Chapter 168: Upheaval
It wasn't just the two Umamusume at the very front—every pair of silhouettes behind them was locked in that same kind of clash.
Just as he had said before, the battle had already begun long ago.
Makoto desperately wished he had a pause button in his hand—something that could freeze the Umamusume sprinting down the track so he could explain everything he had just realized to Kitasan Black.
But a race cannot be paused.
Not only could it not be paused, but right as he prepared to explain, a violent shift erupted on the track.
He had no time at all to explain anything to Kitasan Black. His gaze sharpened, and as if he could feel the heavy, earth-thudding hoofbeats through the turf, his nerves tightened involuntarily.
The harmony that had looked almost rehearsed up to this point broke apart in an instant, and a suffocating tension spread across the entire field of Umamusume.
Seiun Sky's steady rhythm suddenly faltered, her pace gradually slowing. The narrowing gap between her and the approaching Special Week was visible to the naked eye.
Special Week's eyes flickered, but she still made no move to accelerate. At the same time, one of her ears twitched unconsciously, and her gaze angled sideways.
Her eyes swept past the taut-faced Tsurumaru Tsuyoshi, past Air Jihad at the tail of the leading pack.
She paused briefly on Grass Wonder's intense stare, then on the half-obscured silhouette of El Condor Pasa behind her, and finally her gaze locked onto a white-and-green figure drifting outward.
Halo…? She's planning to accelerate now…?
Special Week's pupils shrank before she forced her eyes forward again.
But Sky's pace… still hasn't changed. This isn't the same tactic as the Kikuka Sho!
So she's pushing forward for position now…?
Just as the thought formed, her ear twitched again—she couldn't stop herself from looking toward King Halo's position.
King Halo was no longer where she had been.
Like an arrow released from a bow, the Umamusume burst forward, instantly slicing into a slot one lane farther in.
Her abrupt acceleration triggered a chain reaction. Right behind her on the inside, Mejiro Dober wore a stern expression as she tightly followed, clearly trying to seize the opportunity.
Ahead of them, Butterfly Orchid and Erimo Harrier had no intention of yielding. Both immediately began making positional moves.
Butterfly Orchid swung her arms sharply and stepped slightly outward.
Erimo Harrier wasn't willing to be outdone—staying just behind Butterfly Orchid, she shifted outward as well.
Diagonal lane changes during a turn were permitted, and they were just entering one now. The two of them perfectly blocked the path of King Halo and Mejiro Dober.
Using the widened sightlines of the curve, Special Week took everything in at a glance.
She darted a quick look toward the far outside rail and bit her lip, thinking rapidly.
Sky hasn't moved… Grass and Condor haven't either…
Halo acting this early… isn't like her usual habits.
Her path forward is blocked. Is she going to swing all the way outside?
But… the far outside has Ryuto and Hikari…
Just like Special Week, Seiun Sky kept her jaw tightened as she ran, her peripheral vision constantly monitoring the chaos behind.
The very instant they entered the turn, she sensed several hoofbeats suddenly quickening. Her lips curled upward.
But as soon as she identified a few hoofbeats that weren't changing, her mouth twitched unnaturally.
Sigh, Halo is still the same as always—no patience at all…
But why are you all so calm…?
Grass and Condor not being anxious is fine—their target is probably you anyway…
But you too, Spe-chan? How can you, of all racers, not be anxious?
Well, whatever. If you're not in a hurry…
Then neither am I.
Her eyes bent in the faintest smile, then her twitching lips lifted once more before tightening sharply.
At the same time, every muscle in her body tightened. Her legs exploded with power, her feet pounding the ground like springs loaded to their limits—each step smashing into the turf as if she meant to punch straight through it.
Her previously sluggish pace was instantly blown away. The surge that burst out of her was like a long-dammed flood finally breaking through and roaring free.
The wind blasting against her face intensified, whipping her short hair violently behind her ears.
Her breathing grew harsher, yet her mouth opened wider still, greedily devouring oxygen to fuel this all-out sprint.
"King Halo! Followed by Mejiro Dober! And then Seiun Sky!"
The commentator's voice no longer carried the earlier calm—now it rose ever higher with excitement:
"King Halo accelerates first! Mejiro Dober right behind her! And Seiun Sky as well!"
"The third turn is ahead—those three consecutive bursts have triggered a chain reaction across the entire field! The race is instantly blazing hot!"
"Butterfly Orchid and Erimo Harrier are fighting for position against King Halo and Mejiro Dober! Seiun Sky widens the gap, but Special Week seems to be moving forward—"
"It's Grass Wonder! She's accelerating at the same time Special Week advances!"
"King Halo and Mejiro Dober still can't get a clean route forward—will they swing wide to the far outside?!"
"But! On the outside is Stay Gold, and even farther out is Mejiro Bright!"
"The spacing between the runners suddenly tightens—the pack is spreading out horizontally… entering the fourth turn!"
"It's still King Halo! She doesn't go outward—instead she cuts into the suddenly open inner lane!"
"She's charging up from the inside! Passing one after another! She's closing rapidly on Grass Wonder, who is one step ahead as the pace chaser!"
"Her target is also the race leader—Seiun Sky!"
In the stands, the enthusiasm of the crowd ignited like a wildfire.
Spectators who had been discussing the race in low voices were now fully absorbed by the sudden upheaval unfolding before them.
When King Halo was the first to accelerate like lightning, a sharp, collective gasp shot through the crowd. Then cheers—"King Halo! Go!!" "That acceleration is insane!"—erupted from every corner of the stands, merging into roaring waves of sound.
Young spectators flushed with excitement stood on their seats, waving glow sticks, posters, and flags printed with illustrations of their favorite Umamusume.
One young man in a white-and-green T-shirt and a hat bearing King Halo's emblem jumped up and down as he shouted, as if trying to transmit power to her through sheer force of will.
Even the older spectators were swept up in the feverish atmosphere. Though their movements were more restrained than the youths', their eyes shone with tension and excitement no less intense.
An elderly man with snow-white hair gripped the armrests of his seat tightly. Leaning forward, he fixed his gaze on that white-and-green silhouette on the track, whispering under his breath:
"As expected… an unyielding king… As expected, I can still see you run… As expected…"
When Mejiro Dober and Seiun Sky suddenly accelerated as well, throwing the race into the "blazing hot" state described by the commentator, the entire audience erupted into outright frenzy.
Cheers, screams, applause—all clashed together.
Some girls, tears shining at the corners of their eyes, swung their fanbooks and handbags wildly, shouting the names of the racer at the top of their lungs, completely out of tune.
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