The coin landed, and Sakura Baimu and Maruzensky charged forward simultaneously.
As expected, Sakura Baimu failed to secure the leading position against this strongest leading Umamusume in Japan.
However, Sakura Baimu knew that Maruzensky was on a completely different level from Obey Your Master.
If we were to rank these retired legends again,
Tamamo Cross, who had defeated Oguri Cap in her Zone form, and Obey Your Master, who hadn't yet mastered Oguri Cap, would likely be in the third tier among these retired legends.
And Maruzensky is the true ceiling.
The only Umamusume in all of Japan born with Zone, yet who has never used it.
And the only Umamusume to be crowned "Undefeated."
Of course, Maruzensky isn't the only undefeated Umamusume in Japan.
Like the dorm leader of Kurito Dorm, Fuji Kiseki has never lost a match.
However, Fuji Kiseki hasn't participated in many tournaments; since retiring, she has only been seen at the Dream Cup.
Therefore, Fuji Kiseki was not crowned undefeated.
If she had only participated in one or two races after her debut and then retired, it would have been impossible to achieve an undefeated record.
Many people preferred to call Fuji Kiseki the "Phantom Triple Crown."
Back to the race itself.
Sakura Baimu is not a Front Running Umamusume.
She knew it was pointless to compete for the Front position with someone like Maruzensky, the pinnacle of leading Umamusumes, so she chose the follower, a Pace Chaser position.
This time, Maruzensky used a similar running style to her previous race against Obey Your Master.
She again chose to lead a few lengths ahead of Sakura Baimu, adjusting her own speed according to Sakura Baimu's pace to maintain an advantage.
Only Maruzensky could execute this style of running.
Other Umamusumes who tried to imitate it didn't fail because they lacked the skill to maintain a good distance, resulting in a loss of rhythm.
The problem was that they couldn't keep up with the speed of the Umamusumes behind them during the leading phase, allowing the latter to accelerate and overtake them.
Sakura Baimu realized that since Maruzensky's speed was based on her own, the pace of the race was also determined by her own speed.
Therefore, Sakura Baimu unleashed the same speed she had used in her previous race against Obey Your Master.
A speed even more terrifying than that of Silent Suzuka, known as the "Fleer from Another Dimension."
Even Golden Crown Eagle and Obey Your Master struggled against Sakura Baimu's speed.
But Maruzensky, running ahead of Sakura Baimu, appeared completely unfazed.
She showed no signs of strain despite Sakura Baimu's speed.
"As expected, Maruzensky is on a completely different level from Obey Your Master; the difference in their levels is far too great."
Sakura Baimu thought to herself.
The pace of this race was extremely fast; the two runners had quickly completed the straight after the second turn.
Maruzensky took the lead on the steep climb.
Her climbing technique was clearly different from Sakura Baimu's, but surprisingly, her speed did not decrease.
"Did she accelerate before the climb to compensate for the speed drop during the ascent?"
This running style isn't technically superior to Sakura Baimu's, but it's a style that relies on raw power to compensate for a difference in technique.
Both entered the third turn, and their positions remained unchanged.
Maruzensky's track is biased toward the inside, so maintaining this speed exposes her to greater centripetal force.
Yet, she still managed to maintain the distance between her and Sakura Baimu thanks to her terrifying strength.
Maruzensky always approaches races with a recreational attitude.
She tries her best to find enjoyment in every race.
This time, her running style was less entertaining, but because her opponent was Sakura Baimu, Maruzensky didn't feel bored at all.
On the contrary, as the race approached its end, her anticipation and inner joy grew stronger.
"To maintain that speed for so long is truly impressive... This is definitely more interesting than my previous opponents!"
Maruzensky thought to herself, eagerly anticipating Sakura Baimu's next burst of speed.
Sakura Baimu's speed in the early stages was already far superior to other Umamusumes, thus providing Maruzensky with ample enjoyment.
In her previous matches, Sakura Baimu had always waited for Umamusumes to make the first move before counterattacking.
But this time, the situation was reversed.
Maruzensky, on the other hand, was waiting for her to make the first move.
Sakura Baimu's expression showed no anxiety, but rather unusual excitement.
Competing against such a strong opponent always ignited her excitement.
Finally, as Sakura Baimu approached the final bend, she took a step forward, her speed suddenly increasing.
A visible white aura—flowing around her—appeared as she accelerated.
In an instant, the distance between Maruzensky and Sakura Baimu was halved.
Noticing this, Maruzensky was startled and also accelerated sharply, once again reaching the same speed as Sakura Baimu.
Unfortunately, it was late at night, and there were no spectators around.
Otherwise, the speed Sakura Baimu and Maruzensky displayed at this moment would have been enough to leave the entire audience speechless and gasping in astonishment.
The two were incredibly fast; in the blink of an eye, they had completed the final bend.
Next came the two-meter-high ramp leading up to the finish line at the Tokyo Racecourse.
The gap between Maruzensky and Sakura Baimu was only about 1.5 lengths.
Because Maruzensky had chosen to follow Sakura Baimu's pace, the rhythm of the race was completely unknown to her.
Especially experiencing Sakura Baimu's sudden acceleration and the heart-stopping feeling of the gap being abruptly closed when she wasn't paying attention caused Maruzensky's brain to release even more dopamine.
This kind of tension was something she hadn't felt in a very long time.
This was a kind of emotional shift she hadn't experienced during a race in a long time.
The tension of that moment was far more exhilarating than when she crushed over a dozen Umamusumes on the track.
Just as Maruzensky's smile deepened, her pace quickened, and she took a step onto the slope—
Thump
A crystal-clear heartbeat suddenly echoed in Maruzensky's mind, freezing her smile instantly.
The race pace was much faster than before;
The pressure on her heart during the second climb;
And… the explosive momentum from the person behind her;
All of these combined into a single heartbeat, pounding heavily in Maruzensky's mind.
In an instant.
Maruzensky felt the track, bathed in the soft moonlight and with crystal-clear visibility, begin to darken.
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