That... was a pitch-black storm, utterly sweeping through the vast racetrack!!
In the blink of an eye, the other several stalker-type Uma Musume in the mid-pack, even though most of them gritted their teeth and chose to accelerate early, couldn't offer the slightest resistance. They were effortlessly overtaken by Manhattan Cafe running beside them.
From start to finish, in the eyes of this monster who commanded a Zone, there was only another monster who also commanded a Zone!
The Zone manipulated by Manhattan was deep and terrifying like a void black hole, incredibly viscous and heavy, imposing a dreadful pressure on everyone except the silver-white maiden freely leading the charge far ahead!
Their original strategies of trying to gradually increase speed or accelerate early were utterly insignificant before Manhattan Cafe's Domain. They could only watch helplessly as their stamina drain accelerated, their steps becoming immensely heavy.
Trembling! Shaking!
It was as if they were being targeted, even hunted, by some terrifying calamity, an extremely greedy beast, without even a sliver of ability to resist!
And Manhattan... she reached the side of the front-runner Uma Musume in one go!
"So, so fast?! No good, I can't push my acceleration to the limit at all."
"Gwah... Another Zone?! Just what race am I in, the Kikuka-shō (Japanese St. Leger) or the Arima Kinen (Grand Prix)?"
"A Zone clash in a classic race? Didn't my trainer say the odds of that are lower than winning the lottery?"
"I'm really about to lose speed. I absolutely can't let Platinum or Manhattan Cafe affect my own rhythm..."
"This is hopeless, this, this... the trainer never mentioned how to deal with this!"
"Finally, is Platinum's arrow going to strike me?"
In an instant, the dark sovereign had already surpassed the chaser group and was drawing extremely close to the front-runner Uma Musume.
But... it was still far from enough!
The young Pegasus who was freely extending her Great Escape at the very front had already opened a lead of no less than twenty lengths over the second-place conventional front-runner Uma Musume!
Not to mention, the current Manhattan Cafe wasn't in second place yet; she was still some distance behind the front-runner...
Therefore, the current Manhattan Cafe held nothing back. She didn't dare to conserve energy like a normal chaser would, saving her full power for the final sprint on the homestretch. She unleashed her full power final kick acceleration now!
'Pass them! Then it's the final battlefield!'
Manhattan Cafe felt no nostalgia. Just before the third turn, she completely overtook the front-runner, completing the change for second place!
In Manhattan Cafe's view, her stamina had been significantly consumed, that was true, but which Uma Musume on the field wasn't in the same state?
Even the Great Escape monster Platinum far ahead of her must be the same!
Manhattan Cafe firmly believed that Platinum, who had activated her Zone for a long stretch, must have less stamina remaining than she did. What she needed to do... was accelerate, chase down, and capture that Pegasus.
The final slaughter! The most heated and bloody struggle... its final performance was staged here!
From the numerous Uma Musume on the racetrack to the countless spectators outside the venue, even those without a keen sense for the race could perceive it... the finale of the race was arriving early!
'Although I completely didn't anticipate it would be a Great Escape! I was caught off guard, my initial strategy failed...'
'But... there's still a chance to catch up.'
Filled with the most cold and domineering resolve, the dark sovereign erupted with a speed far surpassing the Uma Musume behind her. After the third turn, she began her pursuit of the big escaping Pegasus at the very front!
There was a gap of over twenty lengths, and there was still some distance before entering the homestretch.
There was still a chance to catch up! The outcome... was still unknown!
The long-distance monster hidden and lurking in the shadows for months swore to achieve victory in this Kikuka-shō!
"The Pegasus's Undefeated Legend, let it end here!!"
--+--
The Great Escape running style has always been relatively common yet seldom used by many.
In every race, there are usually only one or two front-runners competing for the leading advantage, aiming to run free from interference by the rear pack and avoid fighting for position with other horse girls on crowded tracks.
The so-called Great Escape takes the advantages of the front-runner style to the extreme, expanding them infinitely. It's an all-out, no-holds-barred, abandon-everything performance on top of the base style, pushing a Uma Musume to recklessly drain her stamina in the first half to gain a massive lead.
The drawbacks of this style are just as obvious as its advantages, perhaps even more fatal!
Namely, in the latter half, stamina often becomes insufficient. So forget about any final kick; just managing not to lose speed on the final homestretch is already quite impressive.
In past history, tragedies of Uma Musume suffering severe fractures due to the immense physical burden of the Great Escape style are all too common... Therefore, it's a near-taboo, extremely shocking running style, always exceedingly rare.
And now, Platinum was running with the Great Escape style in such a long-distance race!
The gaze of most spectators in the venue fell upon her, watching to see how much the gap between her and the second-place Uma Musume behind her would widen.
