Umamusume's days are numbered

The Emperor of the East Sea sighed with a mixture of helplessness and satisfaction.

Sure enough, they still caught up.

Let's start running again on the final straight.

As he burst out of the final bend, the East Sea Emperor, running on the outside lane, caught a glimpse of a gray figure appearing at the edge of his field of vision.

It's early spring, and it's still raining, causing a sudden drop in temperature. The light rain isn't pleasant; it feels icy against my hot skin. After being on the track for a while, even my hands and feet are cold and numb, and my wet clothes and socks feel like they've been put in a refrigerator.

The racehorse girl's body is burning hot. Like a cheetah, sometimes what limits a racehorse girl's sprinting time is not the inadequacy of her tendons, but her inability to withstand the high temperature emanating from her body.

Even so—this is just too amazing!

The scalding, billowing steam was not a figment of imagination, but a real phenomenon!

Raindrops fell on Platinum's body, mixing with his scalding sweat, and then evaporating into mist due to the high temperature on his skin. The Emperor of the East Sea could see the heat emanating from Platinum's body instantly cooled into milky-white steam.

After the initial shock, the Emperor of the East Sea immediately looked away.

Let's save those useless things for after the competition.

There is only one most important thing right now—charge, charge, charge!

Ah, Platinum, I'm sure you think so too.

Between you and me, who truly deserves to be the best among the female racers of our year? Who truly deserves to be number one?

Let's start over, that marathon that lasted for half a year and we still haven't finished.

The Emperor of the East Sea still remembered the scene of their first meeting. He and Platinum were accelerating and accelerating on the track, swirling around like a vortex.

A glint of light flashed in her jewel-like pupils. A smile played on the lips of the Eastern Sea Emperor, and a fragile crackling sound seemed to emanate from the air around her.

My legs and ankles are tingling slightly, but it's still within a tolerable range.

Under extreme conditions, drive your legs to the maximum extent possible, do your utmost—

—Let's have a showdown!

"bring it on!"

The Emperor of the East Sea felt the heat wave. It was the high temperature emanating from Platinum's body.

Platinum felt a slight tingling sensation on her skin. It was as if the air was being cleaved open by a knife.

Four hundred meters from the finish line!

Emperor of the East Sea, you are strong, you are beautiful, and you are also great.

This is not describing your appearance or body, but praising your soul.

I always feel inferior in your presence. I've always adopted a resistant attitude towards you, and I'm always the one who's cold in our interactions. It's not because I don't like you.

Quite the opposite. I like you, I really like you. But your beauty makes me feel like a rat in the gutter, making me feel utterly ashamed.

I have absolutely no competitive spirit. If it weren't for the Grim Reaper driving me, I don't think I'd even want to step onto the field. So participating in competitions and winning always gives me a despicable feeling of stealing someone else's treasure.

A dull ache was also coming from Platinum's leg. Perhaps the temporary horseshoes didn't fit properly, or perhaps Platinum hadn't quite mastered the technique of accelerating in the rain; she was afraid she had suffered some minor injury to her leg.

But her spirits were even higher. Platinum felt an unprecedented fighting spirit.

350 meters from the finish line!

"It's too fast! Between Platinum and the Emperor of the East Sea, who came first? It's impossible to tell anymore!"

"This is the strongest showdown of the new generation. After defeating all their opponents, Platinum and the East Sea Emperor began their final battle."

Their gazes were burning. Platinum was indeed a fool; once she started running, she forgot everything she'd learned. Now, on the track, she wasn't using the running style that Alice and Nishizaki Ryu had created for her, nor was she using the style she'd stolen from Ibuki Maikaku.

Platinum is dancing on a tightrope. At such a high speed, if she were to encounter another slope and slip again, she would have no way to control her body.

The only possible outcome of not being able to control oneself is this:

Now, I no longer have those weak thoughts! Let me take the championship into my possession.

A race where glory is at stake? The glory of an undefeated triple crown horse girl? Who understands any of this stuff?

Every single match I play... is a life-or-death battle!

Those boring things don't matter at all; there's only one thing I want.

Betting your life on the gambling table... and then, victory!

Speed ​​up, speed up, and speed up again! Even when you can barely control your pace, it's still the same.

Three hundred meters from the finish line!

Episode 186 Engine

"...You must be joking."

Alice was utterly astonished, leaning on the railing, practically wishing she could jump down and observe the game.

The intensity of the race did not shake Eliseko's resolve. Eliseko herself was a high-level horse girl who had participated in and won the Satsuki Prize, and what surprised her was... Shirogane's actions completely shattered her calculations.

From their first meeting, Alice was observing Platinum.

She was confident that nothing could escape her calculations. So when Platinum challenged her to a race, Alice inwardly scoffed at her.

Of course, Platinum ultimately won. Alice admitted that Platinum had indeed surprised her at that time—it exceeded her calculations.

However, since then, including the Hong Kong Special, Platinum's performance has always been within Elisei's expectations.

This is the only time. All the negative factors are weighing on Platinum, and based on Alice's understanding of Platinum, she has no chance of winning.

In other words, even Alice, who had always believed in Platinum, has given up on it.

Under these circumstances, Platinum has miraculously managed to turn the tide and get back to where it is now!

Alice felt her heart pounding. It wasn't just the feeling of being moved... no, it wasn't just that.

Is it excitement? Or nervousness? Am I cheering because of what's happening on the field?

Is it because... I am completely unable to predict the outcome of the match right now?

For Alice, it was utter chaos.

However, it also means infinite possibilities.

"---Well done."

Although Rudolf had maintained a cold expression throughout, he surprisingly let out a small sigh, as if he had finally relaxed. However, the movement was so subtle that even Maruzensky didn't notice it.

