The Tyrant surged forward. Having entered ZONE, she not only neutralized Sweep Tosho's interference skill but unleashed a devastating sprint.
Sweep Tosho barely had time to react before the ZONE-empowered Orfevre blasted past.
(Here it comes! This is it!)
Gold Ship clung to Orfevre's slipstream. In the next moment, golden flames erupted across her own body.
(NOW! Weigh anchor!!!)
In an instant, a tidal wave seemed to crash behind Gold Ship — an enormous warship riding the surge, charging toward the front.
Tyrant, your power is incredible. But now it's MINE!
[Gold Ship's Bizarre Adventure (Flash)]
Having successfully activated her skill and entered a limit-break state, Gold Ship locked onto Orfevre's slipstream. And the truly shocking part? Her speed was still climbing.
Because Gold Ship's skill didn't just synchronize with her target's state — it had a second-stage acceleration effect on top of that. A genuine finishing blow.
Orfevre's eyes widened in disbelief at the Gold Ship surging up behind her. She'd never imagined this useless little sister still had a trick like this.
(Damn you — you've got some nerve, Gold Ship!)
Red light flashed in the Tyrant's eyes. A pulse of terrifying pressure crashed down.
Naturally, as the strongest, she commanded the highest-tier interference skills.
Gold Ship's speed began to drop under the pressure — but her lips were curled in a wild, almost manic grin.
Interference skills? Who doesn't have those?
(Don't be in such a rush, Orfevre!)
Red light blazed in Gold Ship's eyes in return. The Tyrant's form shuddered, as though something heavy had landed on her shoulders. Orfevre's speed dropped too.
They were back on equal footing.
(HAHAHAHA!!!)
(THIS is it! This overflowing power — it feels incredible! Can you feel it, Orfevre?! Right now, the great Gold Ship-sama is ABOVE you!)
Gold Ship had unleashed a side of herself no one had ever seen — a dark, ferocious version fueled by years of suppressed resentment and pain.
From "I'm stronger than them," to "I won't lose to them," to being beaten down until she questioned whether she really could beat them, to finally being forced to accept that she couldn't — this world's Gold Ship had been broken by the Tyrant and her peers.
But deep in her heart, she'd never truly accepted it.
In the beginning, she hadn't been weaker than the Tyrant at all. She'd lost only because her competitive drive hadn't matched theirs. It wasn't until Orfevre and Gentildonna awakened ZONE that the real gap opened.
Gold Ship had wondered, more than once, whether things might have been different if she'd tried harder back then. But reality didn't offer do-overs, and hypotheticals were meaningless.
So what Gold Ship wanted now — while her abilities hadn't fully declined, while she could still run — was one last, genuine attempt.
She would load everything she had into the cannon.
This might be the one great rampage of her lifetime. And even if it was, that was fine.
She wanted to win. To beat these monsters and legends.
(You—!)
Get out of my way, you rotten little sister!
Murder gleamed in the Tyrant's eyes.
"Unbelievable! Gold Ship is matching the Tyrant!"
The crowd and commentators had expected Orfevre to simply blast ahead — but Gold Ship had charged up and engaged her in a direct contest. More shocking still, the Tyrant wasn't winning.
Something seemed off about the strongest today. A perfect start from the gate, yet she kept getting knocked down by other runners.
Behind them, Sweep Tosho gaped. Gold Ship is that strong?
The Tyrant being dethroned was so staggering that Sweep Tosho momentarily lost focus.
In the stands, Team Spica's members roared their support.
"Go, Gold Ship!"
"Don't give up!"
Trainer Okino could barely contain himself. He'd never expected Gold Ship to deliver a surprise like this. When he'd learned she'd entered her decline phase, he'd braced himself for a string of losses.
But this? You're still incredible!
It's not over — you're not the kind of uma musume who ends here!
Across the venue, Gentildonna watched with a serious expression. Gold Ship's performance had far exceeded her expectations. She'd assumed Gold Ship was finished.
She hadn't expected that girl to still be hiding something like this.
Why hadn't she used it in previous races? This was power that could genuinely threaten them.
What Gentildonna didn't know was that Gold Ship hadn't chosen not to use it before — she simply couldn't. The skill had range limitations and was probability-based. Bad luck meant failure regardless of the odds. Even Gold Ship herself was surprised it had activated so smoothly this time.
"Gold Ship's special ability can synchronize even ZONE's effects?" Gentildonna's trainer murmured in surprise.
Since Gold Ship had never succeeded before, no one had known the skill was this broken.
(I'll need to reassess Gold Ship's threat level. But there must be additional restrictions on that skill — otherwise she'd have used it long ago.)
