"Not 'can,' not 'will,' but 'ten seconds'?"
"How could she give such a precise answer?"
Obey your Master.
She hadn't been surprised by any answer Sakura Baimu gave.
But after hearing Sakura Baimu's resolute statement of ten seconds, the shock in her heart surged like a turbulent river.
Because both Umamusumes spoke with aura, their voices clearly reached Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky's ears.
Their previously contrasting expressions now both showed deep shock upon hearing Sakura Baimu's answer.
A moment later, Maruzensky's lips curled into a smile, her shock instantly transforming into endless amusement.
Her previously regretful blue eyes now shone with a new light.
"So, the reason you didn't unleash your power when you were overtaken was because you were calculating the time..."
Sakura Baimu's answer.
It was exactly what she wanted.
"Could it be that Oguri can win?"
Symboli Rudolf's shocked expression hadn't faded.
"Obey your Master's strength seems second only to Oguri Cap and Mr. CB! Oguri can win? So confident?"
An Umamusume who hasn't even joined the academy, just by sneaking into other schools under the cover of darkness to train secretly every day, has actually reached a level surpassing Narita Brian.
What face does Tracen Academy have to invite her to join?
Aren't they just inviting her in to mislead others?
Tracen Academy has over 2,000 elite Umamusumes from all over the country.
Now, an Umamusume who doesn't belong to any academy is already approaching the top five of the academy's legendary ranks.
This kind of thing...
Symboli Rudolf finally understood in an instant why TCB's trainer, Sakura, always maintained such a hesitant and vacillating expression when faced with her invitation related to Ogura.
She had initially thought there was some unavoidable factor preventing "Ogura" from joining the academy.
But now it seemed that Ogura looked down on her, Tracen Academy!
And because Sakura Baimu was too embarrassed to speak, so she remained silent.
Maruzensky stole glances from the corner of her eye at Symboli Rudolf, who stood besides her who was utterly shocked and lost in endless suspicion. Seeing her expression, she was already overjoyed.
For her at that moment, seeing Symboli Rudolf's shock at Sakura Baimu was amplifying her pleasure many times over.
Maruzensky felt that even shocking Symboli Rudolf herself didn't bring her this much joy.
The thought that she would soon be racing alongside this Umamusume, a racer who had astonished even the "Emperor" of Japanese racing, and that she possessed a secret about Sakura Baimu that even Symboli Rudolf didn't know made Maruzensky feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and superiority about to burst forth.
She hadn't expected to feel so happy and pleased seeing Symboli Rudolf's various suspicions about Sakura Baimu's identity and the truth.
"It seems the time for Rudolf to know the truth will have to be postponed..."
Maruzensky thought silently to herself, deciding to tell Symboli Rudolf about Sakura Baimu later.
She wanted to see Symboli Rudolf's confused and embarrassed expression a little longer.
Just as Maruzensky's pleasure was spreading across her face, and her smile was almost uncontrollable, she suddenly heard Symboli Rudolf exhale deeply, then say in a low voice.
"If 'Obey your Master' really loses, then let me run with 'Ogura' next."
Maruzensky: "?"
Maruzensky's smile froze instantly.
At that moment, Maruzensky felt an urge to pluck the white hair from Symboli Rudolf's forehead.
--
"Ten."
Sakura Baimu, in the uphill, uttered a soft shout, her speed increasing rather than decreasing, accelerating again with an extremely tricky maneuver.
"Nine."
Sakura Baimu charged straight at Obey your Master, her momentum so strong that even Obey your Master, about four lengths ahead of her, began to frown.
"Eight."
Obey your Master, hearing the countdown behind her, didn't slow her pace, wanting to further increase her speed.
However, the steep incline of two meters prevented her from accelerating any further.
Even though she was already going very fast.
"Seven."
Sakura Baimu's gaze sharpened, her aura growing increasingly forceful as she drew closer to Obey your Master.
Conversely, her expression, aside from the seriousness in her brows, still held a smile at the corners of her mouth.
"Six."
Sakura Baimu called out again, taking another step closer to Obey your Master.
"Five."
Thump
Almost simultaneously with Sakura Baimu's countdown, Obey your Master felt her heart pounding in her chest once more.
She glanced back at Sakura Baimu and saw that she was still three lengths behind.
Based on her speed of only shortening by a little over two lengths in the previous five seconds, it was impossible for Sakura Baimu to overtake her in the final five seconds.
"Four!"
Sakura Baimu shouted again, her voice suddenly becoming louder, making Obey your Master's heart tremble.
"Every time she shouts, she's depleting her own aura! She's willing to exhaust herself just to shout; it's so foolish!!" Obey your Master thought to herself.
What she didn't notice was that each time Sakura Baimu's countdown, accompanying her momentum, sounded, her own aura weakened slightly.
This was a psychological attack.
The strongest effect of aura isn't on one's own speed.
It's the influence on the spirit of others.
When an Umamusume's resolve wavered, the one with the stronger aura would then take control of the race.
"Three!"
Sakura Baimu was now only two lengths behind Obey your Master.
Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky, watching from the sidelines, both saw that Sakura Baimu hadn't used any aura to attack Obey your Master at all.
Instead, she was gradually destroying Obey your Master's confidence in victory with each increasingly loud countdown.
"Obey your Master, the Zone is about to dissipate..."
Symboli Rudolf spoke in a deep voice, watching Obey your Master's aura gradually weaken.
"Two!!"
Sakura Baimu was still more than a length behind Obey your Master, and it seemed her speed wasn't enough to bridge the distance.
"One!!!"
Obey your Master's heart was pounding so hard her breathing quickened. The gaze from behind, like a beast eyeing its prey, placed immense pressure on her mind.
Tension welled up like a spring, filling Obey your Master's heart.
"Zero."
The final countdown ended, and Sakura Baimu appeared beside Obey your Master.
Together, they reached the top of the hill.
At the same time, Obey your Master's eyes flickered, the golden flames within extinguished, and her Zone vanished in an instant.