Umamusume's days are numbered

Fortunately and unfortunately, Leo Deban was an ordinary genius—the kind who could do quite well if she put in the effort. Therefore, her grades were indeed good, and she received praise from her teachers at school.

Unfortunately, ordinary geniuses are still ordinary people, and there are limits to what they can achieve through hard work. Leo Deban knew this.

So, if things had followed the original trajectory, my life might have just passed by in mediocrity. Becoming a racehorse girl was an option I wouldn't even consider.

Until one day, during a school trip, Leo Ben got separated from his friends. Arriving in Tokyo for the first time, young Leo Ben was not dazzled by the brilliance of the skyscrapers, but rather felt a sense of fear, as if he had wandered into a steel jungle.

Standing on the streets of Tokyo, young Leo Deban trembled as he crouched down, curling up into a ball.

I'm so scared...

Immediately afterwards, Leo Deban, who was standing at the intersection, did not receive any questioning from the police, but instead heard a screeching sound of brakes.

A red Lamborghini pulled up in front of Leo Deban. With the sound of the car door opening and closing, Leo Deban saw long, wavy hair as smooth as flaxen silk.

"Hmm—whose child is this? Why is he crying in a place like this?"

Maru Zenki had his hands on his waist and was wearing a crimson motorcycle jacket.

It was at that moment that Leo Deban thought this.

I want to be like that too, I want to be a Uma Musume (horse racer).

so---

My heart is pounding. My heart is throbbing. My heart is roaring like an engine.

Leo Deban's vision was as if different colors of paint had been splashed on it, with dazzling colors everywhere.

So, senior, did you see that?

Even for me, even for someone like me without talent...

I don't want to be mentioned in the end with just one sentence: "I once participated in the Satsuki Sho with the Emperor of the East Sea."

From that time on, I began to rebel and defy my father's decisions. It wasn't until finally we were able to sit down and have a proper conversation that he finally agreed to let me enroll in Treson Academy.

Now that I'm on this stage, let me give it my all and see the limits of a genius's hard work.

"The match has reached its final stage! Leodban is charging forward at the last moment!"

"Leo Deban seized the opportunity from the inner path and broke through the blockade of the new universe in one go, surpassing Ibuki Maikaku. However, she is still nearly seven horse lengths away from Platinum and the Emperor of the East Sea."

"With the two players ahead unleashing powerful final kicks, does Leodeban have a chance to catch up?"

—Only two hundred meters to the finish line!

Leo's sudden entry brought a slight change to the game, causing a stir among Ibuki Masakura, but that was all.

Neither Bai Jin nor the Emperor of the East Sea had time to care about who was following behind them or who was about to catch up.

At this moment, their eyes were only on each other.

Desire is rising, and unseen swords are flashing in the air.

Beat her down to prove that you are the strongest.

My legs are aching, my lungs are burning, and my lips are ice-cold. The massive heat loss is putting my body in grave danger.

Both of them are facing this dilemma.

Two hundred meters later, they entered the final slope. At their current pace, neither of them had time to think about how to comfort themselves as they ran on.

There's no time to judge which parts of the soil are thick enough or which parts of the grass are firmly rooted. Leave it all to instinct; just focus on speeding up!

— Only 150 meters to the finish line!

The two remained locked in a fierce struggle, their battle raging on. Was it truly impossible to determine a victor?

"Is it platinum? Is it the Emperor of the East Sea? Is it platinum? Is it the Emperor of the East Sea?"

"—It is the Emperor of the East Sea!"

A subtle difference has appeared. A very small difference, perhaps only in the nose. But it's already a difference that can be seen with the naked eye.

The Emperor of the East Sea surpassed Platinum!

It was because of the uphill slope. Platinum's running style was ultimately an imitation of others on the track; she simply lacked the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Therefore, the difference between Platinum and the East Sea Emperor became apparent when facing uphill sections.

The slight incline, however, determined the fate of the race at that moment.

Although it was slow, it started little by little... but East Sea Emperor has taken the lead over Platinum!

"Yes, I can do it!" The Emperor of the East Sea's face contorted uncontrollably.

But on that ferocious face, a smile was blooming.

That was the joy of victory after a fierce battle with a powerful enemy.

Platinum, what a thrilling duel! But the final victor—was me!

The dust has settled; nothing else can change the course of the battle between the two.

Both of them were completely exhausted and out of breath. The other runners behind them could barely hear the hoofbeats and had no chance to catch up.

As the climb continues, Platinum will only feel increasingly strained.

The victory or defeat has been decided.

episode 188 stall

There are only 150 meters left to the finish line.

The closest horse behind is Leo Deban, who is in third place, and is seven horse lengths behind Platinum, who is in second place.

The uphill climb will continue for another fifty meters or so. Throughout the entire uphill climb, the gap between Platinum and himself will only widen.

After the 50-meter uphill section, the gap between the two will increase dramatically to the point where it is impossible to close the gap in just the last 100 meters.

The Emperor of the East Sea has already secured victory in the competition.

There are no other factors affecting it anymore.

There were no more deus ex machina.

My body was still throbbing, my leg bones felt numb as if they'd been bitten by snake fangs, but I could still accelerate, I could still continue—

The Emperor of the East Sea's smile grew wider and wider, as if she could already see herself standing on the podium.

Yes, although the game was accompanied by rain and I was soaked from head to toe, it is precisely at times like these that it is important to maintain a perfect image for the audience.

