The crowd's confusion spread through the stands, murmurs building into a wave of uncertainty.
Seiun Sky's position wasn't comfortable, exposed like this, running in almost the same spot as Mayano Top Gun but without the psychological advantage of being in the lead. The pack behind her had it easier, riding in her slipstream, saving energy while she burned it just to keep this gap.
But that was the plan. Make them think. Make them doubt. Keep them guessing until the moment that mattered.
Her legs felt strong, still responsive, nothing like the dead weight they should be. The recovery skill was doing its job, removing fatigue before it could build up.
Sweat dripped down her temple and ran along her jawline. She tasted salt on her lips.
Ahead, Mayano Top Gun kept running at that relentless pace that said she wasn't slowing down for anyone.
"BUT MAYANO TOP GUN—SHE'S STILL GOING! SIX LENGTHS! SEVEN! EIGHT! NINE! SHE'S NOT SLOWING DOWN AT ALL! OH MY GOD, IS SHE ACTUALLY GOING FOR A GREAT ESCAPE?! IS THIS REAL?!"
Mayano Top Gun's vision narrowed until nothing existed except the track ahead and the rhythm of her own breathing. The gap kept opening - ten lengths, twelve, fifteen.
"FIFTEEN LENGTHS! MAYANO TOP GUN HAS OPENED A FIFTEEN-LENGTH LEAD! THIS IS A GREAT ESCAPE STRATEGY! WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS SINCE INES FUJIN AT THE JAPAN DERBY! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE! CAN SHE KEEP IT GOING TO THE END?!"
The stadium lost its mind. The noise became a physical force that made the ground shake - screaming, stomping, and pure chaos.
Mayano Top Gun felt it in her bones and let herself smile. This is what racing is supposed to feel like.
Back in the pack, the entire dynamic shifted. Seiun Sky had completely changed her running style - everyone could see it now, the unpredictable wildcard who could switch to front runner at any moment. One uma musume tried to move up beside her, tried to challenge for second position.
Seiun Sky turned her head and shot the girl a look.
The challenger immediately backed off, her stride breaking as she dropped half a length behind. Sky caught the flash of uncertainty in her eyes before she turned back forward.
This was a 3200-meter race - way too early to start burning stamina on position fights. Everyone knew the smart move was to save energy.
But Seiun Sky's position wasn't comfortable either, running in almost the same exposed spot as Mayano Top Gun with no pack to hide behind and no draft to ride. The runners in the middle had it easy by comparison, riding on slipstreams with their breathing still steady.
Seiun felt that familiar warmth spreading through her muscles as her recovery skill removed the fatigue before it could build. The track rolled on beneath them, the first straight stretching out ahead.
"APPROACHING THE FIRST CORNER NOW! MAYANO TOP GUN'S STILL OUT THERE ALONE, FIFTEEN LENGTHS AND HOLDING IT! THE PACK IS BEING LED BY SEIUN SKY WITH A THREE-LENGTH GAP! AND IN THE MIDDLE, NARITA BRIAN, THE SILENT PREDATOR WAS WAITING FOR HER MOMENT!"
The pack swept into the corner, hooves pounding an uneven rhythm that echoed off the rails. Mayano Top Gun disappeared around the bend first, still impossibly far ahead.
Then they hit the slope and the world tilted.
"Ugh—!"
"Shit—"
"UOOGHH!"
The ground went upward, sky and earth swapping places in a way that made Hayato's stomach sick just watching. The incline stretched ahead, endless and brutal.
"HERE IT COMES! THE KYOTO RACECOURSE SLOPE! THIS IS WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE MADE, AND DREAMS ARE BROKEN! LOOK AT THEM! LOOK AT HOW THEIR PACE CHANGES! THIS IS WHERE LEGS TURN HEAVY, AND LUNGS START BURNING FOR EVERY UMA MUSUME!"
Hosoe Junko's voice rang out, and she wasn't exaggerating.
