Her body was heavy. Her footsteps dragged as if huge stones had been tied around her limbs.
She was already...
Full of fear and anxiety.
Whether it was the upcoming race or the looming dical examination, Twilight Song was burdened by countless worries.
Once upon a ti, she’d had no idea how trendous those who chased after the sun really were—but now?
Running a race yesterday and imdiately boarding a flight to Arica had already stretched her to the limit.
It wasn’t as simple as just taking a plane across the world.
Once you crossed the International Date Line, your day stretched far beyond twelve hours.
What did that an exactly? Her single day had been dramatically extended, but the ti available to sleep and recover had remained painfully short.
Could she really rest properly on a plane? Twilight Song, who rarely traveled by air, certainly couldn’t. To so extent, she feared this kind of transportation.
Because every second she spent pushing her limits felt like inching closer to death itself.
Thus, Twilight Song’s May 5th had stretched beyond thirty hours. Yet, despite everything, she still had to make her na resonate from Britain to Arica, from one side of the ocean to the other.
Her condition might be dreadful, but even so, she couldn’t stop now.
This was the path she’d chosen herself.
Nonetheless, she stood now on the Churchill Downs podium, looking out over the imnse, expectant crowd, and raised her hand high in the gesture they’d all been waiting for.
She pointed decisively toward the sky.
Was it a declaration of aiming for the Triple Crown?
No—it was more than that.
It ant three Triple Crowns, alongside the three G1 races she’d already conquered.
Ever since her victory at the Satsuki Sho, there had been speculation—would Twilight Song, who had boldly announced her participation in the Kentucky Derby, aim to win both the Japanese and Arican Triple Crowns?
But yesterday’s reality was even crazier than anyone had imagined.
Japan, Arica...and Britain!
Twilight Song had overwhelmingly seized the victory at the 2000 Guineas, and now she stood confidently at the Kentucky Derby.
Either the world had gone insane, or this Uma Musu had, or perhaps the fans themselves—but no matter how you looked at it...
Twilight Song was definitely the sane one here!
Yes. They were witnessing the birth of a legend, a genuine legend. Perhaps even the first truly "invincible" Uma Musu since Eclipse.
And she would be the first truly "invincible" Uma Musu to have her exploits recorded.
"Ruka! Ruka! Ruka!"
The rhythmic cheers rose into a thunderous roar, shaking the very ground of the racecourse. Twilight Song’s ti on the stage was deliberately prolonged—yet she was completely indifferent to it, finally stepping into the gate where she could temporarily clear her mind, tune her condition, and call forth that pure, absolute state of flow to make final preparations.
In truth, the biggest problem from her lack of rest and accumulated fatigue wasn’t physical.
Her body might ache slightly, but it wasn’t enough to hinder her speed. In fact, that faint pain even spurred her beyond her limits.
The greater issue was sothing else entirely.
Those who had stayed up all night before running a kiloter would understand—the real issue was the persistent ntal haze that prevented proper focus.
Simply put:
After all the Uma Musu had entered their gates, Twilight Song, vaguely believing she had entered her usual flow state, slapped her cheeks and stared at the gate lights, ready for her usual explosive start.
Ah, speaking of which, those lights are blinking pretty slowly today... wait, why do I even care about that?
Her mind began drifting.
"All right, all competitors are now in their gates. The race is about to begin... But, as expected, isn’t everyone anticipating one na above all?"
The announcer paused dramatically, and the crowd, responding as one, grew even louder.
"Ruka! Ruka!"
"Exactly. I feel the sa way. But let’s not forget, none of these competitors are weaklings. Will we witness the crowning of a new queen, or will she stumble amidst the chaos? Let’s watch closely—the race is about to begin!"
Three
"The countdown has begun!"
Two
"The royal banquet is ready!"
One
"And they’re off! The battle for the Triple Crown begins... wait?! The favorite—the undisputed favorite—Twilight Song, the queen of flawless starts, missed her launch?!"
Incredible. This was the first recorded instance of Twilight Song missing a start—even her disappointing debut had featured an explosive burst out of the gate. This was truly...
A catastrophic beginning for a front-runner type Uma Musu.
Especially given Twilight Song’s petite fra, clearly lacking physical power. Without the advantage at the start, she could easily beco boxed in by the pack, and no matter how fast she was...
She couldn’t exactly run straight into the other Uma Musu, could she?!
Of course, Twilight Song was keenly aware of this. Truthfully, missing the start had been predictable. Her current condition simply couldn’t support the lightning-fast launch she’d previously relied upon.
Thus, a re instant after falling behind, Twilight Song imdiately faced the worst-case scenario.
As the reigning champion and overwhelming fan favorite, Twilight Song wasn’t only the center of the audience’s attention. Every single competitor on the field had their eyes glued to her.
Festival Glory made nearly the sa decision as Yaeno Muteki previously had.
But unlike that brown-haired Uma Musu—
Festival Glory succeeded.
Her superior start allowed her, with her large fra, to imdiately block Twilight Song’s path forward. Even worse, Twilight Song’s gate position today was number six, placing her right in the heart of the crowded pack.
In other words, forward, left, right—every possible route was blocked.
Forced to the back of the pack, she could only desperately search for an opening.
And this was a dirt track. Twilight Song even had to waste her already limited attention scanning the ground, carefully adjusting her strides to avoid the unstable patches left by the trampling Uma Musu ahead.
Was this really the worst-case scenario from the very beginning...?
No. It wasn’t over yet.
Festival Glory, leading the front, took a deep breath and began accelerating—though she wasn’t strictly a pure front-runner, she certainly excelled at running ahead.
She planned to secure victory by using Twilight Song’s own preferred running style against her. She would shut down this potential path toward legend.
This was her passion. Her determination. Her thirst for victory.
This was her revenge.
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