Her own breathing, which should have been insignificant, drowned out the roar of the crowd. On the track of Nakayama Racecourse, Celestial Weave closed her eyes, her heart pounding wildly. It felt as if even the rain had turned into a rising flame, about to melt her.
All the effort, all the sacrifice, everything she had gone through to get to this point would end here.
Nervous? Of course.
Afraid? There was no need for that anymore.
Before T.M. Opera O had thrown down the gauntlet, Celestial Weave, dejected by her potential assessment, had even considered giving up on the Satsuki Sho and focusing on the Japan Derby at Tokyo Racecourse. If it rained on the day of the Derby, then a fully triggered Tokyo Rain Swift might give her a chance of winning. For the her of that time, that was perhaps the only winning strategy she could think of.
If it hadn't been for T.M. Opera O's confrontation, which was half pressure and half encouragement, she might have really run away from this race. But now she understood. Saint-King Halo and Isami Mai, her best teachers, had shown her that running away only leads to more running away. Only by throwing herself into the fight with all her heart did she have a chance of winning.
It was the same as when she had faced Tokai Teio. Only by giving up everything could she possibly gain everything. The long time span of the scenario world had made her forget this, but fortunately, she had finally rediscovered that feeling.
Could she really activate her Domain? She didn't know.
And even if she did, could she really win? She didn't know.
What if she burned through everything and still couldn't win?
Then she would burn through everything first and worry about it later.
Breathe out, breathe in. Every breath felt like a burning fire in her lungs. The raindrops hitting her body had none of the coolness of spring rain, only the searing heat of molten iron. Her heart was pounding. She was the fuel for the furnace of her own body. The result would be an unparalleled eruption.
When she opened her eyes, all the other horse girls shivered. A sharp, grating sound, like the drawing of a sword, echoed in their ears. Their instincts roared with a frantic warning—
Something is coming.
In the distance, T.M. Opera O, who had been waving to the audience, suddenly broke into a wild grin. The carefree, mischievous girl was gone. On the track, there was only the Hegemon King.
A heavy pressure, as if it could bring the very sky to its knees, descended. The other horse girls, still reeling from the sound of the drawn sword, were immediately hit by an extremely strong gravitational force. Shoulders, spine, legs—the suffocating pressure forced some of the less resilient horse girls to bend over, panting, their heads bowed towards the grass.
On the left, a drawn blade.
On the right, the authority of a king.
Although the race had not yet officially begun, the first batch of losers had already been decided. All the horse girls who had subconsciously bowed their heads to escape the pressure, to catch their breath, would become the first sacrifices of the Satsuki Sho. They would become fuel, sacrifices for the stage, their failures making the winner shine even brighter.
Narita Top Road pressed her lips together. She carried the expectations of her friends, her trainer. The Satsuki Sho, as the opening race of the classic Triple Crown, was something all horse girls longed for. She was no exception. She had trained for today for who knows how long. So, even in the face of powerful opponents, in the face of the suffocating heat and pressure, she had to fight for the championship. Even with her gentle personality, she was still a horse girl. She also craved that moment of glory.
Admire Vega clenched her fists. The water droplets running down her face were indistinguishable from rain or sweat. Carrying the mission of atoning for her sister, she could not fail. No matter how strong, how suffocating her opponents were, she had to become a first-class star shining in the sky, together with her sister.
Outside the track, the excited audience and the passionate commentators created a scene of fiery enthusiasm. Inside the track, the heavy pressure from Celestial Weave and T.M. Opera O plunged the turf into a deathly silence.
Time seemed to drag on for everyone.
"All racers, to your gates!"
Finally, after introducing all the contestants, commentator Akasaka announced the start. Many of the horse girls let out a sigh of relief. Some patted their cheeks, some clenched their fists and muttered to themselves. But no matter what they did, they all eventually took a step, as if having made a decision, and walked towards the starting gates.
"Mr. Sugimoto, who are you rooting for in this race?" As the contestants began to enter the gates, the two commentators kept the atmosphere lively with some casual chat.
"It has to be Celestial Weave. After all, she has an undefeated record," the middle-aged man replied in a calm voice.
"A very rational choice. As expected of you, Mr. Sugimoto."
"But the second favorite, Narita Top Road, and the third favorite, Admire Vega, are not to be underestimated either. From the debut race to the Yayoi Sho, we can see that the gap between them and Celestial Weave has been getting smaller and smaller." As a commentator, Ms. Akasaka couldn't let the winner be so certain, otherwise it would be difficult to pique the audience's curiosity. So, being the professional she was, she immediately brought them up.
"Indeed. Perhaps this Satsuki Sho will be a classic three-way battle," Mr. Sugimoto said. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "However, I've personally noticed another contestant."
"Oh? And which horse girl would that be?" Ms. Akasaka immediately picked up the thread.
"The fifth favorite, T.M. Opera O."
"T.M. Opera O? I remember her best result is the championship of the G3 Mainichi Hai."
"Yes, but I feel there's a strange aura about her."
The commentators, after all, were not horse girls. Standing outside the track, they couldn't perceive the changing dynamics on the field. They could only judge a horse girl's strength based on her results and speed. But there were always some sharp commentators who could sense things that an ordinary observer couldn't, through intuition and experience.
When most of the audience was focused on Celestial Weave, Narita Top Road, and Admire Vega, the guest commentator named Kentaro Sugimoto, with his years of experience and sharp intuition, as someone outside the race, had vaguely sensed the true nature of the horse girl named T.M. Opera O.
The form of the Hegemon King of the Century's End would be truly revealed to the world in this Satsuki Sho.
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