"The race has reached the middle stage! The... the competition among the front-runners is extremely
fierce!"
Commentator Akasaka was a bit baffled by the runners' tactics.
Symboli Rudolf, Tamamo Cross, how did you two end up at the front? That's not how Chasers and Closers are supposed to run!
"Although the runners behind have been left in the dust, we can see they are still trying hard to catch up..."
The competition between Symboli Rudolf and the others was too intense.
The runners behind them were caught in the crossfire between these monsters and had become collateral damage. Even though they were still running hard, it was clear the gap was already impossible to close.
And those monsters at the front... they were still accelerating!
Symboli Rudolf, having plundered the strength of numerous runners, had entered her ultimate phase. Her originally purple eyes were now glowing bright red, sparking with dark-red arcs of electricity. Her ferocious gaze was fixed on the runners ahead.
The spreading "Crimson Thunder Domain" was her butchering ground, already stained with the "blood" of countless runners. Their "blood" had become a part of Symboli Rudolf's power, building her throne from the blood and flesh of her opponents—
This was the true face of the sealed Central Emperor!!!
"Gasp! Is that really what the President looks like when she runs?"
Many students were terrified.
Although a President like that was cool... very cool.
But she was just too intense! It felt like just looking at her would get you killed.
The Emperor didn't yet know that because she had used her domain, her terrifying image was now seared into everyone's memory. In the future, no matter how much she explained it was just an effect of the Zone, no one would believe her. For instance, her desire to get closer to the younger horse girls was now over before it even began.
Super Creek's chest was heaving. She panted heavily, her expression tense, as if some great horror was chasing her from behind. Even if she didn't know what the Emperor's domain did, its aura was just too terrifying. She wanted to escape, but she couldn't.
Although Super Creek's stamina was her strong suit, she had been accelerating all the way from the first section of the track to the middle straight, with no time to catch her breath. She couldn't hold on any longer.
No matter how excellent her physical constitution, without 'Tides' to break the wind or an 'Aura' to stabilize her breathing rhythm, she could not win against these monsters who had mastered domains—unless her constitution was strong enough to simply overwhelm them.
'No, I'm at my limit...'
Super Creek's face twisted in pain. Her reaction was that of a normal horse girl. Being able to hold on this long was only due to her superior physical endurance.
As for those runners still accelerating...
They were monsters. They couldn't be lumped together.
Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared at Super Creek's side. She looked up in terror, only to see Symboli Rudolf, her face cold and her eyes glowing red, sweep a glance at her. That single glance made Super Creek's whole body freeze as if electrocuted. Her running form instantly fell apart.
Then, Super Creek was instantly overtaken by Symboli Rudolf, who also plundered a part of her strength. The one running here was no longer the Student Council President "Rudof," but the former strongest in Japan, the inventor of the domain—
The invincible Emperor!!!
Only a horse girl who had also entered a domain could know the depth Symboli Rudolf had reached in its development. Even Montjeu, who was watching the race, had to admit that she was inferior to the Emperor in domain development. Although, if it were a real race, she was confident she could outrun the Emperor. But in the development of this "domain" skill, the Emperor was definitely the foremost person she had ever seen.
'So this is what you've kept sealed.'
It was a very strong move, but not invincible. And its weakness was also obvious.
Montjeu felt that with this move alone, the Emperor could not win the Arc de Triomphe. After all, "domains" were not that rare a skill outside of Japan. In comparison, the ability shown by that Mejiro McQueen was far more frightening.
She looked at the leading horse girl.
From the start of the race until now, this runner had been constantly accelerating. At first, even if this runner pulled off a second or third-stage acceleration, Montjeu didn't think much of it. But the problem was, she later discovered that the runner's acceleration was still stacking, with no intention of stopping. What kind of monster was this?!
'Why can she break her upper limit time and time again? How is this runner doing it? What is that ability? A domain alone shouldn't be able to achieve this!'
Montjeu was astonished by Mejiro McQueen's performance. She had already observed several times that this runner's speed seemed to have reached her physical limit, but like she had just flipped off a limiter, she broke that limit again and again, and made it look as easy as drinking water.
Montjeu truly felt like she was seeing a ghost. If this runner could really keep breaking her physical limits and improve endlessly, then she felt she might be witnessing the "strongest" in the truest sense of the word. No, "strongest" would be an understatement. That would have to be one of the Three Goddesses descended to earth, right?
A bolt of white lightning arrived next to Super Creek, glanced at her with concern, and then continued to chase after Symboli Rudolf.
