They were almost at the final turn.
As the stadium erupted in deafening cheers, a thought crawled up from the deepest part of Swift General's mind—one she absolutely refused to believe.
Don't tell me… Eternal Meteor has caught up.
Wave after wave of shouting crashed over her. Swift General glanced back in panic—
—and saw that familiar head of white hair.
Her head snapped forward again immediately. Teeth clenched, she forced herself to hold her cadence.
So what if you passed them? You accelerated too late!
As long as I can endure—this gap I built is a chasm you'll never cross!
I'm going to wash away the humiliation you gave me.
I'm going to be the one who finishes first.
She squeezed her body past the limit, discarding everything else.
All she wanted now was victory.
In the stands, the two young men stared unblinking at the distance between Eternal Meteor and Swift General. The bespectacled one kept hammering the button on his stopwatch.
"No… at this rate, Eternal Meteor won't catch Swift General."
"Shut up," his friend hissed, eyes locked to the track. "I'm so nervous I can't even talk."
He snatched the stopwatch away—still never once looking away from the race.
"Fine, fine," the bespectacled one muttered. "I'll stop."
He turned his full attention back to the track anyway, silently cheering.
Win. Please—win.
Back at the academy, Tokai Teio had crushed her honey drink cup in her hand. Luckily, she'd already finished most of it. But even if it were full, she wouldn't have cared.
Her eyes held only one thing now:
That pure-white figure running without pause.
In the student council room, it wasn't just Rudolf watching. Air Groove and Maruzensky were there too, staring at the television without blinking.
"This really is… astonishing," Air Groove said, voice steady. "But Eternal Meteor can't catch Swift General anymore."
To her trained eye, it was simple: the timing was wrong.
If Meteor had accelerated even a little earlier, Swift General—already running on fumes—wouldn't have stood a chance.
But races had no ifs.
Meteor had been blocked too long, too far behind. The distance was just too great.
Yet after she spoke, no one responded.
Air Groove turned her head. Rudolf and Maruzensky were intensely focused on the screen, not even acknowledging her. Maruzensky in particular was leaning forward so far she looked like she wanted to crawl inside the TV.
Does Eternal Meteor have something I don't know…?
Air Groove stopped talking and watched.
But she didn't understand the truth:
Those two weren't fixated on the outcome.
They were watching Eternal Meteor's movements—terrified she'd let her competitive instinct push her into "understanding" how to open a Domain.
She'd already displayed terrifying talent. But no matter how gifted you were, if you lost control and opened that power at the wrong time…
Your career would be over.
…and maybe even your life.
And of course—
The more you fear something, the more it comes.
Eternal Meteor kept replaying that sensation of racing the Reaper.
Not running away.
Racing.
She'd never been afraid of death.
She was only afraid of being forgotten.
Swift General had practically started celebrating in her head as she began to exit the turn.
She's out of chances.
There's no way she catches me now.
If she does catch me, I'll— …I'll order a pizza.
She instantly swallowed the thought.
No. No flags. Don't jinx it. Focus. Maintain the lead.
She cleared her mind and forced her legs to keep moving. She was only still standing because the idea of beating Eternal Meteor dangled in front of her like a carrot on a string.
The finish was right there—
And then it happened.
Blood-red mist appeared ahead, roiling and churning like living fluid. Just looking at it made her spine go cold.
"What… what is this?!"
Swift General plunged into the fog. Everything was dyed crimson, as if a red veil had dropped over the world. The sheer, concentrated bad omen of it made every hair on her ears stand on end.
And the only answer she got—
was the sound of footsteps growing louder behind her.
Each step landed like a hammer on her heart.
Her whole body felt like it was being trampled—like an ant beneath the stride of something merciless.
She looked back again—
—and the sight made her slow in spite of herself.
Countless red stars swirled around Eternal Meteor, like a galaxy projected into reality. And those eyes—those ruby-red gemstones—were the mirror holding the heavens in place.
The stars shimmered within them, flashing with blinding brilliance.
No matter how dense the fog became, it could only obey.
It parted meekly, or crawled at Eternal Meteor's feet, or clung at her side—
as she advanced on Swift General with an unstoppable, crushing momentum.
"You've gotta be—WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
Swift General whirled forward and swore out loud.
This is on a racetrack?!
Did I walk into some cultivation film set by mistake?!
Are we even the same species?!
Her feet accelerated again—
but now it wasn't "racing" anymore.
It was running for her life.
She didn't dare get swallowed by that sea of blood mist.
What if it treats me like a snack… and I become part of it?
Her exhausted body somehow produced strength it shouldn't have had. Swift General fled like a hunted animal, her steps blurring into afterimages.
The other Uma Musume—unable to see the mist—only saw her surge again and smiled with hollow relief.
Before, there had been despair.
Now there wasn't even despair left—only fear, buried underneath forced smiles.
The entire stadium fell silent, as if someone had hit a mute button.
Every time Eternal Meteor ran, she delivered a kind of shock no one could resist—something that drowned the mind and left only awe.
Air Groove watched the acceleration and swallowed hard.
A guess had formed in her chest.
But she didn't dare believe it.
This was only Eternal Meteor's third race.
How could she possibly have done it?
"Is that… a Domain?"
She finally said it aloud, seeking confirmation from the other two.
"But she's still—"
Knock. Knock.
Maruzensky's unfinished sentence was cut off by Rudolf, face dark, tapping the desk sharply.
She didn't want this to spread.
Not because she feared being punished—
but because if the outside world learned the truth, the feverish worship of a "god" would destroy everything.
After that warning, Rudolf stood up immediately, leaving the room while dialing the phone number of the person in charge at Hanshin Racecourse.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( Ending )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
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