The race had just reached the first turn, and the Black Phantom was already showing signs of fatigue.
Up in the viewing stand, Air Groove narrowed her eyes.
"What a dreadful feeling…"
She rarely voiced her thoughts so bluntly.
"So you feel it too."
Symboli Rudolf crossed her arms.
"There are three essential elements to a G1 stage," she said.
The course, the performers, and the audience.
"From the moment Uma Musume step onto the track, they are no longer alone."
Friends and family who support them, fans who adore them, their cheering squads—one could say that Uma Musume are beings who carry the hopes of everyone. They bear the wishes of countless people upon their shoulders.
The sounds of those people's applause, cheers, and desperate encouragement all transform into their driving force, pushing them forward.
The 'performers' and the 'audience' elevate each other, playing equally important roles on this stage.
Air Groove naturally understood what Rudolf meant.
When standing on the track, the influence of the audience could not be ignored. Their voices, their every action, could impact the outcome of the race.
But this influence wasn't merely conceptual.
Once, Air Groove had been dazzled by incessant camera flashes from the spectator stands, causing a temporary blind spot in her vision.
That single mistake made her miss her chance to accelerate, resulting in a dismal finish.
Losing a race not due to one's own shortcomings, but because of external factors—that kind of regret was often far more bitter.
Watching that black figure, now devoid of its usual imposing aura, Air Groove seemed to hallucinate a vision of her own crushing defeat in the [Shuka Sho].
A 'performer' whose performance was ruined by the 'audience'…
How utterly detestable.
As if discerning her thoughts, Rudolf turned her gaze back to the track.
"You'd best not underestimate her."
Though her strides seemed somewhat unsteady, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, her racing line was remarkably clear, clinging tightly just half a length behind Tamamo Cross.
Moreover, even with the entire field's pace being forced high by Maruzensky, she was still managing to keep up.
Rudolf surmised that the black mare's physical condition was far from as dire as it appeared.
Her mind was still sharp, and her stamina ample.
Putting on this act was likely a ploy to deceive her opponents.
After demonstrating terrifying prowess, she had suddenly begun feigning weakness.
…Was that really it? Perhaps.
Combined with the overwhelming wave of opposition from the spectators, if Rudolf hadn't been observing closely with the luxury of time as a non-participant, even she might have been fooled by the other's flawless disguise.
"Heh, this one… she always brings surprises whenever she appears."
Though they were natural rivals, Rudolf had to admit that the other was, to date, a top-tier existence among all the Uma Musume she had encountered, a paragon who combined raw power, technique, and tactical cunning.
"If not for the current circumstances… I'd truly like to race you again…"
This time, she would wear her own specialized running shoes.
--+--
The race's tempo… was faster than anticipated!
Gradually shifting their focus from the black mare in the back to the race itself, the competitors began to pay attention to the front-running Maruzensky.
They had witnessed the simulated race. With Maruzensky's footspeed, it was hard to say whether she would slow down or stall in the final stages.
This meant that if they allowed Maruzensky to continue leading and extending her lead, catching up in the latter part of the race would be nearly impossible. They had to keep the distance within a range where an accelerating surge could overtake her.
Therefore, the average pace of the entire race had to be raised.
Following closely behind Maruzensky, Road Royal maintained second position, half a length behind.
Damn it! She was completely being led by the nose—!
As a front-runner herself, she should have been building an advantage early in the race. But now, merely keeping up with the other's pace was taking everything she had.
Just what kind of monster was this…!
The red figure unhesitatingly stretched her legs, her feet touching the grass and kicking back powerfully.
An intense sensation of friction transmitted from her soles, the swish-swish-swish sound filling Maruzensky's heart with immense delight.
Her excitement for the race far outweighed any nervousness.
Every cell in her body danced with joy.
To take back every race that belonged to her—perhaps this was the joy of reclaiming what was lost.
However, although Maruzensky maintained the lead, she was also mindful of the situation behind her.
The 'Miss Ghost' sitting in the corner during the press conference.
She should have understood the meaning of Maruzensky's final words.
Maruzensky had issued her a challenge.
It had nothing to do with the other's reputation, public opinion, or anything related to Tracen Academy. Maruzensky simply, purely, desired to compete against her.
Since first laying eyes on her, a deeply buried restlessness had been scratching and tickling at Maruzensky's heart.
As an Uma Musume, how could she not be someone who loathed being left in obscurity?
She too yearned for the track, thirsted for competition.
Now she had gotten her wish, but another problem had arisen.
Not long after the black mare's appearance, the aura she projected began to gradually weaken.
The violent fighting spirit was receding, the will to run diminishing.
The Black Phantom showed no intention of fighting back.
She couldn't sense it at all—completely unable to feel the atmosphere an athlete should have.
Had she given up already?
But why, then, did this silence make a sliver of chilling dread well up inside Maruzensky?
An ethereal sensation drilled from her nostrils into her lungs, stealing the warmth from her body before being exhaled.
Her blood grew colder with each breath.
It bothered her.
It bothered her to no end!
This dissonance in perception.
Maruzensky's experience told her the other's body was like a beast in its final years, frail and weak. Yet her instincts screamed incessantly.
It was like seeing a 'venomous snake' coiled on the ground, neither flicking its tongue nor baring its fangs.
If it couldn't open its mouth, it was just a moving rope, utterly harmless. But once it did, it would become a terrifying hunter, impossible to dodge, capable of killing in an instant.
How vexing!
She wanted to reach out, to tear away the other's disguise, to see what she was truly planning.
Just as Maruzensky glanced back stealthily, as if anticipating it, the black figure subtly shifted to the outside of the pack, completely vanishing from Maruzensky's line of sight.
"…"
A coincidence…?
No. Whether it was or not, she had only one thing to do.
Run at the very front of the pack!
Whether at the start of the race, or at its end, she would stand at the center of this stage, making everyone watch her!
"The pace is incredibly fast now! Maruzensky holds first place, followed by Road Royal, with Long Live Free and Bold Northman close behind!"
Sirius Symboli maintained a position near the front, towards the middle, right alongside the parallel-running Narita Brian and Oguri Cap.
Dynamu Heroine, among others, had failed to secure ideal positions while jostling for the rail, forcing them to temporarily change strategy and opt for mid-pack positions.
At the rear of the field, Tamamo Cross was searching for her chance to accelerate.
The Black Phantom was off her game, but she wasn't going to stop and wait for her.
In this race, the night was receding, and the dawn was coming—!
--+--
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.