"And Barbatos takes the win!"
"Finishing two lengths ahead of Tamamo Cross!"
"This relay marathon is won by the team of El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, and Barbatos!"
At the finish line, Obey Your Master had also already crossed, but since she wasn't officially part of this relay marathon, Sakura Bakushin O wouldn't include her in the race standings.
Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, her racing silks hanging open from the run.
"This time, I lost," she admitted.
She simply couldn't sustain her Zone over the full 800 meters, her 'Realm of the Undying Fury' faltering at the last moment, allowing Tamamo Cross to pull away by three lengths in the final stretch.
"That was truly exhilarating."
"Same here."
"And that final stretch was really something else."
Even though Tamamo Cross was completely drained, her face showed pure satisfaction. "Waiting specifically for us to catch up before starting your sprint... that's a terrifying level of confidence."
It was the satisfaction of standing on the track again, the satisfaction of being able to compete against Obey Your Master and Barbatos once more.
"Haha, isn't that the truth?"
"..."
Barbatos, also at the finish line and initially basking in the crowd's cheers, twitched the corner of her mouth.
The truth was, she hadn't waited for Tamamo Cross to catch up before sprinting; she could only start her sprint from that point.
If she could have, she would have started her final dash a full 1000 meters out.
But this was a three-person relay, not her personal showcase. She'd better start thinking about how to explain this to El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky later.
"Barbatos, you were truly amazing."
It was Tamamo Cross, walking over and extending a hand. Barbatos reached out and shook it firmly.
"You were plenty strong too. I almost lost."
This wasn't false modesty. If Super Creek hadn't been disqualified for veering, if Seiun Sky hadn't built that fifteen-length lead... even with Sion's ultimate ability in play, this relay marathon would have been nearly impossible to turn around.
Unless she pulled out something like a 'Cosmic Radiance' or a 'Destiny' or a 'Portal Jump,' and then got disqualified and handed over to the authorities.
It was like how El Condor Pasa just couldn't close the gap with Inari One.
To put it bluntly, if this had been a one-on-one match, she would have lost to Tamamo Cross by thirteen lengths!
"It's like a scene straight out of a changing of the guard."
Online, in both China and Japan, netizens were commenting in the live stream chat about the image of the two shaking hands.
--+--
"Tamamo Cross and the others are just remnants of the old era. There's no ship left in this current age that can carry them."
"Hey, hey, can't you see?"
"Whether it's El Condor Pasa, Seiun Sky, or Barbatos, if not for that disqualification, they would have lost already!"
"You're the one who can't see!"
"That's right! Barbatos clearly waited until the final straight to start her sprint specifically to challenge Tamamo and the others head-on!"
"What are El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky? Barbatos is the strongest of this generation!"
"If Tamamo Cross hadn't started her sprint early, could Barbatos have even beaten her?"
--+--
The online debate raged on.
In contrast, the younger and older generations of fans at the venue were much simpler. Some cheered and applauded the Heisei Top Three and Tamamo Cross for returning to the track, while others shouted support for Barbatos and her two teammates.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a brilliant race.
El Condor Pasa, watching the broadcast of the finish line on the screen in the first relay zone, was happy for their victory, but she had also clenched her fists.
Unaware of the real situation with Barbatos, even El Condor Pasa could only assume that Barbatos had deliberately waited for Tamamo Cross to catch up before sprinting.
She had lost to Inari One, but Barbatos had defeated Tamamo Cross.
That was the undeniable fact!
She had to train even harder. If she couldn't even beat Barbatos, how could she talk about conquering the world?!
--+--
Grass Wonder's closed eyes had long since opened.
A trace of fear and struggle flickered within them. Unlike El Condor Pasa, she had once unintentionally activated a Zone and suffered a leg injury because of it, so she could also perceive such things.
She had seen the Zones of Tamamo Cross, Obey Your Master, and Barbatos clashing.
She had seen Super Creek and Inari One activate their Zones.
Every Uma Musume carries some psychological shadow after an injury. It's not enough for the body to heal; you also have to overcome the fear in your heart.
A large part of her own shadow probably came from the Zone. But if she stood on the track again in the future...
If she faced Barbatos, could she win without reactivating her own Zone?
--+--
"Suzuka, what's wrong?"
Special Week, with her noticeably large belly, looked curiously at Silence Suzuka.
Just moments ago, when Barbatos won the race, while Special Week was happy for their victory, she had noticed Silence Suzuka staring intently in Barbatos's direction, lost in thought.
Who knows what was going through her mind.
"Mmm, it's nothing."
Silence Suzuka shook her head. If she hadn't once been a member of Rigil...
She might have thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She thought she'd glimpsed a flash of white lightning, a surge of red, blood-like energy.
But based on fragments of conversation she'd heard from her seniors back in her Rigil days, she guessed that must be the legendary Zone.
Yes. It wasn't just about preparing for the Emperor's Cup in November.
Barbatos and the others were going to be formidable opponents in the future.
--+--
"It seems you're not too happy about Barbatos's win."
The lollipop had long since fallen from Okino's mouth as he looked at Toujou Hana beside him.
"El Condor Pasa has a powerful rival now."
"You mean Barbatos?"
"Her final sprint was indeed impeccable. But even though she beat Tamamo Cross by two lengths, Tamamo Cross also started her sprint earlier. Their stamina consumption wasn't proportional, so you can't directly compare this result to El Condor Pasa's performance."
This was the judgment of a trainer from Central Tracen Academy.
It was the most rational assessment. Even so, if Special Week or Silence Suzuka were to face Barbatos in a future race, Okino would definitely tell them to be wary of her.
"If it were Barbatos, do you think she could catch up to Silence Suzuka's Great Escape?"
Even as Toujou Hana asked this...
She had already formed some conjecture about Barbatos's final sprint.
That explosive speed, even greater than before, and the footprints left on the turf... perhaps she had already opened a Zone, just like Grass Wonder.
Whether intentional or not, it was something El Condor Pasa would have to face eventually.
When someone is at the peak of their confidence, and one or more rivals appear who are just as talented, or even more so, competition is inevitable. It forces you to become stronger.
Both Barbatos and Seiun Sky would be extremely powerful rivals for El Condor Pasa.
Toujou Hana didn't compare Seiun Sky directly with Silence Suzuka. As the trainer of Japan's strongest team, she could tell that although both were 'runaway' type runners, Seiun Sky and Silence Suzuka had completely different styles.
"Still, speaking of which, Super Creek's leg will probably need a long, proper rest to recover fully."
"Yeah."
Although the race broadcast didn't show much detail, as trainers, both of them could infer Super Creek's problem from the small clues.
After being retired for so long, to still be able to run such a long distance and close the gap with Seiun Sky to fifteen lengths... she truly lived up to the name of one of the Heisei Three Greats.
If she hadn't veered, El Condor Pasa's team would have had almost no chance of victory.
But this level of performance was clearly an overload for a retired Uma Musume.
Super Creek's legs just couldn't take it anymore, could they?
--+--
In a room somewhere.
Barbatos and El Condor Pasa had arrived.
Even though it was an unofficial culture festival event, the Winner's Stage was still part of the program.
As the victors, they still needed to perform on the Winner's Stage later.
"Why isn't Sei-chan here yet?"
El Condor Pasa, back to her usual self, wondered aloud. As the second-leg runner, she should have arrived sooner than El Condor Pasa, who ran the first leg.
"She might have been delayed because of Creek-senpai," Barbatos said.
"Super Creek-senpai?"
"Yeah. Even though I was far away, Creek-senpai didn't look like she was in good condition."
Based on what they'd learned in their regular classes, it wasn't hard to guess that issues like leg injuries could arise after such a race.
This was something most Uma Musume might experience.
But even so, Barbatos couldn't just go over and cast a '[Heal]' on Super Creek. This was something that needed to be kept secret from outsiders. Even with Seiun Sky, she had to use massage to cover up the true nature of the '[Heal].'
She hadn't even considered using '[Heal]' to help her friend Grass Wonder recover from her injury.
Just then, the changing room door swung open.
Seiun Sky walked in, looking somewhat listless, as if the earlier weighted practice and the long run had completely drained all her motivation.
