Chapter 1664: and then the title translation, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities appearing in these lines, using exact En

NO. 279: Breaking through the darkness, becoming a flame that reaches the heavens (1k monthly ticket bonus)

Early stage top five: Fusion, Maruzen Sukī, American Pharaoh, Rudolf Symbol, Sirius Symbol

Mid stage top five: Maruzen Sukī, Fusion, Golden Master, Rudolf Symbol, Good Opera

Although in this race there is also a Noble Lady vying for advantage right out of the gate, in the middle stage Fuji Kiseki and Narita Hakujin, who were mutually chasing each other with full effort and at one point held the advantage, as well as Rhine Amazon, and besides that there were several who consistently maintained the leading group, but only began to fall behind in the middle stage, former strong contenders

But……

If you only pay attention to the top five, you will indeed never see them

Even among Aomo's four subordinates, there are inevitably Narita Hakujin and Qianming Representative, who lag behind the top five in the early stage, seeming weak at first glance but actually surpassing the powerful horse girls Golden Master and Noble Lady who accelerate right out of the gate

But upon reaching the middle stage, they lost advantage again due to Golden Master's renewed challenge and Good Opera's stride to seize the stage, appearing as if they had completely lost any chance, remaining outside the top five

Yes

In the majority of horse girl races, ending up sixth or seventh by the final middle stage, possibly even eighth, can already be considered a settled conclusion

Because at this final middle-stage phase, competitors ought to vie for the best position to make the final sprint, and at this point, even if you opt for a late charge or a sweeping run, you should begin to greatly increase speed; you can no longer stubbornly insist that your running style should keep you at the back of the pack

This stage also simultaneously experiences the stamina consumption and distance accumulated from the early stage and most of the middle stage

The athlete's quality, comprehensively formed from basic speed, strategic control, skill allocation, etc., will also be most clearly revealed in this stage

The phenomenon where all competitors using leading, chasing, and sweeping running styles bunch together at the corner only appears in classic years when everyone's overall quality difference is not large; but once this overall quality becomes large……

Then it will be like the current:

Maruzen Sukī - Fusion ---- Golden Master --- Rudolf Symbol - Good Opera -- Great Shock ----- Sirius Symbol - Qianming Representative - Narita Hakujin. Rhine Amazon ---- Noble Lady ------------ American Pharaoh....

— With such a lineup, the scene unfolds

While the line is stretched out long, one can also see that the distances between ranks vary; after easily overtaking the one ahead, you might then see the next one far ahead, running even faster

The challenge this line poses for later pursuers is easy to imagine, and it's not hard to understand why Narita Hakujin and Qianming Representative's positions gradually fade from the host and commentator's focus

But in reality, even after a conclusion is drawn, there could be those who rise from apparent death or zombie-like states, crossing a long distance, even surpassing stacked ranks to reach the front, which is not uncommon in horse racing history; the only difference is — what kind of race is this?

Those major upsets that are not uncommon in horse racing history usually occur when the current participant's ability vastly exceeds that of other competitors, and after-post-race review one can realize this can already be considered a 'fish-blasting' race

But who could regard the Dream Cup as a fish pond?

If one were to select that possibility, everyone would look toward the Great Shock that surpasses Qianming Representative and Sirius Symbol beside Narita Hakujin, and is about to also surpass Good Opera

The legend of the past has left her in the hearts of countless spectators with a truly deserved status, and of course many spectators also anticipate the Emperor, who has already won once, to return to heavenly mandate

The Qianming Representative, who has endured repeated battles and persisted to this day, perhaps also carries some kind of trump card, possibly able to earn a belated victory

And that Good Opera, which from the start was revealed to have been inviting each athlete to meet and provoke, appearing utterly overconfident, is also a blazing sun, possessing astonishing strength ready to take down everyone, which is not impossible

Not……

Narita Hakujin has surged forward?

'The leader is Maruzen Sukī! Fusion attempts to chase but is completely unable to catch up! But on the slope about to enter the final lap, everyone is accelerating! Golden Master has caught up! Closely following are Rudolf Symbol and Good Opera, whose speed has greatly increased!'

'But Great Shock has already caught up to Good Opera; next, it surpasses Golden Master, which had just fallen behind the Emperor.'

