The girl Uma Musume named Kyoei March took the lead, running out in front as an Escape Horse.
She was one of the leading contenders in the Fillies' Triple Crown, widely recognized as one of the few strong rivals capable of challenging Mejiro Dober.
Her burst of speed was excellent, too, but her stamina was lacking. She wasn't confident she could sustain her Final Burst and overtake the others on that lengthy straight.
"I hope I can build up enough of a lead without slowing down!"
"There should still be a chance, right?"
Kyoei March, whose stamina was nowhere near enough to support a Big Escape, failed to notice that among the Leader group not far behind her...
A certain swift figure had barged in and caused an uproar!
The Heavenly Horse behind her was accelerating. Before the race had even reached its halfway point, she had drawn level with the group of Leading Uma Musume!
Then, without the slightest pause or hesitation, she overtook them one by one and left them behind!
The storm unleashed by Heavenly Horse Platinum's astonishing run gradually swept across the vast racecourse.
"Holy!!!"
"Wait, isn't Platinum a Mid-runner? Why is she going as fast as someone doing a Big Escape?"
"Who changes running styles in the middle of a race...?"
"Two thousand four hundred meters, and she's accelerating this early in such a long race?"
"We can't act recklessly like that monster. Just keep our pace and wait for her to run out of steam at the end."
Some Uma Musume were startled, while others remained calm and composed. A few even welcomed what was happening, glad to see it unfold.
After all, the vast majority of Uma Musume who chose to challenge the Fillies' Triple Crown lacked stamina to begin with...
In their minds, if they had outstanding stamina, they would surely go after the Classic Triple Crown instead. The Uma Musume who challenged the Fillies' Triple Crown were mostly known for their explosive speed, with stamina that was somewhat lacking.
With Agnes Tachyon all but retired due to injury and out of the Japanese Derby, Platinum still chose to compete in the Oaks instead of the Japanese Derby!
To the outside world—and to the Uma Musume competing in the race—Platinum's stamina was certainly nothing special!
Otherwise, why would Platinum, who had also entered the Japanese Derby, skip the Oaks and focus on preparing for the Japanese Derby?
Meanwhile, in the middle of the pack, Mejiro Dober, a top student from a distinguished family, gradually secured a favorable position with her keen judgment and momentum.
All she had to do now was wait for the right moment to unleash her strength and accelerate.
Mejiro Dober's gaze remained fixed on Platinum. A flicker of surprise passed through her eyes.
(Her momentum... is still building?)
(Wait, Platinum's target wasn't the Leading Uma Musume at all. It's the Escape Horse out in front? Is she planning to take first place and nothing less?)
As she watched the silver-white figure, Mejiro Dober began to feel that things were going slightly beyond her calculations.
She didn't know if it was just her imagination!
In theory, no matter how talented Platinum was, she had only just begun her Full Bloom!
Even if she was an early bloomer, even if her stamina was exceptional...
The longest race she had ever taken part in before this was only two thousand meters. She lacked racing experience, and she had rested for a mere two weeks!
And she was still confident she could keep running?
Was Heavenly Horse going to catch up with Kyoei March, the Escape Horse at the very front, before the third turn?!
But Mejiro Dober remained calm, her gaze settling on Kyoei March's back at the head of the pack.
(But Platinum... is going to miscalculate!)
(Kyoei March has already completed her Full Bloom. She's mastered Aura and can use her skills!)
Wouldn't a stat monster still have to bow before a mechanic monster?!
(Even if it's nowhere near the level of a Domain, it's still overwhelming against a young foal whose Full Bloom has only just begun.)
It was time to teach the Heavenly Horse a lesson!
This Heavenly Horse Was Ridiculously Strong, Yet Far Too Cautious
At the very front!
Kyoei March had chosen the Escape Horse style and gained a slight lead. In the next moment, she seemed to see something unbelievable.
At the edge of her vision, she spotted a small, shining silver-white figure racing toward her!
As an Escape Horse, there were only two possible reasons for being able to see other Uma Musume in her peripheral vision.
The first was that her lead was extremely slim, with the Leading Uma Musume close behind her.
The second was that there were other Escape Horses on the track, running alongside her.
But it was obvious that Heavenly Horse Platinum was neither a Leading Uma Musume nor an Escape Horse!
(H-how is this possible?!)
(Wasn't this Little Heavenly Horse supposed to be holding the inner lane in the middle of the pack, running as a Mid-runner while she waited for her chance?)
(Why is she running like an Escape Horse again, just like in the last race?)
After the starting gates opened, Kyoei March had noticed Platinum take the inner lane and gradually get crowded by the other Mid-runners. She had felt a surge of relief.
That way, no one would get in the way of her Escape Horse strategy, while Platinum and Mejiro Dober might begin an intense battle early on behind her.
In short, as an Escape Horse, she should have been able to hold the lead until the final stretch and stay in first place.
Why was she so fast?! Weren't Mid-runners supposed to bunch up together?
Kyoei March was so shocked that she knew she had little time to hesitate. With Platinum's terrifying momentum, it wouldn't take long for her to catch up and take over the lead.
She had to decide quickly!
She could accelerate early to stop the Little Heavenly Horse from overtaking her, then face her head-on...
Or she could give up the lead and let Platinum keep racing ahead, perhaps repeating her victory in the previous graded stakes race!
On the outside lane, she had managed to lead the entire two thousand meters of that graded stakes race and reach the finish line without the slightest sign of slowing down!
