The sight of an Umamusume tearing across the turf was a daily occurrence at Tracen Academy. But today was different. Today, a suffocating tension held the trainers and students in a collective trance. From the fresh-faced newcomers to the seasoned seniors, even the members of Team Rigil—including the invincible Triple Crown winner, Narita Brian—and Team Spica had gathered. It was no exaggeration to say the entire population of the academy was present.
"It's been a long time since I've seen her like this... she really is a monster, isn't she?"
"I have to agree, Hana. The more you watch, the more you wonder what kind of terrifying potential is actually locked inside her."
Hana Tojo of Team Rigil and Okino of Team Spica—trainers of the academy's most elite squads—could only watch in silent awe. Before them, an Umamusume was charging up the steep training slope. Her face was obscured by a specialized mask, a high-intensity tool designed to restrict oxygen intake. With every stride, the heavy, rhythmic thud of her hooves reverberated through the air like a hammer on an anvil. She was wearing "Shinzan-tetsu"—weighted iron shoes of the maximum possible load.
This was the Absolute Tyrant, Mejiro Rampage, in her element.
"Alright. That's ten sets on the slope," Minamisaka said calmly. "Has some of that rust finally started to flake off?"
"If it were that easy... I wouldn't be struggling like this, you sadistic bastard!" Rampage snarled, her voice muffled. "I swear, your personality is as rotten as ever. This is worse than my active days... I can't... breathe!"
She ripped the mask off with a violent motion and hurled it aside. Instead of fluttering in the wind, the mask—heavy with sweat and condensation—hit the ground with a dull, wet thud.
"Effective, wasn't it?" Minamisaka asked, unfazed.
"Oh, it was effective, alright. Effective enough to make me want to beat you with it."
"Then let's move on to the next set."
"Yeah, yeah... I hear you."
Rampage took the fresh mask he offered, snapped it into place, and turned back toward the slope.
"Minamisaka... exactly how 'demonic' is that menu you built for her?" Okino muttered, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.
"It's beyond demonic," Hana added. "It's clinical."
They had come to watch Rampage prepare for the Legend Race, but the sheer density of the training was abnormal. She was being forced to maintain a state of constant hypoxia while executing a curriculum that would have broken a lesser athlete.
"Rampage said she wanted to return her 'rusted' body to its prime," whispered Sakahara, a sub-trainer for Team Pleiades.
"Rusted? When did she ever have time to get rusty?" Umazuru, the other sub-trainer, replied skeptically. To them, Rampage—who regularly ran alongside the Pleiades members—had never looked anything less than peak.
"It's not her body he's targeting," a gravelly voice interrupted. "It's her spirit."
"Old man Rokubei."
"It's Trainer Rokubei to you."
The veteran trainer saw through the charade instantly. Rampage's physical stats hadn't significantly deteriorated, but her mindset had. In her years as a trainer, she had traded her raw, jagged fighting spirit for the composure and maturity of an adult woman. To win a Legend Race, she didn't just need muscle; she needed the bloodlust of a Tyrant.
"Wow, that is just... intense. I don't think I could pull that off," a voice chimed in.
"Seiun Sky? When did you get here?" Okino asked.
"Just now. I couldn't miss this. As a fellow Lead Runner, I have to see how she moves."
Okino could only nod in agreement. To any Umamusume who favored the "Lead" (Escape) strategy, Rampage was a god. She had conquered the world using the "Great Lead"—the most extreme, high-stakes gambling tactic in racing—and she had made it look like a mathematical certainty. She was a monster who broke the rules of the sport.
"Now, a gallop alongside Ikuno. Keep the mask on," Minamisaka commanded.
"Should I wear one too?" Ikuno Dictus asked, stepping onto the track.
"No, just Rampage."
"You demon!!" Rampage roared behind her mask.
As they began their heat, the crowd went silent again. Rampage's eyes, visible through the mask, had changed. They were no longer the eyes of a mentor; they were sharp, predatory, and filled with a terrifying focus. Even the normally unflappable Seiun Sky watched with an uncharacteristic intensity, trying to absorb even a fraction of that world-class power.
"Seeing it again... it really hits home how impossible it is to beat her," Hana sighed.
"Normally, a Great Lead runner should fade out in the final stretch," Okino noted. "But she doesn't. Not only does she finish the race, she hits a second gear at the end. 'The Lead Runner who out-sprints the Closers'... she's the only one who can make that phrase a reality."
On the track, the heat ended. Ikuno Dictus looked exhilarated, a faint, satisfied smile on her face. "As expected... racing against you really sets my heart ablaze!"
"Same here..." Rampage gasped, collapsing onto the grass, completely spent. "But damn... that's... exhausting..."
Matching strides with a powerhouse like Ikuno while restricted by a hypoxic mask was a feat of sheer will.
"I'm just glad none of my students have to face a Lead runner like her in their own year," Okino remarked. "I mean, Twin Turbo is one thing, but this? I don't even want to think about it."
"Well, in two years, the 'fastest and strongest' student in history is set to debut," Hana noted. "Special Week keeps talking about how incredible her senior, Silence Suzuka, is."
"Ugh, don't remind me," Okino groaned.
"It's going to be a bloodbath," Hana said, though her eyes were actually fixed on the crowd. She noticed something. As people watched Rampage and Ikuno, the retroactive evaluation of their old rival, Agnes Flora, was skyrocketing.
Wait, students were whispering. Agnes Flora actually fought against these two monsters? In her prime?
I knew she was good, but... I thought she was just a 'gimmick' runner because of how she acted...
Hana felt a smirk tugging at her lips. Finally, she thought. Flora's career is finally getting the respect it deserves.
People usually judged Flora based on the races after Rampage's retirement. But her true strength was forged in the fire of those legendary battles where she stood toe-to-toe with the Tyrant and the "Iron Woman" Ikuno.
"And speaking of the devil," Minamisaka said, looking toward the gate. "I asked Flora-san to join us."
"I have arrived!" Flora chirped, appearing as if summoned by a spell.
"Drop dead," Rampage wheezed from the ground.
"What a greeting! That's my Rampage-san!" Flora practically sparkled, ignoring the insult. "Wait, is that the mask you just took off? Can I have it?! I desperately need a mask filled with 'Rampage-san essence'!!"
"You're literally a stalker... Minami-chan, please dispose of her. Or the mask. Both, preferably."
"Understood," Minamisaka said with a sigh.
The onlookers watched the chaotic scene, a singular thought crossing all their minds: If only she wasn't like... that.
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