Chapter 178: Le Septième Chevalier

From time to time, I wonder what exactly I am.

This year’s winner of the G1 Ganay Prize—Nedirika, the French closing-style Uma Musume.

Put simply, those are the symbols that define me. At least, on the surface.

Yes, I am a G1 Uma Musume.

Among the countless Uma Musume who run races, that title marks the highest tier—one of the most watched athletes in the world.

An object of admiration for nearly every Uma Musume and racing fan.

And precisely because of that, we must always present ourselves with pride. With our backs, we show dreams to the many Uma Musume and fans who watch us, and we must live up to their expectations.

…But lately, I’ve started to wonder.

Just how much value does that brilliant title—“G1 Uma Musume”—truly have?

The Ganay Prize, a G1 race, is held once every year. From the eighteen Uma Musume who run in it, one is always chosen as the winner.

In other words, every year, a Ganay Prize winner is inevitably born.

On such a battlefield, did I truly win by displaying a singular, absolute performance that stood above all others?

…No. That isn’t the case.

I wasn’t overwhelmingly superior to the other eighteen Uma Musume.

They were all magnificent racers. We were nearly equals, and after fighting with everything we had, I won by a neck… by chance.

If anything, I merely happened to slip into the seat labeled “Ganay Prize winner,” a seat that appears once each year.

That day, it simply happened not to rain, and the turf conditions were good—easy to run on.

But if it had been a heavy track like today… would my breakaway move have worked so perfectly?

In pounding rain like today’s, would I have been able to find a path forward while boxed in?

…No. I don’t think so.

That day, I was simply a lucky Uma Musume—someone who won because every factor happened to align.

Even if people praise me as one of Europe’s strongest… in the end, I’m probably just one among the countless Uma Musume who are “G1-class.”

…That truth—

That I was never some extraordinary existence—

Was driven into me by the appearance of two Uma Musume.

From the Far East—Japan, the homeland of that El Condor Pasa.

There appeared a monster so overwhelming it bordered on despair… a being who had won every race except one.

A living myth of the present age: Hoshino Wilm.

And in Europe—England.

As if responding to Hoshino Wilm’s emergence, another monster appeared—one who had not suffered a single defeat and had already claimed four G1 races.

The dragon-slaying hero: Understandable.

For someone like me—who had until then pursued victory with single-minded sincerity, without a trace of doubt—

These two chosen beings, for whom “winning is simply the norm,” were a shock beyond measure.

That’s right.

They are the true G1 Uma Musume. The true summit of the world.

The ones who inspire admiration in Uma Musume across the globe, whose backs others chase, guiding countless runners onto the turf.

…I do not sit in that seat.

And I probably never will.

When I faced Hoshino Wilm at the Prix Foy, I couldn’t help but realize that.

Her pressure. Her presence.

Deep inside my heart, I trembled.

The being before me was a monster on a completely different level—that realization struck me with painful clarity.

Witch Evening, who had once traveled to Japan—the homeland of Hoshino Wilm—and even raced against her last year, seemed instead invigorated by the sight of her.

But I couldn’t feel that way.

Because… I can see it.

A massive, gray aura.

A presence so overwhelming that I know, without a doubt, I can never surpass it.

A mysterious power I’ve possessed since long ago.

The ability to visualize the threat level of racing Uma Musume—to distinguish them by “color.”

It’s an innate talent that should give me an advantage, allowing me to view situations from a broader perspective.

But instead, it made Hoshino Wilm’s absolute dominance all too clear—and carved a deep sense of defeat into my heart.

In this race, the Prix Foy… I could never defeat Hoshino Wilm.

So at the very least, I tried not to reveal the cards I held, while attempting to glimpse hers instead.

…And in doing so, I saw two neighboring worlds—so brutal in their intensity.

I tasted a threat… a despair… far beyond anything I had imagined.

It wasn’t only Hoshino Wilm.

I’ve never run in the same race as Understandable, but even seeing her once was enough.

