Chapter 447: 559

Nakayama Racecourse.

The announcer's impassioned cries still echoed through the stadium.

All twelve Central horse girls participating in this year's Arima Kinen were renowned as some of the greatest racers of their generation in the Far East.

Yet compared to the pure-white girl who had returned from her European campaign crowned in unimaginable glory, every one of them seemed to fade into obscurity.

As a result, even when the second favorite, Mejiro Ryan, entered the track at the announcer's introduction, the stands offered little more than polite applause and scattered cheers.

The usual enthusiasm was nowhere to be found.

Everyone was craning their necks, eagerly awaiting the appearance of that white-clad figure.

"Good grief..."

Ryan waved to the crowd as she walked toward the starting gates, shaking her head helplessly.

"I knew this was how it would be, but actually experiencing it still hurts."

When she arrived at the starting line, the other ten Central racers had already been waiting for some time.

They merely offered Ryan perfunctory greetings before returning to their warm-ups.

Ryan did not waste any time either.

She immediately began stretching, though her gaze remained fixed on the competitors' tunnel as she waited for that horse girl to appear.

"I'm sure everyone has been growing impatient!"

The announcer's enthusiastic voice rang out over the stadium.

"The greatest star of this year's Arima Kinen is about to make her entrance!"

"OOOOOOOOH!"

At those words, Nakayama Racecourse, which had remained relatively subdued during Ryan's entrance, erupted like a volcano.

Deafening cheers exploded from every direction.

They merged into a tremendous wave of sound that crashed down upon the track below.

The eleven girls on the course wore complicated expressions.

Yet the admiration and respect in their eyes only grew stronger.

Having successfully ignited the crowd, the announcer continued.

"She is the firmament that shattered the curse, the miracle that conquered oceans and continents!"

"Thirteen starts, thirteen victories!"

"Champion of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"

"The very embodiment of invincibility and supremacy!"

"Now, welcome the number-one favorite of this year's Arima Kinen!"

"The Pure-White Wings That Transcended the End, Mejiro McQueen!"

BOOM!

The entirety of Nakayama Racecourse erupted.

Earthshaking cheers transformed into a tangible tsunami, tearing apart every trace of the previous calm.

One hundred thousand spectators rose to their feet.

Countless purple-and-white cheering flags waved so furiously that they seemed to blot out the sky. The deafening roar made even the turf beneath the racers' feet tremble faintly.

Amid that overwhelming frenzy, the figure everyone had been waiting for finally stepped out from the shadows of the competitors' tunnel and into the winter sunlight.

Her pure-white signature racewear was immaculate, and her long purple hair streamed behind her in the wind.

McQueen's expression remained calm as she stared straight ahead.

Yet with every step she took, the terrifying presence that had left everyone struggling to breathe inside the tunnel poured across the entire racecourse without restraint.

Amplified by the frenzied cheers of one hundred thousand spectators, she seemed like a sovereign descending upon the world.

"Haa..."

Ryan stopped stretching and slowly exhaled a plume of hot white breath.

She silently watched the approaching figure, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"You're finally here... McQueen of Chasing Light!"

A short distance away, Wakaba gritted her teeth.

She had spent half her career competing against the Chasing Light era. She was one of Central's strongest racers, yet she had suffered defeat beneath the feet of every different member of Chasing Light she had faced.

No one here was more frustrated than her.

Fujimasa March, Mejiro Ardan, Oguri Cap...

And now, McQueen.

Wakaba had raced across generations, witnessing the Chasing Light era almost from its very beginning to the present day.

Every encounter had ended in defeat.

But because of that, Wakaba understood better than anyone that this member of Chasing Light was fundamentally different from every one she had faced before.

"Even if I lose, I'm going to lose with dignity!"

She slowly turned around and closed her eyes.

Haku Taisei, Ines Fujin, Bright Rock...

The moment McQueen stepped onto the track, all eleven Central racers stopped whatever they were doing.

Their intuition screamed warnings.

Their instincts trembled in awe.

Yet only the resolve to face death and the conviction to stake everything remained in their eyes.

McQueen felt eleven sharp, burning gazes fall upon her.

She gave a soft laugh but paid them no further attention.

Instead, she offered everyone a slight nod, then turned without hesitation and walked directly into her starting gate.

All communication ended there.

Several minutes later, the announcer's voice rang out at precisely the right moment.

"All racers, please enter the gates!"

Before long...

Click!

The final horse girl entered her gate.

Only minutes earlier, the cheers of a hundred thousand spectators had seemed powerful enough to tear the roof from the stadium. Yet within seconds, they completely subsided.

Absolute uproar gave way to absolute silence.

It was as though someone had muted the entire world.

Across the turf, the only sound besides Nakayama Racecourse's stirring march was the heavy, heated breathing of twelve racers and the furious pounding of their hearts like war drums.

"All twelve horse girls are ready!"

"The moment everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived!"

"Now!"

"At Nakayama Racecourse, the 2,500-meter G1 Arima Kinen!"

Clack!

The lights changed, and the gates burst open.

"The race has begun!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Twelve nearly simultaneous explosions rang out as turf flew through the air and the wind howled.

Like twelve beams of light tearing through space itself, the twelve figures shot forward at the exact same instant.

The final year-end showdown between the stars of the Far East and the strongest horse girl in the world...

Had officially begun.