A roar.
A colossal serpent, its scales reflecting the crimson Flame Wheel, unleashed its savage might. Mist choked the deathly realm, and white bones lay scattered across the corpse-strewn ground.
The Shadow Monster, devouring heaven and earth, revealed its formidable form, shattering the serpent's encirclement with its monstrous shadow. Its formless, elusive presence stirred the eerie chaos.
Flickering flames and boiling blood drowned out all other sounds and thoughts.
"Burn! Burn! Burn!" The fire of Samadhi manifested as three thousand worlds.
This was hell on earth; even a half-step near the guardrail meant instant incineration.
Thousands of warhorses thundered through the crimson inferno, their iron hooves clanging with a deafening din that masked all true sounds.
"Shake them off! Shake them off!"
Narita Brian accelerated beyond any conceivable limit, her body crouched impossibly low as she attempted to gain even more speed within the inferno.
"Use your speed to bite and kill her!" the Monster commanded.
Above the swirling mist, eyes snapped open. Bloodred Flame Wheels hung like twin suns in the azure sky. As if struck by an invisible force, Narita Brian's body froze, and for a fleeting moment, her soul glimpsed her own corporeal form.
"Not enough! Still not enough!"
"Hungry! So hungry!" Narita Brian's stomach howled, ravenous. The long-awaited feast must be devoured completely!
The Turn.
"She's coming! She must be coming!"
The Red Serpent, wreathed in flames, tore through the turf like a crimson comet streaking across the earth!
"Shatter her to pieces at the turn!"
Closing in!
Closer!
A sudden change erupted—something invisible slammed Kousei against the guardrail in a blinding collision, sparks flying as her Personal Racing Outfit scraped along the barrier.
It seemed several Umamusume had surrounded Kousei, forming an impenetrable encirclement.
"What's happening? Kousei crashed into the guardrail while cornering—has she lost control?"
Humans couldn't comprehend the racetrack; to them, Kousei had succumbed to a mental breakdown. Narita Brian seized the opportunity, surging ahead through the gap to secure the win!
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Crimson Chains lashed out, ensnaring Narita Brian's legs. The encroaching shadows recoiled from the burning chains.
Kousei closed her eyes.
If I can't see, then I'll entrust everything to Wildness! To Desire! To Myself!
"Narita Brian! Crave me even more!"
The instinct of Wildness-true existence lies only ahead.
"Left front, slightly behind." The pseudo-divine power forged by twin ears.
"Found it! The path to the future!"
Here, accelerate! Sprint with all your might! Danced through the flames, swift as a serpent, fierce as a serpent!
A no-holds-barred maneuver for position, the crimson python baring its fangs.
This strike came with overwhelming force. Everyone thought Kousei was about to sink her teeth into Narita Brian when Brian suddenly decelerated, causing Kousei to overshoot her target with excessive momentum.
Kousei glimpsed Brian's eyes—veiled in shadow, they were no longer Narita Brian. Deep, bottomless darkness, yet utterly vacant. Though Brian ran ahead, those eyes reflected no trace of the surrounding scenery.
Entering the collision zone.
Narita Brian lunged, slamming into Kousei. Though she had anticipated the attack, her awkward position left her no room to adjust and brace against the impact.
Brian struck her squarely. Kousei staggered, sent flying off balance. Her head slammed against the guardrail, the impact landing precisely where her eye met the barrier.
Boom—!
The spectators in the stands gasped, some covering their mouths, while the Little Horse Girl wearing goggles felt her heart clench. Kousei herself felt the world spin, her steps unsteady, nearly falling to the ground.
"This is bad! The impact seems to have hit her eye! Will Kousei be alright?!" the commentator exclaimed.
Kashimoto Riko broke out in a cold sweat, unconsciously clenching her fists. "No! We can't let the race continue!"
But when Kashimoto Riko turned her head, she saw Rudolf watching her with a sidelong glance. The moment she met Rudolf's gaze, her resolve to halt the race crumbled, replaced by a chilling calm.
That look clearly said: "Wait and see."
The dizziness quickly subsided, and the Flame Wheel ignited once more.
Despite the impact to her eye, Kousei seemed remarkably unscathed, aside from a slight headache.
She successfully drew level with Narita Brian, who had already been consumed by the dark patterns, transformed into a shadowy monster.
Like staring into the Abyss itself, a monster capable of devouring even the souls of those who dared to gaze upon it.
"Unforgivable!"
Kousei's blazing fury ignited the Flame Wheels, which responded with unprecedented heat.
"Monster! Did you devour Narita Brian's future?!"
Flames roared across the track, reaching towards the heavens. The two Flame Wheels suspended high in the sky blazed like twin suns, scorching the earth below.
Each step sent searing pain through Narita Brian's bones, forcing her to slow down. Yet even in the pitch darkness, a sinister grin stretched across her face, mocking amusement lacing her expression.
"Tell me! What's so funny?!"
The Mist shifted again, invisible forces surging toward Narita Brian as the dark patterns expanded, merging into a single overwhelming shadow.
"Victory! Kill!"
Narita Brian unleashed a palpable killing intent, her heart sinking as she scanned her surroundings. The racetrack was engulfed in shadow, a scene no human eye should ever witness, now laid bare before the world.
A shadow blotting out the sky, darkness spreading endlessly, the burning Flame Wheels gradually dimming.
No sound, no speech, no sight.
The ultimate terror had descended upon Tokyo.
"What in the world is that thing?!" the commentator gasped, staring in disbelief at the sky.
Umamusume and spectators alike craned their necks upward, some bewildered, some paralyzed by fear, others with furrowed brows. Kashimoto Riko turned to Narita Brian, finally seeing the monster being consumed by the shadows.
Narita Brian accelerated forward, the raging flames blocking her path vanishing without a trace upon contact. It was as if they were devoured completely by the shadows rather than simply extinguished.
The pitch-black monster surged relentlessly onward, seemingly unstoppable by anything.
Mark.
Suddenly, something was coming.
No one understood what was happening. A crimson flash pierced the darkness, accompanied by a deafening roar like that of a ferocious beast.
The Red Serpent braced against the monster's bulk, its fangs sinking deep into its flesh. Even in the impenetrable darkness, its shock was unmistakable.
Where did this being, stripped of its senses, come from?
The shock was fleeting; the endless darkness would devour everything. Kousei could feel her will dissolving, the shadows invading her body in reverse the instant she touched Narita Brian.
"My eyes... they hurt so much!"
The scorching heat radiating from the constantly burning Flame Wheel seared Kousei's eyes. She had never maintained it for so long, but without its restraint, she had no chance of catching Narita Brian.
Compounding her difficulties, the shadow's intrusion forced Kousei to expend even more of her will to resist.
"Even so! I can't back down!"
Here! I'll defeat The Monster from the Shadows!