What kind of race was this?
So intense. So blazing hot!
The sound of their footsteps seemed to crash right into everyone's hearts.
And was that really how skills were meant to be used?
The members of Spica had fallen completely silent once the race reached its midpoint. What they felt in their hearts was a stirring they couldn't put into words.
Trembling. Awe. Longing. Desire. Contemplation.
If they were the ones racing right now...
What kind of view would that be?
Just imagining it filled them with fear and pain. Yet at the same time, an insatiable desire burned fiercely within them.
That's what a higher realm looks like!
After witnessing a race like this, could they really go back to how things were before? They asked themselves.
No!
There was no going back.
For Uma Musume, running was the meaning of life. Pursuing higher realms was their instinct!
Having glimpsed the scenery of this realm, they could never return.
Now they wanted to enter that level of competition. They wanted to experience that scorching intensity firsthand!
If they could win a race in such a fierce battle, surely that feeling would be incomparable—an experience beyond their current imagination.
Their minds were overheating, unable to calm down!
Win this, other me!
[Mejiro McQueen]watched as McQueen was being caught, her hands clenched tight, eyes tense.
[Gold Ship]watched the Overlord's rampaging form. Show me your guts, little Gold Ship.
She actually...
[Tokai Teio]stared at Teio readjusting her stance and catching up, disbelief filling her eyes.
She could recover even from that situation?
Incredible. Was this the gap between herself and her other self?!
They could no longer calculate who would claim victory. Like the other spectators, they could only focus entirely on those three figures crowded into a single row.
Who would break free from this state? Who would cross the finish line first?!
Though Overdrive wasn't active, everyone felt as if the world had frozen.
Everyone wanted to see the final result of this race.
...
On the track.
Mejiro McQueen's expression was terrifyingly cold.
Her mood right now could only be described as absolutely terrible.
Because these two had genuinely threatened her victory. The twisted desire to win inside her was churning and roiling.
Her eyes were locked dead ahead on the finish line.
I will never give victory to anyone!
Faster! I need to run faster! Fast enough that no one can ever catch up!
The flames in Mejiro McQueen's left eye were transforming rapidly. Both her ZONE and Flow had entered a realm beyond anyone else's reach!
The second gate of ZONE was creaking open.
It seemed ready to unleash a power that had never appeared in history—the second level.
Gold Ship wore a wicked smile, her reddened eyes like a blood-soaked Overlord. The crackling lightning across her body gave her an aesthetic of violence and destruction.
I've caught up!
Right now, I've undoubtedly surpassed the strongest and reached the true ultimate realm! No one is my match anymore—I will win!
Right now, she was invincible!
Yes, she had completed her metamorphosis, achieved a higher evolution, surpassed the former strongest!
She felt the change in McQueen's aura too. But so what?
She would not lose now!
No!
I'm the one who grasps the future! I will win—this was destined from the moment the race began!
Tokai Teio was equally convinced victory belonged to her.
Having realized her true self and seized the future, she absolutely could not lose. Such a future did not exist!
Whether it was the Overlord or McQueen—
She would defeat them both!
Because she was the ultimate Uma Musume. That spot at the finish line belonged to her!
50 meters... 30 meters... 10 meters...
I've won!
The same thought echoed in all three minds simultaneously. Each was certain she would be the one to claim victory!
"They've crossed! All three competitors from Team [ ] crossed at the same time—it's impossible to tell who was first! But don't worry, let's wait for the system's judgment!"
Kojiro pounded the desk in excitement.
Completely indistinguishable. All three had crossed virtually simultaneously!
The entire venue fell silent, with only the countdown tone from the finish line echoing.
The competitors who'd been left far behind had lost all will to continue. No matter how you looked at it, the result could only be a massive margin of defeat.
What kind of monsters were those three? Was that really how you ran a team race?!
But perhaps they should be grateful those three hadn't actually worked together. Otherwise, they'd probably have lost even more miserably.
"Who won?"
After a long silence, the spectator stands grew lively again—the results still hadn't appeared on the big screen.
Behind the finish line, Mejiro McQueen and the other two stared tensely at the display.
Who had won?
Obviously this great one!
Gold Ship laughed wildly at the screen, even spreading her arms as if declaring herself the victor!
I won't lose.
Mejiro McQueen stood expressionless.
The chairwoman once said destiny is on my side!
Tokai Teio pointed to the sky.
All three had absolute confidence in themselves.
In the spectator stands, [Mejiro McQueen] returned to her teammates.
Hearing them discuss the results, she said without hesitation: "Obviously the other me crossed first! You don't even need to think about it!"
"The other McQueen is definitely strong, and she did beat the Overlord before... but this time's result isn't so clear-cut, right? The Overlord's final burst was clearly stronger than the other McQueen!"
[Gold Ship] surprisingly took the Overlord's side this time.
But she was stating facts. The Overlord's final explosive power had been terrifying.
"The other me wasn't bad either! You all saw that final Emperor's Dance—it was every bit as good as the other McQueen and the Overlord!"
[Tokai Teio] might not particularly like her other self.
But she had to acknowledge her other self's excellence. She couldn't accept the other two's arguments.
The system hadn't even given results yet. What right did they have to act like the other two would definitely win?
She didn't believe [McQueen] and [Gold Ship] could see something she couldn't. They were just picking sides.
If that was the case, then she would side with "herself"!
