The magnificent tree of lightning vanished in a flash, but in that instant it had already seized control of the wind and clouds. Rolling thunder rumbled in from the distant horizon.
It hung over the horse girls' hearts, becoming a heavy, indescribable terror.
Even Mtoto, who wielded the power of lightning herself, changed expression.
She remembered the way Xingyun Liuge had overturned heaven and earth in the UAE Derby. That violent thunder that had suppressed even the sea wind the moment it appeared was no joke.
At that moment, a look of fierce resolve flashed through Mtoto's eyes. She shouted Xingyun Liuge's name, and dazzling lightning instantly wrapped itself around her entire body.
A contest of thunderous power?
Fine. She would meet it head-on.
In the space of a heartbeat, a new surge of violent current erupted across the track. The crackling, popping noise was like a chain of ceremonial cannon blasts, announcing the beginning of the final showdown.
Mtoto decisively wrapped gentle white current around her legs, letting it seep upward through her limbs and into every fiber of her body. With perfectly measured stimulation, it roused her muscles and nerves, drawing out even greater power.
More than that, the current swiftly gave rise to a magnetic field. That new force acted upon her body, magnifying the strength she had unleashed by geometric proportions.
Electric force surged. Magnetic force revolved.
The petite girl instantly became a lightning comet, tearing through the gale in a blaze of brilliance.
Could channeling lightning into one's own body in exchange for greater power really work?
Mtoto herself had never been entirely sure. It had only been a bold idea of hers, and she had failed more times than she could count.
At the start of the year, she had pushed herself too hard and suffered for it, so much so that she had wandered here and there to clear her head, even entertaining thoughts of simply stopping altogether.
Until the day she saw Xingyun Liuge's sudden eruption at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
Bathed in lightning, that girl had looked impossibly dashing and heroic, stirring Mtoto's heart and hardening her resolve at the same time:
The idea itself was sound. All she had to do was keep exploring it carefully and work at it without stopping.
And now was the moment to show the results of that research to the very girl who had inspired her.
There was no way she would let Xingyun Liuge take this victory so easily.
She was going to win.
From Mtoto's point of view, Xingyun Liuge's current method resembled her own early attempts: gaining tremendous power all at once, but not yet knowing how to wield it properly, resulting in her hair standing on end and that strength spilling wastefully into the air.
She wanted to tell Xingyun Liuge:
Watch closely, junior. This is the path I carved out as your senior.To fling thunder around recklessly is far too wasteful.Discover it. Defeat it. Tame it.
It was just like the famous words of that Roman consul: I came, I saw, I conquered.
In Mtoto's eyes, every strand of lightning she had summoned—every filament, every thread—was under her precise control. The current formed a smooth electromagnetic track beneath her feet, lifting her speed to an entirely new level. She moved as lightly as if she were gliding over ice.
The commentator roared, "Mtoto has accelerated again—fast, unbelievably fast! She's like a bolt of lightning racing across the course! She still had this much stamina left in reserve? Absolutely incredible!"
The host jumped in at just the right moment. "Clearly, this is the fruit of all the work she put in to defend her title—her hidden weapon. Senior horse girls really are on another level. Go, Mtoto!"
If Xingyun Liuge could hear Mtoto's inner thoughts, she would probably laugh at her senior's conclusions.
What was thunder, really?
It was the deafening terror that had hung over every living thing since ancient times. It was a heavenly disaster that tore apart the sky and destroyed crops. It was the most primal and tyrannical force nature had ever shown the world.
The pale, thick arcs resembled gigantic serpents writhing madly through the air. Every time Xingyun Liuge's foot came down, they blasted a charred scar into the ground, sending turf and grass flying and exposing the blackened earth below.
No—that was not the natural color of the soil under the grass.
That was proof that brutal lightning had descended upon the land.
Boom.
The charges gathered along the rail erupted in blinding flashes, exploding like artillery salutes for the great power now roaring across the world.
The current racing along the turf, the lightning rampaging over the rails, the arcs shrieking through the air—every one of them displayed its terror without restraint. None had come to befriend anyone or show a gentle face.
To them, the natural state was the best state.
They wanted nothing of warmth or tenderness.
They would only race proudly across the heavens, forcing all creation to tremble beneath their feet.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderbolts descended from the sky, rank upon rank like a forest of spears.
The two horse girls' white lightning collided in midair for the first time.
Mtoto fired her current straight at Xingyun Liuge without the slightest hesitation. She wanted to slow her down. There were too many variables now—if things continued like this, it was impossible to say who would win. If victory required it, then of course she would electrocute her opponent. Besides, Xingyun Liuge had struck first.
There was no reason not to retaliate.
At the same time, Mtoto had not forgotten to protect herself. She was not some careless little girl tossing lightning around at random.
A white spherical barrier flashed into existence before her, deflecting the smaller arcs into the air. She wanted to tell Xingyun Liuge proudly:
See that, junior? That is the power of magnetic fields. The power of knowledge.
Mutual consumption? Mutual annihilation?A shower of dazzling sparks for the other horse girls to gape at?
No. Of course not.
She would neutralize Xingyun Liuge's attack and seize the crown in one stroke.
Was it not only natural that the advance of knowledge would let people gradually conquer nature?
Then, in the next instant, the girl's scream exploded into the air.
"AAAAAH!"
A faint white vapor rose around her, declaring the result of their first clash.
Yes—even though Mtoto was used to the assistance of docile electric currents, when faced with truly violent current...
all of her previous experience ceased to matter.
No matter how hard she clenched her teeth, she could not suppress the instincts of her own body.
After all, how was an electric user supposed to contend with thunder itself?
Even if she pushed her domain to its limits, even if she tried to ground the lightning surging into her body, she still had to endure it first. She still had to be fast enough to finish the process.
Tiny arcs danced between Xingyun Liuge's strands of hair, almost outlining each one in a searing white glow, making them stand out sharp and rigid, nearly standing upright.
And yet, in the very next moment, they softened and flowed gracefully with the wind again.
It was like a miracle that outright defied the laws of physics.
Then Xingyun Liuge laughed softly.
"Senpai... is that as far as you go?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 85
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 75
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 100
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 60
The Uma Musume Who Became 60
I'm Definitely Not the King of 80
After Maxing Out Every Class 80
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 44
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 57
I, the Elden Sword Saint 50
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 43
No One Knows Pokémon Better 50
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 45
From Trilobites to Titans 45
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 55
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 60
An Anime Heroine Darkened 55
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