'Great Shock! It is higher than mountains, like flying between clouds, Great Shock! It has already crossed where Fusion is to shake the steps of the monster called the red racing car! How intense, how intense! At the entrance to the final lap, the leading group has already shown several order changes, and the first to step onto the final lap track is……'

'Is it Narita Hakujin, who has consistently fallen behind the middle-back group?!'

The crowd erupted in an uproar

Not only because she only received polite, face-saving expectations from commentators in her opening introduction and when she fell behind in the middle, but also because she is indeed a rare case in the entire Dream Cup arena—her popularity is lower than her fame, her substance has constantly been criticized, and on Umastagram's power-obsessed debate board she has always been at the bottom, a triple crown winner

This is also unavoidable, for Narita Hakujin's career trajectory can be called the 'fallen genius' of the horse girl world

Although she does not have the flawless ten-win-ten-record of a certain green-clad secretary, she also clearly lacks the 'nonchalant' impression that the Dream Horse gained by retiring outright

Admittedly, although she originally gained many fans through her triple crown achievements, her persistence in refusing to give up or retire should have cultivated a positive impression of 'Qianming Representative-style perseverance'

However, due to inconsistent performance caused by declining condition, and the backlash from being overhyped by the media during her development period, everything has progressively worsened, turning into a thoroughly negative impression

'Ugly, unaware, performing poorly—better to let it be given to other horse girls who couldn't compete…' Such talk gradually unfolded over the years without any reversal, and her appearances dwindled until she finally stopped racing altogether, merely remaining without graduating, which also caused her remaining loyal fans to gradually drift away, until……

Until she signed a contract with Aomo Lindon, and the news emerged that she was preparing to enter the Dream Cup

The triple crown is never lacking in topics, and a fallen triple crown is even more of a hot topic, naturally not lacking in notoriety

But whether the content of that topic is good or bad is another matter

But this is already enough

Because not all the voters who need to vote to determine the entry list necessarily cast their votes with good intentions

A considerable number of people cast retaliatory votes just to see certain horses embarrass themselves on the track, and the former Narita Hakujin, who once brought down horse racing gambling, indeed bears a considerable amount of resentment and even hatred

Yes, you cannot expect those immersed in gambling, who dare to go all-in, to look for reasons within themselves after losing; rather, they tend to blame everything except themselves

Even after several years, they may still not be able to move on from it

Those who become clear-headed after the sky falls are only a minority; most become worse and worse, living each day on relief funds and chaotic debts

Such people, as long as they have the will, still have voting rights just like anyone else

Without having accumulated popularity like Sirius Symbol by winning two championships, and showing a different side of Narita Hakujin, being able to directly enter the Dream Cup short-distance race is precisely due to this; and her ordinary performance in that event not only left the host with little impression, but also made those retaliators even more dissatisfied

Thus she was able to enter the Dream Cup midway; unlike the expectations borne by most competitors, the lone wolf behind her is met with countless hostile gazes

Most of those are fans turned anti-fans, but there is also an extremely faint goodwill, stemming from tense support by friends and family

And……

That expectation, which gradually cannot be suppressed by ordinary gazes, comes from a trainer who can be felt by her no matter where she is

Personally applying and removing nasal strips, and ultimately serving as the trainer who points out her inner path, he once lectured her about all the competitors on the field, including Rudolf, Qianming, and Sirius Symbol, without exception

Her personality, running style, possible tactics, specific decisions to use in certain situations, and countermeasures against those decisions—the trainer explained all of this very clearly

She also understands that, conversely, the trainer does not conceal his impartial help to the other three, and lets them know all the facts about her as well

All this is merely so that everyone, knowing everything, can make a decision

And this is the step at this moment

【Grey Critical Point】

【Hungry Wolf Fang】

【Craving Monster】/Thirsty Monster

【BLAZINGWOLF】/Flame Wolf

And, it was also originally the purest inherent nature.

【ShadowBreak】

Shatter the shadows, trample the demons.

No longer able to be the fear that pulls at the ankle, in all the darkness now visible, there is that pale light path that reflects that ferocious, sharp reflection.

This is her footsteps.