I can't keep up.
Just sticking with that monster's pace is going to drain all my stamina...
Right before stepping into the final corner, White Greatness gauged the strength left in her body, a heavy cloud hanging over her heart.
The excessive True Blooming that had given her such tremendous power also gave her an intuition on this track second only to McQueen's.
If this keeps up, I won't even have the right to fight in the last hundred meters!
I can't keep waiting.
If I wait until the homestretch, I'll have nothing left!
With that thought, White Greatness stopped holding back. Veins bulged along her calves as she slammed her hooves down into the turf!
"Haaaahhhhh——!!!"
She let out a stifled roar, and in that instant, all the stamina she had stored up until now was
—completely detonated!
"White Greatness is accelerating! My god, that speed! She's instantly passed White Shining Rock in third!"
"She's still accelerating! Her target is McQueen!"
That sudden eruption instantly shattered everyone's rhythm!
White Greatness's figure, like a streak of gray-white lightning, shot past White Shining Rock at the front of the pack and began to close, little by little, on McQueen.
...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The heavy drum of her hoofbeats smashed into the ground, pouring power into the gray Uma Musume as she drove herself toward the front.
Watching the purple figure in front of her draw closer, White Greatness's eyes blazed.
That's it! As long as I hold on, I'll definitely—
"Sss—"
Just as everyone was cheering over White Greatness's burst, McQueen glanced back at her.
Then McQueen shifted her steps, her forehoof digging deep into the turf.
And then—she pushed.
"BOOOOM——!!!"
It was the roar of hooves shattering the earth!
McQueen's body exploded forward in an instant, like a sword torn from its scabbard, slicing hard toward open ground ahead!
And the distance White Greatness had been steadily closing was ripped back open again!
?!
White Greatness's ice-blue pupils shrank violently!
The explosive power she was so proud of was rendered utterly pale and helpless before that single sudden burst of speed from McQueen!
"Fuu—!"
The violent wind stirred up by McQueen's acceleration slammed into White Greatness's face and body.
It wasn't just a difference in speed. It was an absolute crushing in terms of aura.
That back, towering like the endless sky, wordlessly declared: this path is closed.
"..."
White Greatness stared blankly at the figure that kept accelerating, seven streams of light flaring around her body.
So this is... McQueen?
The fighting spirit drained from the girl's eyes, her lips twisting into a bitter smile.
"This is way too unreasonable..."
But she quickly forced herself to perk up again.
Until the very last moment, the spirit of an Uma Musume cannot be allowed to wilt.
"No matter what, I've got to at least catch up to Ines!"
...
Up ahead, Ines Fujin pumped her arms with everything she had, but that streak of speed was still closing on her like mad, then blasted right by!
"Thud—!"
The heavy hoofbeats thundered in her ears.
Ines only felt a dark blur sweep past her side. When she turned her head, McQueen's uplifted, confident face filled her vision.
The girl gave her a slight look, then simply went by.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Ines's expression dimmed.
The third time.
The third time being beaten by the same opponent, in the same way.
"McQueen has accelerated, so fast, so fast! White Greatness has been dropped in an instant, and she's charging straight at the front-running Ines Fujin!"
The commentator's voice rose higher and higher over the racecourse.
"Ines Fujin is easily overtaken as well. McQueen doesn't slow down at all and is now in third place! Do the other riders still have any chance of catching her?"
On the course.
Having passed Ines Fujin, McQueen did not stop there.
Her body like lightning, the purple-haired girl turned into a streak of violet light, ripping through the roaring wind as she blazed around the final corner.
She now formed the lead group all by herself, steadily opening the gap between herself and the pack behind.
She made the entire final turn into a stage for herself alone!
"Damn it, whatever!"
White Shining Rock clenched her teeth, ignoring how quickly White Greatness had just accelerated.
"I can't give up! It's not time to give up yet!"
She bit down hard on her lower lip, the metallic taste of blood spreading in her mouth. The sharp pain overwhelmed her shaken heart in an instant.
A fierce light erupted in her eyes.
"At the very least... I've got to get close enough to feel the heat of that back!"
Just as she was about to stop holding anything back and launch herself—
"Thump—!"
Another set of heavy hoofbeats boomed out like war drums!
White Shining Rock stared in disbelief toward her side, only to see Ryan already up at her flank at some point!
In Ryan's eyes burned a scorching fighting spirit she had never shown before!
"I'm not going to just roll over and lose, McQueen!!!"
Ryan let out a shout that set the blood boiling.
Forget all that talk about being in a different dimension, about some unbeatable strength. None of that exists!
Give everything you have. Betray neither body nor heart!
"—Ryan! Ryan is kicking in as well, after entering the final corner! She's caught up to White Shining Rock in an instant!!"
The commentator's scream was almost enough to blow the mic.
White Shining Rock felt a rush of hot air sweep past her.
That white-and-green figure, carrying a momentum that refused to be stopped, shoved White Shining Rock toward the inside of the turn as she went by.
The force underfoot was so heavy it felt like it would rip the turf right off the ground!
Her goal: the White Greatness who had just been gapped ahead, and even further, McQueen in front of them both!
"Ryan?!!"
White Shining Rock's heart jolted violently.
Watching Ryan surge past by half a body, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanished, replaced by an even wilder gleam.
"Haaaah—!!!"
A roar burst from her throat as White Shining Rock stopped sparing even a shred of stamina.
On the course.
Ines Fujin, White Greatness, White Shining Rock, and Ryan all unleashed their full power.
But the scales of victory never shifted in the slightest.
That lone figure was the first to burst out of the final turn and, with a stride like thunder, was the first across the finish line.
Only a few seconds after she crossed did the figures of White Greatness and the others finally flash into view.
"Finish!"
The commentator's hoarse scream hit at the exact instant of the line.
"The first crown of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho's laurel, belongs to Mejiro McQueen!!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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