The gates burst open. Brilliant light erupted from behind them as the competitors charged toward the track.
"At last! The race has begun!"
The announcer's voice rang out.
No runners had gotten a slow start this race.
Then suddenly, one competitor roared and broke from the pack!
"OOOOOOH—"
The first to surge ahead was Mejiro Dober!
A rapid succession of adaptation skills flashed across Mejiro Dober's body.
And that wasn't all—she even activated two Gold-tier speed skills simultaneously!
Though she could feel the strain and the pounding headache, Mejiro Dober's eyes burned with struggle and determination!
Breakaway, breakaway!
This time, I have to go all-out from start to finish! Here I go!
She practically closed her eyes and threw every ounce of strength into her sprint!
Her desperate form showed no consideration for tactics whatsoever—she was simply charging forward on pure willpower.
After her crushing defeat at the Osaka Hai, she hadn't given up on the breakaway strategy.
Instead, she and her friend had carefully analyzed that race's failure and her own shortcomings. Their conclusion: the reason she'd lost was that she hadn't committed fully enough to the breakaway. So this time, Mejiro Dober decided to push her limits from the very start.
"Mejiro Dober takes the lead, but the runners behind are closing in!"
What is she doing?!
Nearby competitors stared at Mejiro Dober's figure in disbelief. They couldn't understand what she was thinking. Was she seriously trying to use a breakaway strategy in this race? This was a 3,200-meter ultra-long-distance course! Was anyone really reckless enough to attempt this?!
Mejiro McQueen, who had been hesitating about whether to run from the front, froze for a moment when she saw that charging figure.
Dober?
She hadn't expected anyone to actually dare use such an outrageous strategy in this race—and that someone was her own family member.
Instinctively, her first thought was that this was too reckless.
But then she noticed the aura exploding from Mejiro Dober's body.
Though it was still far from truly entering the world of ZONE, being able to touch that power proved that Dober's resolve right now was second to none!
I see. So this is your resolve. I'd like to wish you well, but I won't concede this victory to anyone. I'll face you with everything I have!
Mejiro McQueen maintained her current pace without rashly charging ahead. Her focused eyes shimmered with sacred white light.
[Surge] activated!
McQueen's speed began to gradually increase.
Behind her, Tokai Teio watched her friend's performance, and the same white waves of [Surge] appeared around her own body.
Neither rushed to show their hands at the race's start. After all, skills had time limits and usage caps. Bursting early meant running out of steam later. Unless one was confident they could completely shake off all opponents in the early-to-mid stages, the optimal time to unleash one's power was always the latter half of the race.
Yet even while holding back, their speed wasn't much slower than the front-runners.
Superior physical abilities combined with [Surge]'s boost were enough to match competitors who had activated lower-tier skills.
Rice Shower was currently at the back of the stalker group.
In the early stages, she chose a relatively conservative approach as always.
Even though she possessed the strongest abilities, her hunger for victory and the experience she'd learned from Saint McQueen made her treat every race with utmost seriousness and caution.
Several runners with debuff skills immediately targeted Rice Shower, but they had no effect whatsoever.
[Fusion] possessed a hidden passive that converted all effects targeting her into materials. Thus, Rice Shower was immune to debuffs.
However, Rice Shower's situation differed from Saint McQueen's untargetable state. Rice Shower could still be hit—she simply wasn't affected by the effects afterward.
So when it came to countering debuffs, Rice Shower was actually stronger than Saint McQueen.
The only difference was that Saint McQueen's effect cost her nothing, while Rice Shower's ability consumed some mental energy.
But even with that consumption, no one in this world could likely ever reach that limit. It might as well not exist.
After all, Rice Shower specialized in mental fortitude.
Impossible! My skill had no effect?!
Nice Nature's eyes went wide from behind. She had specifically chosen to focus her skill on a single target to maximize its effectiveness against Rice Shower!
It wasn't just Nice Nature—several other competitors wore expressions of utter disbelief.
They could all clearly feel it: the mental energy they'd released through their skills had been sucked into what felt like a black hole.
Damn it, so this is the strength of the strongest active competitor!
The mental interference skills considered the most effective internationally had done nothing.
The race had barely begun, and the competition among runners was already fierce.
