The rain over Nakayama Racecourse seemed to be split apart by two shooting stars. Golden and crimson trails tore through the slick turf, creating waves of scorching air.
Commentator Akasaka screamed into the now-hot microphone, "T.M. Opera O! T.M. Opera O is catching up! She's caught up to Celestial Weave!"
Two streaks of light, one gold and one red, raced down the track with a speed that seemed to tear through the very fabric of the rain. Seeing the two figures running almost perfectly parallel, not just the audience, but the commentators too felt their blood boil. This neck-and-neck race, this suspense—what could possibly stir the heart more than a scene like this?
"But—Celestial Weave isn't falling behind! She's caught up again! One hundred meters to the finish line! Who will be the champion of this Satsuki Sho?!" Akasaka's voice was hoarse from shouting, but it couldn't stop her from conveying the passion welling up from the bottom of her heart to the audience.
At Nakayama Racecourse, countless spectators, while shouting and cheering, stared intently at the track, wanting to witness the conclusion of this scene. The stands were in a frenzy. A middle-aged man in the front row tore open his expensive shirt and waved the fabric like a battle flag. A girl with glasses gripped the railing so tightly that her lenses fogged up from her hot breath. Children sat on their fathers' shoulders, their small hands clutching support flags, forgotten, their clear eyes reflecting only the two entangled figures.
At this point in the race, there were no longer fans of one or the other. To have witnessed this scene, no matter who lifted the trophy, the audience would be filled with an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
"Go! Yume!" Saint-King Halo gripped her sleeves tightly. From the moment the two had started their mad dash, she had poured her entire being into the race. All her cowardice, confusion, and evasion had been shattered by the thunderous steps on the track. The thrill of the race, the thrill of brilliance, drove her heart. She couldn't even tell if this heart belonged to her or to the racetrack itself.
In this moment, she was no longer burdened by the duty of being an older sister, no longer carrying the responsibility of becoming a first-class horse girl. She just wanted to witness with her own eyes this brilliant moment of her sister's.
Tears streamed down Isami Mai's face. She wiped them away, bewildered. Am I crying? Even though she was just watching, even though her rational mind couldn't comprehend it all, her emotions had caused the tears to flow unconsciously.
Looking at the red figure on the track, the tears flowed uncontrollably, no matter how much she tried to wipe them away. The child she had watched grow up, the child with ordinary talent, was now bursting with such a dazzling light through her own efforts. Feeling the presence of the Domain from the track, feeling the will contained within it, she could no longer hold back her tears.
In a daze, she remembered what her daughter had said to her in the coffee shop yesterday, those shining eyes as if right before her. "So... dazzling."
"Your brilliance."
Amidst the cheering crowd, Isami Mai choked out the words to herself.
On the track, Celestial Weave felt every muscle, every bone in her body trembling. Every step was like carrying a thousand pounds. Even her vision was gradually blurring under the terrifying pressure. That was the Domain of the Hegemon King of the Century's End. A golden light flashed around T.M. Opera O like a thunderbolt. With every step she took, the entire racecourse seemed to bow before this natural-born king.
Tempered by extreme pressure, she had successfully broken through her own shackles, blooming with the brilliant light of a Domain. And as her strongest opponent, T.M. Opera O had also completed her own awakening in this mutual激荡of pressure. For this born king, this Hegemon King, the awakening of her Domain was a destined coronation, as natural as the moon in the sky.
Celestial Weave had been prepared for this. So even though she was enduring an unimaginable pressure, even though every inch of her body was screaming, she still managed a smile, though it was contorted by pain. "So this is a Hegemon King."
As if sensing her thoughts, T.M. Opera O beside her also tore her lips into a grin. She, too, was being affected by her rival's Domain and was not having an easy time. "Ha! Ha! Ha! My rival, this is why you and I are destined to be rivals!"
"Look! The audience is cheering for our brilliance! This is our glory!"