The trainer was already scheming how to extract this intel from Trainer Okino.
...
"1000 meters passed — Number 3, Kitasan Black, leads by seven lengths."
"Number 11, Gold Ship, has overtaken Sweep Tosho and Orfevre to claim second!"
"Followed by Number 13, Orfevre, and Number 5, Sweep Tosho..."
While the commentator rattled off positions, Kitasan Black had entered the third turn.
Through her powerful spiritual perception, she could clearly sense the auras surging behind her. She knew that if things continued like this, they'd eventually catch up.
Running on Surge and Aura alone, without activating skills, clearly wasn't enough to suppress opponents at this level.
But even knowing this, her composure didn't waver.
There was no denying it — the Tyrant and the others were formidable. But this was as far as they'd go.
Golden light blazed beneath Kitasan Black's feet. In the next instant, thunderous footfalls shook the entire track.
[Professor of the Arc (Gold)]
[Sommelier of the Curve (Gold)]
The ultimate turn-phase combination — a dual boost to speed and acceleration.
Under the effects of both skills, her speed and burst power instantly broke through the interference skill's ceiling.
She'd never been holding back on skills because she lacked them. She simply hadn't needed more than one or two to win.
And now? The only difference was that this field was stronger than her previous opponents, forcing out more of her arsenal. But it wouldn't change the outcome.
The winner would still be her.
The gap that had been slowly closing was ripped wide open again in an instant.
The commentator caught the shift immediately, cameras snapping to Kitasan Black's position.
"Absolutely astonishing! Kitasan Black accelerates again!"
The crowd had been marveling at Gold Ship's performance — then suddenly Kitasan Black pulled away once more, and the entire venue went speechless.
Even Kitasan Black's own fans looked shaken. Wait — our girl wasn't even going all-out before?
"The gap is widening!"
The commentator slammed the desk and shot to her feet.
"Incredible! Truly incredible! Kitasan Black has shattered our expectations yet again!"
Every other runner's expression shifted at the news.
Gold Ship's grin froze on her face.
You're kidding, right?!
Kita-chan, you're just absurdly overpowered!
(What do I do? I can't catch her! Interference? No — I don't have a second skill for that!)
She couldn't help glancing back at Orfevre, half a length behind.
The Tyrant's furious expression had suddenly gone calm.
Catching Gold Ship's look, Orfevre simply shook her head. She didn't have a second interference skill either.
No! Don't say that!
Gold Ship felt a crushing wave of despair. She'd finally gotten her moment — and she was going to lose?
And Kita-chan — she wasn't seriously going to win by an outside placing against her too, was she?
Stop it! Please!
...
Still buried in the pack, Nice Nature couldn't help but sigh.
"What a monster."
She hadn't expected Kitasan Black to still have reserves.
If she didn't act now, she'd be watching helplessly as Kitasan Black ran away with another blowout.
(I'm a bit worried about whether the Tyrant's group is still holding back... but I'm out of time. If I want any shot at winning, it's now or never.)
Prismatic light flared as Nice Nature cut across lanes, weaving through gaps in the pack to launch her own sprint.
As a battle-hardened veteran, Nice Nature hadn't awakened ZONE — but her skill roster was remarkably complete. In her own words: as an ordinary person without special talent, all she could do was make herself stronger in every other way possible.
She burst from the pack with startling acceleration, red light blazing in her eyes.
Several runners near her suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented. Their positions dropped rapidly as trailing competitors swept past them.
The leaders sensed the interference emanating from behind. At this tier, an interference skill's impact was devastating.
Orfevre's expression darkened. After the clash with Gold Ship, she was already in rough shape.
But she refused to surrender. Golden flames erupted around the Tyrant's body, successfully dispelling the interference.
The effort was visible, though — her aura had weakened noticeably, and her breathing had grown heavy. ZONE's dispelling effect wasn't free. That was exactly why she'd chosen not to purge Gold Ship's interference earlier — the cost was too high.
But now she had no choice. Taking two more interference skills on top of everything would drop her for good.
Gold Ship, sensing the danger, let out a bizarre yelp and began shaking her head violently — like she was trying to physically fling her brain out of her skull.
It looked ridiculous, but it worked. She weathered Nice Nature's skill with significantly reduced impact.
Interference skills operated through mental disruption — which was why racers in a Flow state could partially resist them. Gold Ship's method was absurd, but the principle was the same. If the skill controls me through my brain, I'll just disconnect from my brain first!
At the front, Kitasan Black felt the pressure wash over her and frowned slightly.
Not because she couldn't handle it — it was just thoroughly unpleasant.
(This is pushing it, but... I'll use this one.)
Rice Shower-senpai — lend me your strength.