Every stride became a battle. Hooves that had been light on the turf now dug in hard, fighting for traction. Breathing that had been controlled broke into ragged gasps within seconds. The pack's rhythm fell apart - some uma musume handling it better than others, but everyone suffering. Legs that felt light moments ago now felt like concrete.
The uphill stretch was merciless.
Mayano Top Gun hit the slope and kept going. Already running on borrowed time, her early sprint draining reserves she'd need later, but somehow that made it easier. She was too committed to slow down now, too far gone to second-guess herself.
She hit it head-on and pushed straight through, face twisted in effort, but her stride never breaking.
"TOP GUN'S NOT SLOWING DOWN! SHE'S MAINTAINING PACE EVEN ON THE SLOPE! HOW?! HOW IS SHE DOING THIS?! WAIT, I MEAN IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE WITH HER SMALL BODY?!"
Mayano Top Gun's legs felt heavy. Her lungs burned like crazy. Sweat poured down her face and soaked through her uniform until the fabric stuck to her skin. But she kept going, the crowd's noise following her up the hill.
Behind her, Sakura Laurel grimaced as the slope hit her full force. Her thighs immediately burned, muscles protesting at every stride while her breathing went from steady to labored in seconds. The uphill felt impossible - every step required conscious effort now.
Sweat ran down her forehead, mixing with the tremors in her hands that wouldn't stop.
"Come on... keep it together..."
She'd prepared for this, knew this slope was coming, but knowing and experiencing it were two different things. Still, she was built for long-distance punishment, and her conditioning kicked in. She leaned into the climb, forcing her body to find a rhythm while keeping her eyes locked on Narita Brian ahead. That was the goal - stay close to Narita Brian, don't let her get away.
This whole technique, controlling her pace through breathing and heart rate, wasn't some coaching genius. It was her survival on the field race - a coping mechanism born from her weak body that wouldn't stop betraying her every match.
She forced her lungs to slow. Her pulse gradually steadied.
Seiun Sky moved faster than most, her climbing specialty kicking in automatically, her stride adjusting without conscious thought. But even she felt the stamina bleeding out with every step, her legs burning in ways they hadn't been seconds ago.
"Damn this hill," she said through gritted teeth.
The pack around her was suffering worse - gasping breaths and stride lengths getting visibly shorter. Some were already falling behind, unable to keep pace, the gaps opening up between them brutal and unforgiving.
"THE PACK IS FRAGMENTING! SOME RUNNERS ARE ALREADY FALLING BEHIND! THIS SLOPE IS BRUTAL, ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL! BUT LOOK—LOOK AT NARITA BRIAN!"
And then there was Narita Brian, moving up the slope like it didn't even exist.
Narita Brian's face was fierce, but her breathing was controlled, her stride staying steady and powerful. While the uma musume around her were suffering, gasping, and falling behind, Narita Brian was just running like it was casual jogging.
"SHE'S CLIMBING LIKE THE SLOPE ISN'T EVEN THERE!"
Hosoe Junko's voice cracked with pure disbelief.
"THIS IS THE GAP BETWEEN G2 CHAMPIONS AND LEGENDS! THE EXPERIENCE, THE POWER, THE ABSOLUTE DOMINANCE OF A TRIPLE CROWN WINNER! WILL THAT PAST GREATNESS, THAT EXPERIENCE ON THE UPHILL, BE ENOUGH TO CONQUER IT AGAIN THIS TIME?!"
Sakura Laurel used the chaos to her advantage. While everyone else was focused purely on surviving, she closed the distance, found gaps that opened up in the struggling pack, and adjusted her position until by the time they reached the top of the slope, she was right there behind Narita Brian.
Their eyes met for half a second - Narita Brian's fierce gaze barely wavered, Sakura Laurel's calm determination struggling but unbroken.
Then they were over the top, and the corner swept them around, and suddenly they were going downhill.
"THEY'VE CRESTED! DOWN THE BACKSTRETCH NOW! THE RELIEF ON THEIR FACES, YOU CAN SEE IT! BUT THE RACE IS FAR FROM OVER!"
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*As usual, the illustration is commented on.