“The race has begun! The Horse Girl had a great start overall. Who will take the lead?”
As soon as the announcer’s voice faded, Katsuragi Ace on the track accelerated to the front, seizing the leading position.
The differing paces of the other Horse Girl caused the group to spread out, each moving to a position suitable for their strategy.
Among them, Rudolph Symboli still adopted her preferred Leading strategy and was in fourth place.
Chimei Representative was in second to last place, not letting herself fall too far behind the group.
Everyone was heading towards the third turn together. For now, there hadn’t been any intense clashes, and the overall pace was quite steady.
“Oh, is this what races in Japan are like? It feels pretty good.”
In the manor, on the sofa in the room, Yuu Mai watched the TV, leaning slightly forward, looking very interested.
Polaris Glacier’s expression, however, remained unchanged; her attention was entirely focused on the race screen.
“Following the Japan Cup, the showdown between Chitose Meiji, Rudolf, and Katsuragi Ace—what kind of development will it have…?”
The perspective returned to the race track.
Katsuragi Ace continued to lead, but she didn’t employ the “great escape” strategy as she did last time.
Mainly, for her, such a strategy could only be used as a surprise move and not repeatedly.
Additionally, this 2500-meter Nakayama Racecourse race was already considered a long-distance event.
And her long-distance adaptability had never been particularly good, so a “great escape” would be too risky.
It was safer to maintain her normal pace, conserve strength, and then sprint for the win at the end.
As the race progressed, the Horse Girl rounded the turn and arrived in front of the grandstand, where dense applause erupted from the audience once more.
In the leading position, Rudolph Symboli’s gaze fell upon the black-haired figure at the very front, and a thoughtful expression flashed in her eyes:
“I lost the previous Japan Cup because I let Katsuragi Ace make a great escape. This time, I absolutely cannot let her pull away again.”
Thinking this, she immediately quickened her pace, overtaking the two Horse Girl in front and moving into second place.
She followed right behind Katsuragi Ace, with a gap of about four horse lengths between them.
At this distance, she could challenge her directly in a one-on-one sprint for the win.
It was, without a doubt, the optimal position to directly defeat her and prove herself stronger.
Rudolph Symboli nodded inwardly and adjusted her breathing.
The next moment, her aura was released, surging towards the figure in front.
“?!”
Sensing the pressure coming from behind her, Katsuragi Ace’s face clearly showed surprise:
“Rudolf, has she already caught up…?”
“What strong pressure, truly worthy of her.”
Regaining her composure, she also adjusted her breathing, releasing her aura to resist the interference.
In the chasing position, Chimei Representative did not choose to stay at the very back this time but instead clung tightly to the group of Horse Girl, currently in third to last place.
There was a gap of about 15 to 20 horse lengths from Katsuragi Ace at the very front, with 7 Horse Girl in between.
As she rounded the turn and entered the uphill straight, her eyes shimmered with a prepared glow, and she gradually quickened her pace, chasing forward from the inside.
She had already decided to challenge Rudolf and Katsuragi Ace, and now was the time to act:
“Charge to the front, overtake both of them, and claim victory!”
With the attack launched from the rear, and the figure pushing from the inside, the spectators who noticed this situation once again couldn’t help but cheer and voice their support.
“CB is still here! She can still fight!”
“That’s it! Sprint forward, overtake all opponents, defeat Rudolph Symboli, defeat Katsuragi Ace, and wash away the mud of previous defeats with victory!”
And as if in response to the people’s wishes, Chimei Representative’s sprint became even more rapid, successfully breaking into the middle of the leading group at the very end of the straight.
Entering the third turn, she maintained her speed and continued to push forward.
It was clear to everyone that CB was in excellent condition. They believed that with a second acceleration at the end of the turn, she could definitely pass the other Horse Girl and officially charge to the very front to claim victory.
Chimei Representative thought the same. The glow in her eyes persisted, and she had already focused her mind, ready to activate her domain.
————
“Even though I’m just watching on TV, I still have a vague feeling.”
In the manor, Yuu Mai’s face showed contemplation, and she frowned slightly, staring at Chimei Representative, saying:
“Like a personal aura or something, it seems like something has changed with this Horse Girl named Chimei Representative.”
“It’s probably because her concentration has become highly focused,” Polaris Glacier replied, her gaze unwavering.
“When concentration reaches a certain level, a person’s aura changes, and Horse Girl are no exception.”
Upon hearing this, Yuu Mai also realized.
At the same time, she recalled Polaris Glacier’s appearance during their previous joint run, when Polaris Glacier entered the final straight, her eyes focused only on the finish line.
She felt a vague sense of understanding, as if she had grasped something, yet it remained somewhat ethereal and hazy.
It was as if some aspect had not yet met the standard, not allowing premature contact.
She did not feel impatient, understanding that such matters could only take their natural course.
Perhaps during a training session one day, or perhaps when battling a strong opponent on the racecourse…
————
The perspective returned to the race track.
Because the final straight at Nakayama Racecourse is very short, Horse Girl generally choose to make their move in the fourth turn.
Rudolph Symboli and Katsuragi Ace were no exception.
As their strides moved forward and the group advanced, the moment they officially entered the fourth turn, both of them made their move simultaneously.
Two different auras ignited, and an intense clash was imminent.
Rudolph Symboli accelerated and caught up to Katsuragi Ace’s side-rear, and Katsuragi Ace, not to be outdone, also began to accelerate.
Their auras intertwined, and the cheers of the spectators began to rise. This was their showdown; other Horse Girl could not possibly intervene.
Seeing the clash unfolding in front, Chimei Representative, realizing the time had come, stomped her right foot hard on the ground, and after a brief pause, burst into a second acceleration.
Her vision gradually dimmed, and the surrounding sounds rapidly disappeared; this was clearly the prelude to activating her domain.
As long as she could successfully complete her acceleration, she would surely be able to charge to the front and contend with those two figures for the final victory.
However, just as the grass beneath her feet was about to transform into a boundless prairie, the path ahead was suddenly blocked.
The Horse Girl in front, wanting to shorten the distance as much as possible, instinctively moved towards the inside.
And Chimei Representative, who had previously pushed into the inside, was now surrounded, her path ahead blocked.
If she continued to accelerate according to her original plan, a collision would undoubtedly occur.
A collision between Horse Girl running at high speed?
What if she lost her balance and fell because of it?
Facing the Horse Girl in front of her, hesitation welled up in Chimei Representative’s heart, and she subconsciously slowed her acceleration.
And this act of slowing down directly sealed her fate of being out of contention for the win.
Although the path eventually reopened, allowing her to accelerate again, her previously focused mind had already scattered, and her momentum showed a clear decline.
In a showdown between top-tier Horse Girl, this was undoubtedly fatal.
In front, Rudolph Symboli and Katsuragi Ace, having once again reached the front of the grandstand and entered the final 200 meters, both activated their domains.
The actual result was that Rudolph Symboli’s acceleration was too dominant, and she clearly had more stamina.
Katsuragi Ace, despite accelerating with all her might, could not keep up and was forced to concede defeat.
Chimei Representative crossed the finish line in third place.
The era of the three strongest came to an end, with Rudolph Symboli proving through her strength that her defeat in the Japan Cup was merely an anomaly.
She was stronger than Katsuragi Ace, and stronger than Chimei Representative.
She was the strongest in Japan of this generation, and the Emperor’s dynasty was about to begin.