearly Platinum's accelerated charge, breaking into the prominent ranks in an almost impossible manner!
This nearly perfect daughter of the Sea family, a flicker of… delight passed over her calm face!
"As expected, I didn't misjudge my opponent. Platinum… you are truly an opponent worth defeating with my full, serious effort."
"In that case, you are also worthy of my domain."
Galileo murmured offhandedly…
In the next instant, without any hesitation, she activated her own domain!
[Domain (Monarch of Charm): Activated]
[Passive (Auto-Sustained): While active, slightly increases stamina consumption. Greatly dissipates the fighting spirit of all Uma Musume on the field, slightly reduces their will to win, and slightly lowers their Speed, Acceleration, and Power.]
[Note: Effects are reduced against opponents possessing 'Horse Mint' based on its intensity.]
[(Sea Bloodline): When participating in a 'European G1 Race,' moderately increases Fighting Spirit, slightly increases Speed, and slightly suppresses the domains of Uma Musume lacking the 'Sea Bloodline.']
[Once-in-a-Century Alternative Legend: Moderately increases own Charm. Slightly drains the effectiveness of stamina recovery skills from all Uma Musume on the field. Slightly increases own Speed and Acceleration.]
This was… the forbidden domain Galileo had never before used! The final Domain Clash was about to begin!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.