The Great Escape?
The Great Escape!
Beneath this pitch-black canopy of storm clouds, under a curtain of rain that blotted out the sun, was Pegasus really about to unleash that most forbidden running style in her dirt track debut?!
That was universally acknowledged as the most extreme test of an Uma Musume's endurance, power, and more—a forbidden art as spectacular and radical as the Great Chase!
From the starting gates to her left and right, all the way to the first-favorite top contender Dubai Millennium positioned further away, every eye widened in shock, as if witnessing something utterly inconceivable!
You have to understand—this was a Great Escape, on a heavy track, in the pouring rain!!
"Wasn't Pegasus running a Great Chase in the previous race? How did she switch to a Great Escape so suddenly?!"
"Huh?? On a heavy track… can you even lead like that?"
"The Great Escape tests stamina more than any other style! Does Platinum really have the endurance to sustain a leading Great Escape on this heavy track?"
"What an utterly arrogant creature! Does she not realize she's already full of weaknesses?!"
Quite a few American dirt track Uma Musume were both astonished and nearly gleeful, as if already foreseeing Platinum's slowdown in the latter half.
Dirt and turf are two distinctly different types of tracks, and this difference is most apparent in the running styles.
The orthodox running styles for turf races are almost universally acknowledged worldwide as [Chasing] and [Stalking]—the mainstream, most victory-prone methods.
But on the neighboring dirt tracks, the most common orthodox styles are [Chasing] and… [Front-running]!
That's right, Front Running. Dirt track Uma Musume prefer not to let gaps widen too much, avoiding over-reliance on their final kick.
But there's a world of difference between Front Running and the Great Escape. Even in America, where front-running styles are extremely common, few Uma Musume dare to unleash a full Great Escape in high-stakes G1 races.
Let alone a Great Escape on a heavy track, in a pitch-black downpour!!
Even looking across the world-class American dirt racing scene, you'd be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of examples in history of Uma Musume who dared a Great Escape on a heavy track.
So even Dubai Millennium, that steady Queen of Dual Surfaces, was staring with wide eyes.
—You're just a bit too extreme!!!
'This little Pegasus, she dares to start a Great Escape?'
'She… truly has no fear of the dirt, no reverence for the heavy track?'
'Pegasus' world-famous Arima Kinen, and the recent Dubai Sheema Classic, were both [Great Chases].'
'Is she so free-spirited that she's either last or first??'
The next moment, caution flickered across Dubai Millennium's face, with very little joy.
In the eyes of many dirt track Uma Musume, letting a gap widen too much is extremely dangerous, but the Great Escape… that's the exception among exceptions.
Most of the time, you don't need to waste energy worrying about a Great Escape runner—they'll slow down on their own.
But Dubai Millennium knew clearly: this Silver-White Maiden was the one crowned Pegasus, the Turf Titan!
Even battle-worn, whether she would actually slow down… Dubai Millennium didn't dare judge easily, placing bets so early.
But at least one thing was certain: the opponent to watch was now confirmed, right… at the very front!
'Don't rashly chase a Great Escape runner. Don't let Platinum disrupt my rhythm yet.'
'It's not too late to start closing the gap once it becomes dangerous.'
In dirt racing, distances from 1600m to 2000m are common, standard affairs. The 2400m so frequent in turf races is an extremely long distance for dirt.
This 2000m World Cup isn't short for a dirt race, sitting between long and short, testing both endurance and final kick!
A full-throttle Great Escape might be more than the silver-white girl can handle!
Therefore, Dubai Millennium was confident she could reel in this out-of-control Pegasus in the latter half.
Right now, she was perfectly rested, in peak condition, feeling absolutely wonderful!
In Dubai Millennium's view, perhaps her endurance couldn't match Pegasus', but in terms of overall dirt ability, explosive power, and sheer strength, she had absolute confidence, even superiority.
How could someone who became a world-class, history-making dual-surface Uma Musume be just anybody?
Next, Dubai Millennium watched as that Silver-White Pegasus, treading upon a seven-colored Rainbow Path she herself deeply envied and was seeing for the first time, raced further and further ahead with dazzling running effects.
Full of confidence, Dubai Millennium chose to maintain a position near the front of the pack.
Almost immediately after the gates opened, she secured a favorable spot closer to the rail, but not the worst-going innermost path!
'Good. Let the Great Escape drain Platinum of her proud stamina.'
'Once we hit the latter half, it'll be my stage!!'
--+--
Meanwhile, across the world.
From France, Ireland, to Germany and Japan, trending news headlines popped up in many countries.
All of them were about the ongoing Dubai World Cup.
In a villa in England.
A petite chestnut-haired girl sat with her legs crossed, a lollipop dangling from her mouth, browsing her phone with great interest.
This genius girl named Sea the Stars had turned off the World Cup live stream after watching the Dubai Sheema Classic.
"If it were a standard track, big sister could have fought with Montjeu for second place."
"But a heavy track… there was just no way."
Sea the Stars wasn't too surprised by the race outcome.
After all, Galileo was the "Daughter of the Heavy Track Ghost," while Montjeu was the "New Heavy Track Ghost"—put that way, it was clear.
One had 90 points in heavy track affinity, the other over 95. When raw abilities were close, experience and affinity for the heavy track became the deciding factors.
As for that Pegasus, even stronger than Montjeu, who achieved a dominating victory by a huge margin…
Her heavy track affinity had reached a level Sea the Stars could scarcely imagine!
"Besides that terrifying affinity, her special effects are quite spectacular too."
"Ah, why don't I have such cool, awesome special effects?"
Sea the Stars couldn't stop thinking about the various effects of that Silver-White Pegasus.
Envy, just pure envy!
Running effects, overtaking effects… she had none of those! The only thing she had was a Zone effect. While it was vaster and more impressive than most world-class or even historic-level Uma Musume Zones when activated…
Compared to Pegasus, it was truly paling in comparison!
Not to mention, Platinum's Zone didn't just have visual effects; it also had incredibly beautiful music! And it could be broadcast for the whole world to see.
Next to that Pegasus, any other Uma Musume's proud Zone seemed pathetically shabby.
This made Sea the Stars, who was often praised across Europe for her prodigious talent and awe-inspiring Zone as the "Daughter of the Three Goddesses," feel that…
She, at best, was picked up from the dumpster, while Platinum was the real biological daughter!
After sighing and envying, Sea the Stars lowered her head to keep browsing her phone.
But suddenly, she stumbled upon utterly astonishing news from just a minute ago!
[Breaking News! After winning the Dubai Sheema Classic, Pegasus Platinum announced she will refuse to avoid the dirt World Cup and will run again!]
[The world's first Uma Musume to run two international G1 races in a single day is born!]
[Don't miss it! Pegasus Platinum's second challenge on the heavy track will become a historic, legendary battle for the ages!]
Seeing these reports, even this chestnut-haired girl, whose talent crowned Europe and who aspired to become a legend herself, stared wide-eyed.
No way…
Two races, in one day???
Even she found it utterly unbelievable, like a story from a hundred years ago.
That's right, a hundred years ago.
The legendary Eclipse was said to have run two races in a very short time span.
But it must be acknowledged that the Uma Musume world a century ago developed slowly, opponents were of varying quality, and overall standards were far below the increasingly prosperous present.
So while many recognized Eclipse's strength, acknowledging her as a Legend among Legends, they didn't believe Eclipse, if born in the modern era, could replicate those magnificent achievements, like running two races in a day…
In other words, in the eyes of many, that strongest turf runner, Eclipse, was born in the wrong era—crushing weaklings in a time full of minnows. In terms of opponent quality and achievement merit, she fell short of modern legends.
And now—
The Silver-White Maiden Platinum, crowned "Lunar Eclipse," a name echoing Eclipse's own, was undertaking an equally staggering, terrifying double campaign against incredibly strong opponents!
Such a feat, such daring, left Sea the Stars stunned.
"This girl…"
"Could she really be aiming to rival, even surpass, Eclipse??"
The supreme masterpiece of the Sea family, Sea the Stars, pupils constricted, falling into a long, deep silence.
Soon, from within the petite frame of this chestnut-haired girl erupted a presence far surpassing that of her sister, Galileo.
Sea the Stars crossed her arms, a slight curve forming on her cherry lips, sketching out absolute audacity. There was no trace of awe, only battle spirit ignited.
"Without worthy opponents, no matter how many races you win, it's hard to claim a seat among the century-spanning legends."
"Originally, I was worried about whether there would be excellent opponents to serve as stepping stones, helping me reach the top…"
"Now, I don't need to worry anymore…"
Want to become the strongest, the greatest in turf history?
Then come to the Arc de Triomphe, and surpass her, Sea the Stars, first!
"At least one turf legend will emerge between us, but… it will be me first!"
--+--
Dubai World Cup, Racecourse.
Tens of thousands of spectators in the stands couldn't help but voice their astonishment, many stumbling over their words.
"Is that… a Great Escape in the rain? Did the special effects change?"
"I've seen plenty of front runners on dirt, but a Great Escape on a heavy track? This is my first time!"
"Wait, does Miss Platinum really not fear slowing down?"
"This Dubai World Cup ticket was worth every penny! Seeing Pegasus twice, once in a Great Chase, once in a Great Escape!!"
"Huh? Wait!! The special effects during the Great Escape are different from the Great Chase?"
Many had only seen the chasing Platinum from the Arima Kinen and the just-finished chase.
They thought the third time would be the same…
But now, they saw Platinum unleash a Great Escape, and even the special effects had changed?
Among the crowd in the stands, some girls with equine features even had stars in their eyes, gazing fixedly at the silver-white girl accelerating relentlessly at the front.
"Woof, I'm Heavenly Horse's dog!!!!"
"Miss Platinum, please shoot an arrow my way!"
--+--
On the track!
The flying footsteps of the Silver-White Maiden.
Past the finish line, once again materialized the familiar ethereal visage of a Maiden Goddess that stunned the entire audience!
This sacred, ethereal, and majestic apparition of a Maiden Goddess sat high upon a throne, calmly drawing her bow…
Zone, activate!
[(Pegasian Sight): Activated]
[Will activate at least three exclusive domain skills most suited to the current situation, significantly increasing aura suppression pressure, causing additional stamina drain for all horse girls on the field, and slightly reducing their speed.]
[Passive (Auto-sustained): Will slightly reduce own speed, moderately increase power and enhance stride frequency, slightly improve insight, reaction…]
Next, the first arrow shot by the Maiden Goddess transformed into a blazing, brilliant stream of light, piercing through the layers of black clouds.
Twin Moons, in the next instant, turned into an Eclipse, devouring the Sun!
In other words—
The race had just begun, and Platinum's Zone effects had already erupted, stunning the entire audience and dominating the vast racecourse!
After the immense Colosseum of Kazimierz enveloped the entire field, what truly shocked the audience, and the Uma Musume behind Platinum, was…
That Phantom Maiden Goddess actually spoke, uttering brief words audible to all.
"One."
Her voice was almost identical to Platinum's.
Anyone who knew Platinum would immediately hear that voice and think of her.
The only difference, perhaps, was… an added layer of ethereal, divine authority, like a Goddess, like Platinum in her Pegasus form!
The next moment, the arrows shot by the Phantom Maiden Goddess seemed to transform into endless streams of radiant light, shooting towards the outermost lane position!
It wasn't a single, sweeping annihilation, a meteor shower hunting down all Uma Musume at once. Instead, it began counting, gradually targeting all Uma Musume from the outside in, piercing them one by one!
It was clearly—the silver-white girl in her goddess form, coldly conducting a roll call, commencing her… [Judgment]!!
The first to be pierced was a certain American Uma Musume from gate fourteen in the outermost lane!
Not far from her…
In the leading group, quite a few American Uma Musume felt their hair stand on end.
Pegasus' Zone had just activated, merely suppressing the field with pure aura pressure, yet it was already slowing down the footsteps of every Uma Musume!
Races and duels aren't simple addition and subtraction, but unable to accelerate immediately, so soon after the start, they could only watch as the Pegasus raced further and further away willfully!
The absolute suppression of the Zone, that gradual Judgment overtaking effect—it was becoming a nightmare haunting many Uma Musume's hearts!
"Gulp… Wait, isn't this supposed to be shared suffering for everyone?"
"Why is it judging from the outside in?"
"It's over. It's like a Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads."
"The pressure is immense. After three or four more Uma Musume get shot, it'll be my turn…"
Not every Uma Musume had the time or interest to learn about Pegasus' Great Escape effects before they were publicly known.
In essence dirt track Uma Musume were naturally half a world apart from turf specialists; those who knew were the minority.
But now… Platinum delivered this surprise!
Roll call, execution!
It was as if Miss Pegasus viewed all the Uma Musume she had already surpassed as caged prey.
And among the front positions…
The Queen of Dual Surfaces, Dubai Millennium, her cold gaze fixed on the distance ahead.
Unlike the nearby Uma Musume sweating bullets, greatly affected emotionally and mentally by the escaping Platinum, Dubai Millennium's heart remained utterly undisturbed.
Because she had long since marked Platinum as interesting prey!
Even before the race, when she learned Platinum had entered both races, Dubai Millennium had specifically gathered information on Platinum, including her different running styles and overtaking effects.
In Dubai Millennium's view, it was just delaying the shot.
Often, the relationship between hunter and prey wasn't stable; it could flip at any moment.
Right now, the escaping Pegasus was temporarily the hunter. When the time was right, it would be her turn to overtake. What did being shot once now matter?
Compared to ultimate victory, all this was worthless, meaningless flashiness!
All these special effects had nothing to do with her; she was only interested in the championship!
The proud, historically strongest dual-wielding queen maintained her arrogance, monitoring the gap to Platinum.
'Platinum is almost at the first turn!'
'So fast! This pace is outrageous for a heavy track! Already four lengths ahead of the second-place front runner!'
'It seems I can't use the timing I'd use against other Great Escape runners to deal with this Pegasus. That would definitely be too late.'
Proud, yet not lacking sharp instincts, keen and experienced reactions, and respect for Platinum!
And the next moment—
[(Heavenly Horse Not of This World): Activatable when track condition is "Yielding," "Heavy," or "Muddy." Restores stamina based on track severity, and…]
[(Lone Proud Challenger): The fewer horse girls nearby, the faster own speed increases, stamina…]
That dazzling silver-white figure, under the illumination of Terra's mysterious Twin Moons, seemed to transform into a brilliant meteor tearing through everything, shining so brightly that the tens of thousands of spectators stared dumbfounded at what followed!
Platinum's Zone was finally truly unleashed!
And this… was the second time the audience was seeing [Pegasian Sight]. Logically, the impact should have lessened.
But compared to the astonishing performance of opening a huge gap so easily on a heavy track in the first half, what truly left the entire audience, and the dozen-plus competing Uma Musume, stunned and speechless… wasn't some track effect, nor the domain music.
It was, on the Colosseum of Kazimierz! At the location of the finish line, where the Maiden Goddess had sat upon her throne…
It, from a single throne, suddenly transformed into a sacred, solemn hall!!!
At the center of this hall stood the Phantom Maiden Goddess, seemingly declaring its opening as the hall's master.
And within the hall stood numerous sculptures of… Uma Musume Maidens!
Many among the audience, a significant number of Platinum fans, immediately recognized those horse girl sculptures as the [Second Place] finishers from past races against Platinum!!
The poses and expressions carved into the sculptures captured the moment they, as runners-up, witnessed their defeat as Platinum crossed the line first. Now, they were immortalized as sculptures in Pegasus' hall!
Worth mentioning, beneath these lifelike sculptures were plaques, clearly and concisely recording which race it was, which country the Uma Musume was from, and what result she achieved.
