Chapter 31: Bound by Desire

The King descends, and the Celestial Star shines brilliantly upon this place.

A streak of blue-white light bursts across the horizon, shattering the rain curtain. The clouds part, revealing a clear, sunny sky. Teio sprints with a low center of gravity, her light-footed gait as swift as the wind. Her flying speed proves she is worthy of the title of the Umamusume who can run to the ends of the earth.

Everything happens too fast. Leo Durban only feels the luminous aura swirling around her before Tokai Teio suddenly materializes right in front of her.

"How can this be?!" Leo Durban grits her teeth, resentment boiling within her. She had fought so hard to take the lead, only to have it snatched away so effortlessly. What stung most was that she hadn't even seen Teio's stride.

"Tokai Teio, are you really this strong?!"

Having fully unleashed her natural talent, Tokai Teio dominates the track with her flawless form. The radiant aura enveloping her blurs the vision of the trailing Umamusume, shrouding the path ahead.

"Don't worry! I've already won once! I just need to do it again!"

Leo Durban desperately wanted to catch up, but her legs refused to obey. The lingering afterglow of the King's victory still coursed through her body, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

A flicker of struggle crossed Leo Durban's face. "Why...?"

Kousei in the stands tensed, her eyes widening. "That expression..."

Perhaps Kousei was the only Umamusume present who truly understood Leo Durban's plight. On this very track, they had both witnessed the same bitter truth.

A blinding light shone ahead, yet no matter how hard Leo Durban strained, she couldn't glimpse the future. In that moment, Leo Durban was simply her past self, the girl who could only chase after McQueen. For a fleeting moment, Kousei imagined her own figure overlapping with McQueen's on the track.

With this realization, Kousei couldn't help but worry for Leo Durban, her palms growing clammy.

Leo Durban remembered the first time she met Tokai Teio as a child. Back then, Teio wasn't yet the undefeated Genius she would become. Like the other children, Leo Durban's impression of Teio was unremarkable. If there was anything unusual, it was the constant presence of Mejiro McQueen by her side.

McQueen was a young lady from an elite family. Leo Durban had no idea how Teio had come to associate with her, but as someone from such a prestigious background, Leo Durban assumed they had nothing in common.

Leo Durban's obsession with Tokai Teio likely began during that school competition. Almost every Umamusume in her elementary school participated, and even then, McQueen and Teio's burgeoning talents were evident, earning praise from everyone.

Had it ended there, Leo Durban wouldn't have given it much thought. After all, where there are mediocre talents, there must also be geniuses. However, Leo Durban had a particular fondness for one Umamusume—a kind and gentle onee-san who always encouraged her whenever she felt like giving up.

On the day of the competition, her gentle onee-san came to cheer her on. Overjoyed, Leo Durban ran her heart out and barely managed to secure first place. But when she eagerly went to find her onee-san, she noticed her gaze fixed on something in the distance.

Following her line of sight, Leo Durban saw the school gate blocked by a dense crowd of people.

Who could it be?

The crowd parted like the Red Sea, revealing a striking white streak in someone's hair. It was none other than the renowned Symboli Rudolf!

"It's Rudolf!" Leo Durban exclaimed, her excitement palpable.

At the time, Rudolf was at the height of her fame, practically a household name. Even a young Umamusume like Leo Durban idolized her.

"Rudolf, what brings you here today?"

The reporters, who had been waiting for hours, clamored for a chance to ask their questions, eager not to miss the opportunity. Rudolf seemed to have anticipated this, calmly repeating her prepared statement before turning to the back of the crowd with a knowing smile. "I have another reason for coming here," she announced. "I wanted to see the rising stars of tomorrow."

Rudolf's influence was undeniable. Her words instantly invigorated the young Umamusume. Among them, a girl with a similar streak of dyed hair stepped forward.

"I adore Rudolf! I want to become an Umamusume just like you!"

Leo Durban was astonished. Tokai Teio actually had the courage to express her aspirations to Rudolf herself. Assuming her sister was simply captivated by Rudolf's presence, Leo Durban eagerly began showing off her own achievements once more.

But then, Leo Durban froze. Her sister's eyes were dark and unfathomable, a faint hint of resentment flickering within. How could her gentle onee-san wear such an expression, especially directed at Rudolf?

Leo Durban kept the words from that day bottled up inside, where they took root like a thorny knot in her heart.

Back home, she asked her father to find recordings of her sister's races. She discovered that her sister and Rudolf had been contemporaries, competing in the same era. While Rudolf went on to become the globally acclaimed "Emperor," her sister remained just one of the many Umamusume who ran during the Emperor's illustrious career.

Having arrived at the racetrack with dreams and aspirations, her sister had ultimately faded into the crowd. Perhaps what she felt for Rudolf wasn't so much hatred as bitter disappointment and resentment.

A seed was quietly planted in Leo Durban's heart. Years later, when Tokai Teio was hailed as "The Emperor Returns," Leo, watching from the sidelines, witnessed Tokai Teio's dazzling brilliance. The seed began to sprout.

"If I could defeat Tokai Teio, perhaps it would bring my sister some solace."

The thought took root, growing stronger and more uncontrollable with each passing day. From that moment on, Leo Durban was shackled by an obsession.

She had come to this racetrack to win back her sister's heart.

"Please! Stop trembling! Just run!"

How could an Umamusume running on the track be in such agony?

"Leo Durban seems a little off, doesn't she?"

"Well, after witnessing Tokai Teio's true power, it's no wonder she's shaken."

The commentators' remarks drew the audience's attention to Leo Durban's unusual state. They attributed it to Teio's overwhelming strength, showering the champion with even more praise.

Tokai Teio glanced back, a slight frown creasing her brow. Leo Durban appeared to be battling her inner demons. While the crowd roared its approval of Teio, Kousei and McQueen exchanged worried glances. Leo Durban had completely lost her Umamusume spirit; watching her run like this was heartbreaking.

"No! This isn't right! Don't lose to yourself, Durban!" Kousei's brow furrowed involuntarily, her earlier anxiety now surfacing.

"I'm so tired... Why am I so exhausted? I should be capable of more than this..." Leo Durban's breathing grew ragged, her face etched with fatigue. With no external obstacles, this was clearly not the state a long-distance Umamusume should be in.

"Am I destined to become like my sister, nothing more than a fleeting footnote in Teio's legendary career, a casual mention in her future stories?"