And Manhattan Cafe, who had taken second place, was extremely swift and fierce. In a very short time, just past the halfway point of the third turn, she had already shaken off the front-runner behind her by five or six lengths!
[The Great Escaping Pegasus, she continues to fly!]
[The peerlessly fast Platinum leads by a whopping twenty-two lengths! But…]
[The pace has changed! Manhattan Cafe, having unleashed her Zone, rapidly seized second place and is charging towards Platinum.]
[It seems Manhattan Cafe, worried that accelerating too late would make catching up impossible, is courageously starting her acceleration early!]
[Will the Pegasus break the curse of the Great Escape and soar through the skies? Or will Manhattan Cafe become the ultimate dark horse, ending in one move the Demon King of the Irregular Champion?!]
The exclamations from the commentator stirred up a sea of roaring excitement from the spectator stands!
--+--
And at the very front on the turf!
The silver-white maiden maintaining her momentum, her body showing no signs of exhaustion, didn't seem to be struggling more like the girls in the rear pack as they entered the latter stages.
On Platinum's exquisite face, there was no gritting of silver teeth or flushed cheeks, only an expression filled with pleasure.
Occupying the first-place throne like this, enjoying the view ahead alone... gave Platinum a rare, novel feeling.
This was the thrill of leading the charge!
This was the roar of the crowd focused solely on her!
In that case... why give up the first-place seat?
Just then, in an instant—!!
The silver-white Pegasus at the very front, back arched, navigated the turn and arrived first on the final homestretch, launching her final charge towards the distant finish line!
'Can you keep up, Manhattan Cafe!'
--+--
At the final moment, it was Mr. C.B. who voiced the astonished commentary.
[The entire field is starting their final acceleration, but suppressed by the Zone and the long distance, almost every Uma Musume's displayed final kick acceleration is... unable to close the gap with Platinum at all?!]
[The Pegasus at the front has already far surpassed Manhattan Cafe in second place by a full twenty-four lengths!]
[Twenty-five lengths! Still, no one can close the gap!]
[This is a Great Escape that defies common sense! How can a Great Escape Uma Musume's acceleration make it so the chaser's final kicks can't close the gap even a bit?!]
[In this Kikuka-shō deciding the "Strongest," will history be broken once again?]
--+--
And on the front turf...
"Haah... haah..."
She was only approaching the fourth turn, and hadn't even set foot on the homestretch yet!
Currently in second place, Manhattan Cafe, this mad, dark beast, widened her eyes as if witnessing something utterly unbelievable.
"Guh!"
"This... how is this possible?"
"The Zone's dominance and suppression...?"
Shouldn't a clash of Zones be evenly matched, fought to the bitter end?
And unleashing a Domain inevitably increases stamina drain. A Great Escape consumes stamina to the extreme. Combined...
It was one thing that Platinum showed no sign of losing speed, but why was there no deceleration at all?
What made this mad, dark maiden grit her teeth in utter disbelief was...
Even at her absolute limit, she was not only completely suppressed in terms of the Zone, but even the Platinum sprinting freely down the homestretch seemed...
Untouchable!
How is that possible?!
In everyone's understanding, Great Escape Uma Musume don't have a final kick.
A Great Escape is even more extreme than a regular escape, consumes even more stamina, and absolutely cannot support a final kick. Being able to avoid losing speed would be a miracle!
'As a chaser, my final kick can't catch up, can't close the gap with a Great Escape Uma Musume?'
'It's not...'
If she had seen this outside the race, Manhattan Cafe would probably be speechless.
But the race wasn't over yet! The next moment, she regained her composure, then once again fixed her ice-cold gaze, deadly staring at the shining figure ahead.
The spectral figure of the maiden behind Platinum, currently drawing her bow, had already shot her arrow at the Uma Musume in gate number four!
It wouldn't be long... before it was her turn, number two?!
Manhattan Cafe looked up at Platinum, over twenty lengths ahead, her breathing growing more rapid.
Even as a chaser, she no longer possessed the possibility of launching a faster final kick. The gap was simply despair-inducing!
This massive lead... even if Platinum lost speed right now, she wouldn't be able to overtake before the Phantom Goddess's arrow struck her!
That noble Phantom Goddess drawing her bow seemed to be executing judgment, declaring this wasn't a duel, a struggle, or a race, but a hunt belonging solely to Platinum!
'Sigh...'
'At, at the very least, I can't lose miserably!'
'There's still most of the homestretch left. As long as Platinum can't hold on and loses speed... then I can at least close the gap to single-digit lengths. I can still make it to the Winner's Stage!'
In the dark maiden's heart, her goal abruptly shifted from 'must win' to — if Platinum loses speed, she can limit the loss to just a few lengths and still make it to the Winner's Stage!
But the prerequisite was... the Pegasus had to exhaust her stamina and lose speed!