And then there's Platinum, who's never lost to anyone until now. She'll definitely cry after I beat her this time, right? I'd better comfort her properly.

Oh right, and there's that one thing I absolutely have to do—the gesture that symbolizes my journey to the triple crown: extending my finger towards all the cameras and the audience!

besides···

The Emperor of the East Sea froze. She sensed something was wrong.

My body is starting to feel weak. Extremely weak.

My legs started to tremble, and I could barely stand up.

—What's wrong?

Why is this happening?

In that instant, the Emperor of the East Sea was filled with astonishment, and various thoughts flashed through his mind, even including the thought, "Could it be a broken bone?"

But the Emperor of the East Sea quickly came to his senses. His leg was indeed very painful, but it wasn't the kind of pain that made him feel like something was broken; it was just an unconscious numbness, like the sensation of being struck by lightning.

The Emperor of the East Sea understood. It was actually a very simple truth. In the final moments of the race, he and Platinum had engaged in a selfless, head-to-head run, a run where everything else was forgotten, and only the two of them remained in their eyes.

They almost forgot that it was a competition, a duel between only two people, where they were giving it their all and using every last bit of strength they had left.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with this. It is common for racehorses to have a stronger competitive spirit than their opponents, and it is understandable that they would exhaust their energy in a race.

But this is a race! It's on the Satsuki Sho track, on the track where the first of the classic triple crowns was won, on the track where the G1 Jusho is held!

The East Sea Emperor, having given it his all, surpassed Platinum. But the match was not over yet.

In this situation, however, the Emperor of the East Sea was already exhausted.

Wait... this can't be real... I didn't feel anything for the first few seconds, and it even kept accelerating...

However, her physical condition at this moment clearly told the East Sea Emperor that all the previous sensations were just pleasant illusions transmitted to her by her brain.

There is no such thing as a racehorse girl that can keep going forever, nor will there be a racehorse girl who can never run out of stamina and endurance. No matter how high the fighting spirit is, once you run out of strength, you can't run anymore.

The Empress of the East Sea made a decisive mistake at the most crucial moment. Her fighting spirit was high, she remained calm in the face of the Platinum challenge, and she accelerated at the most opportune moment to break through—everything was perfect—

Her only mistake was choosing to run alongside Platinum, who was out of control.

The Emperor of the East Sea personally selected the competition format that favored Platinum.

Platinum had many reasons for her failure: she was not used to rainy weather, she lost her iron before the race which affected her morale, and she also had an uphill section that she was not used to in the final stages of the race.

However, Platinum has one advantage that far surpasses other female racehorses—so far, apart from the Hong Kong Special Race, no race has been able to completely drain Platinum's stamina.

It was a monster of unfathomable endurance.

The moment she realized this, it felt as if an invisible hand was gripping the East Sea Emperor's trachea, and the suffocating sensation prevented her from inhaling even a single breath of air.

It's too late. If the stamina can still hold up over the slope, then the East Sea Emperor still has a chance to win, given the widening gap.

But of all times... right now, uphill, right before the finish line—

The Emperor of the East Sea mechanically and painfully began to move forward. If willpower could be transformed into strength, then even if it meant running until his legs broke, the Emperor of the East Sea would still run forward with all his might.

Unfortunately, what cannot be done is simply impossible. Exhaustion and aches surged towards the Emperor of the East Sea like a tsunami, quickly engulfing him. Amidst this tide, the Emperor of the East Sea struggled painfully to swim before finally sinking completely to the bottom of the sea.

"At a time like this—when the championship was practically a foregone conclusion—"

"The Emperor of the East Sea has slowed down. Can the Emperor of the East Sea maintain that pace?"

"No, it's not just that..."

The person sitting in front of the stage was so shocked that they stood up abruptly, cold sweat dripping down their forehead.

"This level of deceleration... the Emperor of the East Sea is exhausted, exhausted just before the finish line!"

No···

The emperor of the East Sea struggled in vain.

It was so close...

A wave of sweltering heat swept past me. There was a white figure.

Bai Jin glanced sideways. The Emperor of the East Sea had no time to discern the nature of that look, for the figure quickly left him far behind.

Just as Ibuki Mai Kagura and the Emperor of the East Sea showed no mercy to Shirogane, Shirogane also showed the same respect to the Emperor of the East Sea.

That means defeating you with all my might.

In an instant, they fell from heaven to hell.

The platform beneath his feet shattered, and the Emperor of the East Sea plunged into an endless abyss.

The roar of the engine filled the air as Leo Deban charged forward, his voice hoarse from screaming.

"Charge forward, ahhh!"

Even if there's no chance to turn things around, even if there's no way to win the championship... at least let me, an ordinary person, give it my all in the last moment!

Leo Deban... the Emperor of the East Sea was already feeling the cold. It was a coldness that came from within, emanating from his very soul.

Leodban has caught up too? We've fallen so far behind?

Just how fast have I reached?

Before the Emperor of the East Sea could think, light footsteps approached again. The one from the East Sea saw those azure eyes.

That was the new universe. With that same expressionless poker face, and with the gait of a prophet, he bypassed the Emperor of the East Sea and marched forward without a backward glance.

Just like how the Emperor of the East Sea bypassed Ibuki Mai Kagura before.

Episode 189 Unreleased

"In the final moments of the match, the situation on the field took an amazing turn!"