[The two all-out escapees—Miho Bourbon and Stardust Illusion—are side-by-side into the fourth bend. We're into the late stages!]
[This is—this really is! The power of the all-out escape is undeniable! They still hold an advantage of six lengths!!!]
[Behind, third is Taiki Shuttle. Inside of Taiki Shuttle—Mejiro McQueen. Narita Brian just off her. All three look labored. Then…]
[Everyone on course looks spent. The all-out pace has forced everyone to the limit. Can the pressers still get there?]
[Who will fire first at the pair? Taiki Shuttle? Or Mejiro McQueen? Or Narita Brian…]
[Wait—someone's gone! Someone's accelerating! It's Taiki Shuttle!!!]
[The wild cowgirl from America finally bares that monstrous finishing speed!]
[So fast—far too fast! In a blink, Taiki Shuttle has dropped the other two pressers and is starting to eat into the leaders!!!]
"Ooooooohhhhh!!!"
The stands erupted again.
Front row, Eriko Number—face flushed, breath quick—had forgotten the camera at her neck.
Such a race—rare even in G1s.
Eyes fixed on the front trio, watching them trade every ounce of life, she nearly passed out—or ascended on the spot.
She had expected the escape to fail eventually. But seeing it—there was no "theory" left in her head. She was only a fan drowning in the moment.
Taiki Shuttle's savage figure was a length nearer every breath; the escapees' acceleration was flagging.
Number's right hand clenched her shirtfront. In her mind she prayed:
Run! Don't quit here! Show me more—more!!!
——————————
"The all-out escape has failed," Air Groove said.
"Taiki Shuttle, as expected—she dissolved the pressure, turned it back, and now forces the rookies to err…
"I'll alert medical—just in case."
Rudolf nodded. She did not believe it would end so simply, but Air Groove was right: an all-out escape is dangerous. Beyond mishaps, the knee takes a hidden beating. Calling medics early was prudent.
Air Groove turned to go. Rudolf's gaze returned to the track.
Yes, the situation was dire for the escape pair. Trading late burst for chaos had indeed scrambled many. Even Taiki Shuttle, easy smile or not, had to be near the red. She just wore a mask to press the rookies harder.
But… was that all?
This Team Draco plan was not merely an all-out escape.
If Stardust Illusion could see clearly, she would realize—
—her chances were no longer only one in ten.
——————————————
"We've got this nine times out of ten now! Hahaha!"
At the rail, Feihong stood beside Nishizaki Ryū, grinning like a villain.
"Nine out of ten?" He frowned. He didn't see where that number came from.
"I understand—your 'double all-out' isn't only to smash rhythm. That girl hiding behind Bourbon—Stardust Illusion—still has a piece of stamina left, doesn't she?"
"Some, yes—less than Taiki Shuttle, who's spent tons to chase—but better than a pure chaser… Still, that's Taiki Shuttle."
"She averages low-34s and tops out at 33.0 for the last three waves. Your Stardust Illusion—does she really have the gear to match that?"
Feihong cocked a brow, set her stopwatch down, and asked with relish:
"So you think even a fatigued Taiki Shuttle beats my girl?"
"I've seen her training logs. By the numbers, she's about four seconds slower over the last three. That's a canyon.
"If the escape worked—if you opened huge—then sure, I'd give her a ten percent shot."
"But now? Zero. Unless Taiki Shuttle blows up, what can she do?"
Relaxed now that McQueen was out of it and Gold Ship… was loafing—chatting even—Nishizaki's tone was light. His mind had already shifted to debriefs and consolations.
"I asked Stardust Illusion the same. Guess what she said?"
"'I can win'?"
"Nope. She said, with that idiot face: [Maybe it's not impossible? If I try it once… if I actually run it out there… maybe I can beat her!]"
Feihong laughed without dignity:
"Hahahaha! And because she can say something that dumb—I played this card! The stage is hers."
In her mind, Feihong saw again that week of 600 m sprints.
When told of Taiki Shuttle's record, the girl neither boasted nor balked. She thought only of how to improve to stand on equal ground.
With a runner like that, what else could a trainer do but believe:
"I believe in the chance Stardust Illusion spoke of!"