Pitch-black flames erupted from Kitasan Black's body. The terrifying aura warped the very air around her.
This was the ultimate darkness—
[Fusion]!
THUMP.
The instant she activated it, a violent pain tore through her heart.
If she'd tried to fully replicate Rice Shower-senpai's ZONE, her body would have given out the moment the ability engaged. But if she only borrowed the passive effect of this power — she could barely endure it.
Before this darkness, all interference was meaningless.
Kitasan Black burst through the black flames and escaped the interference's grasp.
She couldn't use McQueen-senpai's power because the timing had already passed — that ability had to be activated before being affected. And given the pain she'd just experienced, she seriously doubted she could use McQueen-senpai's power at all. If the passive effect of Fusion alone carried this much strain, a different ZONE replication might drop her on the spot.
This was her first time replicating a predecessor's ZONE, and the verdict was clear: this power was fundamentally different from ordinary skills. Even if she could imitate them, her body couldn't withstand the cost.
Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she fought to steady her breathing.
Deal with this later. Right now — win this race.
...
"Kitasan Black clears the final turn! The home straight lies ahead — her lead over second place has grown to nine lengths! Surely no one can catch her now?"
"Barring an accident, this race is effectively over. The only remaining question is whether she can maintain her winning margin."
The commentators had all but declared the result.
From every angle, there was simply no scenario where Kitasan Black lost the lead. Unless she spontaneously broke something — and no one was going to voice that thought, because thinking it was no different from a curse.
Orfevre was fading. Her ZONE's drain had been immense, and she'd slipped to fifth. Her fans could barely watch — this wasn't the Tyrant's triumph they'd come to see.
Gold Ship held second, running the race of her life — but against Kitasan Black, it meant nothing.
Sweep Tosho had been overtaken by Nice Nature and dropped to fourth. Having endured multiple interference skills, she was drenched in sweat, nervously watching for the Tyrant behind her.
Nice Nature, in third, was dissatisfied with her position but out of options. Every one of them had played their hands.
Just when the entire venue believed the race was settled—
Kitasan Black, entering the final straightaway, activated another Flash-tier acceleration skill. The close-up camera showed her expression was strained — but the prismatic light blazing beneath her feet proved she still had power left to give.
"Kitasan Black is still sprinting! At this stage, she can still accelerate!"
The commentators couldn't take it anymore. Was her stamina infinite? After absorbing that many interference skills, she could still burst?!
Gold Ship's expression crumbled into a mask of agony.
Holy — Kita-chan, you're really going for the kill?!
Ten lengths!
Eleven!
Twelve!
The gap kept growing.
Over the final 500-meter straightaway, the margin ballooned from nine lengths to over fourteen. If Kitasan Black hadn't begun decelerating just before the finish line, it might have reached fifteen.
"She crosses the line!"
"The winner is Kitasan Black! In her very first GI race as a debut-level newcomer, she dominates with an outside placing! A new legend is born today!"
A debut-level racer, in a senior-grade GI event, suppressing an entire field of veterans — including the reigning strongest — and winning by a crushing margin.
The commentators were at a loss for how to even evaluate an uma musume like this.
...
Beyond the finish line, Kitasan Black — for the first time after a race — was doubled over, gasping for air.
Fusion's toll had far exceeded her expectations. If not for McQueen-senpai's stamina-lock technique keeping her going, she might have faded in the final stage.
Even now, her heart throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
(Did I go too far? It seems like truly mastering this power will have to wait until I've reached that realm myself.)
But honestly, she had zero confidence she'd ever awaken ZONE.
Mulling it over, Kitasan Black headed for the locker room. She needed to find a quiet place to lie down, because the pain was bad enough to bring her to tears.
The awards ceremony? Her trainer could handle that.
The other competitors watched her walk away in silence, each feeling the sting of humiliation. It only got worse when they learned that Kitasan Black hadn't even shown up for the podium ceremony.
Back in the locker room, Kitasan Black had hoped to tough it out — but the pain won. Gritting her teeth, she called for an ambulance.
The winner's stage proceeded without her. The association explained the situation to the audience.
When word spread that Kitasan Black had been rushed to the hospital, concern rippled through the racing world. She was now, without question, the strongest.
The Tyrant had been dethroned.
And when people recalled how many promising racers had debuted brilliantly only to retire from injury in their first year, worry deepened. Was Kitasan Black going to follow the same tragic pattern?
...
Meanwhile, at the hospital, the doctor held a diagnostic report and stared at the girl lying in bed, cheerfully eating fruit, with a baffled expression.
"So, Kitasan-san... based on our examination, there's nothing wrong with you. In fact, I'd say you're in remarkably good health."
...
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