"Sei-chan, is Super Creek-senpai okay?" El Condor Pasa asked.
"Creek-senpai?"
Seiun Sky thought for a moment. "Seems she had some damage to her leg. They said she'll recover after resting for a while."
"I see."
"That's good, as long as she's okay."
Leg injuries are troublesome for active Uma Musume. They can affect future running and prevent participation in registered races. But for a retired Uma Musume like Super Creek, the impact wasn't as severe.
At least it wasn't a fracture or something that required a very long recovery.
"Oh, and Creek-senpai also said I should consider trying to enter the Kikuka-sho."
"The Kikuka-sho?"
Barbatos was familiar with this race. In fact, no Uma Musume at Tracen Academy was unfamiliar with it.
It was on a completely different level from the races she had participated in before, like the Arabia Royal Cup. It was a Grade 1 event, one of the three races an Uma Musume aiming for the Triple Crown needed to win.
The Kikuka-sho was held in the latter half of November, around the same time as the Tenno Sho. If Seiun Sky wanted to participate, she had already missed the registration deadline. Even if she could pay a late fee to enter, Seiun Sky couldn't possibly run in this year's Kikuka-sho.
So, this Kikuka-sho had to be next year's.
"Now that you mention it, the Kikuka-sho is also 3000 meters, exactly the same distance as the second leg."
"Are you planning to enter? The Kikuka-sho... or rather, the Classic races?"
"Yeah, I'll give it a try. I'll just take it easy and run the whole way."
"Huh? Sei-chan, are you aiming for the Triple Crown?" El Condor Pasa asked with great interest.
She wasn't like Special Week; she didn't believe for a second that Seiun Sky's 'take it easy' meant she would actually run leisurely.
Most Uma Musume who want to become the strongest set their sights on the Triple Crown. Although she had other goals herself, they didn't conflict with the Triple Crown races.
But speaking of the Triple Crown...
El Condor Pasa looked at Barbatos. "B-chan, are you going to go for the Classic Triple Crown too?"
The Classic Triple Crown, besides the Kikuka-sho, included the Satsuki-sho in early April and the Japanese Derby at the end of May. Winning all three would make her a Triple Crown Uma Musume, like Symboli Rudolf or Narita Brian.
"The Classic Triple Crown..."
Barbatos blinked. She hadn't really considered that.
Her biggest goal right now was still the Dream Cup. She wanted to defeat a Legendary Uma Musume in the Winter Dream Cup.
Even the earliest of the Classic Triple Crown races, the Satsuki-sho, came after the Winter Dream Cup.
"If Seiun is entering the Classic Triple Crown..."
"Then I'll enter the Oka-sho instead. If I win those three, I'd be a Triple Crown Uma Musume too, right?"
"I can't handle long-distance races like the Kikuka-sho."
If she entered the Classic Triple Crown, it would turn into a civil war within Team Canopus. Leaving aside Seiun Sky, there was also the fact that she didn't know if she could overcome her skill duration issues in a year's time.
The 3000-meter distance of the Kikuka-sho still felt a bit too far for her right now.
"The Oka-sho?"
A fighting spirit ignited in El Condor Pasa's eyes. "Barbatos! Then let's settle things in the Oka-sho!"
The Oka-sho, the Yushun Himba, and the Shuka-sho—these three races, held around the same time as the Classic Triple Crown—were the three races that, when won, also earned an Uma Musume the title of Triple Tiara!
"Settle things in the Oka-sho?"
"Sounds like a challenge to me. I accept, El Condor Pasa! I'll definitely give it my all when the time comes!" Barbatos said with utmost seriousness.
In her view, El Condor Pasa had only lost to Inari One by three lengths. El Condor Pasa's strength might even be a bit greater than her own. She was an opponent who demanded respect.
After all, in a way, she had lost to Tamamo-senpai by thirteen lengths. Even though in a real race there would be other Uma Musume to act as buffers, and she might have new skills...
El Condor Pasa was absolutely an opponent she had to take seriously!
"Speaking of which, what are we three going to dance for the Winner's Ceremony later?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.