The size of her “color” rivals Hoshino Wilm’s… perhaps even surpasses it.

More precisely, until just a year ago she was only about equal to other G1 Uma Musume…

And yet in the span of a single year, she rose to stand alongside Hoshino Wilm.

Explosive growth in an extremely short time—the complete opposite of Hoshino Wilm, who must have developed over many years.

A precocious talent that could only be called gifted.

She too is a monster beyond all bounds.

A one-of-a-kind existence destined to carve her name into the history of Europe—and the world.

…If that’s the case—

Then what am I?

Nedirika.

A Uma Musume who merely happened to win a G1 race.

A Uma Musume who merely happened to sit in that chair.

Just another forgotten existence—one of countless names buried throughout history.

What value is there in my being here now?

In my running?

As a racing Uma Musume—as a single warrior—what meaning do I hold?

…I—

What am I?

Even while carrying such doubts.

In the end, there was only one path available to me as a racing Uma Musume.

To run.

To keep training toward the next race and prove my worth.

And especially the next race I would enter…

The greatest G1 in the world—the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe—where those two strongest beings in the world, Hoshino Wilm and Understandable, would compete.

If I could win there… no, if I could defeat those two monsters—

Then surely I could prove my worth.

So I continued running with all my might, piling effort upon effort.

…Even as I understood that it would most likely amount to nothing.

================

The tide finally began to change about two weeks before the Arc.

A man appeared before my trainer and me.

"I apologize for the sudden visit. And thank you for taking the time and providing a place for this meeting."

The foreign man spoke in astonishingly fluent French.

France—Paris, the central training center where I belong.

Inside the trainer’s office we used there, he sat across from my trainer and me.

Both of us knew him well.

"Think nothing of it. When it’s the trainer of the famed Hoshino Wilm, we can hardly refuse a welcome. Once again—welcome to the Paris Training Center Academy."

The man my trainer shook hands with as he said that was…

Hoshino Wilm’s trainer: Ayumu Horino.

As for why the trainer of a Japanese Uma Musume was here…

…I had no idea.

According to my trainer, Horino Trainer had contacted him two days ago out of the blue, asking if they could meet.

If trainers—or Uma Musume—are on good terms, meetings like this aren’t unusual.

But naturally, neither my trainer nor I had any particular connection with him, a trainer from Japan.

We had only seen each other briefly during an interview just before the Prix Foy. Beyond that, we’d never communicated.

To be honest, the sudden appointment had taken us by surprise.

On top of that, he was the trainer of Hoshino Wilm.

If he made even a careless move, the media might catch wind of it. Even if they didn’t, every one of his actions would surely be scrutinized.

Especially trying to have a private discussion with another camp like this, right before a race.

At least from the brief impression I got of him during the Prix Foy interview, he didn’t seem like the kind of trainer who would do something so reckless.

Perhaps sensing the skepticism my trainer and I were hiding, Horino Trainer gave a wry smile.

"I’m sorry—I seem to have given you the wrong impression.

Please rest assured. I have absolutely no intention of asking you to hold back in the next race… or anything so trivial.

On the contrary… as Hoshino Wilm’s camp, we sincerely hope that all our rivals—including Team Nedirika—will challenge us with everything they’ve got."

"I see… Well, that was our intention as well. We look forward to the race."

It felt a little anticlimactic… or perhaps just unexpected.

Uma Musume before a major race often become extremely intense.

This is especially true of G1 Uma Musume—some get so worked up that there are even joking stories about them nearly biting people.

For that reason, contact from other camps during this period isn’t usually encouraged.

Since he had gone out of his way to visit us, I had assumed that was his purpose.

But if that wasn’t it…

Then what was?

As my trainer and I wondered—

With a thump, Horino Trainer pulled a thick envelope from the large bag he was carrying and placed it on the table.

"…In that regard, this is a gift from me to you."

"A gift…?"

My trainer frowned as he pulled the contents from the envelope.

Inside was…

A thick stack of paper, bound together—dozens of sheets.

