Only One Year Left—I'll Become a Legendary Uma Musume!

How do you defeat an opponent?

Simple. Just three steps.

Put on your racing shoes, step onto the track, and defeat your rival. Sounds easy, right?

Of course, that was just a joke. In reality, it was never so simple. Yet, before every major race, Dancing Brave would recite this playful mantra to herself.

She always respected her opponents deeply, but before a battle, she preferred easing her nerves with humor.

Even so—even as the legendary Dancing Brave—her hands trembled slightly today.

Why? Because the opponent she faced this time wasn't just remarkable for this era… no, far beyond that!

This opponent might well be the strongest runaway Uma Musume seen in decades, perhaps even transcending that classification entirely.

Twilight Song.

This name had haunted Dancing Brave for some time now—not quite a nightmare, but unquestionably…

The owner of that name had dominated her life recently.

Ever since openly challenging Twilight Song at the St. Leger Stakes, Dancing Brave's days had been reduced to a few simple tasks:

Training. Studying. Eating. Washing up. Resting.

Yet despite this rigorous preparation, the deeper Dancing Brave studied Twilight Song, the more she felt a chill down her spine.

Terrifying. Utterly terrifying, frightening beyond reason.

Could Twilight Song's stamina truly be as monstrous as the legendary Eclipse? Perhaps not literally—but certainly enough for modern races up to three thousand meters.

Twilight Song definitely had a maximum effective range of around three thousand meters! A reckless runaway at three thousand meters!

A number so outrageous, it left one speechless, unable even to muster resentment or resistance.

Speed, endurance, decisive bursts of acceleration—all impeccable. If that were all, she'd merely be considered strong, but—

Twilight Song's explosive starts were also lightning-fast. With all these critical qualities perfectly combined in one Uma Musume, she became a terrifying monster whose raw talent alone intimidated many who merely glanced at her records.

Terrifying? Absolutely. But even more terrifying was that now Dancing Brave herself had to face her.

Yet… no matter how frightening the opponent, Dancing Brave would always rise to challenge if given the chance.

After all, battling a formidable opponent was worth any cost.

And things weren't completely hopeless. Through countless days and nights of study and preparation, Dancing Brave had found an alternative approach.

To be precise, inspiration came from watching Yaeno Muteki's race footage.

That small, brown Uma Musume had the right idea—but simply lacked the necessary ability. Dancing Brave, however, was different.

She had a special technique.

Clad in her magnificent racing outfit, Dancing Brave slowly advanced through the dark athlete's tunnel toward the track.

Today, Dancing Brave had brought out her peak form, symbolized by the final racing outfit of her career.

It was an exotic, intricately patterned outfit reminiscent of desert elegance, with a flowing top adorned with vibrant gemstone jewelry and loose, sheer pants that billowed gently with each movement. At first glance, it seemed more suited to an evening of graceful dancing beneath moonlight than charging down a racetrack, entirely impractical for speed.

Yet as a Racing Outfit blessed by the Three Goddesses, it wouldn't hinder an Uma Musume's movements. This was Dancing Brave's proudest stance—her true expression of taking the fight seriously.

So, what exactly was her strategy to defeat Twilight Song?

To "dissect" her opponent thoroughly.

"Reckless Run Away" was, in essence, a very simple tactic. It forced all other competitors into a brutal guessing game, demanding immediate decisions without room for error.

Either chase immediately, hoping to outlast or overtake by sheer speed and endurance—or gamble that the runaway's stamina wouldn't hold, leaving them to collapse from exhaustion.

But if they guessed wrong, the consequences were dire.

Most Uma Musume had to make this choice against runaways. However, there was one alternative that most would never consider:

Stop her before she even got going.

That was the general tactic against runaway racers. But what about specifically against Twilight Song?

What was Twilight Song's true weakness?

Endurance? Speed? Certainly not.

Strength.

Precisely that—Strength!

Twilight Song's small frame, combined with previous race footage, revealed a clear and fatal vulnerability:

Her lack of raw power meant poor adaptability to heavy, muddy tracks!

That explained why, in previous muddy races, she'd shown such a drastically diminished performance.

This discovery was Dancing Brave's best chance at victory.

Of course, a muddy track depended solely on weather—a factor that usually shouldn't be part of tactical considerations, right?

Normally, yes—but not when it came to the Arc.

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, 2,400 meters, Paris Longchamp Racecourse—a track infamous for turning muddy.

Finally stepping onto the track, Dancing Brave raised her gaze to the dark, gloomy skies.

The skies over Paris were always gloomy and misty, right?

Wrong. Because during this month, it was more likely to unleash a fierce storm!

Of course, there was a risk to this strategy:

What if Twilight Song didn't choose to run recklessly, adopting a different strategy instead?

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

There was no chance of that whatsoever.

Amid the roaring cheers of the crowd, Dancing Brave stepped onto the presentation stage, elegantly grasped the hem of her dress, and curtsied gracefully.

Until their encounter yesterday, Dancing Brave had harbored some uncertainty—but the moment she'd met Twilight Song face-to-face…

Dancing Brave was utterly certain:

If there was anyone in this world who'd dare attempt a reckless runaway in the rain at the Arc, it would be Twilight Song. Or rather—

Only Twilight Song could dare to execute such a reckless runaway on a rainy day at the Arc.

And why wouldn't she dare?

Undefeated since her debut, she had consistently crushed her opponents by margins wider than many legendary racers' combined lifetime victories. Japan's Dual Crown, America's Triple Crown, Britain's Triple Crown—these accomplishments were heights many Uma Musume dared not even dream of.

How could someone like her hesitate?

After all, the runaway style had been waiting far, far too long for its first Arc victory.

Dancing Brave was absolutely confident in her judgment. Last night, she'd seen in Twilight Song's eyes determination and fearlessness.

Twilight Song possessed her own pride and courage. Indeed, she was exceptional—wasn't she?

An Uma Musume so exceptional that the only way to defeat her was by turning her own excellence against her.

Taking a deep breath, Dancing Brave stepped down from the platform, reviewing her plan one final time.

Her strategy was very simple—and effective only against Twilight Song alone.

This was a trap she'd meticulously devised after dissecting Twilight Song's abilities, tailor-made for her alone.

Dancing Brave turned her eyes toward the dark tunnel, as if peering through the darkness to the little filly whose eyes had met hers yesterday.

Come now, face me.

Our battle begins here.