Yet the Platinum at the very front continued to display a form beyond everyone's imagination, as if running precisely to surpass and shatter the common sense of every Uma Musume on the field and the spectators watching!
--+--
On the turf at the very front, there was only the figure of a lone dancer.
The silver-white maiden's amber eyes were filled with a commanding light.
Before, when Platinum used a closing style hiding in the rear, she was an assassin in the shadows, the Platinum worthy of the name "Knight Killer"...
Then now, with no other Uma Musume ahead, only the vast racetrack and the roaring cheers from the countless spectators on both sides of the stands...
[Idol Knight · Centaurea] was briefly awakened.
Not as some hitman for the Armorless Union, not as some Knight Killer.
But as the maiden Centaurea, unusually and rarely stirred by the desire to perform on stage, wanting to put on a show on this all-too-familiar ground.
Under the illumination of [Pegasian Sight], wasn't the generated Coliseum of Kazimierz precisely the stage Platinum had trod as an Idol Knight?
The silver-white maiden was unusually slightly serious and focused. She never had a particularly intense, burning desire to win, but at the very least—she disliked the feeling of losing!
'Manhattan Cafe is an excellent opponent, can't underestimate her.'
'But from my Great Escape lead, I can't see her at all. Must stay vigilant. If she catches up from behind, it'll be hard to counter-overtake.'
The Great Escape style is notorious for having no late-race power. When the peripheral vision can see other Uma Musume, it means you're about to be overtaken!
Therefore—!
She absolutely could not relinquish this view! She could not allow other Uma Musume to enter her peripheral vision!
Since she had held the lead for most of the race, she would maintain it until the finish line!
Having made her decision, Platinum looked down upon the nearby fourth turn and the final homestretch.
The next moment, the silver-white maiden, her fighting spirit soaring, saw new radiance rise within the Coliseum of Kazimierz commanded by her Zone. Multicolored lights flickered above the coliseum by the Zone.
No, the focus wasn't the racetrack lights anymore, but... music!
The background music from the Coliseum in the game Arknights, accompanying Platinum's first ignited will to fight, her unwillingness to lose, resounded completely in the ears of every Uma Musume on the field.
It was as if it was proclaiming...
The true competition of the shining Idol Knight, Centaurea, had only just begun!
[(Unextended Wrath): Slightly drains the stamina of horse girls with weaker momentum than oneself, slightly reduces their speed; when a horse girl with stronger momentum than oneself exists, slightly recovers own stamina, slightly increases own speed.]
[(Lone Challenger): The fewer horse girls nearby, the faster own speed increases, the more own stamina recovers.]
[(Knight Killer): The more Uma Musume cumulatively overtaken, the faster own speed increases; when no horse girls are ahead, slightly recovers own stamina.]
The Pegasian Sight dominated by Platinum early on, on the eve of the final straight, suddenly displayed a second wave of Zone skills. The Zone's intensity actually increased a notch further!
Now, the silver-white maiden on the Great Escape was not some lazy assassin just finishing a hunt and clocking out, but an Idol Knight refusing to lose!
Under the gaze of the multitude, witnessed live by far over a hundred thousand spectators, and countless more through the live broadcast...
The Pegasus, who should have reached her limit, who should have been immensely drained by the big escape and the Zone, was soaring!
Even more, she was actually widening the final gap with the dark sovereign Manhattan Cafe, who was using her full-power final kick!
--+--
Manhattan Cafe, who in any other Kikuka-shō would have the qualification to be the most fearsome dark horse, a Zone wielder, from start to finish... never even had the chance to engage in a struggle, a death duel, or run side-by-side against Platinum!
This was the ultimate elegance of the Great Escape!
Twenty-six lengths!
Platinum stepped onto the final half of the homestretch, charging towards the finish line! An unprecedented Zone was blooming.
Twenty-seven lengths!
In the spectator stands, the also Domain-wielding Emperor, Symboli Rudolf, looked stunned; the Phantom Triple Crown winner, Agnes Tachyon, stood dumbfounded.
Twenty-eight lengths!
Far over a hundred thousand spectators wore expressions of stupefaction before erupting into earth-shattering cries and excited voices.
The commentary of Mr. C.B. grew excited and elevated to its peak.
[The path to the Triple Crown, that is the final straight!!]
[The awe-inspiring Pegasus allows absolutely no one to get close!]
[Without a doubt, that is simply soaring! The Pegasus is soaring!]
The grand and excited voice of the commentator, accompanied by the instantaneously sky-shaking cheers from the stands and the Pegasus flying at the apex, formed a magnificent picture worthy of being recorded in the annals of Japanese Uma Musume history!
At the very front, where the dark shadow racing at her absolute limit could only look on with unwillingness and awe at the silver-white Pegasus, she charged towards the final sprint for the pinnacle of the Triple Crown!