When my trainer set it on the desk, it flipped over, and I noticed the envelope Horino Trainer had brought carried a stamped character I couldn’t read—likely Japanese.

The stamp read: "Secret."

As I wondered what it meant—

"Wha… this is…!"

My trainer let out a startled cry.

My trainer isn’t someone who openly displays his emotions.

So I was more than a little surprised and turned to look at him.

In my line of sight—

My trainer was staring at Horino Trainer with a gaze filled with suspicion… and faintly, something like awe.

"Do you… do you even understand what it means to give this to me?"

"Yes. Of course."

"Wh—Why? No… what possible reason could you have for this?!"

My trainer shot up from his chair, gripping the papers tightly, confusion written across his face.

…Hmm.

At this point, I couldn’t just watch silently anymore.

"Trainer, calm down."

I pulled firmly on his sleeve, forcing him to sit back down.

My trainer and I are partners.

If it’s his role to stop me when I become too heated, then it’s my role to steady him when he loses his composure.

Fortunately, he took a breath and settled down.

"Ah… y-yes. Sorry, Nedirika."

…However, I was curious about the true nature of the documents that had shaken him so badly.

"So then, what exactly is in that stack of papers?"

"Ah… well, that is…"

My trainer hesitated for some reason.

In his place, Horino Trainer answered.

Calmly—almost as if there were nothing strange about it at all.

"This contains Hoshino Wilm’s training regimen from the past year and the results of that training, a detailed analysis of her current capabilities, my personal analytical notes regarding the Domain, and the results of an investigation into Understandable’s abilities."

"…Huh?"

I must have looked incredibly stupid in that moment.

I already knew that Horino Trainer possessed an extraordinary eye for analysis.

Anyone could learn that with a little research. More than anything, my trainer had always spoken of that ability with open envy.

Apparently, his eye was considered on par with the trainer of Understandable—the man said to analyze Uma Musume abilities with near-perfect accuracy every single time.

But… why?

Why would a trainer with such exceptional analytical skill…

Hand the results of that analysis to us—his enemies?

"…May I ask why you’re giving this to us?"

My trainer’s voice came out hoarse, squeezed from his throat.

Why.

That question was the real issue confusing us.

Horino Trainer simply shrugged lightly at our bewilderment…

And said something utterly outrageous.

"It’s quite simple. I just want the race to be enjoyable.

As things stand, I don’t think the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe will be very fun. So I devised a little plan."

Both my trainer and I blinked repeatedly.

More accurately… a few stunned seconds passed in which we couldn’t say a single word.

"…An enjoyable race?

Surely you don’t mean… you would disadvantage your own Uma Musume for something like that…?"

"Disadvantage? …Ah, I see. That’s the perspective you’re approaching this from."

Horino Trainer tilted his head for a moment.

Then he chuckled softly.

The smile that spread across his face looked almost… wicked.

"It doesn’t matter. No matter how difficult the circumstances become, there isn’t anyone who can defeat Will and me.

So it’s always the same. My job is to raise her to perfection—and then provide opponents that Will can enjoy racing against."

…Incomprehensible.

What in the world was this man thinking?

Apparently I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.

My trainer spoke in a strained voice.

"…Have you gone mad? A trainer… is supposed to help a Uma Musume win, isn’t he?"

Faced with our gaze—one that openly questioned his sanity—Horino Trainer replied…

With eyes that held an unfathomable depth.

Yet within them burned a familiar heat.

A passion for racing.

A passion for Uma Musume.

"Yes, that’s true. You’re absolutely right.

But before winning or losing, I want the Uma Musume to run races they can enjoy. I want to keep Will’s passion burning.

That is the highest guiding principle I have as a trainer."

In the end, whatever his true intentions had been…

Horino Trainer left behind the results of his own investigations and research—documents that must have taken him an enormous amount of time to produce.

"Whether you use them or not is up to you," he said before leaving.

Later, after my trainer examined them, he concluded that the data appeared to be accurate.

At the very least, parts of it were reliable enough to trust.

If it had been nothing but deception, we could have torn it up and thrown it away without hesitation.

But since a fair portion of the data was clearly legitimate, the situation was no longer so simple.

Even if everything wasn’t genuine, there was undeniably valuable information inside.

In other words:

Training theories and development plans crafted by one of the world’s greatest trainers.

A detailed and grounded interpretation of the mysterious phenomenon known as the Domain.

And analyses of Understandable—her strengths, her habits, even her weaknesses.

If we could decipher it all, we might gain access to that information.

But.

If we believed everything blindly, we might end up tripping over our own feet.

After all, these documents could easily contain lies—slow-acting poison disguised within the truth.

"…Troublesome. We don’t know whether this will be good medicine or deadly poison.

There’s no time to verify the accuracy of every piece of data now. So it comes down to two choices: trust Horino Trainer’s words and use it… or treat it as dangerous and ignore it entirely.

And… from a reasonable standpoint, the correct course is probably to pretend we never saw it."

My trainer’s words were perfectly logical.

Horino Trainer was our enemy.

Perhaps the greatest enemy facing Team Nedirika.

To accept information from such a person without question would be foolish—like knowingly drinking from a poisoned chalice.

Yes.

There was no doubt that it was the rational answer.

"So then, what will you do, Nedirika? This is probably the turning point.

Will you continue with your usual steady, reliable training…

Or will you step outside your nature and take a gamble?

Which path do you want to choose?"

…I’m often told that I’m not a very interesting person.

Honestly, I think that’s true.

Humor and wit are concepts far removed from me. I’m not good at delivering them, and I’m not even good at reacting to them when I hear them.

Perhaps because of that, I’ve always tried to train in the most efficient and sensible way possible.

Steady.

Low-risk.

Step by step.

That’s how I’ve lived until now.

…Yes.

That was the way of life for Nedirika—the ordinary Uma Musume who could never become anything special.

"…Trainer."

"Ah. I understand."

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"How many years do you think we’ve worked together? Some things don’t need to be said.

…All right. Let’s gamble.

A once-in-a-lifetime gamble.

We’ll bet everything we’ve been… and everything we will be."

…Ah.

Of course.

This race doesn’t just determine my future.

It determines my trainer’s future as well.

The world’s greatest race—the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

If we produced a poor result there, his future as a trainer might grow dim.

And yet…

He nodded without hesitation.

He chose, instantly, to drink from the poisoned chalice alongside me.

If that is the case—

Then I must live up to that resolve.

As a Uma Musume.

And as his Uma Musume—Nedirika.

Therefore, now—

I cast aside hesitation, regret, and fear.

All of it.

And I swear to claim victory.

---

My eyes open.

The long—yet fleeting—flashback ends.

Within the pure white rain pouring down in torrents, the thunder of nineteen Uma Musume’s footsteps roars across the track.

Amid that sound, I kick off the mud-churned turf and stare straight ahead.

The day of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Two weeks after that meeting, I am now running across the grass of Longchamp.

Through the straightaway—

And into the third corner.

The position I chose today is slightly further forward than usual.

Still technically a closing position, but closer to the front—almost like a pace runner.

In other words…

Just slightly behind Understandable.

For Nedirika, this is likely the best position possible in this race.

After all…

Even if I do nothing, Understandable will carve open the path ahead.

In the next instant, right before my eyes, Understandable takes a strange step—

And somehow, a path opens in front of her to the left.

Ah.

I cannot understand it at all.

What she just did…

How she managed to disrupt the tightly packed field…

I’m simply not at a level where I can comprehend it.

But… that’s fine.

I knew this would happen.

And I already planned what I should do when it did.

"—!"

Having already prepared to accelerate, I push forward, barely managing to follow Understandable’s sudden burst of speed.

Just behind me, slightly delayed, comes Witch Evening.

So she chose to gamble as well.

…Exactly as I expected.

Horino Trainer likely didn’t bring those documents only to us.