The front-runners were fast. Even with a wildcard like Mejiro Dober, those behind her weren't far behind.
The logical choice here would have been to let Mejiro Dober run away. But instead, everyone struggled to keep pace with her rhythm.
The gap between first and second place was only two lengths.
The rear pack was the same—everyone packed tightly together, positions looking almost cramped.
This didn't feel like a 3,200-meter Spring Tenno Sho. It felt more like some short-distance sprint.
"All the runners are incredibly tense."
"At this point, only those who can maintain their composure will stand out in this race."
"Indeed. Mejiro Dober is quite the unexpected dark horse. No one favored her before the race started. Who could have imagined she'd influence the entire race's rhythm?"
Mejiro Dober, whom the spectators were discussing, wasn't satisfied with her current speed. Just before entering the turn, rainbow light suddenly burst from beneath her feet!
[Secrets of Divine Escape (Flash): Speed greatly increases!]
Not enough, not enough! I can run even faster!
With a thunderous footstep, Mejiro Dober shot forward like a cannonball, widening her lead over her pursuers!
"First turn—Mejiro Dober begins to pull significantly ahead!"
"...What an unusual strategy."
Both the commentator and announcer looked somewhat taken aback.
Neither knew how to evaluate Mejiro Dober's racing today. Their first thought was: Is this runner trying to self-destruct?
But that wasn't something they could say directly.
In fact, most competitors in the race were thinking the same thing.
Has she gone mad?
Is she seriously trying to use breakaway tactics in this race?
Incomprehensible!
At this point, no one chose to keep chasing Mejiro Dober.
She'd already used a Flash-tier skill, and this was only the first turn!
If they wanted to keep up now, they'd have to unleash their own trump cards like Dober had.
But that clearly wasn't the right choice, so they all gave up the chase.
Three lengths... four lengths... five lengths... The gap kept growing!
As some competitors gave up, McQueen and Teio—who had been in the middle of the pack—began moving forward.
Though they too were conserving strength and hadn't used many skills, when no one else was using skills, their superior physical abilities plus [Surge] made them noticeably faster than other runners.
Rice Shower's position also passively improved by several places.
The first turn passed quickly. They entered the second turn.
Just then, Mejiro Dober used another skill. Golden light flickered, leaving afterimages.
[Professor of the Arc (Gold)!]
Holding nothing back—an all-out explosive breakaway. This was Mejiro Dober's strategy today.
"Mejiro Dober continues to widen the gap! This is incredible!"
"While Mejiro Dober's situation is concerning, if this gap keeps growing, the runners behind will be in danger too."
"That's it, Dober! Go for it!"
Daitaku Helios cheered loudly from the stands.
Many competitors' expressions wavered at the announcer's words, but they still believed Mejiro Dober would fade later.
In the end, no one stepped up to stop Mejiro Dober's breakaway.
"Where did she even come from? She's completely stolen the spotlight from McQueen and the others!"
Everyone on Team Spica watched Mejiro Dober's figure in surprise.
Though they didn't believe she could maintain this speed to the finish, there was no denying that all eyes were now on her.
"Using this method to get attention—she's really something."
"But getting attention this way means the backlash will be even worse afterward. Does she really know what she's doing?"
Many thought Mejiro Dober's racing today was just attention-seeking. After all, she wasn't exactly a powerful competitor to begin with.
No one believed Mejiro Dober could win this race.
The opening stage ended quickly. The race entered the middle stage.
McQueen's gaze instantly turned sharp.
Now's the time!
[Secrets of Mejiro (Flash)!]
[Fighting Spirit!]
In an instant, McQueen burst from the pack and began chasing down Mejiro Dober ahead.
After releasing one skill, her condition improved slightly, and McQueen immediately activated a second skill.
[Single-minded Rest (Flash): Stamina recovers massively!]
[Grand Slam (Gold): Speed increases!]
Like a swan spreading its wings in flight, McQueen's dazzling figure surged forward continuously.
Seeing this, Teio behind her immediately leaned in and pushed harder. Crimson flames flashed briefly in her eyes.
[Fighting Spirit!]
[Never-Ending Girl (Gold)]
[Racing Genius (Flash)]
Following behind McQueen, Teio also broke from the pack.
The others around them couldn't keep up with these two's bursts.
