"All preparations complete. The competitors are entering the gates one by one."
"The favorite, looking utterly composed."
Once all competitors had entered, the gates closed with a heavy clang. The venue's speakers began playing the signature music.
As the Satsuki Sho opening fanfare played, the giant screen displayed the race's exclusive opening animation. After the intro, the broadcast cut to a close-up of the starting gates.
In that moment, the entire venue fell silent. On the screen, every competitor focused intently, waiting for the gate to open.
The signal sounded. The instant the gates flew open, thunderous hoofbeats erupted across the turf as all competitors burst onto the track.
"A beautiful start—no one was late out of the gate." The announcer's commentary followed immediately. "Mihono Bourbon has an excellent break, taking the lead position."
Compared to her last race, Mihono Bourbon's starting speed was even faster. The moment she left the gate, a dual skill activation—one gold, one prismatic—flashed beneath her feet. Combined with her aptitude skill effect, she achieved absolute domination at the start, creating an overwhelming gap between herself and the other competitors!
[Perfect Start (Flash): Gate speed increased, condition improved!]
[Solid as a Rock (Gold): Acceleration increased in the opening!]
[Flow: Full concentration state, 100% ability output!]
That explosive speed left everyone else behind from the very beginning, delivering an intense shock to all present at the race's outset.
As expected, she's fast... P thought, his expression grave. He'd known Mihono Bourbon was quick, but today's Mihono Bourbon was in a completely different state than usual.
Is this Kuronuma-san's instruction? To guard against Rice's chase?
In other words, Mihono Bourbon plans to run at full speed from the very start.
He looked at Rice's current position—third place. But that position was a bit too far forward.
With Rice's running style, this pace is a bit rushed. But considering her stamina, it shouldn't be a problem.
Besides, there was no other choice. Mihono Bourbon had changed her usual tactics. This wasn't ordinary front-running anymore.
In P's view, Rice's decision to adjust her rhythm mid-race was absolutely correct.
Up in the spectator seats, Trainer Kuronuma watched Mihono Bourbon's performance with a serious expression. The frown that had creased his brow since morning finally relaxed.
Yes, that's the rhythm. Keep running at this pace. Don't give that girl any chance to catch up!
This was a risky gamble.
For Mihono Bourbon, who was naturally stamina-deficient, using a breakaway strategy was extremely dangerous. But to counter the Black Assassin, this risk was necessary. After repeatedly reviewing Rice's race footage, he'd discovered that horse girl possessed abnormally high guts. Once you fell within her pursuit range, it was over!
So the tactical plan for this race was an all-out sprint from the start!
Shake off the Black Assassin with absolute speed in the opening. That girl had no acceleration skills during the early and middle portions of the race.
Symboli Rudolf, watching the broadcast on her phone during training, offered a serious assessment: "That's an incredibly fast start. This speed even surpasses Suzuka-senpai."
Mejiro McQueen, training nearby, gave the same evaluation. Both agreed that Mihono Bourbon's gate break was the fastest they'd ever seen from any competitor.
In the spectator seats, Marvelous Sunday propped her chin on one hand, deep in thought. Though she was personally more interested in Rice, Mihono Bourbon's performance today was truly exceptional.
As a fellow front-runner, Marvelous Sunday understood exactly how impressive Mihono Bourbon's current state was.
Flow, huh... While it's not as powerful as Zone in terms of effect, a competitor who can enter this state is no easy opponent.
Few people knew this, but competitors who could enter Flow were generally formidable.
Because only those who were single-minded, focused solely on the finish line, could enter the Flow state. Competitors with that kind of mentality weren't easy to defeat.
And when it came to difficulty of mastery, it was hard to say which was harder—Flow or Zone. The same went for their power levels.
The only certainty was that Flow had the potential to challenge Zone.
That saying about "only ZONE can defeat ZONE" didn't hold up against Flow—because when Luna first made that statement, she hadn't known Flow existed.