His goal was to "make the race interesting," not to "help a Uma Musume named Nedirika."

There would have been no reason to give them only to me.

It’s far more reasonable to assume he distributed the information to most of the Uma Musume participating in the race.

The fact that the documents contained such detailed data about Understandable made one thing clear: the only opponent Team Hoshino Wilm truly feared—and the one they wanted us to crush—was her.

After all, those pages didn’t just analyze Understandable’s abilities. They described, in meticulous detail, the tactics she would likely employ, the techniques she might use, her subtle habits, and even potential accidents that might occur.

Anyone who read that would inevitably devise strategies effective against Understandable and begin searching for ways to counter her.

Which means that, in truth, the only opponent Hoshino Wilm’s camp considered a genuine rival was Understandable.

And that they had likely distributed that data to every other camp except hers.

Each team would react to those documents differently.

Some would reject them outright.

Some would accept them, prepared to swallow even poison if necessary.

Others, realizing they lacked the time to verify everything, might try to extract only the pieces of information they could use.

But one thing was certain.

Witch Evening and I…

Even if it meant betting on such a thin chance of victory—

…No.

We wanted to win this race.

I pull my awareness back to the present.

What fills my vision now is Understandable’s back as she kicks up mud and charges forward with powerful strides.

…Ah.

She’s fast.

I already knew.

That Understandable was a monster.

That her physical abilities had already surpassed ours.

Everything Horino Trainer’s data revealed had told me as much.

But…

Seeing it with my own eyes is still astonishing.

That immense golden brilliance.

That unbelievable surge of pace.

At this rate, she intends to maintain it for the full 2400 meters… nearly a thousand meters still remaining.

Presumably she plans to sustain it through the Domain she will open in this race—combined with the techniques she possesses.

"Hah… hah… hah…"

For now, I simply follow behind her.

For someone like me, naturally inclined toward longer distances, the pace is severe—but not impossible.

I just need to cling on.

Wait for the moment to strike.

Once more, I look ahead.

Understandable’s back shows no sign that she cares about me—or Witch Evening running slightly to the outside.

More than that, she might not even realize someone is keeping up with her acceleration.

No… she probably does realize.

She just doesn’t care.

Just as the documents said—she has no interest in us at all.

And ahead of her…

Four lengths away now—

Hoshino Wilm runs.

If Understandable shines gold, then Wilm’s color is a gray that almost looks silver.

A brilliance strong enough to burn my eyes slowly draws nearer.

…If the information Horino Trainer provided is correct—

Hoshino Wilm’s miraculous double Domain activation only occurs if two conditions are met:

First: another Uma Musume must be within one length behind her.

Second: she must enter the final straight.

And now…

Understandable is moving in a way that satisfies both of those conditions simultaneously.

If this continues, Hoshino Wilm will unleash the mythic spurt she showed at the Prix Foy.

Even if she hadn’t received Horino Trainer’s documents, someone like Understandable should have realized Wilm’s conditions for triggering that burst.

So what exactly is she thinking?

…Well.

It doesn’t matter.

If anything—

It works perfectly in my favor.

"Hah… hah…!"

With every step forward, every moment we close in on Hoshino Wilm, Understandable’s color grows stronger and larger.

That gold shines even brighter as it faces the threat of a dragon.

Unbelievable…

No.

Difficult as it is to accept—

The closer Understandable gets to Hoshino Wilm, the greater her own threat becomes.

And when that golden brilliance stretches to its limit and explodes—

In other words, when she witnesses the full extent of Hoshino Wilm’s running before her eyes—

She will open her Domain.

And at that moment, an irreversible, decisive, fatal transformation will occur.

A new horizon for the hero who will rewrite the world.

…Which means, ultimately—

For Hoshino Wilm, who uses a double Domain to leave everyone behind…

And for Understandable, who intends to decide the race with a new Domain…

That Domain is their greatest trump card.

The wall separating them from the countless others.

The core of the absolute power that makes them truly one-of-a-kind.