Some competitors couldn't help but try to burst as well, but if they couldn't keep up, it was meaningless—just disrupting their own race rhythm again.
Running ahead, Mejiro Dober heard the rapidly approaching footsteps behind her. Anxiously, she gritted her teeth and ran forward with everything she had.
But without skills to boost her, and with her breathing destabilized from rapidly depleting stamina, she couldn't shake off the pursuers catching up from behind.
Soon, McQueen completed her overtake and claimed first place.
Teio clung tightly behind her. The gap between them was minimal.
Damn it!
Mejiro Dober watched their receding backs with frustration.
She was completely outmatched!
Only now did Rice Shower finally start her move from behind.
[Fusion] activated!
[Never-Ending Girl] + [Indomitable Spirit] + [Charge Forward]
Three Gold skills fused. A brand-new power was born.
Rice Shower's figure broke through the runners ahead at incredible speed, charging toward the front of the track.
"The race is well past the halfway point. All runners are now pushing hard. Currently leading is Mejiro McQueen, with Tokai Teio working hard to catch up—"
"The fan favorite! Rice Shower is now making her move! So fast—she broke through the pack in an instant!"
Hearing this announcement, the two in front felt their hearts grow heavy.
Neither dared relax even slightly. The moment they entered the turn, they continued their bursts.
[Professor of the Arc (Gold)]
[Sommelier of the Curve (Gold)]
[Speed Star (Gold)]
Skills activated in rapid succession.
And that wasn't all—pure white flames and crimson flames erupted simultaneously.
Both had entered the ZONE state.
[Soaring (ZONE): Fatigue resistance, pressure resistance, massive increase in speed and acceleration!]
[Unyielding (ZONE): Interference rejection, major stamina recovery, major increase in speed and acceleration!]
I won't concede this victory to anyone!
I absolutely won't lose! I'm the one who will win!
Intense fighting spirit became fuel for ZONE. Both unleashed extraordinary power!
Rice Shower's footsteps were rapidly closing in from behind.
Skill Fusion was unreasonably powerful. As long as she had enough materials, she could obtain whatever strength she needed at will.
"Entering the final straightaway! Still leading is Mejiro McQueen! Tokai Teio follows in second by a narrow margin—but Rice Shower in third is closing rapidly!"
That jet-black figure was so strong it defied all reason—a true Monster.
They were all in burst mode, yet she alone could pull away from everyone else.
Even McQueen and Teio's bursts couldn't match Rice Shower's current speed!
Not yet—
[To the Edge of the Sky (Flash)!]
[Noble Mission at Stake (Flash)!]
Searing pain shot through her ankles, but McQueen ignored her body's condition entirely, choosing a life-or-death burst.
Behind her, Teio watched the gap instantly widen. Her pupils trembled as she immediately gritted her teeth and followed.
[To the Far Side of the Horizon (Flash)!]
[I Will Absolutely Win (Flash)!]
Though both had unleashed dual Flash skills, Teio was now clearly a tier below McQueen in terms of speed.
The gap wasn't shrinking—it was growing.
Teio's eyes trembled as she watched this unfold, unable to believe the result.
How can this be? During training, I was the faster one. Why is my speed falling behind McQueen's now?!
But in that moment of distraction, a jet-black figure flashed past Teio's side.
Only then did she realize that not only had McQueen left her behind—Rice Shower had overtaken her as well.
As her fighting spirit crumbled, Teio slipped out of her ZONE state. Her burst completely collapsed.
By now the finish line was right before them. McQueen's eyes sparkled—she could almost see her imminent victory.
But at that very instant, a dark blue flame appeared in Rice Shower's right eye, blowing aside her bangs to reveal that cold, merciless gaze.
Absolute invincibility!
—[Fusion] activated!
Terrifying gravity instantly seized McQueen's body. She watched in horror as her abilities were stripped away one by one, and even her physical condition began to deteriorate.
With her skills gone, her burst state naturally dissolved, and her speed plummeted.
Combined with Rice Shower rapidly closing in from behind, what the spectators witnessed looked as if McQueen was moving backward.
"Crossing the line!"
"The winner is Rice Shower!"
The margin was half a length. Rice Shower had come from behind to claim victory.
McQueen followed, crossing in second place—but her face was frozen in utter disbelief.
...
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