A challenge?
Was this what people meant by a newborn calf not fearing the tiger?
Even if the student council president had retreated behind the scenes because of injury, she was still the undefeated Triple Crown horse girl. Not even the strongest active racer would dare openly challenge her!
Besides, the current Twinkle Series did not even have a universally acknowledged strongest contender yet.
The Central Tracen horse girls all looked stunned.
So this country bumpkin named Xingyun Liuge was not afraid of the Emperor's pressure. Fine. Impressive, even. But then what?
Did she seriously think that being good at withstanding pressure meant she had earned the right to challenge that person?
How naïve.
That was the Emperor.
The absolute ruler of the Twinkle Series.
To this day, no horse girl had ever reached that woman's height.
That was the consensus at Central Tracen, and among the whole nation as well.
Well… almost. More precisely, it was the consensus among Japanese horse girls.
The great powerhouses overseas certainly would not tremble before Symboli Rudolf's strength.
Rudolf herself had not expected Xingyun Liuge to face her pressure head-on without wavering in the slightest.
More than that, Xingyun Liuge had stepped forward and shielded everyone behind her, sparing the trainers from having to directly endure the pressure Rudolf had released.
Strong, and gentle too.
A horse girl like that was one in a thousand.
Now that Xingyun Liuge had shown such qualities, how could Symboli Rudolf possibly turn her away?
Rudolf had already wanted to bring Xingyun Liuge to Central, but now that desire only intensified.
Her ears stood high, as if all the blood in her body had begun to boil. A fierce, burning joy surged through her limbs, filling her with a kind of supreme exhilaration.
Since Xingyun Liuge had already spoken to this extent, how could she refuse?
How could she possibly refuse?
With that, Symboli Rudolf swung an arm out, and all the gloom on her face transformed into unmistakable delight.
"I see. Xingyun Liuge, I have felt your kingly resolve. I understand your ambition. If I were to reject it outright, that would be inelegant."
Slowly, Symboli Rudolf closed her eyes.
A moment later, her eyelids snapped open, and a sharp light flashed from the depths of her gaze.
"Then show me your pride—and your brilliance!"
Not long after, the Central Tracen horse girls filed out one after another. They had originally come to Chukyo Racecourse either to race or to spectate, never expecting to witness something like this.
Perhaps they would never forget this day for the rest of their lives.
This was only the ordinary Chukyo Racecourse. These had been perfectly ordinary races. And yet here, they had encountered a thoroughly extraordinary country girl, one carrying a determination that sparkled with impossible intensity.
Quite a few of them found themselves thinking:
Xingyun Liuge, was it? Fine. I'll remember that name.
No matter how this race turned out, if Xingyun Liuge ultimately made her way to Central, she would absolutely become one of Central Tracen's brightest stars.
Just the fact that she had faced Symboli Rudolf's pressure directly and then openly challenged her was enough to make every horse girl there think more highly of her.
Of course, if Xingyun Liuge were to be crushed by Rudolf afterward, all that esteem would instantly flip the other way.
Chihaya Yui held herself together until everyone had left.
Then she grabbed Xingyun Liuge by the shoulders and practically wailed,
"Liuge, what are you doing?! What are you doing?!"
Seriously—who in the world challenged the seven-crown winner who had created the legend of the undefeated Triple Crown? Just how arrogant could a person get?
Even if Symboli Rudolf had already stepped back from the spotlight and now mostly just ran a few symbolic laps in the Dream Cup, she was still absolute!
"There, there. Don't say such discouraging things."
Xingyun Liuge suddenly reached out, pinched Chihaya Yui's cheek, then clamped both hands onto it and forced her lips into a pout.
That instantly rendered Chihaya Yui unable to say another word.
Only then did Xingyun Liuge nod in satisfaction, wearing her usual confident smile.
"Relax, relax. It's only Symboli Rudolf. Just watch—I'll beat her cleanly and decisively for you."
Her voice carried a near-tangible madness, as though Rudolf's terrifying record had never once entered her eyes.
"Mm."
After hearing that supremely confident declaration, Oguri Cap folded her arms, nodded seriously, and expressed a solid ten—or at least nine—points' worth of approval.
"Oguri!"
Kitahara Jones felt like she was about to have a heart attack. She hurriedly covered Oguri Cap's mouth, terrified she might blurt out some brand-new outrageous take.
Belno Light was equally startled. She truly could not understand why Oguri Cap could have such complete faith in Xingyun Liuge.
Meanwhile, Maruzensky had struck up a conversation with Symboli Rudolf.
"I never expected you to actually agree to that little one's challenge. That part was a surprise."
Her tone was as soft and sweet as spun sugar, but when the topic turned to Xingyun Liuge's ambition, there was an unavoidable trace of melancholy in her voice.
After all, she too had once been one of the victims of the JRA's inflexible rules.
So after seeing Xingyun Liuge run into a predicament similar to her own, she could not help but feel a deep sympathy for the girl. She wanted the problem facing Xingyun Liuge to be resolved in the best possible way.
But…
the urge to chase victory and glory was, after all, a horse girl's instinct. And with Symboli Rudolf as Xingyun Liuge's opponent, the only thing Maruzensky could do was hope that Xingyun Liuge's strength was the real deal.
She could not help but think:
If… after this race, you still insist on going abroad, then I…
She could offer a little help.
After all, the great British Triple Crown winner Nijinsky was her senior.
Symboli Rudolf had no idea Maruzensky had thought so far ahead. She simply replied,
"The main reason is that I saw possibility in her. To pursue victory, to crave the baptism of glory—those are instincts shared by every horse girl. But beyond that…"
Rudolf paused for a moment, then spoke again.
Those words made even Maruzensky's eyes widen.
That very night, at Chukyo Racecourse—
the track blazed with floodlights, bright enough for the horse girls to clearly see the turf swaying in the wind, as though the grass itself were breathing.
"Tonight's race is a two-thousand-meter turf contest. You know the rules. Are you ready?"
Symboli Rudolf lowered into position.
She had no intention of holding back, nor of giving Xingyun Liuge any chance to refuse. Since someone had already made grand declarations about winning the British and American Triple Crowns, then Rudolf intended to show this unruly little horse girl just how dangerous the racetrack truly was.
This was only her second time running on turf, and all her earlier races had been sprints?
Too bad.
The British Triple Crown ranged from sixteen hundred meters to twenty-eight hundred. A mere two thousand meters was already on the short side.
"President, you're planning to elbow me the instant the race starts, aren't you?"
After glancing at Rudolf's stance, Xingyun Liuge laughed softly.
"How awful. Thinking about it that way, American racing really is dangerous~"
But the tone in Xingyun Liuge's voice was positively buoyant.
"That said, I've got a pretty interesting card hidden up my sleeve. I've even already decided what I'm going to sing on the winners' stage. And you, President? Are you ready~?"
Before the last note of her teasing voice had faded—
the gates flew open.
A mass of blazing flame burst forth.
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 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
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 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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