Umamusume's days are numbered

———But no.

No, no, no!

That burning heart is pounding.

I am still alive, I am standing right here, I am still on the track.

God hasn't taken my soul yet, so—

The swindler let out a hoarse roar, like the dying roar of an old lion.

She straightened her back as if she were trying to break herself, struggling to maintain her balance.

She started running again, even though every step was excruciatingly painful.

In that instant, Platinum and the conman brushed past each other, their eyes meeting.

Platinum was slightly taken aback. Although the fraudster was roaring and flashing across the track like a shooting star, his eyes were warmer and more compassionate than she had imagined, like an older sister protecting her.

The conman was stunned. Those dark eyes, devoid of any other color, were so deep they seemed to absorb everything.

The swindler suddenly realized that he had a feeling these eyes... were like those of a secretariat.

"Platinum has surpassed the swindlers and reached second place! Now, only the sixty-one Golden Spears stand before her!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd. An unknown nobody was now gradually drawing everyone's attention. In this racetrack that could hold 80,000 people, all eyes were fixed on Platinum and Golden Gun Sixty.

"One last ranking check. Right now, leading the pack as we approach the corner is Golden Sixty, and about three horse lengths behind Golden Sixty is Platinum, who has created an amazing miracle. I wonder if she can continue this miracle."

"The one who is gradually falling behind Platinum is the fraudster. Such a high-intensity race may still be too difficult for her, given her poor physical condition. Behind the fraudster is Ali Digital."

"Ranked fifth is the Jade Lion of the Night, and she looks quite relaxed."

"Following closely behind are Haidu City and Carp Leaping Over the Dragon Gate; their recent acceleration may have exhausted their stamina."

"Ranked eighth is Jianghe Risheng, and ranked ninth is Qingse Huiyi."

"We've exited the bend, and led by Golden Gun Sixty, Platinum is close behind as we reach the final straight!"

"Here, they will face off in their final showdown!"

Platinum, panting, looked up; she hadn't expected to get this far. She saw the prominent sign indicating the remaining 500 meters of the race was about to begin.

The competition has entered its final stage. All the gains made so far will be for naught if they can't be held onto.

If one can advance further in the final straight, then even the Golden Spear Sixty's long tenure on the arena will be utterly useless.

Now that I've arrived here, there's only one person left in front of me.

If you don't give it a try, even Platinum itself won't forgive you, right?

No more worrying about breaking through the encirclement, no more worrying about other competitors, and no more worrying about cornering.

Now, let's just pretend that only I and Jinqiang Liushi are left on the field.

In other words, give it your all, use every last bit of your strength!

This time, Platinum recalled that mysterious feeling once more. The world seemed to turn grayish-white; he could hear the dust particles speaking, the breeze whispering in his ear… Here, he was omnipotent; he could control every hair, every tuft of skin, even the pulse of every nerve current…

That's it, come on, Golden Spear Sixty! Platinum is like a sharp blade about to be drawn from its sheath. As the blade is pulled out, the sharp sword energy becomes more and more cutting and unmatched.

She could feel it, she was about to touch it, and after seeing the conman's actions, she was able to do it—

A crack appeared in the black and white world. Then, the crack widened, and a fierce wind rushed in from it, shattering the platinum world into pieces.

Platinum's pupils dilated slightly. The illusion of invincibility vanished like the receding tide, replaced by a weakness far beyond imagination.

···What's this?

"Little guy, this is too early for you." Golden Spear Sixty heard the voice behind him and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"It sounds a bit old-fashioned to say that—but you still need to go back and practice."

"I thought the last one left would be a conman, but you gave me such a big surprise... But it doesn't matter."

Jinqiang Liushi waved provocatively behind him and crossed the signpost indicating the remaining 500 meters.

"Look closely, the difference between you and me... lies right here."

Platinum's mouth gaped open, her expression frozen in astonishment. In her vision, she seemed to see an endless raging storm. Meanwhile, Golden Spear Sixty rose with the wind, standing in the eye of the tempest.

...Are you kidding me? This is...

"Golden Gun Sixty is on the way! The gap between Golden Gun Sixty and Platinum is widening further. It seems that Platinum's miracle is about to end!"

"Golden Spear Sixty displayed an overwhelming dominance! She showed us with her strength that she is still the Queen of Kings, she is still Golden Spear Sixty!"

—Golden Spear Sixty is a world-class horse king on par with me.

Platinum recalled the words Rudolf Symbol had spoken to her. Similarly, she saw before her eyes the image of herself running alongside Rudolf Symbol.

At that moment, between herself and the symbol of Rudolf... she seemed to see an insurmountable chasm.

Just like now.

Episode 114 The Great Barrier

"Do the other competitors still have the strength to catch up?"

"Golden Spear Sixty-One is in the lead, while the Platinum contestant, who has emerged as a dark horse, is two horse lengths behind Golden Spear Sixty-Two. She is fast, but Golden Spear Sixty-One is also fast, and the distance between the two contestants has not decreased further!"

However, they are only two horse bodies...

Platinum clenched his teeth, unconsciously biting his jaw so hard that his teeth rubbed together and made a squeaking sound, almost as if he wanted to crush them.

Logically speaking, it's only two horse lengths apart; with my last leg, catching up would be an easy task.

But... we can't catch up!

Platinum had used every ounce of strength it had, squeezing out the last bit of power from its body.

However... his last leg was far less powerful than he had imagined. It hadn't reached the normal level he should have.

Was it because I wasted too much energy in the early stages? Or did I start the sprint too early?

Bai Jin gritted her teeth, swallowing hard, desperately suppressing the urge to gasp for breath. Her mind was almost blank from lack of oxygen. She sluggishly turned her eyes to the figure in front of her.

