Golden Crown Eagle was only slightly surprised, but not overly concerned. She was used to following Umamusume who raced with their own pace; no matter how fast Mejiro McQueen ran, she would always catch up.
Because it was a 1v1 race, the positions in the opening and middle stages remained largely unchanged.
Mejiro McQueen quickly completed the second and third turns at an astonishing pace. She reached the straight before the "heart-stopping" steep climb.
Golden Crown Eagle stayed about five lengths behind Mejiro McQueen without showing any signs of discomfort; her stamina remained high.
"The battle remains unchanged; Mejiro McQueen maintains her leading advantage."
"Golden Crown Eagle is also closely following Mejiro McQueen, not letting her outpace."
"While the battle remains relatively unchanged, the running styles of these two top-tier active-duty Umamusume are truly a sight to behold."
"Mejiro McQueen has reached the steep incline first!"
"A heart-stopping steep incline; anyone would slow down here..."
Golden Crown Eagle thought to herself when suddenly she saw Mejiro McQueen climbing the incline without slowing down at all. Her eyes narrowed; she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"She hasn't slowed down?!"
Last night, when she was running with Sakura Baimu, she hadn't noticed that Sakura Baimu's climbing posture was the same as Mejiro McQueen's because she was ahead of her. Otherwise, Golden Crown Eagle's shock would have been even greater.
Golden Crown Eagle experienced a slight slowdown on the climb, and her heart was under considerable strain. However, she didn't care.
This obstacle was negligible for an Umamusume of her caliber.
"Mejiro McQueen has gained an advantage on the climb and is now about seven lengths ahead of Golden Crown Eagle."
"Mejiro McQueen has reached the third corner first and is heading towards the final corner."
"Mejiro McQueen's burst of speed... is at the final corner..."
Golden Crown Eagle's lips curled into a slight smile as she recalled the information she'd heard from Obey Your Master about Mejiro McQueen. Far from nervousness, she felt a surge of anticipation for Mejiro McQueen's burst of speed.
"Here it comes! Mejiro McQueen has stepped onto the final straight! Explosion☆ begins!"
Mejiro McQueen's final-corner burst always generated excitement. As soon as she stepped onto the final straight, it was as if she had seamlessly switched modes, her speed increasing dramatically.
A thin stream of white air flowed from Mejiro McQueen's body to her ponytail; at that moment, she unleashed the same speed she had during Abyss's Umamusume race.
"Eight lengths! Nine lengths! Ten lengths! A huge gap!"
"Mejiro McQueen has pulled far ahead of Golden Crown Eagle behind her!!"
Golden Crown Eagle, seeing Mejiro McQueen accelerate, also quickened her pace. Her acceleration also created air currents, and her speed was already quite impressive.
"Golden Crown Eagle is accelerating too!"
"But she doesn't seem to be able to close the gap with Mejiro McQueen! Mejiro McQueen is still a step ahead!"
"Wow!!!"
Many Umamusume from Tracen Academy cheered at this moment.
However, the faces of a few people in the arena remained unchanged. They didn't show the slightest relaxation despite Mejiro McQueen's acceleration.
Because they knew that the strongest active-duty Umamusume from Pluto Academy hadn't yet unleashed her true power.
"Tsk."
Golden Crown Eagle listened to the cheers around her, a disdainful sneer playing on her lips.
Without relying on her Zone's acceleration, her speed was indeed inferior to Mejiro McQueen's.
Golden Crown Eagle's eyes gradually turned cold; this disparity in raw strength made her quite displeased.
"Not only that one from last night, but this Mejiro McQueen, and that Tokai Teio... they all possess the strength to defeat even the lowest-level Zones with sheer raw power..."
The harsh reality fueled Golden Crown Eagle's growing anger. She quickened her pace, calculating the distance and time in her mind.
"Let them be smug for another ten seconds; let's see if they can still laugh then!"
"Mejiro McQueen has now pulled ahead of Golden Crown Eagle by more than 10 lengths, amazing!"
"She's already on the final straight's turf, heading straight for the finish line!"
"McQueen!!! Go!!!"
On the sidelines, several Umamusume from TCB were cheering Mejiro McQueen on.
Their trainer, Sakura Baimu, stood there with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on Golden Crown Eagle behind Mejiro McQueen.
"1..."
"0!"
Golden Crown Eagle's countdown reached zero.
Her previously downturned lips instantly stretched into an almost ear-to-ear grin, and a dark green flame ignited in her pupils. Her icy aura transformed into the blazing heat of the sun.
Maruzensky and Symboli Rudolf's hearts sank the moment they saw Golden Crown Eagle's utterly grotesque expression.
"Here she comes!"
At the same moment Symboli Rudolf spoke, the Umamusume in the stands closest to Golden Crown Eagle heard a loud "thud!"
Then they saw Golden Crown Eagle, who had been lagging behind Mejiro McQueen, suddenly surge forward like a cannonball, charging towards Mejiro McQueen with terrifying ferocity.
The turf track she had just traversed before her outburst left two deep craters the size of footballs.
"Mejiro McQueen, 400 meters passed... Ah!!"
Sakura Bakushin O suddenly roared, jumping up from her seat in shock.
"Golden Crown Eagle is accelerating again! What speed is this?! What speed is this?!"
"Golden Crown Eagle is closing the gap with Mejiro McQueen at an astonishing speed!"
"The lead is being closed! Only 10 lengths... no, 9!"
"8 lengths, 7 lengths!"
"The distance is still shrinking!!"
At this moment, the Umamusume who were cheering for Mejiro McQueen were like chicks with their throats choked, unable to utter a sound.
What speed is this?!
It was infinitely faster than Tokai Teio's acceleration.
"Four lengths, three lengths, two lengths!"
"One length!"
"What... what is this?! This is the first time I've ever felt this kind of power...!"
Mejiro McQueen was drenched in sweat. The feeling Golden Crown Eagle gave her was even more terrifying than Rice Shower at Takarazuka Kinen.
"It's like a cheetah about to pounce on its prey..."
Mejiro McQueen felt her legs momentarily lose control. A primal fear made her instinctively want to run away.
She grabbed her tail, which slightly eased her fear.
But in an instant, the terrifying aura vanished behind Mejiro McQueen and then suddenly appeared beside her.
"I've caught up with you, Mejiro McQueen."