[—The silver-white figure is dashing out!!]
[Cheer freely! Platinum leads, there is simply no one who can catch up now!]
[Twenty-nine lengths! Thirty lengths! Please don't blink, don't miss the finish that will surely be recorded in Japanese, even world, Uma Musume history!]
[Perhaps we will never see such a shocking race again in our lifetimes, it is simply... the "Once-in-a-Lifetime" Pegasus, Platinum!]
Mr. C.B.'s extremely elevated commentary still hadn't stopped, but in the next moment...
Suddenly, this Triple Crown senior commentator's voice trembled slightly.
[Huh?!]
And near the finish line, the silver-white maiden at the very front felt a burning curiosity rise once more...
From start to finish, she hadn't seen any other figures. It was as if this wasn't a race, but a solo performance.
Just how many lengths had her Great Escape opened up?
Back during the Epsom Derby, Platinum had felt the urge to look back, but held back somewhat for her first overseas race.
But now, with the overtaking special effects upgraded alongside the Great Escape, she wanted to see with her own eyes the arrows in the quiver, the overtaking special effect!
Indulging herself, freely running her big escape, Platinum could no longer resist her curiosity. So her amber gem-like brilliant eyes...
The next moment, were no longer fixed on the immediately upcoming, within-reach finish line.
Platinum couldn't help but look back, turning her gaze behind her, towards the extremely distant dark maiden, Manhattan Cafe!
The instant she turned her head, she saw a spectral maiden figure almost identical to herself drawing a bow, shooting a dazzling, meteor-like arrow towards Manhattan Cafe!
And in the final classic race, the Kikuka-shō, as the big escape lead-running Pegasus Platinum looked back, the moment was captured by the finish line's high-speed camera, destined to become yet another classic painting passed down through the ages!
At this moment, under the cheers of the multitude, Platinum, gazing behind her, crossed the finish line with absolute monarch-like bearing.
Recreating — [The Look Back]!
[Pegasus · Platinum crosses the finish line first! The lead is actually... a full thirty-one lengths!]
[Irregular Quadruple Crown! A world first! Unprecedented and likely never to be seen again, achieving a super large margin victory through a big escape that surpassed common sense and curses. This is the Pegasus soaring through the world!]
[Let us celebrate! From the Oaks to the Japanese Derby, to the Kikuka-shō, in this "Irregular Triple Crown," Platinum has broken the time record and the margin-of-victory record in every single race!]
[She has once again performed the Glance Back, achieving total overwhelming victory in a record-breaking manner, proclaiming the title of "Strongest"!]
--+--
Shock!!
Hype!!
The spectator stands at this moment held only these; there was no trace of "calm" left.
For the sea of spectators in the stands, they had witnessed something they had never seen before... never even heard of in all their years — such a Monumental Victory!
"Platinum!!! Platinum!!! Platinum!!!"
"Gwah, to witness such an awe-inspiring Uma Musume, even dying would be worth the ticket price!"
"31 lengths?? Is that a result a Uma Musume can actually achieve?! Shouldn't she be running the American Triple Crown with that strength, not the Japanese one!"
"Gasp... This race was worth it. Didn't waste my flight from Europe to Japan to see this final classic race of Platinum's!"
"This is the Proof of the Strongest! Platinum is invincible!!"
"Eh? Not just us who ran the Oaks got the Look Back treatment! Heh... Good! I shouldn't be the only one suffering!"
Countless excited discussions continuously resounded throughout the venue.
Whether ordinary spectators, retired Uma Musume, or active Uma Musume, all were shocked to the extreme!
And at the front, where Agnes Tachyon, Kurofune, Jungle Pocket, and Mejiro Dober were.
They were all wide-eyed; even the mad scientist Agnes Tachyon couldn't hide her astonishment!
"Platinum's long-distance ability seems... even more terrifying than her middle-distance performances in the Derby and Oaks?!"
Jungle Pocket's eyes widened!
Kurofune and Mejiro Dober subtly shifted their gazes, quietly looking together towards Agnes Tachyon.
In their classic generation, first Mejiro Dober and Kyōei March, then Jungle Pocket and Kurofune, now Manhattan Cafe... all had suffered massive margin defeats against Platinum.
Only a certain Satsuki-shō (2000 Guineas) Champion remained, who hadn't yet faced Platinum.
"If the opponent is Platinum, it might give me a little trouble."
A tentative inquiry came from Jungle Pocket.
"Tachyon, but can you win?"
Agnes Tachyon was taken aback and fell silent.
"Nah, I'd win!"
Probably...?
--+--
Beyond the finish line.
The silver-white maiden stood past the finish line, gently stroking the emptied quiver.
'Double the prize money, successfully secured!'
--+--
T/N: ABSOLUTE CINEMA
--+--
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.