"I see. I completely understand now."
Seeing just how fiercely Daiwa Scarlet was resisting, Agnes Tachyon gave a solemn nod and ended their little "test of strength."
The sudden release sent Daiwa Scarlet stumbling from overexertion, and she nearly pitched headfirst into Tachyon's arms.
The girl hurriedly straightened up, then eyed Agnes Tachyon with deep suspicion.
Normally, the two of them got along quite well. This eccentric senior of hers had never actually done anything bad to her, and the two had never even had a remotely blush-inducing moment between them. But now, Daiwa Scarlet felt she had no choice but to regard Agnes Tachyon with extreme caution.
What on earth was this woman thinking?
If it were anyone else, Agnes Tachyon would most likely have ignored them altogether, or simply turned on her heel and left with her chin in the air. But the person in front of her was Daiwa Scarlet: an important junior, and on top of that, a good girl who had taken meticulous care of her. Agnes Tachyon's way of doing things might have been bizarre, but her values were perfectly normal.
She had now fully grasped the principle that a melon forcibly twisted from the vine was never sweet. So she decided to abandon that overly reckless plan, and even went so far as to apologize to Daiwa Scarlet, which left the latter thoroughly stunned.
Since when had Agnes Tachyon ever been this "considerate"?
Before Daiwa Scarlet could recover, Tachyon waved her oversized sleeve and called out, "I'm going out to cool my head. You just follow your own pace, Daiwa. I believe in you. Ciao~"
Agnes Tachyon vanished without hesitation. Anyone seeing it would think she was fleeing from some terrible beast.
In reality, she was preparing to enter the game herself—to go after Xingyun Liuge's sweat, hair, and even saliva!
She tried knocking on the door, but got no response. Left with no other option, she sought help from Chihaya Yui instead, claiming, "I was recruited by the Student Council President as a doctor, after all. I must live up to the trust that she—and everyone else—has placed in me."
Of course, Agnes Tachyon could have gotten into Xingyun Liuge's room without alerting Chihaya Yui if she really wanted to. But she was not some lone wolf with nothing to lose. She had to consider the consequences of doing something like that.
She definitely did not want Daiwa Scarlet looking at her with disgust and contempt, so she took the proper route for once.
And yet, to her surprise, it was already past ten at night, and Xingyun Liuge was not in her room.
Even Chihaya Yui did not know where she had gone. Muttering to herself, she said, "That's strange. She was just here a little while ago… Did she go out by herself for extra training again?"
She tried calling Xingyun. After quite a while, the phone finally connected.
Agnes Tachyon immediately leaned in close to the phone, ears pricked up, eager to eavesdrop on their conversation. What she heard was extremely heavy breathing, as if someone had run themselves to absolute exhaustion.
Xingyun Liuge's answer was that she had found an especially formidable opponent this time, and would be training very late into the night.
She even turned around and reminded Chihaya Yui to go to bed early.
"…"Agnes Tachyon pressed her lips together, miserable beyond words. She had come all this way brimming with determination, and yet the one person she most wanted to see was nowhere to be found.
What neither girl knew was that Xingyun Liuge was actually right there in the room.
She was just inside the Realm of Samsara, training with relentless intensity.
At that moment, Xingyun was sprawled on a simulated Belmont Stakes track. After hanging up, she could not help laughing.
It was no wonder. The moment the call connected, Chihaya Yui had instinctively asked, "Xiao Ge, why are you breathing so hard?"
And Xingyun had answered with complete sincerity: "I'm running."
That had accidentally made her think of something weird, and she ended up laughing out loud. But she had not lied. She really was running, and she really had found a truly formidable opponent.
With that thought, Xingyun turned her head and looked at the legendary horse girl standing by her side, wearing a great crimson cloak—
Secretariat, in her peak phantom form.
This peak phantom was monstrously strong. No matter how hard Xingyun pushed herself, she still could not beat her, and she had quite literally collapsed from exhaustion because of it.
Wiping the sweat from her brow, Xingyun took a deep breath. Under the effect of Indestructible Body, her breathing immediately steadied, and her condition snapped back to its absolute peak in an instant.
She rolled over and sprang to her feet, scarlet eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
"The night's only just begun. Let's run all the way to the end of the world together!"
This was the final leg of the American Triple Crown, so naturally, Secretariat was the ideal simulation opponent in her mind. That legendary horse girl had once beaten the Belmont runner-up by more than thirty lengths. It was an utterly comprehensive obliteration in the most literal sense.
Besides, Rising Star carried the title "Secretariat's Masterpiece." Now that they were at the very last hurdle, Secretariat would surely be pulling out all the stops to give her special coaching.
Back at the Preakness, Xingyun had already noticed it: compared to the Kentucky Derby, Rising Star's running style had undergone subtle changes. There was a faint sense that she was beginning to resemble Secretariat herself.
It made sense. Secretariat was her senior. There was no way she would just stand by and watch her lose over and over again without doing anything.
Secretariat had once claimed a stunningly rare blowout victory at Belmont Park, earning the commentator's description of her as "a tireless running machine." If Rising Star was truly her masterpiece, then surely she bore the duty of carrying that glory onward.
But Xingyun Liuge had no intention of yielding even a single inch.
Even if Rising Star really was a little Secretariat, Xingyun would still defeat her.
And so she used the Realm of Samsara to simulate Belmont Stakes conditions, summoning Secretariat's phantom as her opponent. Before the race, she intended to thoroughly master Secretariat's style and leave Rising Star with nowhere to run.
Rising Star might not be able to reach Secretariat's heights, and there was clearly no secret American art capable of drastically boosting a horse girl's strength in such a short time. But Xingyun refused to slack off in the slightest.
Even a lion used its full strength to catch a rabbit. And besides, Rising Star and the rest were hardly harmless little bunnies.
Only by bringing herself to her absolute best condition, and by fully understanding her opponents' tactical reserves, could she ensure victory.
Xingyun believed that from the bottom of her heart.
The next moment, she and Secretariat's phantom both teleported into the starting gates.
Both girls settled instantly into their stances, and their gazes—sharp as drawn blades—locked onto each other's faces at almost the exact same moment.
Then the gates flew open.
A silent crimson radiance blazed forth, so intense it seemed capable of dimming the very stars above.
It was not a gate skill.
It was a battle intent so pure it had returned to the fundamentals, yet so overwhelming it felt almost tangible. It rampaged across the track, forcefully subduing everything that dared challenge it. Horse girls, wind, the track itself—even the clouds adrift in the sky—all fell within its hunting grounds.
The wind blowing over the course was twisted in an instant, bent violently to Secretariat's will. It became her servant. It became a storm unleashed upon every other horse girl.
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 150)
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 (Chapter190)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
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 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin