"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Go!"
Toujou Hana's voice rang out from the side of the track, and in an instant, El Condor Pasa and Maruzensky shot forward from the starting point.
At that moment, both of them adjusted to their optimal running form, approaching this trial with the mindset of a real race.
This was a clash between a legendary Uma Musume and a prodigy of the current era—a showdown between the Supercar and the Phantom Bird!
El Condor Pasa's speed surged immediately after the start.
Unlike her usual race strategy of conserving energy and stamina in the first half, this time her opponent was Maruzensky alone!
If she ran like she normally did in races, the gap going into the final turn would become too large to overcome!
There was no need to hold back now; what she needed to do was go all out from the very beginning!
Such a running style might cause non-frontrunners to lose steam later on, but for El Condor Pasa, it was nothing. Her intense additional training had already built up the endurance to sustain full speed over the entire distance.
With both speed and stamina overwhelming her rivals, a frontrunner's strategy could instill sheer despair.
Except, the one she faced was the Supercar herself!
Even while pushing herself to the limit from the start, Maruzensky still managed to pull ahead by a slight margin.
It wasn't a gap in raw speed, but rather in mastery of the frontrunner's technique. Compared to El Condor Pasa, Maruzensky understood the all-out sprinting style of a frontrunner better, capable of creating distance from the initial state to seize an advantage.
"Whoa, El-chan is really fast," Grass Wonder exclaimed sincerely from the sidelines.
It seemed she couldn't afford to slack off either—if she faced El-chan in a race later, she'd be in trouble.
"This speed..." Fuji Kiseki pondered briefly, recalling Barbatos's performance in the Dream Cup.
Thinking about Barbatos's running style in past races—if not counting the final sprint, but purely in terms of this kind of speed—El Condor Pasa was significantly faster.
Even faster than Barbatos's speed when she activated Static Field in the Dream Cup.
At this pace, even Fuji Kiseki herself might lose if she faced El-chan in a race now. Just how much extra training had she put in?
Of course, if you pitted El-chan against Barbatos and asked who would win, it was truly impossible to judge.
Barbatos's closing sprint, El Condor Pasa's sustained speed—both were enough to make legendary Uma Musume take notice.
"Hmm, she really is fast," Narita Brian agreed. "But it's still early."
Still early. This was just the beginning; the real deciding moment would come on the final stretch.
--+--
On the track.
Maruzensky had already opened up a lead of two lengths, and the distance was slowly widening. Even without activating her Zone, even against the prodigy known as the 'Phantom Bird,' Maruzensky's speed still subtly overpowered El Condor Pasa.
Watching the gap gradually widen, El Condor Pasa truly felt the strength of a legendary Uma Musume.
They often trained together side by side, but in those sessions, Maruzensky-senpai never went all out.
'Is this what a legendary Uma Musume is like? Is this what it means to stand at the peak of the world?'
'But I'm going to become the world's number one Uma Musume!'
'Right now, I'm world-class too!'
Her right hoof stamped down, propelling her forward as her speed instantly increased another notch.
During races, when running from a mid-pack position, this kind of burst was usually enough to easily catch up to all the Uma Musume ahead and seize first place.
Now, she might not close the gap with Maruzensky-senpai easily, but at least she could gradually narrow the distance.
"El-chan accelerated! Is she going to overtake?!" Grass Wonder watched excitedly, her attention fully captured by the race.
As an optimist, even with the pressure of El Condor Pasa's growth, her focus remained on the contest before her.
"It won't be that easy," said Fuji Kiseki, who had faced Maruzensky multiple times in the Dream Cup. "Look closely."
'Why isn't the distance closing?!'
El Condor Pasa stared in disbelief at the red figure ahead. Even though she had increased her speed, the distance to that figure hadn't shrunk.
This was something that had never happened in any of her past races. Not even against Inari One, who had activated her Zone during the Endurance Relay.
Back then, Inari One's physical abilities had declined, and she couldn't fully unleash her Zone. Even so, she had surpassed most G1-level Uma Musume today—how much more formidable was Maruzensky in her prime?
They were about to enter the final turn.
If things continued like this, she would have no chance of beating Maruzensky-senpai!
"Aaah!"
"Stamina is sufficient, speed still has room for improvement. She can grow faster once her goals and the gaps are clear," Toujou Hana murmured while observing the race.
This version of El Condor Pasa was already outstanding.
Having debuted only five months ago, with a bit more training, she might genuinely have a shot at winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and becoming the world's number one Uma Musume.
Maruzensky was strong. All the legendary Uma Musume were strong—but their strength was mostly fixed, with little room for growth. Their improvements lay more in refining technique, mental fortitude, and experience.
At their level, such refinements offered only minimal gains.
Yet El Condor Pasa was still in a phase of rapid growth.
Moreover, she hadn't even mastered a Zone yet, let alone activated one.
Uma Musume who activated Zones were powerful—they were stars worth watching in every generation. But for El Condor Pasa to reach this level without a Zone… it was hard to imagine how terrifying she would be when she finally unlocked it.
As this thought crossed her mind, just as Toujou Hana was about to tap her tablet to input El Condor Pasa's next training plan, she froze.
On the track, entering the final turn, El Condor Pasa accelerated again. Her speed increased once more, and the distance between her and Maruzensky stopped widening!
The gap still hadn't closed, but it was no longer growing!
This speed couldn't be sustained as normal—it wasn't even possible to maintain for long. Toujou Hana could already tell it wouldn't last more than 100 meters; it was the kind of finishing kick reserved for the final three furlongs.
Yet even so, it was already terrifying.
The scene made her mutter in spite of herself, "Is this entire generation made of monsters?"
But in the next instant, an overwhelming pressure erupted and spread. The hard-maintained gap was instantly torn open, and El Condor Pasa's stride faltered for a moment.
That formidable presence sapped the courage to run.
What raced ahead no longer seemed like an Uma Musume—it felt like a frightening monster!
Even though El Condor Pasa was mentally prepared, even though she quickly shook off the pressure and burst forward with the same speed as before, the distance had already stretched too far.
Catching up was no longer possible!
This… was the difference between her and the legends now.
--+--
T/N: 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.