At that moment, Symboli Rudolf sat in the Student Council room watching the broadcast in silence. Even she couldn't predict this race's outcome.
Rice's aura was extraordinarily powerful—even through a television screen, that overwhelming presence came through.
But Mihono Bourbon's condition today was simply too excellent.
Perfect Flow activation, combined with her enhanced stamina from special training and new skill combinations—this Mihono Bourbon already possessed strength rivaling the current Teio and the others.
And Rice had one critical weakness.
Compared to Mihono Bourbon's mature skill loadout, Rice was a traditional newcomer, significantly behind in skill acquisition.
Though Mihono Bourbon didn't come from a prestigious family, she'd trained under Trainer Kuronuma since childhood. Her refined skill system was stronger than even Teio's at debut. If Mihono Bourbon had competed in Teio's generation, the Teio of that era might not have been able to beat her in this state.
By that logic, Mihono Bourbon had a strong chance of winning this race.
But a newcomer mastering ZONE—that was a first in this country. There was no precedent to reference.
If foreign precedents were any indication, the outcome became impossible to predict.
Based on what Symboli Rudolf knew about monsters who'd awakened ZONE as newcomers, they either retired early due to physical problems or became absolutely invincible champions.
Looking at those precedents, this level of monster was far more terrifying than ordinary geniuses. During their careers, no one could defeat them.
Or rather—unless their bodies broke down, they simply didn't lose.
If Rice was this type of existence, Symboli Rudolf would unhesitatingly bet on her victory.
But what Rice had demonstrated so far still showed a certain gap compared to those legends. That was why Symboli Rudolf found this race's outcome unpredictable.
...
Damn it, how is she this fast!?
The competitor in second place—number 3—glared at the figure ahead with a twisted expression.
She was already giving everything she had, but the gap with Mihono Bourbon wasn't shrinking at all. If anything, she felt like she was about to fall behind completely.
Were they really this far apart as fellow front-runners!?
She couldn't believe someone like that had debuted less than a year ago. What the hell was with this kind of ability? It was completely unfair!
And what was the deal with the one behind her?
You're clearly not even a front-runner! Is running this far forward really okay for you!
The killing intent emanating from behind made number 3's blood run cold.
The main reason she couldn't slow down was because of the competitor behind her. Her sixth sense screamed that slowing down even slightly would mean death!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!
Number 3's mental state was under severe pressure.
Mihono Bourbon ahead, Rice behind—she felt like she was trapped in hell itself.
Number 3's trainer watched the screen tensely. The moment he saw her expression, he knew the situation was dire.
The pace is too fast—she's pushing too hard!
But his feelings couldn't reach his competitor mid-race. All he could do was watch anxiously as events unfolded.
...
Then, halfway through the opening stretch, the aura around Mihono Bourbon suddenly turned red. Prismatic light flashed beneath her feet once more. Everyone watching couldn't help but widen their eyes.
[Overdrive (Flash): Acceleration dramatically increased!]
In an instant, Mihono Bourbon completely shook off the two behind her, entering a state of total solo running.
"How is that possible!?"
Symboli Rudolf and Mejiro McQueen, watching the broadcast, were both stunned. Two Flash skills in the opening!?
Was such a thing even possible!?
And even if you could pull it off, what about stamina consumption? Using this kind of speed in the opening—would there really be any energy left for the final stretch?
"Are you kidding me? This girl is way too strong."
Even Gold Ship thought Mihono Bourbon's performance today was absurdly impressive. If she were competing today, she'd probably already be thinking about giving up.
Because this girl was obviously going Super Saiyan, right?
Challenging someone in this state—that was simply impossible.
"Mihono Bourbon is completely in the lead! So strong—too strong! Absolutely no one can match her!"
Even the announcer's voice was trembling.
Mihono Bourbon entered the turn with a six-length lead over second place. The gap was unbelievable. Many spectators felt their excitement building with the race's progression.
With Mihono Bourbon this dominant, surely the winner was already decided?
Could anyone in this race possibly defeat Mihono Bourbon in this state?
