Inside Tracen Academy's track.
Two figures, one ahead and one behind, burst out of the final bend. The prepared finish line stood directly ahead of them. At this moment, less than 400 meters remained in the race.
Fierce momentum collided between the two of them. The magnetic field woven from those terrifying auras was probably enough to sweep away an entire crowd of Tracen Academy students. Fortunately, this was a one-on-one race. If it had been a standard umamusume race, then any umamusume running alongside those two would likely have had their racing spirit shattered on the spot.
The race rhythm is completely in the Overlord's hands!
Symboli Rudolf stared at that figure with a grave look.
Kitasan Black, will you lose?
The Overlord's speed was increasing. The gap between them was closing rapidly. Even leaving aside the obvious difference that had appeared in their current states, Rudolf suspected the Overlord's domain would be a terrifying finishing blow. Kitasan Black, meanwhile, seemed unable to dodge the Overlord's attack the way she had before.
"Kita-san!"
Satono Diamond could not help shouting in worry.
She could not believe that Kitasan Black had been driven this far by her opponent. It almost looked as if she had no solution left.
"That runner called Overlord is so strong!"
Satono Crown was shaken by the race this umamusume was showing. She was not merely powerful. She was so calm and clever during the race that her running style felt beautiful and impossibly cruel at the same time. It inspired awe.
It was not that Kitasan Black was weak.
It was simply that the umamusume called Overlord was too strong.
"..."
Orfevre could not offer an evaluation.
She simply watched the race in silence, her mood calm.
Even if this was a visitor from another world, strength like this...
What kind of joke was that? Were the umamusume of other worlds all monsters at this level? Even Kitasan Black was being completely suppressed. As she was now, Orfevre could not even serve as their opponent.
At this moment, the spectators' emotions were extremely complicated.
Kitasan Black was the undisputed strongest runner of this world.
And now, that strongest runner was being completely suppressed by her opponent.
Even though the race was incredibly exciting, everyone suddenly felt an indescribable discomfort at the sight.
The race was not over yet.
But almost no one was still optimistic about Kitasan Black. At this point, even those who had not understood earlier could basically understand now. Kitasan Black's earlier lead was useless. Everything had been under the Overlord's control.
Now the Overlord began to burst.
Kitasan Black's situation suddenly became extremely bad.
However-
The true battle for victory was only beginning now.
As long as she did not give up.
As long as she had not reached the finish line-
The outcome was still undecided.
Something being destined...
I don't accept that!
Kitasan Black clenched her teeth. Her body had fallen into an overloaded state, and the rhythm of the race was completely dominated by her opponent. No matter how one looked at it, she had been driven into a desperate situation. Victory had been drifting away from her little by little under her opponent's calculations.
Maybe that's true.
Kitasan Black gasped for breath.
Her strength and mentality were inferior to her opponent's. Ending up like this was only natural. Losing would be unavoidable. If she thought that way, she could persuade herself to give up. But-
Kitasan Black looked at the finish line ahead, shining as though it were glowing.
The thought of giving up simply could not take shape.
Because she had not lost yet.
The finish line was right in front of her eyes.
The scenery around her froze. It was not that she had used Teio-senpai's ability. Her instinct to win was accelerating her thoughts. The chill that had already touched her back was undoubtedly the Overlord's Fusion. This time, she had failed to react in time. Or rather, all of this was within the Overlord's calculations. This time, she absolutely could not dodge. She had already fallen into Fusion's attack range.
Her advancing steps became unbearably slow in this thought-accelerated "world," and her opponent's attack was temporarily blocked as a result. But at this moment, even taking a breath was difficult. There was no way to recover her condition, no possibility of using a recovery skill. The Overlord would never give her a chance to rebuild her posture. The outcome would be decided here. The Overlord would crush her and break her with the most tyrannical stance possible.
That future flashed before her eyes like a prophecy. Neither Teio-senpai's phantom nor McQueen-senpai's phantom could change the future that was about to happen. It seemed to be Kitasan Black's fate. She was destined to lose here today.
The Overlord was too strong.
And this still was not the Overlord's limit.
During the race, Kitasan Black could clearly sense that the Overlord was still hiding part of her strength. Even more terrifying, the Overlord's power was still rising. That power made despair bloom in the heart.
I can't win.
She could not imagine such a scene at all.
If she could not even imagine her own victory, how could the Goddess of Victory favor her?
She would lose. If this race had a script, perhaps that would be the result. A person as unserious as her could not possibly defeat an umamusume as pure as the Overlord. She understood that better than anyone.
Was there really any point...
In continuing a race like this?
But if she gave up, then...
Is it really going to end here?
Kitasan Black's face twisted.
She knew it.
Among everyone, her strength had never been particularly impressive.
And the Overlord had defeated Teio-senpai and Demon King-senpai. Was it really so hard to understand that Kitasan Black would lose to her?
Rather, under normal circumstances, she should never have been the Overlord's opponent. Her strength and will were both inferior, and even her mastery of her own power could not compare. Before the Overlord, Kitasan Black was only a weakling.
Yes.
From the very beginning, she had prepared herself for the possibility of losing.
So...
That's exactly why I won't give up!
The frozen time began to move again.
Kitasan Black felt the chill behind her. The flames in her eyes had already gone out, but those crimson eyes turned back with absolute determination and met the Overlord's golden gaze. In the next instant, the exact same aura fluctuation appeared over her body, and she shouted in her heart:
[Fusion]!!!
If I was destined to lose from the start, then there was never anything to fear from the start. Because the only thing I have left at the very end is victory. Isn't that right?
Overlord!!!
...You!
The Overlord had thought victory was within her grasp. She had never expected Kitasan Black to hide such an enormous surprise. It was actually her own [Fusion]. Not Rice Shower's half-baked hero play, but a Fusion of darkness, just like hers.
