"Welcome, everyone, to the Hopeful Stakes! The most-watched rookies are gathered here. The number one favorite for this race is this one—Gold Ship! She is a runner who specializes in a 'Closer' style, and she seized a grand victory in her debut race with an astonishing last spurt. What kind of race will she show us this time?"
Gold Ship, who on the surface looked like a cool beauty, stood in front of the gate. While the other runners were warming up, she was just spacing out, staring at the sky, without a trace of pre-race tension. It made people worry she would have a massive late start again, just like her debut. Her fans couldn't help but sweat.
"The second-most popular runner is..."
As the commentator finished the introductions, the race countdown began. Gold Ship was still spacing out. She only walked into the gate, looking bored, after being prompted by the staff. Her attitude, showing no intention of racing seriously, made many other runners feel she was a total oddball.
In the stands, Agnes Tachyon and Manhattan Cafe were watching the race.
"Boss... you have to take this seriously."
Agnes Tachyon couldn't help but sigh.
She just couldn't relax.
Manhattan Cafe said nothing, just stood quietly to the side.
"The race has begun! The runners are leaving the gate!"
The runners shot out of the gates as one.
Except for one runner. Gold Ship was still standing in the gate.
"This is bad! Runner Gold Ship has another massive late start, just like her debut! Is it possible she's just bad at starting?"
The smile on Agnes Tachyon's face froze.
Boss, Boss, what are you doing?!
Trainer Okino, at her side, couldn't help but cover his face. When he saw Gold Ship agree to Tachyon's battle plan earlier, he'd actually thought the Demon King might run seriously for once. It seems his previous optimism was... too optimistic.
Symboli Rudolf was also watching from the special viewing seats. She had already read the documents Tachyon and Gold Ship submitted. So, she was actually looking forward to Gold Ship's performance today. But... why did this girl have a massive late start again? However, this time Gold Ship truly didn't use a "gating" (debuff) skill, so the other runners were performing well. But because of this, Rudolf felt Gold Ship's antics were going too far.
One who doesn't take a race seriously does not deserve victory.
So what if she holds the power of "skills"? If she doesn't race seriously just because she's strong, she truly needs to be corrected!
Mejiro McQueen, in the audience, was also angered by Gold Ship's performance.
'That... bastard!'
Meanwhile, Gold Ship, still in the gate, wore a cold, indifferent expression.
"This is... profoundly uninteresting."
The horseshoes on Gold Ship's hooves dug hard into the turf. Her purple eyes turned scarlet. The very thought that she had to "get serious" for such weak opponents made her extremely displeased. You, who cannot even pass the Demon King's trial... you want to witness the Demon King's power? You are not worthy!
A terrifying aura, like a tangible domain, radiated from her body. She wasn't using her domain, but her spiritual power was just too strong. The runners at the front felt as if they heard a "THUD."
"Runner Gold Ship is finally starting!"
Her starting speed was like a cannon shot. The powerful recoil made the starting gate behind her rattle and groan. Nearby staff members had to shield their faces. In an instant, Gold Ship's figure "flashed" from the gate onto the track. This terrifying start was so much faster than her debut. Traces of starlight fragments glittered around her.
A blood-red aura, like a sea of blood, spread from her body. The very sky above the venue seemed to be affected, the sunlight dimming. Gold Ship's hoofbeats were incredibly heavy, hammering down one after another, like a sledgehammer. The mood of every single runner was affected.
"Great! The project is a go!"
Agnes Tachyon, seeing the Demon King's start, felt her anxiety melt away. It seems that although there was a late start, Gold Ship was at least running seriously... and without using her 'gating' skills.
Mejiro McQueen covered her mouth with her small hands, her face full of shock.
'It's even more explosive than what I saw in the video.'
This was the Demon King's true power?
Even with a late start that left her nearly 100 meters behind, Gold Ship caught up to the other runners in less than ten seconds. Although her attitude toward the race infuriated McQueen, McQueen had to admit: Gold Ship's running form was just... breathtaking. It was so full of power, you couldn't look away. Like a warhorse.
"THUD-THUD-THUD! THUD-THUD-THUD!"
It was as if the air itself was vibrating with the sound.
The runners all felt an extreme sense of pressure. The sound of the hoofbeats from behind was too terrifying. They couldn't imagine how much strength it would take to make such a heavy sound. And that sound was approaching... incredibly fast. It made them feel like that thing was about to charge up and cut off their heads. They couldn't calm down at all.
