At this moment, Seiun Sky felt her speed and stamina finally giving out. It wasn't without reason. Right behind her was Oguri Cap, and the pressure emanating from her was something else entirely.
That intense, suffocating presence. That overwhelming aura was pressing down on her back like a physical weight. It made every stride feel twice as heavy, every breath twice as labored. This was nothing like her debut race. She felt like she was drowning on dry land.
Seiun Sky's ears flattened against her head involuntarily, her body reacting to the threat before her mind could process it. She could feel it even without looking back. The air itself seemed to change, growing thick and oppressive. It was like being hunted by something ancient and unstoppable, a predator that had locked onto its prey.
Her breathing hitched. A cold sweat broke out across her neck despite the heat from exertion. Her instincts screamed at her to move faster, to escape, but her body wouldn't respond the way she wanted. Her legs felt like they'd been filled with lead.
The warning signs had been building for the last hundred meters, her legs growing heavier with each step. She couldn't maintain her high-speed running anymore. Her pace dropped noticeably, stuttering like an engine running out of fuel, and Oguri Cap passed her like she was standing still.
No, worse than that. Seiun Sky's eyes widened in something close to fear as the gray-haired uma musume swept by. It felt like Oguri Cap hadn't even acknowledged her existence. Just swept past like the wind moving around an obstacle, like she was nothing more than scenery.
King Halo also quickly overtook the flagging Seiun Sky, surging forward.
The 200 meters arrived in just a few seconds. Following Hayato's instructions to the letter, Oguri Cap began her acceleration. With one powerful push of her hind leg, she stamped a deep footprint crater into the turf and shot forward like she'd been launched.
"Haaaaah!" The sound tore from her throat.
Call Me Kings activated.
King Halo likewise triggered her skill, chasing relentlessly. Her body burned with golden light as she pushed her limits.
Her speed was still somewhat slower, though. Even using her ultimate skill at full power, she could only follow behind Oguri Cap like a shadow, trying to catch up to its source.
Oguri Cap's natural speed was no weaker than King Halo's ultimate skill. That realization hit like a punch to her face.
King Halo ultimately surpassed Silence Suzuka in the final stretch, but just couldn't close the distance to Oguri Cap, no matter how hard she pushed.
"Just a little more, just a bit more, just a bit..." King Halo gritted her teeth, forcibly enduring the helplessness clawing at her chest. Her muscles screamed in protest.
Oguri Cap's control over her posture and rhythm was absolutely perfect. Like an iron fortress without any openings, without a single wasted movement. This was what shocked King Halo the most. There was nothing to exploit, no weakness to target.
The five seconds of skill activation time quickly passed, burning out like a candle flame. Her speed couldn't be maintained through the finish line. There were still over 50 meters remaining, an eternity at this pace.
In the final phase, Oguri Cap pushed off the ground once more and glided in a straight line, her form still pristine.
BANG!
As the race entered its final moment, Oguri Cap was the first to cross the finish line.
Throughout the entire race, Oguri Cap hadn't used her ultimate skill, yet still won with a two-length margin.
Should I even say "as expected of Oguri Cap" at this point?
The gap in their ability was far too obvious. Painfully so.
After finishing, Oguri Cap showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever. Her breathing was barely elevated. She looked like she'd just finished a light warm-up jog, not a 2000-meter race at full intensity.
'This… was even worse than I'd anticipated.'
Hayato stood at the finish line, arms crossed, watching his three Uma Musume struggle to catch their breath. His face was calm, almost unreadable, but his eyes betrayed a sharp, calculating gleam as he processed what had just unfolded.
King Halo had her hands on her knees, chest heaving. Seiun Sky looked like she'd seen a ghost, her face pale and eyes still wide with residual shock. Even Silence Suzuka, usually so composed, had a sheen of sweat covering her face and seemed slightly shaken.
Hayato kept his head down, chin resting in his hand, deep in thought. His brow furrowed with concentration.
Hayato hadn't been able to trigger Oguri Cap's inherent skill development, nor had he seen her use it during the race.
"Not enough pressure, huh?" Hayato muttered to himself.
While he hadn't seen Oguri Cap use her inherent skill, Hayato had spotted several gold skills activating.
Gold-level abilities that made his jaw clench with a mix of awe and frustration.
'Concentration was one. Acceleration was another. And there was also Gourmand, a stamina recovery skill executed so perfectly that it looked effortless.'
'Gourmand wasn't used because it was a stamina recovery-focused skill, and with Oguri Cap's massive stamina reserves, she didn't need it against opponents of this level.'
'Then there were several passive skills....'
Since Hayato couldn't see her full panel due to the wisdom restriction, he didn't know exactly what they were.
Just glimpses, Hayato guessed there should be Corner Connoisseur among them, given how smoothly she'd handled the corner.
There was one yellow skill she'd used to avoid triggering Seiun Sky's "Hesitant Pace Chasers" red skill, Shrewd Step. And another for uphill running called Highlander, though the course hadn't really tested that.
These were just the tip of the iceberg for Oguri Cap. There were still many skills she hadn't used or even needed to activate. Her full arsenal remained a mystery as legendary Uma Musume.
'Ugh, this really gives me a headache.... If it weren't for the fact that I know how to develop their skills from the game mechanics, there's no way they could have won the Tiara Cup, the Triple Crown Classic, and the others.'
The only one who might be able to make Oguri Cap actually develop her inherent skill was probably Tamamo Cross. Another gray-haired uma musume with a fearsome reputation.
The monster known as Shiroi Inazuma (White Lightning).
Seiun Sky and King Halo were both panting heavily after the run, especially Seiun Sky, her forehead drenched in sweat, one hand trembling uncontrollably.
"Huha Huha~ What… just happened?" Seiun Sky glanced at Oguri Cap as if nothing had occurred, yet an almost terrifying aura radiated from her.
A monster?
In this game, Oguri Cap had indeed activated her Zone, not intentionally, but instinctively. It was even more overwhelming than Silence Suzuka's usual silent Zone.
Hayato approached the group and said, "If you fall behind, so be it. Just make sure you fight to get back up. Don't let it shake your spirit."
Hayato paused, raising a hand to his cheek, thinking seriously for a moment before continuing. "Since Oguri Cap has joined, I'll share some information I know."
"The way an Uma Musume improves her speed depends mainly on her attributes, skills, ultimate skill, and finally, their own Zone. And in this run, Oguri Cap naturally tapped into her zone unconsciously."
'Maybe it's because I promised her a feast, so she didn't wanna lose this race…'
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Don't forget to look at the illustration on the other side~