Rudolph symbolizes impartiality; she will celebrate and congratulate whoever wins in the end.

And this is exactly the situation she wanted to see. For Rudolph, the outcome of the match is no longer important. Platinum and the East Sea Emperor both got what they wanted in this match, and that's what matters most.

The carp leaping over the dragon gate was so nervous he could barely breathe, clutching his chest and staring intently at the arena without blinking.

Please, you have to win...

Fujikoji sat silently beside the carp leaping over the dragon gate. From her perspective, it was still difficult to cheer on Platinum.

but···

Seeing the legendary duel taking place on the track, even Fuji Koji couldn't help but feel his heart surge with excitement.

That was the stage I longed for.

"Platinum, prove it to me..." Alice leaned completely against the railing, her head uncovered and soaked from the rain, completely unconcerned. Her scarlet eyes seemed to see right through the present and the future. "You can do it again, surpass my calculations!"

"Sharpen yourselves in this final duel," Rudolf silently murmured to himself. "This will become your most precious nourishment."

"Charge, Platinum—" Carp Leaps Over the Dragon Gate, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice becoming hoarse after a few shouts, "Charge forward!"

———300 meters from the finish line!

It felt like a red-hot poker had been inserted into his spine, and hot steam billowed from his mouth. At this moment, Bai Jin's vision was already blurring.

Not only the spine, but also the brain was burning up, all the bones in the body were hot, and every tendon was hot.

Platinum thought that he might already be set on fire. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be set on fire and burned.

— Two hundred and fifty meters from the finish line!

The Emperor of the East Sea saw, as he had hoped, that Platinum had become faster once again. Splashing mud and water splattered around his feet.

And I can do it too.

The two runners seemed to be recreating a scene from six months ago at the Tresson training ground, now at the Satsuki Sho Nakayama Racecourse.

The Emperor of the East Sea accelerated, and so did Platinum; Platinum sprinted, and so did the Emperor of the East Sea.

There's no such thing as slowing down; the one who falls behind first is the loser.

These two... Ibuki and Kagura gritted their teeth and persevered, but inevitably they were falling further and further behind. At this moment, the focus of the competition was completely drawn to them.

"It's no use..." Ibuki Maikaru murmured softly.

Sure enough, those two were opponents of the same level.

So... at least let me be able to follow in their footsteps and run to the end.

And at that very moment—

Ibuki Kagura felt the sound of hooves behind her again. Unlike Shirokin, Ibuki Kagura didn't feel the heat wave. But... she seemed to vaguely hear strange sounds mixed in.

A vibrating, never-ending sound...like an engine.

Who is this? Is it a new universe? Is it accelerating forward at this moment to participate in this duel?

Ibuki Kagura's eyes widened. She never dreamed it would be this person... Not only Ibuki Kagura, but everyone present was caught off guard.

Even though the battle between Platinum and the East Sea Emperor was incredibly exciting, a cacophony of noise still erupted from the audience. Even the commentator's voice betrayed his astonishment.

"Wait a minute, Ibuki Mai and Kagura have been overtaken by other contestants..."

"It's Leo Deban! Leo Deban has transcended through the inner path. She has surpassed the new universe and Ibuki Maikaku, and is now charging towards the top two."

Leodban... It was you?

Ibuki Mai Kagura's pupils reflected Leo Deban's slender waist and silhouette. The sound of an engine could be heard faintly, like the snorting of a wild animal.

Leo Deban, eyes closed, eyes open. In that instant, the world within her eyes was turned upside down.

The world seemed to be crumbling, splattered with large swaths of color, not in the style of Van Gogh's oil paintings, nor in the obscure and incomprehensible style of Picasso. It was like a realistic black and white sketch where a child's watercolor bucket had been overturned, resulting in large swaths of color without any transitions.

Only her skin was a normal color. Leo Deban tried to stretch out her finger, but the rain was falling so slowly that her finger just barely caught the drop.

In that instant, the murky rainwater became clear and transparent, merging into her body.

Then—everyone felt the disharmony.

Maruzensky stood up from his seat, stroked the glass in front of the window, wiped away the fog on the glass, as if he were stroking the small figure reflected on the glass.

"This child..."

Rudolf responded in a low voice, "Yes, congratulations."

"That child—has stepped into this world."

Episode 187 The End

Leo Deban was an undervalued child, from a young age.

Is it that she lacks unique characteristics, or that she lacks a certain spark...? She's not very likable. The same goes for her family; their interactions are just ordinary and normal.

There's nothing to be dissatisfied about; ultimately, it's my own problem. Besides, most people are like this, living ordinary lives and passing their lives in an ordinary way.

The relationship with those around you is neither good nor bad, and the achievements you make in life are neither too great nor too small. At the end of your life, you may just sigh and lament that you have wasted your years.

Leo Deban's grandfather was a rigid man who insisted that his father become a doctor and relentlessly pushed him to do so. In his grandfather's eyes, only being a doctor was a respectable job, and only by becoming a doctor could one be considered a useful person.

My father became a doctor as he wished, but his relationship with my grandfather was extremely cold. And my father also inherited my grandfather's cold and critical gaze towards his family.

"You must study hard so you can work for a big company in the future." From as far back as he can remember, Leo Deban's father had been repeating this to him constantly. Over and over again, it was somewhat suffocating.

But Leo Deban thought this was how it should be, and that's how everyone spent their childhood.

So she buried herself in her studies, wanting to give her father a satisfactory answer. She didn't understand what it meant to work for a big company, but she knew that if she handed in an excellent report card, her father's face would soften slightly, like the warm sun in winter.