What kind of monster… is she, exactly?!
Seabird gritted her teeth. She had never expected Latifa Dubai to break through in the middle of the race and suddenly overtake her. But even more shocking than that was the obvious truth before her eyes:
Xingyun Liuge had not only broken through the encirclement they had so carefully set up, she had also erupted with a terrifying finishing burst, blowing past both Latifa Dubai and Seabird in one move.
Most of all, it was that solemn, majestic figure of hers, that overwhelming momentum. Seabird felt as though her fighting spirit had been crushed to pieces. Forget facing Xingyun Liuge head-on—even standing five lengths away, Seabird no longer had the courage to chase after her from afar.
It was as though even looking at her from a distance was an offense, a desecration—something that would be punished by absolute violence.
The raging current of air nearly forced her eyes shut, and the lightning snakes writhing around her made her heart quake. At this moment, only one thought remained in Seabird's mind:
This is unwinnable. It's over.
With a choked cry, Seabird lost speed.
Only then did she have the mental room to think about something else. Wasn't this headwind section a little strange? At first it had been the familiar headwind, then it had abruptly turned into a tailwind, and now somehow it had become a headwind again—and stronger than before. What was going on?
Was this Latifa's domain power?
Of course not. Xingyun Liuge simply wanted the other racers to experience what it meant to be just ahead one moment, suddenly far behind the next.
If Latifa's domain had really overridden the tailwind Xingyun Liuge created and turned it back into a headwind, how could Xingyun Liuge have shaken her off so effortlessly?
"Xingyun Liuge! It's Xingyun Liuge! Her finishing kick is simply unmatched in the world! In one breath she's blown past Seabird and Latifa Dubai, who were locked in fierce competition, and now she's five lengths ahead! The gap is still growing!"
"Seabird has already lost speed! Latifa Dubai is still chasing desperately, but she can't catch her—she can't! The gap has widened to seven lengths! Xingyun Liuge, coming from the distant East, is about to conquer this dirt track with her own two legs!"
A true commentator had to be willing to make the call.
At this point Xingyun Liuge's advantage was simply too great. Unless she suddenly collapsed or broke a bone, there was no way she could lose. The result was decided.
Meanwhile, out on the track—
Latifa had originally thought she could keep accelerating. She had the support of the wind, after all. But for some reason, that support had suddenly turned against her. The tailwind that should never have existed here had flipped back into a headwind.
That alone would have been bad enough, but this was her homeland. She was used to running into the wind. Normally, she could call to the wind in front of her, ask it to ease its strength just a little, make her run a little less punishing.
But today, her voice did not reach it.
The wind was far too noisy.
The gale was so fierce she could barely keep her eyes open. The sweat pouring from her body wasn't even allowed to flow freely—before it could run down her skin, it was snatched into the air by the oncoming blast. Perhaps that part worked in her favor, but who knew? Her lungs felt as though they were being torn apart by the merciless air, and the taste of iron flooded her mouth.
No matter how hard she clenched her teeth, no matter how twisted her face became, no matter how viciously she squeezed the last reserves from her body, the distance between her and Xingyun Liuge did not shrink in the slightest.
It only widened.
Was this the gap between her and a true genius?
Looking at Xingyun Liuge in the distance, Latifa could not help thinking:
She really is… so far away.
There was no catching up. No chance left. An utterly hopeless defeat.
And yet, despite that, she still could not help feeling bitterly unwilling to accept it. She had pushed herself this far. She had even awakened a stronger power while resisting Seabird's suppression, only to be thrown behind in an instant by an absurd, unreasonable burst of strength and lose the crown.
Unwilling. Unwilling. So terribly unwilling.
Then, from within that boiling frustration, bitterness burst free as well. Because she heard the commentator's jubilant cry:
"She's across the line! Xingyun Liuge! On foreign soil, Xingyun Liuge has proven that she possesses the absolute strength to sweep away all opposition! Cheer! Let us give her a thunderous ovation!"
The finish line was still so far away from Latifa—and yet Xingyun Liuge had already crossed it.
That kind of strength really did make it impossible to muster the courage to resist her.
"Hah… hah… cough…"
After somehow forcing herself to secure second place, Latifa dropped to her knees, limp and weak, gasping in huge, ragged breaths, even coughing now and then. She had pushed herself far too hard. At this point she was so exhausted she could barely lift her body.
And yet she had still lost. Completely. Without ever seeing even the faintest possibility of victory.
Her slender fingers dug into the dirt before her. Moisture gathered in her eyes, condensed into large, trembling drops, and rolled down at last.
Though she had tied the all-time course record and defeated the British horse girls—more than enough to be proud of—she had lost to the newly crowned queen before her. A gap of twenty-four and three-quarter lengths. There was no other word for it.
A crushing defeat.
Her dream of taking the crown had been shattered beneath Xingyun Liuge's iron hooves.
Latifa's shoulders trembled violently as bitterness swelled in her chest, and tears streamed down her face.
Then, through the blur of tears, she saw it:
A small, delicate hand appearing before her.
Instinctively, Latifa looked up.
What she saw was Xingyun Liuge's fine, lovely face—smiling.
And she heard her say, in gentle encouragement:
"You were already amazing, Latifa. You matched the course record. I was just a little better this time. Let's run together again next time."
Latifa froze.
From where she knelt, it looked to her as though storm and thunder had entwined together above Xingyun Liuge's head, weaving an invisible but dazzling crown suspended above her.
Perhaps because of that, streams of soft white plasma still flowed through her silver hair. Only the tips still crackled with lightning, holding onto the last traces of that fearsome majesty.
But none of that was what mattered most.
What mattered most was this:
That smile.
It was so beautiful, so radiant, so breathtakingly lovely that it made her heart race uncontrollably.
Maybe it was also because Xingyun Liuge had directly invited her to run together again.
There was an absolute gulf in strength between them, and yet Xingyun Liuge was still willing to race beside her. What kind of spirit was that?
Perhaps…
Perhaps this was kindness.
Thinking that, Latifa's cheeks turned red. Instinctively she wanted to look away, unwilling to let Xingyun Liuge see her in such a disheveled state. She was a princess, after all—maintaining royal dignity was practically her sacred duty.
But she couldn't look away.
Because Xingyun Liuge had raised one hand to cup her cheek, and with her thumb she gently wiped away a tear, smiling at her again.
Maybe from embarrassment, Latifa pressed her lips together. Her face felt unbearably hot.
What she did not know was that Xingyun Liuge was actually thinking:
Crying? Nice!
Xingyun Liuge simply loved seeing pretty girls cry.
How to put it? It gave her a little flutter in her heart.
In any case, it made her very happy.
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 ( 126 )
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
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin