A blade-like sharpness sliced through her limbs, while scorching rain streaked down her cheeks like blood.
Her stamina was draining rapidly in this perilous world, every forward step sending frantic warnings through her body, as if the track ahead was not a path but an abyss.
Narita Brian's beast-like golden eyes were locked intently on the red streak of light ahead. Her heart hammered wildly, her body trembling instinctively under the overwhelming sense of danger.
Yet, in that very moment, Narita Brian suddenly grinned.
It was the grin of a wild predator catching the scent of fresh blood. Even within Dream Weaver's soul-shaking territory, she felt not a trace of fear—only exhilaration.
"Now this is more like it."
"This is what a real race should feel like."
Narita Brian murmured to herself in the curtain of rain. This scent of blood was something she had been craving for far too long.
The races before had been too bland, too dull. Surpassing those Uma Musume who posed no threat at all couldn't satisfy Narita Brian's hunger for a true rival.
But now, at last, she had met her own kind on the track.
One who radiated the same danger, who could truly threaten her, one with whom she could tear into flesh and blood.
Narita Brian didn't rush, nor did she panic at Dream Weaver's Great Escape. As a lone wolf of the wilds, patience was her forte. This was not yet the time to bare fangs and clash.
Though it was her first encounter with a true rival, her instincts—like those of a seasoned hunter—made her restrain her bloodlust for now.
She lay low among the other Uma Musume, using them as cover to conceal her presence, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on that red glow in the rain, searching for its weakness. Only then would she strike with a single, lethal blow.
The more dangerous Dream Weaver's domain felt, the more excited Narita Brian became. She savored the crashing waves of pressure, quietly awaiting that final moment when fangs and blades would be drawn.
"Number ten, Northern Dreams, has now entered the second turn while still in the lead! She's five lengths ahead of the second-place runner—can she maintain this advantage all the way to the end?!"
"What are your thoughts, Mr. Sugimoto?"
His co-commentator's prompt snapped Sugimoto Kentaro's focus back to the race. With a quick glance at the situation on the track, he drew on years of professional experience to break it down for the audience.
"The Kikuka-shō covers three turns in total, and the second turn is both the longest and the sharpest—almost a full semicircle. On a rainy day like this, navigating a turn like that is a huge test of an Uma Musume's strength and balance."
"But what worries me more for Northern Dreams isn't this turn—it's the straight that comes after."
Hearing this, his partner smoothly picked up the thread.
"Oh? Why is that? Generally speaking, wouldn't a long, sharp turn like this be the biggest challenge for a Great Escapee?"
"Haven't many Uma Musume using Great Escapes lost their leads—and the race—because they couldn't accelerate smoothly through the turns and failed to build enough advantage?"
As a commentator qualified for G1 races, Sugimoto's partner was far from just a loud voice. He immediately grasped the point Sugimoto was making and seamlessly set him up to elaborate.
Sugimoto nodded almost unconsciously at his co-host's remark before continuing.
"Well said. That's usually the case for most courses, but the Kikuka-shō at Kyoto Racecourse is different."
"Why is that?"
Sugimoto glanced out the window at the gloomy track. Noting the red streak was nearly through the second turn, he replied steadily.
"Because the straight between the second and third turns of the Kikuka-shō is a long, uphill straight!"
"The Great Escape already demands tremendous stamina. Now, having to run on an uphill stretch—notorious for draining endurance—will only accelerate Northern Dreams' fatigue."
Sugimoto's tone was urgent. After the initial shock of Dream Weaver's bold Great Escape wore off, his reasoning had begun to settle.
The last recorded win using a Great Escape in the Kikuka-shō was decades ago—and for good reason. This course was brutally unforgiving to front-runners.
Three thousand meters was already a grueling distance. To maintain a lead through a semicircular turn and then climb an uphill slope? Sugimoto had never seen an Uma Musume who could withstand that kind of intensity.
"And besides…"
Sugimoto squinted out the window, watching the red streak speeding across the track as he added with difficulty.
"Right after that uphill straight comes the final turn. When she hits the four-hundred-meter homestretch, will she have any stamina left to accelerate?"
His words echoed over the loudspeakers above Kyoto Racecourse, prompting some spectators, still awestruck by Dream Weaver's stunning dash, to start reconsidering.
"Sugimoto's analysis is as sharp as ever. No wonder we hardly ever see Great Escape Uma Musume win the Kikuka-shō—so that's why."
A young student-like fan nodded in sudden understanding after hearing the commentary.
"In that case, Narita Brian's chances are still strong. Staying in the middle of the pack lets her conserve more energy, so she can make a final sprint down the homestretch and seize the win."
"Exactly. That Northern Dreams runner is probably just making one last desperate push. After this, the Northern name will return to the track—but the winner of this Kikuka-shō will still be Narita Brian."
The more they discussed, the more certain they became of Dream Weaver's defeat. After all, she was up against Narita Brian—the strongest of her generation, who'd already won two Triple Crown races. Wasn't she far more reliable than Dream Weaver, who'd only won the Kobe Shimbun Hai once?
"As a knowledgeable fan, I've already made my judgment: the winner of this Kikuka-shō is undoubtedly Narita Brian. As for that Northern Dreams—she's just adding a little drama to the coronation of the third crown!"
One particularly confident spectator delivered this verdict, effectively ending the discussion. But in the crowd, a young, short-haired Uma Musume who hadn't even undergone Maturation yet twitched her ears back in irritation.
"Grown-ups are so boring! Who says a front-runner can't win the Kikuka-shō?"
Seiun Sky, her heart stirred by Dream Weaver's performance, clenched her fists quietly. In her eyes, these adults only looked at data and results—they had never set foot on a track themselves. They didn't understand racing at all.
"Go for it! Show these blockheads what a real Great Escapee can do!"
Unable to hold back, Seiun Sky cupped her hands like a megaphone and shouted into the crowd.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but after her cry, as Dream Weaver charged up the uphill straight, it really seemed like she sped up again.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.