Two black holes pulled against each other on the field.
The shocking sight left the spectators speechless.
This domain...
What kind of joke was this?
There was actually a domain with this nature and this effect?
Even Symboli Rudolf's expression changed dramatically.
She had never imagined that the possibility she had once envisioned in her youth would truly become reality. A ZONE symbolizing power and invincibility really did exist. If such a ZONE existed, then who could defeat the Overlord who possessed it?
That ZONE was invincible.
No!
Symboli Rudolf immediately calmed herself.
There is still one person who can defeat an invincible Overlord like that!
Kitasan Black.
Because Kitasan Black's ZONE was precisely a means of opposing it.
That domain which had gone one step further from the ability to imitate-
If it was the same power as the Overlord's...
Fusion against Fusion. Then there was still a sliver of hope!
Symboli Rudolf looked at the aura released from Kitasan Black and thought excitedly, Did you anticipate this from the very beginning? As expected of you, Kitasan Black.
As expected of the strongest runner of their world.
And now, in the race, the Overlord and Kitasan Black were both swallowed by Fusion's gravitational field. The situation, which had seemed clear, became difficult to analyze again in that instant, because Fusion's power was simply that strong.
The Overlord had never imagined that Kitasan Black, that half-baked girl, could actually copy her Fusion within this period of time. Kitasan Black had not even fully imitated Tokai Teio and Gold Ship's abilities earlier, and the difficulty of imitating her own power should only have been above those two. Yet somehow, Kitasan Black had truly done it.
So this is what it feels like to have your power devoured...
As the Overlord felt her power draining away, she was surprised, but also a little curious. This experience was a first for her.
She had truly never known what it felt like on the victim's side.
And now she finally knew.
It felt as if a hole had been opened in her body, and all kinds of precious things were flowing out of it.
That feeling was indeed unpleasant.
No wonder her previous opponents had looked so desperate and afraid after the race ended, and had not even dared to come looking for trouble.
But the Overlord felt no fear.
Because from the bottom of her heart, she did not believe Fusion could threaten her.
Why?
Because Fusion was the symbol of her power.
It was her soul.
Although you surprised me a little, this still isn't enough!
After being hit by Fusion's effect, the Overlord's expression did not change at all. Even her sprinting motion did not pause.
Surprise was surprise, but the race was still continuing.
You're seriously hard to deal with.
The Overlord's actions left Kitasan Black feeling helpless.
It was not that she had expected to defeat the Overlord by throwing Fusion at her, but this person did not even show the slightest shake. She had trained for a long time for this move. In real-world time, it had been at least half a year. In the training space, she had stayed so long that she no longer remembered whether it had been the thirtieth time or the fortieth. In short, that period had nearly driven her insane.
And yet the result of all that effort...
Was only barely neutralizing one Fusion from the Overlord?
This person was absurdly strong!
Demon King-senpai, you really misplayed this one. If you hadn't fed her earlier, I definitely wouldn't be in this situation now.
(Faraway Demon King Gold Ship: Ah-choo!)
The one who's hard to deal with is you.
The Overlord closed in on Kitasan Black little by little.
Rather, the fact that a half-baked person like you can reach this level is what I never expected. You've forced me this far. You can be proud of yourself. You're already stronger than those two.
The Overlord's praise was sincere.
After all, she was no longer the same as before. She had already absorbed Tokai Teio and Gold Ship's powers one after another, and with Fusion added on top, she was confident she could easily crush her previous opponents, Tokai Teio and Gold Ship included. Yet Kitasan Black was actually causing trouble for her.
She even had a possibility of defeating her.
Before the race began, the Overlord had never imagined that this half-baked Kitasan Black could reach such a point. She had seen Kitasan Black's growth.
Unfortunately, the Overlord was not some kind older sister.
If anything, she was the opposite.
Sorry, Kitasan Black. I won't lose. I'll take your power. I'll carry your share with me to the summit.
The Overlord's expression remained cold.
Although she thought the word sorry, Kitasan Black beside her felt a chill run through her body, because the malice on the Overlord was far too obvious. This person had the expression of someone who wanted to eat another person. No joke. Those were the eyes of someone who wanted to devour someone alive.
Kitasan Black clenched her teeth and ran with everything she had, barely rushing ahead. Losing to the Overlord was something she absolutely did not want.
She could lose to anyone.
But she absolutely could not lose to the Overlord.
Was this the retribution for the mistake she made when she was young? Because as a child, she had said she disliked umamusume and hated racing, had she now met a career-ender like the Overlord?
If she lost to the Overlord here, her power would be stolen. Her glory and foundation as an umamusume would be reduced to nothing.
She would never forgive that!
She could not lose. She absolutely could not lose. She had to win. This time, she absolutely had to win, because this was a race with her life as an umamusume at stake. If she lost here, then she would truly have nothing left.
Because Fusion was taking effect, neither of them could use any abilities before the final straight. All they could compare were their most basic stats and their willpower.
The Overlord's willpower naturally needed no explanation.
She was someone who could take even the Demon King's ultimate domain without changing expression. Kitasan Black, at this moment, had also staked everything she had as an umamusume and entered an unprecedented burning state.
Although the spectacle was not as gorgeous as earlier, the clash between them at this moment was even hotter-blooded.
The spectators, who had originally been frightened by the Overlord's domain, were reignited by this fiery scene.
"Go!"
"Kita-san, go!"
"Overlord, go!"
Massive cheers surrounded the two runners in the race.
Even the Overlord received support.
This was an umamusume race: a clash of power, technique, and each runner's feelings.
Victory was precisely this dazzling and enchanting.
Do not let go.
You cannot let go.
Kitasan Black and the Overlord:
"I absolutely have to win!"
...
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