Or perhaps... because of her, the Golden Spear is sixty?

Platinum's eyes became dry the moment she stared at Golden Gun Sixty. She seemed to see Golden Gun Sixty running in the eye of the storm, surrounded by a hurricane that stretched for thousands of miles across the plains.

Platinum recalled the time when he and Rudolph symbolized running together.

No matter what, there's always that feeling of frustration of falling just short.

It's as if, between yourself and the person running ahead, those few meters... it's not the ground you can tread on, but rather—

In Platinum's eyes, the whole world seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse, even more dangerous than the feeling the conman had given him before. The hurricane swept between him and Golden Gun Sixty, the ground beneath their feet shattered with a deafening roar, and a crack spread between them, bottomless, as if extending all the way to the earth's core.

It seemed like a simple step would be enough to jump over it, but in reality, the crack was so wide that Platinum could even see the Golden Spear Sixty in his line of sight getting smaller and smaller, as if it had already thrown him hundreds of horse lengths!

For the first time in this world, Platinum felt suffocated. During a race, on a track… he actually felt suffocated?

It felt like someone was grabbing my neck and lifting me up, my legs kicking wildly uncontrollably.

Even during the intense match, Platinum was still covered in cold sweat, clutching his neck with both hands.

Is his head still on his head? Am I not dead yet?

Rudolf symbolically claimed that he was on par with the King of Horses, who was on the same level as the Golden Spear Sixty?

Facing Rudolph, I never imagined that I might... not be able to leave the field!

"The gap between second-place Platinum and third-place Alice Digital is now six horse lengths! The race has completely turned into a battle between Golden Sixty and Platinum. Can Golden Sixty withstand the challenge from his junior and defend his reputation?"

The commentators seemed to still hold onto the hope of winning the championship. But as she ran on the track, she knew it was pure fantasy.

Let alone surpassing Golden Gun Sixty this time, even if I give myself another year... two years... maybe I'll never be able to beat her in my entire life.

How could anyone possibly get ahead of Golden Gun Sixty?

Platinum was terrified.

As the match entered its final stages, the stands erupted in a final frenzy.

Even Uncle He was secretly worried for Jin Qiang Liushi, his hands sweating as he held the round-framed glasses.

Even he didn't expect that the one who could stick with Golden Gun Sixty until the end was actually the rookie Platinum who had never been considered an opponent.

Meanwhile, his unease grew stronger. Uncle He could only comfort himself by saying that this uneasy premonition was just his imagination.

Instead, Airi Soko found a seat and stopped watching the competition. Before she knew it, she was drenched in sweat, as if she had just finished a race.

Now that things have come to this... she has done everything she could, and she has done everything Platinum could... Alice closed her eyes slightly.

When you reach the final straightaway, all tricks become useless. All that's left is a fair and square contest between the last two finishers.

In other words, it's a contest of how much endurance one can squeeze out and how much unwavering determination one can maintain. There's absolutely no room for shortcuts.

Whether you can win a game depends not only on yourself, but also on your opponent.

Rudolph, sitting in front of the television, rested his chin on his hand, a sense of unease welling up inside him.

At level 60, don't overdo it... Remember to hold back a bit, don't hurt the Platinum player too much.

At this point, the setbacks are secondary... After all, Rudolf Symbol didn't initially expect Platinum to achieve this.

So, Platinum, you must remember what I told you! Don't strive to win; protecting yourself is the most important thing. Nothing else matters!

Is this enough?

Platinum felt her vision blurring. She didn't know if it was because her brain couldn't keep up with the energy supply, or if she was being blinded by a hurricane that she wasn't sure if it was a hallucination.

Is that enough? Coming in second place is already a very commendable achievement. Considering you've only been in the industry for a year, achieving this result already puts you in an almost invincible position.

Winning sixty points with a gold-plated spear is not unusual; in fact, it's considered embarrassing if it's not a resounding victory. For a platinum player to achieve this level is beyond anyone's expectations.

Platinum doesn't have high expectations for himself. While running certainly has an element of fulfilling life's meaning, the main thing is to win prize money and unlock achievements—that's enough for him. Ultimately, survival is the most important thing.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that finishing second was only possible because Alice was whipping him from behind. It was already an exceptional performance. He didn't really have a way to deal with those retired racehorse girls. Hai Du City, Alice Digital, the con artist—the factors that allowed him to surpass them weren't his own, but theirs.

The Golden Spear at Sixty has no weaknesses; it is so powerful that it inspires despair. It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm; reckless action is pointless.

So, so...

Platinum was breathing almost as if crying; the distance between him and Golden Gun Sixty had not decreased, but it had not increased either.

Like a fallen dodder seed, it stuck tightly to the cuff of my trousers, no matter how hard I shook it off.

So why are my legs—as if they're not obeying my commands, still chasing after the figure ahead?

Episode 115 Shattered to pieces

So why are my legs—as if they're not obeying my commands, still chasing after the figure ahead?

"Three hundred meters remaining! In the final sprint, the champion will be decided in a battle between two people!"

"Platinum hasn't given up yet; she's still hot on Golden Spear Sixty. Golden Spear Sixty can't create any distance and can't catch her breath!"

"The game is not over yet!"

That's enough for now; any further ahead is an insurmountable barrier.

That was an insurmountable chasm between herself and the top female racehorses of that year.

But...but...

We've already come this far!

We've already come all this way!

Whether it was by chance or not, whether other racehorses were throwing the race or it was Elisei's clever scheme, I had already arrived here.

He was just one step away from that ultimate glory, and there was only one person in front of him!

Platinum could feel waves of intense heat emanating from his soul.

This is the emotion of greed, this is the emotion of anger, this is the emotion of jealousy.

Why are you able to stand in that position where everyone is in the spotlight?