When Golden Crown Eagle realized she had suddenly caught up with Sakura Baimu, a wave of elation washed over her.
But when she saw that Sakura Baimu hadn't made a mistake or lost speed,
it was a sudden, forceful stop at the wheel.
Her heart sank instantly.
In her Zone state, Golden Crown Eagle saw the chilling glint in Sakura Baimu's eyes in that instant.
She also saw the smirk on Sakura Baimu's lips.
This scene was all too familiar.
It was exactly like the scene from last night when she waited anxiously for Sakura Baimu to overtake her.
She abruptly stopped, leaving her opponent directly in front of her.
"What is she trying to do by stopping? She doesn't have a Zone!! What is she trying to do?!"
At that moment, Golden Crown Eagle had already overtaken Sakura Baimu.
But no joy returned to her heart.
Instead, a deep unease replaced it.
Sakura Baimu first displayed a speed that, even with her Zone fully activated, she couldn't match.
Then she suddenly braked, undoubtedly to overtake her and then do something to achieve some goal.
"Was... it necessary to go to such lengths?"
Understanding Sakura Baimu's intentions, Golden Crown Eagle was perplexed.
What could Sakura Baimu, without her Zone, possibly do?
Unknown.
This intense uncertainty transformed into a profound unease, shaking Golden Crown Eagle's confidence, already shattered by this competition.
Panic.
Because she didn't know what would happen next, Golden Crown Eagle was filled with panic.
Her heart pounded wildly, even causing a dull ache in her chest.
The pounding sound was incredibly clear within the Zone's world.
The rapid, almost unnatural pounding of her heart intensified Golden Crown Eagle's fear.
"Crossing the finish line... if I cross the finish line... it will all be over..."
Golden Crown Eagle turned her tear-streaked face, fixing her gaze on the finish line ahead.
She herself didn't realize it.
From the moment she overtook Sakura Baimu, the hunter-prey dynamic between her and Sakura Baimu had been reversed.
Thump
Golden Crown Eagle seemed to hear a sound behind her again.
She knew Sakura Baimu had made her move.
Extreme unease drove her to desperately try to look behind her, wanting to see what Sakura Baimu was planning.
Ultimately, overwhelming fear overcame her determination to cross the finish line.
She slowly looked behind her.
But Golden Crown Eagle's mind had only turned about ninety degrees when she sensed a figure enveloped in an overwhelming aura at the edge of her vision.
Her answer became clear—
It was aura.
Thump
A clear, resonant heartbeat echoed in Golden Crown Eagle's mind.
Thump, thump
As the second and third heartbeats sounded, Golden Crown Eagle suddenly realized that the aura surrounding her had vanished.
In its place was a deep blue, even more profound than the sky itself.
Only then did Golden Crown Eagle understand.
The aura Sakura Baimu had previously displayed before her was merely the tip of the iceberg.
A Zone can enhance speed and one's aura.
However, Sakura Baimu's aura was so powerful that it was enough to shatter her Zone.
At this moment, Golden Crown Eagle felt...
It was as if a ferocious lion had opened its bloodthirsty jaws behind her.
It was a fear stemming from primal instinct.
Even more tears streamed from Golden Crown Eagle's eyes, but she found herself unable to move her legs an inch.
Thump
With the fourth heartbeat, Sakura Baimu was already level with Golden Crown Eagle.
Golden Crown Eagle completely lost her will to fight; the intense fear even made her unable to feel her legs.
Run for your life?
No, at this moment, she only wanted to close her eyes, not wanting to meet Sakura Baimu's cold, frightening eyes again.
Thump
When Golden Crown Eagle's fifth heartbeat sounded, Sakura Baimu's aura subsided, and she instantly overtook Golden Crown Eagle again.
Golden Crown Eagle's heart was already beating very rapidly.
What happened within five heartbeats appeared to take no more than two seconds to the outside world.
But in those two seconds, everyone witnessed Sakura Baimu once again overtaking Golden Crown Eagle, who had surpassed her.
And Golden Crown Eagle, whose face had initially lit up with joy at having overtaken Sakura Baimu,...
As if her soul had been ripped away, all movement vanished instantly, and her body slumped downward in the direction she had been running.
Crossed the finish line!
With a dull thud as Golden Crown Eagle crashed onto the grass, Sakura Baimu crossed the finish line expressionlessly.
She didn't even look back at the fallen Golden Crown Eagle, but went straight to where she had dropped her backpack, picked it up, and started walking outside.
"..."
The night sky, which had been filled with people, fell completely silent as Sakura Baimu's footsteps faded.
Many people stared at the figure of Golden Crown Eagle, who had fallen before the finish line, leaving a long trail of brown dirt on the grass, and felt a surge of fear in their hearts.
They didn't understand what had happened to Golden Crown Eagle.
In the two seconds it took Sakura Baimu to brake and catch up with Golden Crown Eagle, the battle took a dramatic turn.
Because of the distance and the short time, even Obey Your Master, Symboli Rudolf, and Maruzensky didn't quite see what happened.
They only saw Sakura Baimu suddenly brake; then, the instant she overtook Golden Crown Eagle, her aura exploded and then receded.
Then, Golden Crown Eagle collapsed as if she had lost her soul.
"She won...? She really won?"
Symboli Rudolf stammered, staring in disbelief at the fallen Golden Crown Eagle.
"Yes," Maruzensky nodded.
"A Umamusume without a Zone defeated a Umamusume who had awakened a higher-level Zone?"
"That's right," Maruzensky nodded again.
"…" Symboli Rudolf's eyes widened.
The last time she was this shocked was at Arima Kinen that year, when she witnessed Oguri Cap break through her Zone.
"The aura that Ogura just displayed in that instant was comparable to a 'monster'," Symboli Rudolf said.
"Hmm… the level of the Heisei top three, huh. I can't believe we're fortunate enough to see it again…" Maruzensky nodded with a sigh.
--
Obey Your Master's eyes were also filled with intense shock.
She had rarely seen such a powerful aura.
But the aura that Sakura Baimu had just displayed was comparable to that of the "Emperor" and the "Reed-haired Monster."
"Who exactly is she? With such strength, she must have won a G1 championship. I'll investigate thoroughly when I get back!"