"So she really went and provoked Jade."
Despite her words, Reiko didn't look surprised at all.
"But thanks to that, the atmosphere at the track is absolutely electric," Aoi chimed in, her camera trained on the action with palpable excitement.
The tense standoff between Kousei and Jade was the perfect spice for the race. Both were undefeated Umamusume, and their clash promised an unforgettable experience for the audience.
Reiko glanced across the track. Rohan Ye noticed her gaze and responded with a faint smile. Both sides were playing their own game in this race, each with their own calculations.
Under Jade's influence, most of the Umamusume had a delayed start. The Dragon's oppressive aura disrupted their rhythm, their strides and breathing falling out of sync. The pack teetered on the edge of chaos.
With every Umamusume focused on their own survival, the plan to mark Kousei was completely forgotten.
The race lacked a Front-Runner, so the pace remained relatively calm. As expected, Jade settled into second or third position, while Kousei lurked in the Mid-Pack.
Both had adopted orthodox strategies, and the unease rippling through the pack had allowed them to secure advantageous positions.
"Where will they make their move?"
The audience's hearts were in their throats. The calm progression of the race felt like the quiet before a storm, leaving everyone on edge.
They passed the first turn.
"What's going on?"
Everyone present was baffled. Usually, Kousei would launch her attack on the first turn, but this time, she let Jade pass without resistance.
Not only that, she also didn't interfere with the other Umamusume's movements.
This caught Jade's attention. Initially, she hadn't paid much mind to Kousei's actions, as Rohan's analysis had pegged Kousei as a Gate Technique fighter who specialized in disrupting the race's rhythm.
If the pace was too fast, she would slow it down; if it was too slow, she would speed it up.
Something's not right. Kousei's inaction stirred a flicker of unease in Jade's heart.
"No attack?" Rohan murmured, equally surprised as he watched the scene unfold. "What is she planning?"
"Here she comes."
Her fangs seemingly sharpened, Kousei made a rare move on the straightaway. With nimble footwork, she weaved through the pack, closing in on Jade at the front in a single burst.
This actually brought Jade a sense of relief. Reacting to a direct move was far simpler than trying to guess her opponent's intentions. Though she didn't understand Kousei's purpose, Jade knew that Kousei posed little threat on the straights.
"You're wasting your breath. You can't catch me... Huh?!"
Suddenly, chains erupted from thin air, shackling Jade's legs. Her momentum visibly stalled.
"Did you say I can't catch you?"
The approaching phantom whispered from behind, its voice like a floating nether flame.
"It's you who can't escape."
Mark.
No deliberation was needed. The greatest threat in this race was obvious.
"What is this? How did it just appear out of nowhere?"
Jade had no time to think. Kousei's assault wasn't over. Kousei pressed forward, her entire body bearing down. The onlookers gasped—Jade's petite frame would be trapped if Kousei pinned her against the inner rail.
"Hmm?"
In a flash, Jade vanished, leaving only the lingering mockery in her eyes.
Though slightly startled, Kousei knew it posed no real threat.
"Impressive burst of speed."
Jade's maneuver drew gasps of admiration. Kousei's relentless attack had left little room to breathe, yet Jade had escaped danger solely through her acceleration.
"It's too early to be surprised."
Her feet touched the grass lightly, gently, and silently—a stark contrast to all her previous accelerations. This was a completely different kind of leg strength, lacking the roaring power of her usual bursts and leaving no turf torn up in her wake.
The lack of force was unsettling, making her movements impossible to predict.
Is she accelerating? Or...
While everyone watched in confusion, cold sweat poured down Kousei's back.
"No! Her stride frequency... it's getting faster and faster!"
By the time Kousei realized it, it was too late. The Overclocked Dragon's Feet activated. The grass crushed beneath Jade's horseshoes billowed into the air, forming one green cloud after another.
The Azure Dragon soared into the sky, piercing the heavens. Its true form was glimpsed through the mist.
"This girl... she's also like her!"
Kousei sensed a quality in Jade identical to McQueen's. Jade moved so fast she became an afterimage, her feet barely touching the ground as she rode the clouds like a true dragon.
"What's happening? What is that?!"
Commotion erupted in the stands. No one could remain calm after witnessing such an extraordinary technique.
On the racetrack, the other Umamusume looked up in unison, their eyes filled with terror. A mysterious presence was moving stealthily through the clouds above, its head and tail hidden from view.
"Jade's talent is world-class."
No wonder... no wonder she always looked so bored. No wonder she always slacked off in training. So that's why. She had no real opponents. Being undefeated was only natural; training was completely unnecessary.
In the Umamusume World, where talent and bloodline reign supreme, Jade was the definitive answer.
"How could anyone possibly beat her?!"
"Why is a monster like that in the NAU?!"
With a single blow, she shattered her opponents' will to fight, displaying a power far beyond mere victory—an innate invincibility.
Several figures overlapped with Jade's, ultimately merging into an insurmountable wall called Genius.
"It's been a while, Genius."
A sudden tremor ran through Jade. Her consciousness flickered for an instant, and when she came to, she found herself in darkness.
"What is that?!"
Jade stood opposite Kousei. Behind Kousei, a gate glowing with red light trembled violently. Jade could feel the gate calling to her.
The racetrack remained unchanged. It seemed everything that had just happened was merely Jade's hallucination.
They were about to enter the second turn.
Only at this point did Jade's speed decrease. Cornering required extensive practice to maintain momentum, and while the Eastern Lands Racetrack's turns were relatively ordinary and long, making them less difficult, it was still absurd to think Jade could navigate them at full speed with her clumsy technique.
Seizing the moment the Dragon emerged from the clouds, Kousei accelerated from behind, rapidly closing the distance.
"Tch!"
On the straights, Kousei couldn't match Jade, but on the turns, their roles reversed. Though Kousei entered the turn after Jade, the long arc allowed her to steadily gain on her rival.
"Is Kousei completely unaffected?"
If Jade was a feast of raw, intuitive talent, then Kousei was the embodiment of perfected technique. Her cornering, honed since her debut, would never show a single flaw.
The moment they drew level, Kousei spoke.
"Looks like you're far less trouble than McQueen."
After witnessing the Lightning Arc, all other techniques in the world seemed utterly tasteless. Though both were geniuses, Jade's dominance was far inferior to McQueen's.
"McQueen! McQueen! It's always McQueen! Everyone keeps talking about McQueen!"
The clouds churned and roiled as if filled with furious thunder.
"It's so infuriating!"
But even so, if this was all she had, she wouldn't deserve the title of Genius.
Kousei had already resolved to accept any challenge.
Her silhouette blurred, transforming into another figure. White hair flowed in the wind, standing tall and majestic—the original legend, a peerless icon.
"Please tell me, Senpai. Just how brilliant must one be to be worthy of such expectations?"