More than one or two Mid-runners were taken by surprise. The whole group was left staring in stunned disbelief.
But the race went on. That scene, as if it could only appear in a dream, made it seem less like a race and more like a hunt led by the Hunting Goddess!
It was as if they had already fallen behind, been overtaken by that Heavenly Horse, and been pierced by arrows—eliminated by the unknown Goddess Phantom herself!
The once spirited, battle-ready pack of Mid-runners had fallen into indecision. All they could do was let the Silver Heavenly Horse race farther and farther ahead along the inside rail.
"D-do we speed up and catch Platinum...?"
"Since when does racing mean you get shot if you can't keep up?!"
"I can't do this! This Heavy Track demands too much strength, and now there's this overwhelming Aura too. I'm going to lose speed if I keep going!"
"If we catch up, will we get shot again?"
"That phantom just now... Was it an illusion, or did Platinum activate some kind of domain? Is this really someone I can compete against?"
Amid their constant cries of dismay, Miss Heavenly Horse left them completely behind.
This time, the number of arrows in Platinum's Quiver dropped rapidly, leaving only half of what it had held before.
Platinum could feel the arrows disappearing, turning into effects that shot toward her rivals! One by one, they "pierced" the little fillies who had been left in shock.
Of course, they couldn't cause any real harm. Uma Musume races couldn't turn into item races.
But after Platinum overtook an opponent and loosed an arrow, she seemed to hear a voice in her ear, announcing each pass...
First down, the Crouching Dragon emerges!
Two in a row, a name made in one battle!
Three in a row, the whole world is stunned!
Four in a row, Invincible Under Heaven!
The thrill of shooting an arrow at each rival as she overtook them filled Platinum, who should have been a sniper, with a joy almost like pleasure.
For the first time in all this time, overtaking her rivals stirred a hint of delight and anticipation in Platinum!
There are still so many arrows in the Quiver...
And not far ahead of her, off to the side...
Jungle Pocket and Black Ship were within three lengths!
Then let's keep overtaking them!
Unbelievable! Simply unbelievable!
Platinum, the frontrunner and favorite to win with her incredible stamina, had changed tactics!
She had chosen the muddy, grueling inside lane. Even as she fell five or six lengths behind and became the most dangerous Late-runner on the Heavy Track, she didn't seem to care!
Platinum had been considered the strongest racer in the Three Contend, with slightly more fan support than the others. But after changing tactics and choosing a Late-runner strategy that put her body to the ultimate test on the Heavy Track—
The winner had become anyone's guess.
But no one expected that, once the Heavenly Horse Platinum began accelerating along the inside rail, she would overtake the entire pack of Mid-runners!
After all, from the countless spectators' vantage point, almost every racer other than the Escape Horses at the front had gathered in the middle.
But Platinum... charged across the unoccupied territory without restraint, like a monarch expanding her realm!
It was yet another tactic and running style that shattered common sense. The Heavenly Horse had started her Big Chase along the inside rail on the Heavy Track, accelerating early!
After the second turn, Platinum overtook every Mid-runner and rose to ninth place.
And she was still going!
Jungle Pocket, the second favorite, and Black Ship, the third favorite, were both considered formidable rivals with the best chances of defeating Platinum.
How would they deal with the Heavenly Horse, relentlessly closing in from the inside rail?!
As the announcer continued to explain the race, a certain seat in the stands held a horse-girl scientist in a white coat. Her pupils narrowed, like a beast's, as she caught sight of something sweet and interesting—
"What... is that?!"
Agnes Tachyon stared at Miss Heavenly Horse as she ran along the inside of the Grass Track. She saw what appeared after Platinum overtook the other Uma Musume!
Unable to help herself, she grinned. Her regret at being unable to race was instantly replaced by her interest in Platinum.
"I've never seen anything like it."
"That dignified, brilliant golden phantom of a girl... She shot an arrow?"
"It looks like it appears whenever Platinum overtakes someone."
"Could it be because of... that Winning Live Costume she's wearing for the first time? I've certainly never heard of anything like it."
With her keen eyes and the clarity that came from being a spectator, Agnes Tachyon immediately figured out the conditions that triggered the "Transcendence Effect."
It had never appeared in any of Platinum's previous races.
The spectators around her, meanwhile, only reacted to the excitement of Platinum overtaking her rivals in a Big Chase. They hadn't seen the stunning sight of her shining like the Hunting Goddess.
"It seems that the scene of the phantom girl drawing her bow and shooting is something like an Aura or a domain. Only the racers on the track and the Uma Musume in the surrounding stands can see it."
"All those racers must have been stunned, right?"
"Black Ship doesn't seem well suited to the 2,400 meters in the first place, and now she has to deal with a Heavy Track. She's taken gambling a little too far."
"And Jungle Pocket knew Black Ship had no dominance in the Derby on a Heavy Track. She only cared about Platinum, giving up her best Mid-runner strategy to disrupt Platinum's rhythm! And she failed!"
"How interesting... We'll be seeing that bow-and-arrow scene again."