Therefore—

In order to crush that very thing—

I advanced my own world.

Just once.

For the first—and last—Arc de Triomphe of my life.

Only to win this race.

“…Suu.”

The moment I take a deep breath—

Hoshino Wilm reaches the final straight.

At the same time, Understandable arrives exactly one length behind her.

The time has come.

In that instant—

Hoshino Wilm opens not two Domains, but a single one—the familiar one I had seen before.

And in response—

Understandable opens something almost identical…

Yet far more terrifying.

Past and present.

And beyond even that—the future.

A mad flame that melts down her entire life.

Ah…

How terrifying.

How grotesque.

Such heat… that she is willing to throw away her very life for it.

Perhaps that is the wall that truly separates us from them.

An ordinary Uma Musume could never do such a thing.

To devote one’s life entirely to a single run—

It is madness.

Only those who possess such frenzy can become a truly singular Uma Musume.

Those like me, who do not…

No matter how far we go—

Are nothing more than one among the countless ordinary Uma Musume.

…And yet.

Even so.

Even an Uma Musume as ordinary as I am.

Even if I am not one of those chosen beings.

If just once—

Just in this race—

I can defeat them.

If I can prove that I was truly here—

That my existence had value—

Then…

I will twist my own path.

On one side, a blue flame burning across a cold yet gentle meadow.

On the other, a red flame devouring a dry and empty field.

And from behind, several presences closing in.

Caught between them—

I press my feet hard into the earth.

And I split open the world before me.

---

The scenery that spreads out is nothing particularly grand.

Unlike Hoshino Wilm or Understandable, I do not possess a clear inner landscape of my own.

So even when I open my Domain, it does not manifest as anything spectacular.

Instead—

It is simply an ordinary world.

The everyday scenery I always see.

Within it, I run beneath warm sunlight like a blessing.

"Six days have passed.

Now comes the seventh."

…The world is already complete.

It turns just fine without someone like me.

And even if I am present, its ultimate course hardly changes.

Those who can truly change it are probably the chosen ones like them.

For someone like me, there is only one way to deal with them.

"Be sanctified. For now—nothing must occur."

…Drag them down.

Down to this side.

The side of those who are "no one."

In the next instant—

Light floods the world and spreads outward—

Swallowing the Domains of Hoshino Wilm and Understandable—

And those of the other Uma Musume as well.

Then, with a faint snapping sound—

They shut.

---

The Domain.

The outpouring of a Uma Musume’s soul.

A power so immense that a single activation can overturn the entire course of a race.

What a ridiculous thing.

If the outcome of races is decided by something as arbitrary as the quality of one’s soul—

Then why do we run?

Why do we train?

Why do we forge our bodies through endless effort?

Is all the effort we accumulate truly incapable of surpassing the talent of a soul we were simply born with?

…No.

I refuse to accept that.

Therefore, I rejected it.

The Domain—and the outcome it would bring.

The theory of the Domain that Horino Trainer had provided truly made it possible for me to distort the image of the Domain within myself.

A distortion of the inner world—of one’s own symbol. Perhaps even a guided transformation. If one were to describe it generously, it might be called sublimation.

Though the time was short—only two weeks—I completed that process.

And as a result—

My Domain became something that shuts down all Domains, including my own.

Hoshino Wilm.

Understandable.

In order to defeat them—to close the gap that existed between us—I had no choice but to do this.

"Ha… this is interesting!"

A voice reached me from up ahead.

Likely a mutter to herself.

Not meant for anyone—just an excited exclamation.

What carried within that voice was curiosity toward me, the heat of someone being driven into a corner, and…

Leisure.

Even now, her breathing had not grown ragged.

…Ah. Honestly… these monsters.

To run such a distance at that pace and still have strength to spare.

"This is… a race? This is what an Uma Musume is!?"

Another voice came from ahead.

Probably another muttered remark.

Not directed at anyone—just a spontaneous whisper.

From it came intense agitation, a wavering flame-like heat, and…

Once again—

Leisure.