——————————————
Tht-tht-tht-tht-tht!
Two hundred meters vanished under seven blurring forms. Stardust Illusion could feel it clearly: she could not pry Taiki Shuttle away by even half a length.
And now—Miho Bourbon, leading—was out of fuel!
"Two hundred meters achieved. Master's order: lead and break wind in the first half."
Bourbon's face was pouring sweat, but her voice was steady.
She shifted a half-step and slid out, yielding the inside to Stardust Illusion.
Stardust Illusion saw Bourbon's pale face falling back.
Her legs felt like they might tear. It was the price of sprinting from the gun—even with a slipstream and three minor recovery skills plus Miracle Runner of the Holy Night, holding to the wire was a stretch.
Breathing in great gulps, she glanced back to check on Bourbon—
"My task in the late phase: block the chasers."
Bourbon wrung a scrap of strength from a drained body and cut across, inserting herself between Taiki Shuttle and Stardust Illusion. She was too slow to truly impede, on the verge of collapse, but even now she tried to shield her teammate—
—No.
The instant Bourbon turned, Taiki Shuttle slipped by, missing her by a whisker.
Even Shuttle had to respect such will. But a race is a race.
She could not be delayed even a tenth. She slithered past.
Nothing obstructed her now. Only one opponent remained: Stardust Illusion.
"You two have surprised me. I acknowledge your strength."
Taiki Shuttle spoke through gritted teeth—and surrendered the mask. She poured the last of her power into her legs.
Finishing speed is control—of power through the whole frame, and of translating it into speed through your feet.
Her last-three supremacy came from something few possessed—raw strength.
She almost laughed.
She had expected a peak-to-peak war with Narita Brian. But the race had exploded at the start—two all-out escapees nearly stole it.
But she had held.
The tactic now cracked; on this late-race course, it was once more a duel between pressers and front.
She too was nearly spent—lungs like coals, muscles near spasm, legs like lead… Yet she could still run.
She stared at the back just ahead and squeezed out the very last drop into the turf.
This hyper-frequency form's acceleration was beyond the girl in front.
Victory lay—
Two lengths.
One.
Half!
Stardust Illusion, Miho Bourbon—I should thank you for removing the others. But now…
Sorry, kid. Blame your strength for not being ripe ye—huh?
A sudden heat—and the raging breath of a beast—cloaked Taiki Shuttle. She smelled blood in the air.
Her body froze a fraction. It felt like a predator's gaze fell on her.
What—what is this?!
Someone behind?
…No. In front!!!
——————————————
Seven hundred-plus to go, Stardust Illusion had changed form.
Miracle Runner of the Holy Night—a unique—flared again. She wasn't Oguri Cap; it would not end the race at once. But the triple buff to stamina, speed, and acceleration eased the pain.
Each step dug a solid print. Her arm swing gained rhythm. The system-polished posture edged toward something purer.
With Bourbon peeling off, she sensed the state precisely.
Her stamina, never a strength, was near its edge. Even with slipstreaming and three white recoveries plus Holy Night, maintaining was hard.
Behind, Taiki Shuttle drew near—and did it smiling. Suddenly, Stardust Illusion realized: if she couldn't hold to blunt Shuttle's overtake, victory would slip away.
Did Taiki Shuttle truly have this much stamina—after her rhythm was wrecked?
No—she's bluffing!
Time ticked. Taiki Shuttle's hoofbeats grew nearer. There was no shaking her.
They entered the final bend together. At that moment, the sense of a gun on her back exploded.
Bang!
Like thunder in her skull.
A bullet fired to smash her heart left Taiki Shuttle's revolver and blew her chest apart—
Stardust Illusion bit her tongue as hard as she could. The vision shattered.
She tasted iron flooding her mouth. No time to dwell.
A heartbeat's daze—and Taiki Shuttle's figure slid into the verge of her vision with footfalls like a continuous line.
Less than a length!
How can she be this fast?!
Stardust Illusion snapped her head. In her eyes—an edge like a knife that could pierce her lids.
A hunger for victory.
It seemed to fill the revolver called Taiki Shuttle—now pressed to her back.
