"So where's the finish line set?"
"There isn't one."
"None?"
"Mhm. The way this race is decided… is by running until one side gives up."
The girl answered.
"Really?" Eclipse looked at her.
The girl's expression was earnest, her golden eyes fixed on the other.
"That's right."
She nodded.
Until one side collapses, or concedes.
Otherwise, the race would go on and on.
No set distance, no set time.
"Do you accept?"she asked.
"Asking if I accept…"
Eclipse let out a laugh. It wasn't mockery—she simply found it amusing.
How could she possibly refuse?
After all, it was she who had issued the challenge.
"Well then."
The race began.
--+--
In the spectator stands, scattered across different sections, several Uma Musume whispered among themselves.
They spoke different languages, hailed from different countries, and were spaced far apart.
Yet the content of their conversations was strikingly similar.
Their focus was precisely that black figure on the racetrack.
"Is that her?"
"It must be her."
"Without a doubt."
"You can tell just by her form."
"Like a fleeting phantom, utterly natural."
"Just as the records described."
Unable to contain their excitement, their voices grew increasingly fervent.
"If there's any Uma Musume who could pull this off…"
"Besides that one…"
"It would only be this legend, right?"
"I'll go contact the student council president—"
The crowd stirred.
Just say it.
Eclipse's successor has appeared.
The hushed murmurs on this side went completely unnoticed.
The audience's attention was wholly fixed on the track.
They cheered and waved their arms, celebrating this magnificent performance.
A Great Escape—it's a Great Escape—!
The rarest running style seen on the track.
In itself, a Great Escape consumes the most energy, and it's rare for any Uma Musume to dare attempt it in a graded stakes race.
Going all out from the start, desperately pulling ahead, and maintaining that lead all the way to the finish.
This tests not just the body, but willpower and courage as well.
It tests whether they can push their capabilities to the absolute limit.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason for the crowd's excitement.
The key was that this Great Escape was being executed by Narita Brian!
In the most crucial [Kikuka Sho], against that famed black phantom, she was pulling it off!
The distance was three thousand meters, nearing the physical limit for Uma Musume. No one had ever won the [Kikuka Sho] with a Great Escape before.
Why?
Toujou Hana's hands, crossed over her shoulders, gradually clenched into fists.
The reason was simple.
This race wasn't just about speed. Running fast early on meant nothing.
Stamina was one aspect of the test.
But over this distance, even without being marked by opponents, one would be exhausted by the latter stages.
That wasn't what Toujou Hana meant to say, though.
It had nothing to do with the obvious.
In this race, more unbearable than muscular fatigue was mental fatigue.
The [Kikuka Sho], as one of the longest and most challenging races, also took a considerable amount of time.
As physical exertion steadily increased, their cognitive abilities would gradually decline.
Difficulty concentrating, insufficient blood supply, tunnel vision, dulled senses.
There had even been cases where a Uma Musume went completely blind on the final straight, unable to see the finish line, running forward in a daze.
So that's why they said the [Kikuka Sho] was the race to decide the strongest Uma Musume.
This long-distance race wasn't just a simple contest of speed or tactics.
It was a dual test of body and spirit!
Only a Uma Musume who could remain calm and keep thinking clearly throughout could achieve victory.
Narita Brian, I told you to maintain your own pace, even if it meant giving up your position, not to accelerate—all to reduce the strain on your mind.
And yet…
Toujou Hana couldn't help but sigh.
Of all times, to do this on a rainy day like this, on such muddy footing. A Great Escape required far more leg power than usual.
What's done is done. At the very least, while you're making this dash, don't think about anything else. Just charge forward, Narita Brian!!
With all her strength, Toujou Hana let out her final roar as both a trainer and a spectator.
--+--
Huff—!
A heavy, ragged breath mingled with the roar of the crowd.
At that moment, Narita Brian was immersed in a wondrous state.
Her senses were amplified infinitely—skin, eyes, ears, mouth, nose.
She could see the wind, driving the rain, passing slowly before her eyes. The airflow gently entered her body, flowing through her lungs, into her blood, along her vessels, spreading to every part of her.
She could feel it—her internal organs, pulsating with the rhythm of her legs, emitting a blazing fire, burning incessantly.
The flames evaporated the moisture from her body, leaving her throat hoarse and parched.
Only now did Narita Brian truly feel it.
What it meant to be—'me.'
Every inch of skin, every piece of flesh, transmitted through Narita Brian's nerves, into her brain.
Then, within Narita Brian's mind, an image of herself running on the track materialized.
Every placement of her feet, every swing of her arms.
Even the raindrops falling on her shoulders, the droplets sliding down her cheeks—all were distinct and clear in Narita Brian's perception.
But, how strange…
Even though she could hear the sound of her own blood flowing with perfect clarity.
Even the faintest touches and friction between gusts of wind were laid bare to her ears.
Yet she couldn't hear the clamor of the crowd around the track.
Couldn't hear the commentator's voice.
Am I… really still in the race?
Narita Brian couldn't help but wonder.
Her eyes could see her own internal organs, yet couldn't perceive the current track.
Everything around her was shrouded in mist.
Where am I?
Narita Brian was perplexed.
She gazed blankly around, her body instinctively charging forward.
Then, a gray figure flashed past her side.
Followed by more and more figures running past.
The howls of wolves reached Narita Brian's ears.
A wolf pack.
She saw them.
Countless wolves weaving past her, galloping, howling, baring sharp fangs, lunging to tear into their prey.
So fast!
They were running so fast!
Primal instinct drove their bodies.
They honed their claws and fangs, charging toward their prey.
Only then did Narita Brian realize—
This was an endless hunting ground.
And she was crouched right in the center of the wolf pack.
Sharp fangs, a frenzied aura.
At this moment, she was the fiercest, the most ravenous wolf of all.
The alpha leading the entire pack!
So that's how it is.
She pressed a hand against her groaning stomach.
Only now did Narita Brian understand what she was meant to do.
Lifting her head, she looked ahead across the hunting ground, at that constantly running black figure.
"Ahh…"
The prey was already within her grasp.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.