(I watched her races. After that crushing Big Escape, Platinum didn't even look tired or exhausted afterward. She didn't collapse on the ground or anything...)
(I hate to admit it, but a monster who could overcome a two-thousand-meter Big Escape with such ease really does have far more stamina than a veteran like me!!)
(My stamina was already poor to begin with. Once she overtakes me, there's no chance I'll catch up.)
After assessing the situation, Kyoei March immediately made her only choice... She wouldn't give an inch, and she wouldn't give up the view ahead—or the throne of first place—to the Heavenly Horse beside her.
"Then bring it on!"
"Even if I'm a senior who can't match a junior in stamina..."
"But Aura is the senior's home turf. Just you wait and see, Platinum!!"
"This is something only a champion-caliber Uma Musume with a shot at winning a Classic race can possess!"
In the next instant, an astonishing Aura burst from Kyoei March.
It was the kind of Aura only a talented Uma Musume in her Classic Year could possess after completing—or nearly completing—her Full Bloom.
Even though Platinum was currently competing in a Classic race, no one would mistake her for an Uma Musume in her Classic Year. She was far too young!
Her Full Bloom had probably only just begun. She likely didn't even understand what Aura was yet, right?
And that... was one of the reasons Kyoei March had entered the race despite her lack of stamina.
In Kyoei March's estimation, among the nearly twenty rivals in the race, only she and Mejiro Dober were likely strong enough to have mastered Aura.
Platinum might be a genius, but she didn't have much racing experience.
"Platinum, you're the challenger here!!"
Kyoei March made her choice, and her Aura spread across half the racecourse, exerting a measure of control.
Every Uma Musume within its reach felt a force pressing down on her, as if heavy shackles had been fastened around her ankles!
That was the suppression brought on by powerful Aura. It briefly dominated the racecourse, making most of the Uma Musume behind her look startled and slow their steps just a little.
Quick Dash: Slightly accelerates forward during the middle of a race Sleeping Lion: Makes legs less prone to fatigue during the middle of a race, slightly reducing stamina consumption. Game Over!: Slightly increases speed when closely pursued by an Uma Musume behind. Unbending Spirit: Boosts fighting spirit and takes on the challenge!
Not only that, Kyoei March's already swift figure displayed a burst of acceleration in the next instant!
Every move she made was caught by the silver-white figure not far behind her.
The Assassin Miss had already locked onto the powerful rival ahead of her. Not a single one of her actions escaped notice.
(The ones I need to watch out for in this race should be that Escape Horse and Mejiro Dober behind her.)
(Wait, why is this woman's Aura so weak?)
Platinum sensed the Aura from Kyoei March, the widely acknowledged favorite to win before the race, and couldn't help but grow wary.
She had chased her down until the gap was less than a horse's length. Ordinarily, an Escape Horse wouldn't give up the lead so easily with such a tiny margin between them. So why did Kyoei March's Aura feel so weak?
(Or... are Escape Horses particularly cunning? Is she pretending to be weak?)
Several months earlier, before she had transformed and while she was still in America,
the shady doctor had been carrying out her "play the long game to catch the big fish" plan, hooking up with a bunch of unknown American foals.
Those foals—Secretariat, Flightpath, Dahlia, Bully, and the others—weren't just in their Classic Year or New Horse Year rookie period. Some of them hadn't even made their Debut Race yet.
Yet during the training-race scrimmages, every one of them could use Aura—and they could keep it going for a long time.
At the time, the shady doctor hadn't transformed into an Uma Musume, so she couldn't sense Aura, much less tell how strong it was.
If even a bunch of nobodies could use it, then it must be a common, basic ability, right?
And Big Red, whose Aura was the most terrifying of all, had needed two attempts at her Debut Race just to debut. That made it clear this wasn't anything particularly rare.
Besides, her Full Bloom progress had been only five percent before, and she had already been able to use Aura at will. She was still nowhere near the limits of her Full Bloom.
So Kyoei March's Aura suppression left Platinum confused.
She hadn't even activated her own Aura, yet she had barely felt any suppression. This was one of the strongest Uma Musume in Japan's Fillies' Triple Crown. Why was her suppression so weak?
Something was off!
(I can't let my guard down!)
(If I lose, I won't get that huge race purse. She's definitely pretending to be weak.)
The cold-blooded Assassin Miss narrowed her sharp eyes, their glint like a flash of lightning. By her own understanding and judgment, she decided that this was a cunning and formidable enemy!
This Heavenly Horse Was Ridiculously Strong, Yet Far Too Cautious!
(Is she trying to slow down the race?)
(Or is she waiting until she takes the lead, then planning to unleash her full power and true Aura from behind at the very last moment to overtake me?)
Either way...
If she broke through in one go, there'd be no problem!
The Heavenly Horse stopped hesitating and decided to accelerate. At last, she began to unleash her Aura.
In the next instant, in the eyes of the Uma Musume—
The Aura that Kyoei March had spread over half the racecourse was suddenly swallowed by darkness, like storm clouds looming over a city. It expanded in one fell swoop to cover the entire racecourse!!
It was as if, atop the dark, deep ruins, a silver-white Assassin capable of hunting down anything stood tall!
"Guh... Th-that's terrifying Aura!"
"Holy! I can barely run! My stamina's draining way too fast. I'll really slow down at this rate!"
"Wait, if she has Aura this powerful, why didn't she withdraw and enter the Japanese Derby instead? Why's she picking on us here?"
Before you continue