The race continued.
[Mejiro McQueen] was in the lead. Ranked second was Tokai Teio, trailing [McQueen] by four lengths.
Daiwa Scarlet was in third, two lengths behind Tokai Teio.
Fourth and fifth were Vodka and Special Week, the gap between them very small, almost running neck and neck.
Sixth was Demon King Ship, and at the very back, currently almost detached from the pack, was [Gold Ship].
Currently, the ones in the best condition were Demon King Ship and [Mejiro McQueen].
The rest appeared somewhat unwell; one could tell from their complexions that their stamina consumption was immense.
'Phew... I still have the advantage.' [Mejiro McQueen] exhaled lightly. Unlike the last Japan Cup, her strength had now entered a brand new realm. She could steadily open up a gap with the runners behind her in the early stages. She thought calmly, 'The current me won't lose as easily as last time...' Although she knew there was still a certain gap between her strength and Demon King Ship's, this gap was no longer so large that she had absolutely no chance of winning.
Compared to [Mejiro McQueen], who still had some leeway, Tokai Teio, trailing behind her, was suffering greatly. Her breathing was extremely unstable, and her emotions were complicated. She thought with chaotic emotions: 'Is the gap between me and them really this big? How can I win the Undefeated Triple Crown like this? No! I am Tokai Teio!'
Tokai Teio, who had always been regarded as a genius and believed it herself, completely could not accept this situation of lagging behind and taking a beating. She was Tokai Teio, the one who would become the strongest horse girl in Japan like the President! How could she become so weak? This shouldn't be happening!
An intense desire to win caused Tokai Teio's spirit to gradually begin to sink. A certain aura was trembling around her body. Both Demon King Ship and [Mejiro McQueen] sensed this; Tokai Teio had also begun to touch the edge of "that world."
'Aaaah! Damn it! Even though I knew we'd lose before the race started, I don't want to lose too uglily!' Daiwa Scarlet thought with a grim expression. She hadn't wanted to run this race at all. Ultimately, this was all [Gold Ship]'s fault, right? Actually agreeing to a mock race with that Demon King... did she have any idea how big the gap between them and that Demon King was? And despite acting so confident before the race started, she hadn't achieved anything, had she?!
Damn it, Daiwa Scarlet cursed silently. She should have known [Gold Ship]'s ideas were unreliable.
Vodka silently adjusted her breathing but felt powerless. Under the influence of the gating skill, her stamina consumption was too high. It would be hard to burst in the later stages of the track. In this situation, just finishing the race would be good enough; winning was already a delusion. The power of skills was indeed miraculous, but unfortunately, she still couldn't wrap her head around how to learn them. Even asking [Mejiro McQueen] and [Gold Ship], who had already mastered skills, yielded no good guidance or advice.
'We lost. [Gold Ship] wanted us to coordinate with her just now, right? Can't be helped, let's take a gamble... but can that guy really catch up now?' Vodka couldn't help but look back. She immediately saw [Gold Ship] lagging behind, her posture exaggerated with large arm swings and a ferocious expression. Was relying on a guy like that really okay?
Special Week looked steady. She didn't think about too many things, nor could she think about that many things. To some extent, her focus was astonishing. But she also had an indescribable feeling right now. She could vaguely sense the aura of the "Zone" because she had entered that realm once before, only failing to grasp the opportunity. So at this moment, she was thinking about how to return to her peak form. However, the more she thought about it, the further she drifted from the realm of the Zone, and her strength wouldn't go up a single bit.
'Ah! Damn it! I have to find a way to catch up!' [Gold Ship] was currently the most agitated.
Because she had let her guard down, she was affected by the [Demon King's Aura], causing her to fall far behind. Now, she felt like she could hear Demon King Ship's mocking voice calling her "trash." It wasn't just her body that was affected; her mind was under immense pressure too. She absolutely refused to end this race lagging at the very back. She had to do something.
[Gold Ship]'s purple eyes suddenly locked onto the waves of air surrounding [Mejiro McQueen] at the very front. Although she couldn't see the figure clearly, the target was successfully locked. She apologized internally: 'Sorry, [McQueen], but the situation is critical. Lend me your strength! Gold Ship, target locked... Lift off! Activate successfully this time!'
A golden aura exploded from [Gold Ship]. Her exclusive Special Technique activated successfully, and [Gold Ship]'s speed rose rapidly.
[McQueen] in the front felt the lock-on and her face went pale.
'Am I being targeted by that Demon King already?'
"Ora ora ora ora!" [Gold Ship] shouted as she charged up, quickly catching up to the pack.
Her Special Technique had a time limit. She had to rush to the front before it ran out. Although this was different from the strategy she had initially planned, there was no other choice. She had to improvise. She definitely couldn't take first place, but in this battle, Team Spica was a unit. As long as one of them could beat that Demon King, it was enough!
Evil Demon King, prepare yourself!
[Gold Ship] charged all the way forward. Her astonishing performance stunned the rest of Spica and the onlookers. After all, [Gold Ship]'s Special Technique was too hard to activate; they rarely had the chance to see her performance when she used this move.
This Special Technique not only synchronized with the target's state (speed/stamina preservation) but also came with a built-in acceleration boost. It could be said to be quite the cheat.
Demon King Ship watched [Gold Ship] zoom past and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
That Special Technique...
'It's a skill I don't have. It's not even in the character's skill pool. Where on earth did this guy learn it?'
Possessing Mejiro McQueen's memories, she knew her own character information very well. In the system's Gold Ship character skill pool, this Special Technique did not exist. However, both the Gold Ship (Eye) from Mejiro McQueen's world and the [Gold Ship] of this world knew this move.
Demon King Ship thought about the [Demon King's Aura] she had comprehended on her own as a child. Could it be that because of the strange radio waves inherent to the body, [Gold Ship]'s body was capable of comprehending a skill on its own? And while she comprehended [Demon King's Aura], the native [Gold Ship] comprehended this powerful Special Technique? Thinking about this, Demon King Ship felt a bit annoyed.
Although [Demon King's Aura] was indeed powerful, its upper limit was far lower compared to [Gold Ship]'s Special Technique. After all, this Special Technique could even temporarily suppress a Domain.
Thinking of this, Demon King Ship cursed in her heart: 'Truly an annoying alien mongrel!'
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