The Windless Zone

"Just a little more. If she could just hold on a little longer—"

At the corner of his eye, the fangs of Backdoor Wolf, unleashed amid the pack, were already closing in. Yet at this moment, the runaway pair had only one target ahead of them.

"Is it Meisho Gekkei?! Or Mejiro Atalanta?!"

"Mejiro Atalanta! Meisho Gekkei! Mejiro Atalanta! Meisho Gekkei!"

The thunderous cheers of more than a hundred thousand people completely drowned out the live commentary, wave after wave of roaring cries crashing against their eardrums.

In that instant, all sense of reality flew away.

As though time had been paused, dizziness overtook him, leaving his mind a tangled mess.

It was not only the anxiety of a victory about to be decided, but also the overwhelming satisfaction that Atalanta had truly come this far.

Like a cough, he forcefully exhaled the breath that had gathered in his chest.

After an instant that felt both endlessly long and fleeting—on the inside, the small chestnut mare clamped tightly onto her bit and, driven by instinct, took a step with all her body and soul.

On the outside, the defending champion, linked to her rider through their bond, showed no sign of faltering and took a razor-sharp step as well.

It was a moment witnessed by the riders in the saddle, those connected to the race from the sidelines, and over a hundred thousand racing fans.

Her sweat-soaked neck stretched desperately forward, and the runaway pair were the first to clear the final hurdle.

She's going to be caught— The same thought arose in countless minds as the two figures nearly overlapped.

Yet, just before the raging current being chased by the gale was swallowed whole, it surged first into the windless zone of glory.

"Mejiro Atalanta! It's Mejiro Atalanta! An