'What is that thing behind me planning to do?'
Narita Taishin, hearing the hoofbeats, sensed something abnormal. That thing's pace... it didn't sound like it was going to stop. In fact, it was getting more ferocious. Although she didn't think it was possible... she had a premonition. That thing intended to pass everyone, just like this, and maintain that ferocious pace all the way to the finish.
Before Narita Taishin could finish her thought, a figure charged up from behind her, and, without pausing for an instant, passed her. She stared at the figure bursting with aura, her thoughts freezing.
'No way... is she really...'
Gold Ship, expressionless, passed one runner after another. Her powerful performance made the audience go wild, as if they'd been shot with adrenaline. It was like watching a Musou (Dynasty Warriors) video game. A general charges into a mob of grunts, and with one swing, sends a huge swathe of them flying. Right now, the other runners were those grunts... being passed effortlessly.
"Runner Gold Ship has charged all the way to the front! What terrifying explosive power! But what is she planning to do? Does she intend to lead like this all the way to the finish? Is such a thing even possible?"
This was the question everyone was wondering.
However, Gold Ship's next actions gave the answer. Her speed was still accelerating. She had no intention of stopping. After charging from last to first, the gap between her and the pack was still widening. Corners, straights, uphills, downhills... her speed was completely unaffected. Her powerful stride seemed omnipotent!
Forget the others; even Agnes Tachyon and her group were terrified. They had seen Gold Ship use her skills, but this... this was the first time they had seen this side of her. If the previous Gold Ship was just a "nasty Demon King" who was annoying, the Gold Ship right now was terrifying. Her sheer power was enough to drive people to despair. She was a Demon King in a completely different, more frightening sense.
"This is... the Boss's true strength? No... is this really her strength?" Agnes Tachyon was stunned. She had already estimated Gold Ship's power to be high, but she now realized she had still underestimated her.
So when she called herself the Demon King... it wasn't chuunibyou.
Gold Ship's face no longer held its usual nasty expression. Her cold, indifferent look seemed to be looking down on everything in the world.
Cynical? A prankster? All of that was just a mask to hide the emptiness. This indifferent attitude... this was Gold Ship's true, hidden face. A "transcendent" being, born at the pinnacle of the world, perhaps even beyond its limits... she could not find another of her kind in this world.
"Gold Ship is still in the lead! The gap is still widening! She's too strong! We can't see her limit! Is she a monster?!"
On the track, Gold Ship was now leading by almost a quarter of the total race distance. This was a gap that could no longer be measured in "lengths." She was now nearly two hundred meters ahead of second place!
"Runner Gold Ship is already entering the final corner! Oh my god!"
This was no longer a race in the same dimension.
They couldn'g catch her.
Just like a Demon King in an anime who could destroy the world with ease, Gold Ship's power could just as easily cast all her opponents into the abyss of despair. The "gating" (debuffs)? That was just the Demon King giving you false hope. Without those skills, the Demon King's true power is an impassable chasm! Because in front of the Demon King, even the strongest 'world-class' runner is just a child. This... this is the power of the Demon King you wanted to see!
The other runners had already stopped thinking. In fact, the moment they saw Gold Ship pull 100 meters ahead, they couldn't race with heart anymore. Some runners even just... slowed down and stopped, kneeling on the track, utterly broken. That feeling of powerlessness, of despair... completely devoured their fighting spirit. It was more terrifying than any 'gating' skill.
"'A Demon King... that... that's what she is... a Demon King...'"
A Demon King who stands against the gods.
There's no way they could win against that.
No, forget winning, they didn't even have a chance to get close. Perhaps only if the Three Goddesses themselves descended... would there be any hope of contending with that Demon King.
The race ended.
Gold Ship finished the 2000m Hopeful Stakes with a record-breaking time of 1:28. If you add her late start time, the actual record was probably closer to 1:20. In the face of this terrifying record... forget Japan's horse girl circle, the entire world's horse girl circle was terrified. The Demon King's reputation had completely shaken the world.
When many people first heard about it, their first reaction was disbelief. The 1000m world record is 54 seconds... and that's because it's a 1000m track. It's impossible to maintain that limit for 2000m. So, finishing a 2000m race in 1 minute 28 seconds? What kind of international joke is that?! But when the race footage was released, everyone who watched it was left speechless... She ran 2000m in 1:28... after a massive late start?!
Damn!
...
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