At this moment, Tamamo Cross's speed could no longer keep up with Symboli Rudolf. Rudolf had plundered too much power. Even with her domain open, Tamamo Cross's speed couldn't match Rudolf in this state.
After all, Tamamo Cross's Zone didn't have so many fancy bells and whistles; it was just pure explosive power. But the stronger the explosive speed, the heavier the burden on the body. That's why she was following behind Symboli Rudolf, using her to break the wind and conserve stamina.
This move by Tamamo Cross could be said to be taking full advantage of the running style, bullying Symboli Rudolf's domain which could only target opponents in front, not plunder from those behind. Otherwise, Rudolf would definitely have let Tamamo Cross know the punishment for such lèse-majesté against the Emperor. 'You punk, hiding behind me, eating my slipstream, and making me break the wind for you, huh?'
'You are all in the way! Get back!'
As Symboli Rudolf's domain was unleashed, her mental state also became more and more irritable. After all, the "plunder" effect itself put a great strain on the mind. To plunder power from so many runners at once... the fact that the Emperor could remain lucid and was only somewhat irritable was already insane. One could only say there was a reason she could awaken such a massive "gating" skill domain. Her mental strength was naturally powerful.
The Oguri Cap in front sensed the Emperor catching up. She immediately activated her domain and accelerated, then in a flash, she squeezed T.M. Opera O behind her as a sacrifice. With her powerful explosive force, she charged towards the two in front. She had wanted to lock onto the first-place Mejiro McQueen, but for some reason, she couldn't. So, she had to switch targets and lock onto Maruzensky.
T.M. Opera O was shoved behind by Oguri Cap, and her expression changed instantly.
'Trying to use me, the Overlord, as your rear guard? Don't even think about it!' The aura on T.M. Opera O grew stronger, the red starlight in her eyes looking even more dangerous. Staring at Oguri Cap's back, she grit her teeth and gave chase. The Overlord's power isn't just this much! Even a monster shouldn't think of defeating me, the Overlord!
A brand new domain aura was forming.
The several domain-users all sensed the change in T.M. Opera O. In the midst of this intense confrontation, this runner's talent was finally blossoming. If this were any other race, T.M. Opera O might have been able to stage a shocking upset. But competing in this race... were monsters who had already surpassed their peak.
'Stepped into our world, have you? But there is no room for you in this race. Stand down!' In the blink of an eye, Symboli Rudolf first passed Narita Brian, and then immediately caught up to T.M. Opera O, who had just awakened her domain.
T.M. Opera O's spirit was shaken by Symboli Rudolf's aura. She couldn't even maintain her domain. In an instant, she was mercilessly overtaken by Symboli Rudolf.
T.M. Opera O's face turned ugly as she fell behind. Her domain being forcibly shattered just as it formed caused her condition to plummet. Tamamo Cross, catching up from behind, gave this rookie a sympathetic look.
What terrible luck. To awaken your domain in a race only to run into the Emperor. I feel for you, kid, but I still gotta pass you.
Tamamo Cross passed T.M. Opera O.
"Symboli Rudolf passes T.M. Opera O! Tamamo Cross is catching up too! Wait, T.M. Opera O is losing speed!"
"The race has reached the final corner! The runner in the lead is this runner, Mejiro McQueen! What a heaven-defying Great Escape! She hasn't lost speed for the entire race, and even now, she is still escaping! She is already five lengths ahead of the second-place Maruzensky, and it looks like the gap is still widening! Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!"
Commentator Akasaka never expected this result in the final stage. She finally understood why Symboli Rudolf had to burst out in the very first section of the race. It was all because of this runner, Mejiro McQueen.
Who could have imagined that a Great Escape like this was real, and that it was achieved in such an intense race? The difficulty of this is so much higher than her Great Escape at the Kikka Sho, because the strength of her opponents is on a completely different level.
But even so, Mejiro McQueen still completed the Great Escape!
If Symboli Rudolf and the others hadn't noticed something was wrong early on and burst out ahead of time, they would probably have been completely left behind by now.
"In second place is Maruzensky. But it looks like Oguri Cap, who is three lengths behind her, is preparing to sprint! Symboli Rudolf is currently in fourth, two lengths behind Oguri Cap, but the gap is shrinking! Fifth place is Tamamo Cross, three lengths behind Symboli Rudolf. Sixth is Narita Brian, seventh is T.M. Opera O..."
...
For every 100 power stones, you get 1 bonus chapter!
When we hit 10 reviews, I'll release another bonus chapter too.
Get 20 chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"