Seeing that scene, Nijinsky, seated high above the track, clenched her fist.
She truly did want Xingyun Liuge to transfer to Britain, but because of the appearance of a certain special person, she had been forced to restrain herself, lest the situation spiral beyond prediction.
And precisely because of that, she was now able to take in the whole field more clearly.
Watching Mototo's control over her Domain climb to a new level, she felt sincere joy for the girl—she almost wanted to burst into song in celebration.
But because Xingyun Liuge was here, she suppressed that delight. More than congratulating Mototo, she wanted to know what Liuge would do next.
After all, Xingyun Liuge was currently burdened with a severe debuff: she was running on a course she had never truly familiarized herself with.
Nijinsky widened her eyes, determined to remember every single frame of what came next.
The roaring lightning-serpents and the surging black mist collided in violent conflict.
Lightning illuminated the fog, yet no trace of the serpents could be seen.
The black mist swallowed the serpents, yet it seemed to have no effect on Mototo at all.
More than that—even Xingyun Liuge herself was overtaken by Mototo.
The host could no longer stay seated. Breathing hard, he seized the microphone and shot to his feet.
"Mototo! Mototo has caught Xingyun Liuge! She's erased that gap that seemed impossibly far—just half a length! Now is the moment for miracles to be born!"
"The two of them are running side by side! Who will win this grueling duel?! Xingyun Liuge! Mototo! Xingyun Liuge! Mototo!"
His face was flushed scarlet, veins standing out at his neck, and if he kept shouting like this much longer, he would probably need an oxygen tank afterward.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Before Mototo's eyes flashed the encouragement of her friends, and the hopes of her family.
She remembered her long stretch of defeats.
She remembered too the blissful memory of winning a graded race for the first time, and then stringing together three straight victories.
Inside her heart she roared:
I have to win!
I absolutely have to win!
Because this is Ascot Racecourse!
Because this is the King George, the most watched race of them all!
For the glory of victory!
Her heart seemed to pound so violently she could hear it over even the strange black mist.
She lowered her head and charged, never noticing the pleased curve at the corner of Xingyun Liuge's lips—an expression that suggested she was plotting something.
Then, in one sudden instant, Mototo heard a tidal wave of cheers crashing over her.
The ferocious sound pounded at her ears, nearly drowning out the thunder of her own heartbeat. The two noises clashed violently, and she could hear nothing else.
The host screamed:
"Mototo! It's Mototo! At the two-hundred-meter mark, she has overtaken Xingyun Liuge! Mototo is now in first!"
Before he could even finish, the earth-shaking cries of the crowd swallowed his voice whole.
He did not mind in the slightest. On the contrary, he let out a relieved breath, because what he had almost said next would have offended a great many people.
What he had wanted to say was:
The chance to wash away your shame is right in front of you, Mototo!
Your chance to become the second Roberto is right here!
In front of the TV, Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap could only stare in stunned silence. Neither of them had imagined that Xingyun Liuge, who had seemed unstoppable all this time, might actually suffer a catastrophic defeat here.
Norin Ace, meanwhile, had unconsciously tightened her grip around Mini Lady's neck as she shouted,
"It's not over! Don't you dare act like Xingyun's already lost, damn it! Xingyun won't lose!"
There was even a trace of sobbing in her voice. She simply could not accept the idea of Xingyun Liuge being defeated. In her mind, Liuge was little different from an undefeated king.
Inside the student council room, Rudolf Symbol was equally shaken.
She tried desperately to calm herself with rationalizations—Don't panic. It's probably a tactical concession. Xingyun must have a plan. But the feeling of dread would not go away.
Because Xingyun Liuge had already used her Domain. The vast black mist was proof enough.
And yet, at such a crucial moment, she had actually fallen half a length behind Mototo.
Rudolf Symbol had studied Mototo's race footage. The girl's finishing kick was monstrously powerful, nearly on par with Yushun—the Arc winner. Even Xingyun Liuge might not be able to gain the upper hand at a moment like this.
