The private manor on the outskirts of Paris was shrouded in the morning mist.
Winding bluestone paths snaked through dense woods, and the lawns on either side were moist with night dew, the air filled with the fresh scent of grass and soil.
Ryo stood at the start of the path, her red and white training uniform striking in the hazy morning light.
A glimmer of eagerness sparkled in her crimson eyes—having just returned from the Three Goddess Trial, that brand-new, violent power was still surging within her, and she urgently wanted to personally touch the sharpness of this transformation on this familiar land.
This was her secret base for daily training.
The path was gently undulating with an open view, allowing her to avoid outside disturbance while clearly feeling every detail of her power as it erupted.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, first tracing in her mind the first domain she was already intimately familiar with—’Unchallengeable Emperor’.
That was her core domain, an innate kingly talent.
Whenever activated, pale golden radiance would entwine around her, and an intangible majesty would diffuse like substance.
It not only explosively boosted her speed but also inflicted a hard-to-shake deceleration buff on opponents behind her.
That pressure was not a physical attack, but a shock originating from the mental level, like an emperor’s arrival, causing opponents to subconsciously feel awe and submission, involuntarily slowing their pace.
Some would even feel their legs go weak from this pressure, giving rise to an urge to kneel.
It was best suited for leading; once the lead position was occupied, this majesty would follow like a shadow, making it consistently difficult for opponents to surpass her.
But now, she wanted to awaken another completely different power.
Ryo slowly opened her eyes, a flash of crimson suddenly streaking through her crimson pupils.
She focused her intent, mobilizing the violent energy that had just awakened within her body, and softly recited the name of the domain: “Crimson Tyrant.”
“Boom—!”
A low roar exploded on the spot, not from the outside, but from the eruption of power within her.
Instantly, blinding crimson lightning darted from her body like a beast breaking free from its shackles, wrapping around her limbs and bones.
Her red and white training uniform seemed to ignite under the reflection of the lightning.
She could clearly feel that the speed factor in her body was instantly activated, her muscle fibers bursting with unprecedented power.
The wind whistled in her ears, and the familiar manor path retreated rapidly in her vision—this was three times her normal speed, even more ferocious than when the ‘Unchallengeable Emperor’ domain was fully activated, carrying with it a world-shattering impact.
She sprinted along the bluestone path, the crimson lightning dragging a long tail of light like a red dragon weaving through the forest.
Where the lightning passed, the grass on the ground was instantly scorched and slightly curled, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ozone.
The surrounding trees were shaken violently by the invisible pressure, branches and leaves rustling, and small birds resting on the branches were startled and fled in all directions.
Wild rabbits on the distant lawn also curled up, trembling, not daring to move an inch.
This pressure was completely different from ‘Unchallengeable Emperor’.
The Emperor’s pressure was majestic and sacred, making people feel awe and submission; while the ‘Crimson Tyrant’ pressure was terrifying and bloodthirsty, carrying the violence and cruelty of a dictator, as if destruction would descend the next second.
By the roadside, several servants trimming the lawn saw this scene from afar and were so scared that they stopped their work one after another, subconsciously retreating to avoid it, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, not even having the courage to look up—that was fear originating from the depths of their souls, making them instinctively want to flee this area ruled by a tyrant.
Ryo felt the surging power within her, the extreme pleasure brought by triple speed, and the silence and fear that fell upon the surroundings because of her, a sense of shock rising in her heart.
She deliberately slowed down, trying to control this power, letting the crimson lightning expand and contract freely around her.
When she focused her intent, the lightning became more violent, her speed increased further, and the pressure became even more terrifying; when she relaxed her mind, the lightning gradually receded, only wrapping around her limbs, and her speed returned to twice her normal state, just enough to maintain the sprinting momentum without consuming too much stamina due to power loss.
“It really is suitable for mid-to-late stage chasing.” She thought to herself.
‘Unchallengeable Emperor’ was suitable for leading, relying on mental pressure and deceleration buffs to firmly control the race pace; while ‘Crimson Tyrant’ was suitable for launching a surprise attack from the middle pack, triple speed combined with lightning that paralyzed opponents and pressure, capable of tearing through the defensive line in an instant and completing a deadly overtake.
Two domains, two running styles—this meant that she could find the most suitable tactics for herself on any track and any gate, an advantage unimaginable to other Uma Musume.
While running, a doubt suddenly surged into her mind: Why did she have two domains?
She clearly remembered that every top Uma Musume at Tracen Academy only had one exclusive domain.
Rudolf’s “Emperor” domain was like a true monarch’s arrival, the pressure vast and sacred, capable of making opponents subconsciously lose their fighting spirit on the track and willingly submit, an absolute king of leading; Maruzensky’s “Gottokite!
Chu” domain was full of sunshine and vitality, transforming into a golden meteor when erupting, possessing both speed and explosive power, skilled at mid-race overtaking, carrying a liveliness and dominance unique to her.
Their domains were unique powers highly compatible with their own souls and personalities, innate talents or awakened during long-term training, and no one had ever heard of anyone possessing two domains.
Yet she happened to have two.
‘Unchallengeable Emperor’ was the domain she awakened as a child, perfectly matching her pride, calmness, and inviolable personality deep in her bones; while ‘Crimson Tyrant’ carried an aura of violence, decisiveness, and world-shattering destruction, more like the cry of another soul.
Why?
This question churned in her mind like a tide, making her subconsciously slow her pace, the crimson lightning gradually receding, leaving only faint currents on her fingertips.
She stopped, standing in the middle of the road, morning mist swirling around her, her crimson eyes filled with confusion and contemplation.
She remembered the familiar yet unfamiliar power that suddenly surged into her body during the Three Goddess Trial; she remembered the memory fragments that occasionally flashed through her mind at critical moments in every race—the rushing wind, the burning track, the extreme desire for victory; she remembered what her mother, Brilliant Radiance, had once inadvertently mentioned, that her body also carried the soul of the former Uma Musume, Wind Chaser.