Even with her Domain forcibly sealed, her rhythm should have faltered at least a little.

Yet there was no sign of that.

What in the world are they made of?

Monsters.

Yes.

Those two truly are monsters.

Beings completely different from ordinary Uma Musume like me.

…But at the same time—

Understandable and Hoshino Wilm are no longer "special."

They cannot overturn the race with extraordinary powers.

They cannot shatter common sense with supernatural abilities.

With the expansion of our inner worlds forbidden, and bound now to nothing but physical reality—

We are all the same.

Just Uma Musume.

At last.

At long last—

I am standing on the same ground as them.

From here on, nothing complicated remains.

Just a simple race.

A battle no different from the footraces children run.

Less than 600 meters remain.

The track conditions are terrible.

The glorious lead is less than one length away.

Under these conditions, with the stamina we have left and the finishing kick we can muster—

We simply determine who is the fastest.

…Grit.

A harsh sound reached my ears.

It took a few moments before I realized it was the sound of my own teeth grinding.

And with that sound, only now—

Only at this point—

Did I finally realize my true feelings.

Ah…

How foolish of me.

To prove my worth.

To repay my trainer.

To meet the expectations of the fans.

To become someone.

I had lined up so many reasons to win this race.

But in truth—

None of that mattered.

The truth was simple.

I was just frustrated.

That day—

When I saw Hoshino Wilm, my heart shrank.

I couldn’t win the race.

Worse than that—I accepted defeat before even trying, choosing instead to focus on gathering information.

When I saw Understandable, I felt the difference in class.

Deep down, I resigned myself to the belief that I could never beat her.

I accepted that she stood at the true summit.

…and all of that—

From the bottom of my heart—

Infuriated me.

That I had acknowledged defeat without even running.

That even if I ran, I likely couldn’t defeat them.

It was frustrating.

Frustrating.

Frustrating.

So frustrating.

That I was willing to drink poison if it meant winning.

Hatred toward my own limits.

Anger at my own inadequacy.

As if throwing all of that forward, I simply kept running.

My true wish was simple.

I want to win.

Against these monsters.

Against this race!

And most of all—

Against myself!!

"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

With a beastlike scream tearing from my throat—

I ran.

I know.

My chances of victory are slim.

Even in pure physical ability, even in running technique—

I cannot match Hoshino Wilm or Understandable.

Despite having run longer than they have, there is almost nothing in which I surpass them.

But right now—

None of that matters.

I knew the other Uma Musume were incredibly strong.

But it didn’t matter.

There’s nothing left to think about.

Just reach the finish line faster than anyone else.

I could feel my lungs, my legs, my entire body screaming.

But it didn’t matter.

If it meant overcoming my own heart, I would discard them all.

My vision warped and faded white.

Even the sound of the rain vanished.

But it didn’t matter.

As long as my instincts as an Uma Musume carried me to the finish line.

My legs pounding the turf lost all sensation.

My brain burned hot yet cold.

My entire body screamed for me to stop.

Even so—

Using the surge rising from deep within me as fuel—

I forced my body forward.

…No.

That’s not quite right.

I wanted to move forward.

I wanted to go further.

Ah…

I see.

At last.

At long last, I finally understand.

This—

This heat rising from the depths of the soul—

This is what moved them.

A fire powerful enough to burn away one’s life itself.

The craving of our souls.

“…Ah. That was perfect. Every bit of it.”

---

"GOOOOOOAL!!! The brutal battle of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is decided here and now!!

The one who raced across Longchamp’s 2400 meters faster than anyone else—the Ashen Dragon, Hoshino Wilm!!

A dream has been fulfilled! A new page is written in the newest myth!!

And finishing in second place, just half a length behind—Number 14, Nedirika!!

Nedirika falls just short!! Yet she clung to the dragon until the very final moment!!!

And crossing the line in third—by a nose—is the Hero Princess, Understandable!!

Against an unprecedented field in an unprecedented battle, the hero falls today! But heroes always rise again—we await her return!!"