Daiwa Scarlet and the others watched these three with cold sweat.
It was just a normal discussion about race results. What was with this atmosphere like they were about to fight?!
[McQueen]'s behavior was understandable—they all knew she was a fan of the other McQueen.
But [Gold Ship], didn't you say you didn't like that childish Overlord?
Your attitude now says completely otherwise.
And [Teio], how long have you even known the other Teio?
Plus you got destroyed by her just yesterday. How are you still siding with her?
They couldn't understand these three's psychology.
Because they hadn't encountered another version of themselves from a different world. (Jealousy.)
"This calculation is taking way too long! The race wasn't even this long! It's been five minutes—can't you just give us a result?!"
Many in the audience couldn't help but complain.
They didn't believe calculating a result would take this long. Everyone was waiting for the results, but the organizers were deliberately holding back?
They didn't know what benefit the organizers got from this, but surely their computers couldn't have crashed over something like this?
...
From a higher perspective.
Three blurred figures and a sphere of light were repeatedly replaying the final moments of the race.
"It's hard to believe, but I think we can confirm it now."
The goddess in yellow spoke first.
The goddess in red said playfully: "Looks that way~ My, what a passionate race I got to witness~"
"Mm, we can announce the results."
The goddess in blue gave their final answer.
A string of data flashed across the light sphere.
At the venue, new information suddenly appeared on the previously blank screen.
1st Place: Mejiro McQueen (Winner)
2nd Place: Gold Ship (Joint Winner)
3rd Place: Tokai Teio (Joint Winner)
For the competitors behind them, red characters reading "Large Margin" appeared next to their names.
The moment the results appeared, the entire venue erupted.
The audience cheered.
A joint victory was rare, but with these three competitors, it didn't seem strange at all.
After all, that's what their eyes had seen too.
They just hadn't dared confirm it was the real result because those three had been running so fast at the end.
But if even the organizers' computers judged it this way, then it must be correct.
Team [ ]'s competitors were incredible!
Yet beneath the crowd's cheers.
The three wore completely different expressions.
None of which could be called happy.
"How is this possible? This great one is only second?!"
Gold Ship clenched her fists viciously.
Joint winner?
Laughable!
The ranking of second place said everything!
She hadn't defeated McQueen.
That was the result!
Damn it. It's not enough. What I want is a definitive victory, not this!
Overload Mode still wasn't perfect.
She needed to completely master and control this power, then push herself to even greater heights!
Without that, she couldn't beat McQueen.
There were no ties in Uma Musume races!
Even with joint winners, rankings still differed. She would never be satisfied with this result.
Mejiro McQueen: "..."
The moment she saw the result, her tense heart could finally relax.
Her expression returned to calm, as if this outcome was only natural.
If not for all the sweat she'd shed during the race, anyone seeing her now might think she'd achieved another overwhelming victory.
But for her, victory was inevitable.
"Third..."
Tokai Teio sighed.
She hadn't expected this result.
The three of them had indeed reached the finish line simultaneously.
But in Uma Musume racing, when competitors finished at the same time, there was no "joint first place."
Even though all three were winners.
Rankings still distinguished first, second, and third.
The ranking criteria was based on who had been leading on the final stretch.
And by that measure, McQueen had undoubtedly been in first the entire time.
So while all three had the same winning result, their ranking positions were completely different.
But what they all wanted was first place!
Granted, this ranking rule clearly favored front-runners like McQueen.
But neither Tokai Teio nor Gold Ship felt McQueen's position was undeserved.
After all, executing a Great Escape was also part of McQueen's strength. Plus, McQueen had faced the most targeting in this race.
If not for all that targeting, they might not have achieved results equal to McQueen's.
Because by the final stretch, McQueen had almost no skill effects left.
At that point, McQueen was purely maintaining her position through her inherent skill and ZONE burst alone.
But if McQueen had still had spare skills remaining, who knew if she could have stacked additional skill effects during that burst state?
In theory, McQueen's body shouldn't have been able to handle it. But after seeing Gold Ship's Overload Mode, such theories became unreliable.
They had no doubt about McQueen's willpower and desire for victory.
Besides, when McQueen crossed the finish line, her aura had clearly undergone further transformation. If the race hadn't ended, perhaps McQueen would have entered an even higher realm by now?
This was what Gold Ship and Tokai Teio cared about most.
After all, the results were in. They were still the losers.
Despite being on the winning team.
None of the three showed any sign of happiness.
Mejiro McQueen thought: I must become stronger. This race was far too dangerous. I'm still not strong enough!
Gold Ship thought: Overload Mode still has limits. It's not enough. I need greater power. I must break through all limits and barriers. Next time, I will completely crush the strongest!
Tokai Teio thought: The skills I've mastered are still too weak. I need stronger abilities—abilities like the Overlord's technique!
Despite winning the race, all three felt pressure and motivation.
In this moment, they had confirmed one thing.
They were rivals!
Even if they originated from the same source, they could never become teammates.
Their destiny was to be opponents. Because there could only be one true strongest, and their goal was undoubtedly to be that strongest!
So this race was merely the beginning.
Their competition remained unresolved.
Because none of them had reached their limits yet. They all had room to grow. The true strongest had yet to be determined!
I won't lose!
This great one will win next time!
I will win next time!
Flames burned in all three pairs of eyes.
Their serious, intense auras made competitors from other teams hesitant to approach.
...
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