After the announcer finished introducing all the contestants one by one, eighteen figures stepped onto the track in sequence and entered the starting gates.
Myriad Dreams took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks hard, forcing her chaotic thoughts to settle.
Right now, what she needed most was absolute focus.
She leaned down into her starting stance, her eyes fixed on the track ahead.
This time, she had chosen the Great Escape tactic. Her only sliver of hope for victory lay in leaving everyone far behind.
Bang!
The starting gun fired, and the eighteen gates swung open simultaneously.
Myriad Dreams bolted out instantly, only to see a crimson blur flash past her at an even higher speed— it was Maruzensky, the "Supercar" herself.
This senior's experience with Lead tactics was clearly far superior to her own.
Quickly steadying her mind, Myriad Dreams followed the system's planned route with surgical precision.
In terms of technical finesse, she didn't lose out to any legendary Uma Musume, the only gap remained the hard power of her base stats.
She clung tightly to Maruzensky's rear, using the draft to conserve stamina.
This intention was quickly noticed by the red supercar ahead.
"It won't be that easy to hitch a ride on Big Sis's wind!"
Maruzensky let out a light chuckle and suddenly accelerated, instantly pulling away by three lengths.
Myriad Dreams sped up to follow without hesitation.
Since she had chosen the Great Lead, she had to commit to it until the end. Though it was taxing, the situation remained within her calculations.
Trailing behind, Fuji Kiseki couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
To be able to keep up with Senior Maruzen's rhythm, this newcomer was certainly not to be underestimated.
One had to remember that even the undefeated Triple Crown winner, Symboli Rudolf, would respectfully call Maruzensky "Senior."
"No wonder she could defeat Marvelous Sunday..." Fuji Kiseki watched the figure stubbornly giving chase. "This strength is indeed the real deal."
On the other side, Myriad Dreams had originally intended to pull away from the pack by a massive margin.
However, she suddenly realized that although she had maintained her pace for over 1,000 meters, she was barely three lengths ahead of the "Emperor" and Narita Brian.
Meanwhile, she had been passed by Maruzensky by as much as five lengths.
Even without making any mistakes, the gap in raw stats was difficult to bridge.
"The first corner is just ahead!" the announcer cried.
Following the announcement, Maruzensky swept through the bend.
In that instant, with the aid of the system and her embryonic Zone, Myriad Dreams adjusted her posture and accelerated through the corner, finally narrowing the gap back to three lengths.
By this point, the pack had covered nearly 1,200 meters.
"Good technique, but racing is about more than just technique!!!"
Narita Brian acknowledged that Myriad Dreams' skills were indeed impressive, but without a Zone, she was ultimately only second-rate!
[Shadow Break!]
As soon as Narita Brian's Zone manifested, Myriad Dreams' embryonic Zone was instantly shattered.
The massive impact caused Myriad Dreams to lose a significant amount of stamina, though she luckily managed to stabilize herself quickly.
However, the combination of stamina loss and her shattered aura caused her speed to drop noticeably.
In a flash, Narita Brian overtook Myriad Dreams.
"Using your Zone this early isn't a very good habit~" Maruzensky remarked before activating her own Zone to counter, pulling the distance back open.
In an instant, the track became a battlefield for two great Zones. Myriad Dreams, who lacked experience in Zone-to-Zone combat, found herself stifled by the immense pressure.
Her speed began to plummet.
Taking advantage of the opening, Symboli Rudolf also overtook her.
Crushed by the overlapping pressure of the legendary Zones, Myriad Dreams was passed by one Uma Musume after another, eventually falling all the way back into the End Closer group.