No, no, no!!!
Even now—does Taiki Shuttle still have the stamina to explode like this?!
She's a mile queen—how can she have long-runner endurance? She has to be on fumes—she has to blow up!
But whatever lies she told herself, the gun was at her spine. She could feel the heat of the muzzle flash licking her back. That pressure—
Not a bluff. Taiki Shuttle was reaching for the crown.
No—my finishing gear isn't enough to drop a runner like this.
Block her with racecraft? Use position to stall her strides?!
The more she pushed, the less her brain obeyed. She couldn't even recall what she'd drilled—her head went blank.
Her form faltered. That bled more strength. At this rate, she wouldn't even finish—
No. I can't…
To beat Taiki Shuttle with just my legs—grasp that one chance!
How do I stop her? Think—there must be a way!
It hurts…
No—faster. I need a little more!
Cooler now, she felt it—every step tore her muscles; every breath stabbed her lungs like needles—
Just holding on was hard. How could she keep—
Run!!! Body—hold a little longer!!!
I can't… I'm too tired…
My mind… is… going… dim…
Will I… lose......
Eh?
Strange. The sky's gone dark. I can't see…
.
.
.
In that pitch dark, Stardust Illusion did not find a plan.
Her obsession with victory. Her loathing of defeat.
Anger, sorrow, heat, duty…
All dulled.
[You've already lost.]
[In this situation, you could try a thousand times and not succeed once.]
[The more you stake your hopes on a miracle now, the more you'll drown in the powerlessness of defeat.]
A voice murmured at her ear—seductive—urging her to sink.
But… give up?
Stardust Illusion didn't know what she wanted now.
[TOKAI TEIO! TOKAI TEIO! TO-KAI-TE-IOOOOO!!!]
Suddenly—the familiar bellow of a race caller.
The darkness flickered with images.
She remembered them.
Bourbon's face, nearly at her limit, yet firm, as she fell back moments ago.
A week of Hushan Feihong's scoldings as she trained—harsh, tired, relentless.
A godlike runner on Arima Kinen—tearing the race—the miracle beyond miracles.
The phoenix in her debut—on the brink of collapse, rising in the crucible.
What is this?
Heat in her chest yanked her from the whisper's spell.
Give up?
Impossible—!
Maybe that voice was right. On paper, the gap to Taiki Shuttle was such that a thousand tries would yield not one success.
But that did not mean success was impossible.
Run.
If a thousand tries won't do—run the thousand-and-first.
[Even if you manage a thousand-and-first—nothing will change. Why persist in vain?]
[…Because—I don't want to lose.]
She tasted iron again, grinned:
[Since that defeat—I decided. From now on, I won't lose. I'll keep winning.]
[Now I carry too many obsessions. Too many people are working for my career.]
[So I will win. I will become a runner who surpasses Tokai Teio—who surpasses them all. I—]
"I absolutely will not let the chance to win—walk away from me!!!"
A fierce gale surged in from all sides and swept every stray thought away.
Her heart became a calm, bright mirror.
Her right hoof slammed down, gouging a furrow in the turf. An unseen shockwave burst from that point and rippled outward.
Time itself seemed to pause. Her entire vision was washed in green.
In that view, a runner flashed to her left—form hugging the ground, eyes blazing with victory. A fighter jet skimming the course—Oguri Cap.
Running side-by-side with Stardust Illusion, that afterimage was a meteor; the slipstream behind became a tornado shredding the track.
What was this?
Anyone would be full of questions upon seeing such a thing mid-race.
But Stardust Illusion wasn't.
[At this speed, Taiki Shuttle will pass before the wire…]
[So—faster. Just a little faster!]
In her mirror-calm heart, only that remained.
Forgetting herself entirely, she saw only the finish.
The iron taste thickened. There was no time to think of "how" or "pace." She handed the controls to instinct.
Oguri Cap's image drew in—melded—
Wind and thunder poured into her right hoof.
The next instant, the last sap in a drained body detonated.
A scalding gale raked the earth. A chaotic thunder split the sky—
Clear Mind—
[Unique skill The Beat of Victory—activated.]
An apocalypse swept the scene before her—clean.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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