Someone's gaze was locked firmly on Garden Gale.
It was T.M. Opera O.
After all, she'd sworn never to let Garden Gale hog the spotlight alone. Of course, it wasn't as though Opera O herself hadn't already drawn some eyes midway through the race—but that was far from enough. It was just a fraction of attention, scraps left on the sidelines.
What she craved…
Was the single, dazzling spotlight.
Exactly the glory Garden Gale now basked in, showered by cheers and adoration from every corner of the stands.
T.M. Opera O wanted nothing less than to surpass her.
And the crisis was about to unfold right after this next corner.
Once I get past this turn, I'll crush you all. This script belongs to me—ME!
The frenzy within her heart had reached its boiling point, ready to burst forth, unstoppable, like floodwaters surging past a broken dam, obliterating everything in their path.
Garden Gale remained oblivious to the approaching threat and the corner was navigated rather smoothly.
Everyone—front-runners and pursuers alike—slowed down for the bend, including Garden Gale herself. She wasn't reckless this time, easing her pace to pass steadily. The wind and rain had slightly calmed, though the track remained difficult. It almost seemed the chaos of the storm was finally settling.
As if peace were returning… but how could it?
Someone had been waiting, poised to strike from the start.
After this corner, the promise of carnage would be fulfilled.
T.M. Opera O surged forward, abruptly accelerating, unleashing her strongest form upon the straight.
She swept forward like an eagle diving for its prey, eyes fierce, brimming with a predator's keen hunger. Garden Gale felt that piercing, predatory intent in an instant—a chill down her spine, the very same sensation she'd inflicted upon Narita Top Road just moments ago. Only now, the roles had reversed. The hunter had become prey.
Who…?
Who is it behind me?
The thought echoed in her mind. A single drop of cold sweat trickled down her forehead, mingling unnoticed with the falling rain.
Garden Gale realized that perhaps… her greatest rival in this Satsuki Sho had finally appeared.
No, no—
It couldn't end here. This was only the second straight. She was desperately curious to see who had chosen this very moment to launch an attack.
Will I even let you pass?
A relaxed smile tugged at her lips as Garden Gale increased her own pace. She was supposed to embody the thrill of a true Runaway—wasting stamina, pushing beyond limits, none of that mattered. Only extending the lead mattered, because victory itself was as simple and pure as speed. Running like this was pure bliss.
She'd definitely run another Runaway next time!
Leisurely. Comfortably.
Right now, Garden Gale radiated exactly this confidence.
However... even as her speed increased, the chilling pressure from behind refused to fade; rather, it intensified sharply. Like the infamous Ntwadumela, the legendary lion stalking the queen of hyenas—Ntwadumela, apex predator of the African savannah, famed for his fluid, majestic kills. A supreme hunter whose strength, grace, and precision stood unmatched in nature, effortlessly dominating all who challenged him.
This was the pressure Garden Gale felt right now—she was the hunted hyena queen, and that relentless predator behind was none other than the lion king himself.
A shiver shot down her spine, cold sweat soaking through her racing uniform, mixing indistinguishably with rainwater. She couldn't understand. What could possibly exert such overwhelming pressure?
Yet, she forced another burst of speed, explosive and unstoppable.
But it was futile.
The pressure grew unbearable. The chill seeped deep into her bones.
Everything neared a breaking point.
A gust of wind from behind confirmed her worst fears: even at her absolute maximum, she couldn't halt her pursuer's advance. Who on earth is it? Who could possibly be this strong?!
For the first time, Garden Gale experienced suffocating, soul-crushing pressure.
A monster.
Yet still, she gritted her teeth—
Drawing out every ounce of strength remaining, she surged forward desperately.
She refused to be overtaken. For a Runaway, being passed meant total defeat—victory required leading from start to finish, from first step to final stride. There was no room for compromise, no middle ground. It was either 100% or practically zero. Runaways were an all-or-nothing gamble.
So she squeezed every bit of power from her body, every muscle firing to maximum capacity.
Her relaxed posture was long gone, replaced by the immense pressure of a turbocharged engine pushed to its limit.
And yet…
Even with every ounce of effort expended, she could not halt the footsteps rapidly closing from behind.
For the first time in her life…
Garden Gale tasted true helplessness.
A sensation so powerful it was suffocating.
Being crushed beneath overwhelming force… It felt like slowly sinking into an endless abyss, swallowed up inch by inch until all senses were lost, leaving only the pounding of her heart and the unbearable weight of her own inadequacy.
She's… so incredibly strong.
Garden Gale finally understood what it meant to be utterly powerless—to go all out, yet still watch her opponent's unstoppable advance.
Narita Top Road, Admire Vega…
Had they felt this same despair when she'd overtaken them?
Should she have played it safe with Tokai Teio?
It's too late… it's too late now.
She couldn't speak, couldn't feel. Numbness spread through her limbs.
Garden Gale wanted to flee—to run far away, to the ends of the earth—but against absolute power, resistance was meaningless. Her only protest, the last trace of defiance trapped in her chest, emerged as nothing more than a sorrowful, helpless sigh.
Meanwhile, thunderous footsteps overtook her.
She was completely, mercilessly surpassed.
—T.M. Opera O.
It was T.M. Opera O.
The Umamusume who'd arrogantly declared she'd become the Overlord, who'd promised to rewrite the race's script, was now actually delivering on her claim.
And as she stormed past Garden Gale, T.M. Opera O didn't even spare a glance in her direction. Her gaze fixed unwaveringly ahead, a wild, unrestrained smile on her lips, radiating absolute confidence.
In contrast, Garden Gale felt hollow, like a living corpse.
I tried so hard…
But I was completely outmatched—my best effort turned meaningless. What more can I do? What else can I even say?
Everything lost meaning.
Her consciousness sank slowly into despair.
...
It wasn't just T.M. Opera O.
Garden Gale's pace faltered, and her strides broke down completely.
One after another…
Narita Top Road, Admire Vega, and then everyone else still running—every single Umamusume she'd once outrun now passed her by.
And just like that…
Garden Gale dropped to the very back of the pack.
Spirit shattered.
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T/N: NOOOO ITS OVER