Moreover, even the placement of the sculptures was peculiar!
On the throne where the Goddess-like Platinum Phantom sat, only one Uma Musume sculpture had the honor of standing beside her, as if the Pegasus only praised and acknowledged this one opponent's achievements.
It was a sculpture of a crimson-haired, incredibly well-endowed twin-tailed girl, gritting her teeth with shock in her eyes, captured in a running pose that showed she still hadn't given up. As the [Only One Who Came Close to Heavenly Horse] sculpture, she appeared beside the Maiden Goddess.
She was an Uma Musume completely unfamiliar to the vast audience, and many on the track—someone they'd never heard of!
"Th-this… there are new effects?"
"What is this, a Hall of Fame effect? Displaying the strongest rivals from past races who came closest to Pegasus?"
"Wait, why are there two sculptures of Galileo meaning she's lost twice, plus just now, captured three times by Platinum?"
"Hold on, one sculpture looks familiar. Isn't this Montjeu, who was just overtaken by a huge margin by Pegasus half an hour ago? Recorded in the hall already?"
"Besides that, what I'm most curious about is… that one closest to the Goddess Pegasus, nearest to the throne—what Uma Musume is that? Why have I never heard of her in America?"
Beneath the crimson-haired twin-tailed girl's sculpture, the plaque recorded:
[Debut Race]
[Daiwa Scarlet]
[Lost – 5 Lengths]
And as for the Heavy Track Ghost Montjeu, who had just engaged in a fierce duel with Pegasus Platinum…
The record beneath her was…
[Dubai Sheema Classic]
[Montjeu]
[Lost – 11 Lengths]
Montjeu's sculpture, frozen in disbelief, was placed a significant distance from the throne, not as close as Daiwa Scarlet's.
And in the farthest corner of the hall, in the shadows where the Twin Moons' light barely reached, stood an unnoticed pitch-black sculpture.
That was—
[Kikuka Sho]
[Manhattan Cafe]
[Lost – 31 Lengths]
To put it in the words of the overly excited Kitasan Black in the stands, vigorously shaking her best friend Satono Diamond's shoulders:
"Daiwa Scarlet, the more you look, the stronger she seems!!!"
--+--
Simultaneously, in the Uma Musume waiting area under the [Dubai Sheema Classic] banner.
A strong-willed blonde beauty had already tidied her appearance, readjusted her low spirits after defeat.
At least she was second; she hadn't disgraced her "Heavy Track Ghost" title, right?
Montjeu had already accepted her loss, and reluctantly accepted that as the second place finisher, being beaten by such a large margin meant she wasn't qualified to be Platinum's dance partner on the Winner's Stage.
She had stayed backstage specifically to watch Pegasus' performance in this Dirt World Cup.
Considering herself at least better than the third-place Galileo!
When she, along with the dark-haired girl Galileo not far away, saw Platinum fully activate [Pegasian Sight], actually unveiling a [Hall]…
These two super-talents famous across Europe, these two strong rivals Platinum had somewhat cared about in the previous race, completely… shattered.
Shattered physically, mentally, in every way conceivable!!
It was easy to imagine that from now on, whenever Platinum was mentioned, this hall, that sculpture closest to Platinum, would be brought up.
When Galileo clearly saw her own two sculptures engraved in Pegasus' hall, her gaze went completely blank…
As for the blonde beauty Montjeu, she bit her lip, her breathing growing slightly rapid.
'This… oh no, being second isn't so great either!!!'
Now, they were going to be socially embarrassed!
The hall, revealed!
Seeing it clearly, in the front positions.
The confident expression on the galloping Dubai Millennium's face stiffened!
The dual-wielding queen, who remained completely unmoved and indifferent even upon seeing Platinum's overtaking effects, finally felt a stir in her cold heart.
'No, absolutely not! Must not end up in Platinum's hall!!'
'I cannot be second!!!'
--+--
T/N: Can't tell if its worse for Manhattan Cafe or worse for Daiwa
--+--
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.