Dark clouds settled over Rudolf's heart.
And she was not the only one. The other horse girls in the student council room had all gone silent. Even Tokai Teio, who usually seemed carefree to the point of recklessness, had drooped her ears and fallen speechless.
At the racecourse itself, the horse girls and Chihaya Yui watching in person had all changed expression as well. They clutched the railings, leaning out as far as they could while shouting,
"Come on, Xingyun!"
"Go, Little Song!"
"Take your victory!"
Even the two girls who looked like bystanders on the edge of the crowd had joined in, crying out for Xingyun Liuge to turn the tables at the last possible moment.
There were fewer than ten of them altogether, and yet the sound they made seemed almost enough to drown out the entire stadium.
Only then did Mototo finally hear the voices around her clearly.
Her first reaction was disbelief.
I'm coming from behind? Me? I really surpassed Xingyun Liuge? That can't be right!
To be fair, Xingyun had never raced this course before, and unlike the others, she knew none of its hidden peculiarities. Of course there was always the possibility that she might stumble here.
But not even Mototo herself had truly believed in it. She had thought she was dreaming.
Still, whether it was real or not no longer mattered.
She thought fiercely:
The truth doesn't matter anymore. All I have to do is keep running toward the finish. Full speed ahead for the winner's throne!
Her furious roar seemed enough to rip apart the oncoming wind.
Mototo drove her Domain to its utmost limit, wringing every last shred of strength from her body. Her eyes held nothing but the finish line.
Boom!
As if celebrating the birth of a new monarch, a violent clap of thunder exploded overhead. The rolling shockwave swept across the racecourse, and even the swaying grass bent low in submission, prostrating itself before that terrifying power.
Heaven and earth alike seemed to change color.
The sky dimmed suddenly, so much so that even the spectators completely immersed in the race instinctively looked up, wanting to see what was happening with the weather.
Everyone knew the weather bureau's forecasts were unreliable, but if a sudden downpour or lightning strike really hit, it could irrevocably alter the race.
In that instant where light and shadow crossed, understanding suddenly flashed through Mototo's mind.
A weather shift? No… this is—
The corners of her mouth twitched twice.
Even with her entire body wrapped in lightning, even with that numbing sensation surging through her limbs into her brain, the first thing she felt was the skin of her scalp going numb.
It was a reflex, an instinctive reaction of body and spirit alike—something she had no power to stop.
And all at once she remembered.
A certain day.
A certain month.
A certain year.
In Dubai, a "thunderstorm" had suddenly broken out.
Yes—how could she possibly forget?
That had only been this March. She had seen something almost identical at Meydan Racecourse.
So that thing hadn't been a thunderstorm at all!!!
Storm clouds gathered.
Dark masses churned overhead.
Thunder rolled.
ROAAAAAAR—!
To everyone present, it felt as if they had heard an earth-shaking, soul-rattling bellow.
The rolling thunder was merely its voice.
The layers of black cloud were merely the enormous cloak wrapped around its rough, savage body.
It threw back its head and roared, spreading the boundless majesty and fury of ancient times without the slightest restraint.
ROAAAAAAR—!
At that instant, Mototo saw the monstrous shadow it cast.
The entire racecourse lay beneath it.
She turned her head—
And then, in her sight, in the sight of every horse girl on the track, Xingyun Liuge leapt high into the air and smashed her hoof back down.
The heavens themselves shuddered.
For one heartbeat, all sky and earth fell into an uncanny stillness.
Then an overwhelming tremor burst from underground and swept across the entire racecourse in an instant.
Amid the rumbling thunder, the host's voice twisted with excitement:
"Unbelievable! Unbelievable! Another reversal! Xingyun Liuge! It's Xingyun Liuge's second acceleration! She's taken first place back from Mototo!"
"Does Mototo still have anything left? Can she catch up?! No—she can't! She can't catch her!"
The host pumped his fist and roared:
"Cheer! Raise your voices together—and hail the continuation of this legend!"
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
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 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 45
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