...
"Damn it!"
Number 3 let out a shout as her speed suddenly plummeted.
Losing speed while entering the turn during the opening—this was unprecedented.
But she had no choice.
Mihono Bourbon's pace was completely abnormal, and there was a maniac right behind her piling on pressure. Her stamina was draining like water through a broken bucket.
After number 3 dropped back, Rice now occupied second place.
She'd wanted to stay behind someone and use slipstream skills to conserve stamina, but that was no longer possible.
And Mihono Bourbon's explosion had completely disrupted her original rhythm.
So it's a breakaway strategy like McQueen's?
She hadn't expected the stamina-deficient Mihono Bourbon to risk this tactic. She definitely hadn't expected Mihono Bourbon to be capable of using two Flash skills in the opening.
Though her ability didn't match McQueen and the others, Mihono Bourbon was already putting immense pressure on Rice.
There was no denying it—Mihono Bourbon was truly strong!
But—
Rice's expression turned cold. Beneath her black bangs, her eyes ignited with dark blue flames. A pitch-black presence instantly enveloped her entire body.
Flow activated!
Surge initiated!
Fighting spirit ignited!
Stamina burning!
Though she had no skills to activate, Rice still had stamina to burn.
Though she couldn't use ZONE's true effects, she could still use ZONE's normal effects.
Running ahead, Mihono Bourbon suddenly felt an intense chill.
She'd never believed in sixth sense, but in this moment she felt the gaze from behind with unprecedented clarity.
What is this? Unable to analyze. A flash of bewilderment crossed Mihono Bourbon's face.
She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way. She simply didn't believe Rice could still catch up at this point.
According to Master's instructions, no one should be able to match her speed right now.
But she didn't know that behind her, that dark figure was closing the distance between them, little by little.
The dual Flash skill effects in the opening were certainly powerful.
But Mihono Bourbon's speed had entered a relatively stable state after the turn—no longer the explosive pace from the opening.
After all, setting aside stamina consumption, continuously using powerful skills placed considerable strain on the body. Mihono Bourbon simply couldn't withstand that burden.
So shortly after entering the turn, she'd even begun to relax her Flow state.
Though Mihono Bourbon's running style resembled McQueen's, it was only similar in style. The actual gap between them was still significant.
At breakneck speed, both quickly passed through the opening turn and entered the middle stretch straightaway.
By now, the gap between Mihono Bourbon and Rice had closed to three lengths.
When the trailing pack saw Rice accelerating, they gritted their teeth and followed.
Though their rhythm had been completely disrupted, trying to maintain your usual pace in a race with a breakaway was pure fantasy. What mattered was not letting the gap grow too large.
Not everyone possessed the Demon King's acceleration power.
Once the distance gap became too great, the race was essentially a death sentence.
...
This is so painful.
Taiki Shuttle was mixed in at sixth place.
She felt the stabbing pain in her chest and her burning breath. Never before had running felt this agonizing.
She wasn't alone—quite a few competitors from her generation weren't faring much better. Only a handful of veteran upperclassmen could still maintain proper form.
But even those veterans didn't look happy.
They hadn't expected that deliberately saving the Classic races for later in their careers would lead to this. Those two at the front had strength rivaling some senior-class powerhouses.
Damn it, so the curse is real after all? The curse that said if you wait until you're a veteran to challenge the Classic route, you'll definitely encounter monsters!
"The race enters the middle stretch. The pace has quickened. Currently leading is the favorite, Mihono Bourbon, but—"
"After the chase through the turn, the second favorite Rice Shower has caught up! The gap to Mihono Bourbon is now under three lengths!"
"Following behind..."
Mihono Bourbon couldn't process the rest of the announcer's words.
Her mind was completely occupied by one fact: Rice had caught up, now less than three lengths behind. Those somewhat relaxed eyes snapped back into serious mode.
...
Get 20+ chapters ahead on - P.a.t.r.e.o.n "RoseWhisky"