Beside Agnes Tachyon, who had finished sharing her analysis, sat another girl: Manhattan Cafe, quiet and dressed in black.
Manhattan Cafe was also an Uma Musume of this generation, and she was eligible to compete in the Classics.
The Japanese Derby's supreme prestige and influence had led countless Uma Musume to risk injury to take part. They were determined to race, even if they struggled with the Heavy Track or weren't suited to the distance.
But the utterly rational Manhattan Cafe wasn't among them.
The quiet girl in black was still growing stronger, but she was nowhere near her peak. She didn't believe she was capable of competing with Platinum.
At least, not yet.
So she had chosen to skip the Japanese Derby, continue training, and prepare with all her strength for long-distance races.
A few months later, in the Kikuka Sho—the final race of the Triple Crown of Transformation—Manhattan Cafe hoped to stop Platinum at the last hurdle.
For now, Manhattan Cafe was here as a spectator, together with her friend Agnes Tachyon.
As Agnes Tachyon kept observing Platinum, Manhattan Cafe merely nodded in quiet agreement.
Suddenly—
As if she'd thought of something, Manhattan Cafe spoke up.
"By the way, Tachyon, where's Doctor Lin?"
"Didn't you ask me to buy a ticket so you could invite him?"
At that, Agnes Tachyon's excited gaze dimmed slightly.
Then her delicate expression turned troubled, and she replied softly.
"Two days before the race, when I brought him the ticket..."
"Doctor Lin said he couldn't make it on Derby day. Two Uma Musume he'd been close with back when he was in America were going to race on those two days."
"So he's going to watch their races instead."
Manhattan Cafe tilted her little head slightly, her expression going still.
In her mind, the image from her earlier dream flickered: herself, injured, being treated with warmth by the young doctor.
Those other races that Doctor Lin had chosen to watch instead of the most popular Derby in Japan...
Those two Uma Musume must be very important to him, right?
For some reason, even though it had nothing to do with her, the quiet girl in black felt inexplicably irritable.
"Which two Uma Musume?"
It was rare for Manhattan Cafe to ask further about strangers who had nothing to do with her.
Agnes Tachyon was also in a strangely bad mood. She didn't pay much attention to her friend's reaction and answered casually.
"One's a dirt-track Uma Musume, and the other's a grass-track Uma Musume."
"Dahlia!"
"Secretariat!"
The names meant nothing to Manhattan Cafe. She couldn't remember either of them ever winning an international GI Races event.
"Are they very strong?"
Agnes Tachyon immediately shook her head.
"No, it's not a matter of whether they're strong or not."
"A year from now, just look at the top two spots on the world rankings for grass-track and dirt-track Uma Musume. You'll see them there."
Manhattan Cafe stiffened all over.
Just the top two spots?
The strongest on grass and the strongest on dirt?
So they were guaranteed the top two, and could even become number one in the world if no other monsters appeared?
"The top two... Does that mean there could still be other Uma Musume who might surpass or rival Dahlia and Secretariat?"
The girl in black couldn't help asking again.
"On grass, there are three super rookies, like Lintailai, and another called Star of Kaido, as well as... Platinum!"
"They could all rival Dahlia, or even surpass her."
"And on dirt, there are two super rookies called Bully and Route."
"But nobody could surpass Secretariat. Bully and Route might be able to come close."
Agnes Tachyon delivered her final verdict.
"Secretariat is simply... a beloved horse blessed by the Three Goddesses. She's an absolute legend who will reign over the history of dirt racing. A true divine horse!"
"Unless—unless a second Heavenly Horse appears on the dirt track, someone extraordinary, powerful, and dazzling like Platinum! Only then would anyone be qualified to challenge Secretariat's divine authority!"
But... that was impossible, wasn't it?
"Big Red Secretariat has no rivals. She's invincible!!"
On the Grass Track, just before the third turn.
Jungle Pocket furrowed her brows, deeply troubled.
Though she looked like a savage beast, deadly and ferocious, Jungle Pocket wasn't an Uma Musume without tactics who knew only how to use Big Escape and Lead Runner strategies.
From her analysis, Platinum seemed well suited to Leader and Lead Runner tactics.
And a Heavy Track naturally disadvantaged racers at the back, so Platinum, running wide, should have angled inward and accelerated.
But why... had more than half the race passed, and Platinum still hadn't appeared?
Platinum really is no empty boast. She must have seen through my intentions and chosen not to angle inward. She's switched to a Mid-runner strategy in the middle of the pack, hasn't she?
Strong and cunning. What a dangerous monster. Even Tachyon would struggle against her.
Looks like she's planning to accelerate on the final stretch and tear through the racers ahead...
The chestnut-haired girl hadn't finished her analysis when, the next second, her heart began to race. Her pupils suddenly contracted, as if she'd seen a ghost.
The silver-white figure she'd been watching for on the outside still hadn't appeared. But on the inside rail—the path she'd never been very concerned about—
Heavenly Horse Platinum was coming?!
And she was charging straight toward them on the muddy inside rail, the most deserted lane and the one that most severely tested an Uma Musume's overall ability?
Guh... Are you kidding me?!
Before you continue