The crowd gasped, unable to believe their eyes. The moment Kousei slammed into Jade was utterly unexpected.
"Damn it! I can't move!"
Kousei pressed tightly against Jade, restricting her movement. While Jade held the advantage in raw speed, she needed to gradually increase her stride frequency to warm up and reach her peak.
Unlike McQueen, who could accelerate instantly, Jade could be caught if her opponent timed their move just right during her acceleration phase.
"It was a trap! She was hiding her true strength!"
Kousei was only slightly faster than before, but that tiny fraction of a second was all she needed to catch Jade.
Feigning weakness was a strategy in itself.
"This time, you won't escape into the clouds."
"Insolent fool!"
Both Jade and Rohan Ye had been careless. They had forgotten that Kousei was an Umamusume renowned for her physical prowess in close-quarters battles.
It had been far too long. At last, Kousei had found a truly worthy opponent.
Her throat was parched, her body yearned, and her desire for victory burned fiercely. Reason faded from her eyes as she surrendered to her instincts, ready to fight with everything she had.
[Frenzy State]
Jade hated Kousei—an instinctive, irrational hatred.
"I despise your eyes," she sneered, "that look of enjoying everything, even though you're nothing but a mediocre talent."
Jade hated training, hated racing. If asked why, she'd probably say it was because it was all so boring.
Why does everyone love running so much?
Jade had pondered this question countless times. Standing at the finish line, she would calmly look back at the Umamusume she had defeated, their faces invariably contorted in pain.
Running only brings suffering.
This belief had been etched into young Jade's mind, making it impossible for her to understand why countless others threw themselves into the sport.
If they can't win anyway, why don't they just give up?
She couldn't comprehend it, just as she couldn't comprehend the strange joy now blooming in her heart.
"Hmph—!"
Jade laughed, her gaze fixed on the frenzied Kousei. "You're that desperate to defeat me?! You monster!"
This time, she decided to confront herself head-on.
In the mortal world, a serpent and a dragon entwined, locked in a battle devoid of reason. Only one thought echoed in their minds: Defeat her.
A worthy rival is worth everything.
A hurricane swept across the racetrack as the Dragon coiled its body, unleashing a storm. The thunder of hooves echoed, her stride frequency accelerating at an astonishing rate. In such a confined space, Jade moved with impossible freedom, her steps so light she seemed to tread on clouds. The earth could not bind her; nothing could.
"I will take everything from you to savor my victory!"
Soaring into the sky, she carved a path where none should exist. The Azure Dragon soared through the heavens.
The Dragon's hooves were here, unleashing celestial might!
Her burning will ignited the racetrack. Sparks danced in the air as she emerged from purgatory, cloaked in flames, her desire fixed on the throne atop the summit.
Across the dry turf of the Eastern Lands Racetrack, the Dragon's celestial power spread rapidly over the 2400-meter course. The atmosphere reached a fever pitch, threatening to crush everyone under its weight.
Overwhelming. Unstoppable. A threat that shattered the spirit.
Inescapable. Irresistible. Everyone present had to face this majesty—the mysterious, unrivaled Dragon of the Eastern Lands.
But—
From behind, a figure closed in, fangs bared, aiming to sink them into the Dragon's neck!
Her eyes remained fixed forward, her indomitable spirit flickering, blooming into a red lotus flower.
One-on-one. It was time for a duel!
Countless eyes watched, captivated, unable to look away.
Chains wrapped around Jade's legs, yet her stride didn't slow in the slightest. She could clearly feel her legs were stronger, faster, and tougher than ever before.
What does it mean to spin a cocoon around oneself? Jade saw it now—a forbidden gate blocking her path.
She had to know what lay beyond, even if the scenery behind the gate was taboo.
"I will win! I will defeat Kousei!"
All costs were irrelevant. All savagery was permitted. Beneath the surface, desire consumed them both. There was no difference between them.
"Aaaah!!!"
The Dragon's roar shook heaven and earth. She sought to break free even from the bonds of the cosmos.
She was resonating. Kousei saw the world through Jade's eyes. Jade had seized Kousei's desire, just as Kousei had once seized it from Narita Brian.
Their fighting spirit was their ultimate weapon.
"I won't lose! No matter who my opponent is! I will not lose! I am the Strongest!"
Dreams will one day become reality. Never give up. Never compromise.
Whoever stands in my way, I will crush them—even if it's Heaven itself!
Her leg strength tore the earth apart, the echo of her horseshoes filling the racetrack as the ground trembled. Countless hands reached out from the Gates of the Underworld, clinging to Jade's body like a grotesque flower.
Kousei accelerated. Whenever her fighting spirit ignited, it was as if the physical restraints on her body shattered.
The Fourth Turn!
One after the other, they charged into the turn, the gap between them infinitesimal. They rounded the corner almost side-by-side. Kousei's steps shifted from heavy to light, her swaying feathers dancing in the wind. Even while running a tight arc in a contested position, she remained unaffected, moving with the grace of a white sprite.
Her footwork was so masterful it left onlookers stunned. In this domain, few Umamusume could ever hope to match her.
Ten years of grueling training, all for this moment.
The third chapter of the Gray-Haired Monster's legend didn't begin with Mejiro McQueen! In a single move, Kousei surpassed Jade, pulling the Dragon down to the mortal realm on this very turn.
"She passed her!"
"Unbelievable!"
"What kind of footwork is that?!"
Jade was equally shocked. Since her debut, this was the first time an Umamusume had ever pulled ahead of her after the mid-race.
"Don't get cocky!"
A mere one-length gap could be closed in an instant!
Absolute confidence, absolute pride—Jade would never allow anyone to stand in her way.
She accelerated, attempting to surge past Kousei in a single burst. But in the next instant, her stride faltered—Kousei had already moved to block her overtaking lane.
"11.2"
Welcome to the Wall.
"How is that possible?!"
Jade tried several more times, but the result was always the same. No matter where she attempted to attack, Kousei would anticipate and seal off the path.
The gap was only a single length; Jade needed just one stride to enter the Transcendence Path. Yet Kousei had avoided a blocking foul, meaning her reaction time was even shorter than the distance of that single stride.
Jade's heart tightened. It felt as if an invisible pair of eyes watched her from the sky, tracking her every move, leaving her no escape.
"Damn it! How many more tricks does she have?!"
Vision, arc control, positioning, Gate Technique—her skills were ever-changing, truly befitting the name "Monster."