In Celestial Weave's vision, the entire world had shrunk to just the track before her and that purple and gold figure. In this space, isolated from the world, the frequency of their heartbeats gradually synchronized. The exchange of thoughts didn't even require words.
"...Our...s?"
"T.M. Opera O, can glory be shared between two people?"
Her response sounded directly in her mind. "You have that right."
"Why?"
The racing Hegemon King's lips curled. The gems on her crown refracted a dazzling light in the rain. "Because—" her thoughts carried an unquestionable authority. "—you are the Hegemon King's rival!"
Even though they were chasing the finish line, even though the race was not yet over, their mental exchange showed no trace of intense competition. It was as if they were just chatting normally.
Her vision was getting blurrier, her thoughts were becoming sluggish. Dragging this body that was now just a glowing ember, she asked, "T.M. Opera O? Why do you want to win?"
"Why?" The Hegemon King's wild laughter exploded in her mind. "Hahahahahaha!"
"As the Hegemon King, does winning, such a natural thing, require a reason?!"
Feeling the scorching fighting spirit from beside her, a resolute curve appeared on Celestial Weave's lips. She poured the last of her strength into her legs, like throwing the last log into the furnace. "No victory is ever a given."
"T.M. Opera O, I will win."
Before the words had faded, the black and red figure suddenly tore through the curtain of rain. The immense pressure of the Hegemon King's Domain seemed to vanish in this moment. Every step she took kicked up a fan-shaped spray of water, the red ribbon trailing behind her like a scorching trail.
"What—" T.M. Opera O's pupils contracted violently. She watched as the figure that should have been suppressed pushed forward against the force of her Domain. The rain blurred her vision. On the gray track, all she could see was that dazzling red streak of light, like a drawn sword, tearing a rift in the territory ruled by the Hegemon King.
Outside the track, the commentary box was in a frenzy. Commentator Akasaka's microphone was filled with static from her excited movements, but the passionate words coming from it were enough to drown it all out. "Thirty meters left! These will be a historic thirty meters! Who will become the champion of the Satsuki Sho?!"
Mr. Sugimoto tore off his tie, the veins on his forehead bulging. The usually articulate man was now stammering with excitement. "Is it T.M. Opera O! Is it Celestial Weave! T.M. Opera O?! Celestial Weave?!"
Besides the commentators, the entire Nakayama Racecourse fell into a strange silence. It was as if even the sound of the falling rain was clearly audible. Tens of thousands of spectators held their breath, their countless eyes glued to the final result that was about to be displayed on the track.
"Celestial Weave! It's Celestial Weave! She's accelerating again!"
"She's passed T.M. Opera O! The lead is growing, still growing! Ten meters! Five meters! She's crossed! The finish line is crossed!"
"The winner is—"
"Celestial Weave!"
With a loud crash, a buzz came from the microphone. It seemed the commentator had thrown it in her excitement. But that didn't matter. The buzz would be drowned out by the passion of the audience.
Like a lit powder keg, the roar that erupted from the stands made the very rain seem to pause. The spectators in the front row frantically pounded on the railings. People in the back hugged each other and jumped. Someone even threw their support flag into the air in excitement. People were pushed together, but who cared about that at a time like this?
The roar of Nakayama Racecourse surged like a tide, cheers and shouts weaving into a sea of fire. In this deafening roar, Celestial Weave, her consciousness already fading, finally caught in a daze the mechanical prompt she had been longing to hear.
"Main mission complete."
The moment the words fell, T.M. Opera O, who had just crossed the finish line, gasped for breath. Dragging her tired but still upright body, she slowly walked over to her side. "Hah—" She let out a long breath, sweat trickling down her cheeks, but it couldn't hide the sparkle in her eyes.
"Amazing... as expected of my... ri... val?"
Her voice suddenly froze. Her pupils contracted violently in the rain, reflecting the slowly falling figure.
-------
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