The blade remained mostly sheathed, yet its chilling gleam was unstoppable.
Even the faintest edge of that released sharpness was enough to make every Uma Musume standing before Dream Weaver shiver to the bone.
The moment she entered the final stretch, Dream Weaver had poured all of her remaining stamina into the cursed blade.
As her strength bottomed out, a second wind triggered. Her S+-level Guts, untainted by the curse, made power—seemingly limitless—surge through her limbs once more.
'It's coming!'
Sakura Chitose O's pupils contracted violently.
An extreme terror, like iron chains, twisted and shattered her heart.
Under the protection of her newly awakened zone, she barely managed to swerve from her path just before being severed, narrowly evading the crimson arc of light.
Yet, even though only the edge of the blade's aura had grazed her, Sakura Chitose O felt as if she had been cleanly cut in two.
The entire side of her body closest to Dream Weaver suddenly went numb and weak; even her footsteps became unsteady and faltering.
Fortunately, she had already entered the final straightaway, so she wouldn't be thrown off by centrifugal force from that momentary weakness. But it also allowed that red streak of light to instantly blaze past her.
However, at this moment, there wasn't a shred of regret in Sakura Chitose O's heart for being overtaken.
She even felt a sense of luck. If she hadn't just awakened her zone and gained its protection, there was no way she could have dodged that slash.
Sakura Chitose O let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
The cherry blossom patterns in her eyes, which had dimmed momentarily from the blade's glare, gradually solidified again.
With the terrifying threat from behind now gone, a light returned to her gaze.
She lifted her head, wanting to see how the other competitors had fared against that slash.
Though, Sakura Chitose O could already guess. Even she, with her awakened zone, had only managed a desperate, narrow escape. Those without zones wouldn't even have had time to react.
Under that stunning crimson streak, their only fate was to be cut down.
Sure enough, the instant Sakura Chitose O looked forward, she saw several Uma Musume with ashen faces bending over, as if the very strength to run had been severed from them. Sakura Chitose O hadn't even accelerated much before she found herself overtaking them.
Witnessing their nearly broken wills and pitiful state, Sakura Chitose O swallowed hard. The saliva in her mouth, mid-sprint, carried an unbearable metallic taste, as if Dream Weaver had truly severed something vital within her.
But luckily, she had ultimately dodged the blade.
'There can be no more opponents left before her. The only one who can match her is Narita Brian!'
Sakura Chitose O sighed inwardly. Compared to those two monsters, even with her awakened zone, she couldn't hope to confront them directly.
If she wanted to seize victory in the Autumn Tenno Sho, her only chance was to wait until the two of them had worn each other out.
And as it happened, having dodged that slash thanks to her zone, Sakura Chitose O still had strength in reserve.
Compared to the other runners who were doomed to be cut down by Dream Weaver, she still held a sliver of possibility.
Endure! Only by enduring could she possibly snatch the championship from their grasp!
Pursing her lips, Sakura Chitose O steeled her resolve. She had endured for so long.
Despite possessing G1-level ability, she had always fallen just short. Amidst the sighs of her supporters and her own regrets, she had raced on this stage for years.
She had even thought of retiring countless times, yet she persevered, persevered all the way to today, to the Tokyo Racecourse.
Enduring through agony was Sakura Chitose O's greatest specialty. This time, she would use all the pent-up frustration accumulated over the years as fuel to move forward. She would use her unyielding perseverance to seize the Autumn Tenno Sho for herself!
As this thought solidified, the cherry blossoms in her eyes bloomed more vibrantly than ever.
She knew the nature of cherry blossoms all too well: a long period of dormancy, only for a fleeting moment of brilliance. From glorious bloom to withered decay often takes no more than seven days.
And now, Sakura Chitose O could feel it clearly—the most radiant moment of her life was approaching.
"It's Northern Dreams! Northern Dreams is accelerating!"
"So fast! She overtook the others almost instantly!"
Akasaka Rin didn't even have time to respond to her partner before she saw Dream Weaver, who had been lagging at the back of the pack, streak forward like a crimson blade.
In the blink of an eye, she cut down the Uma Musume before her, leaving them behind. Before Rin could even process it, Dream Weaver had already surged past everyone and was right on Narita Brian's heels.
"Genuine, Ayrton Symboli, Toyo Lyphard... they've all lost speed!"
Sugimoto Kentaro also had no time to cheer for Dream Weaver, as the situation on the track was changing too rapidly.
Several highly anticipated Uma Musume had collectively lost their momentum and dropped back the moment Dream Weaver made her charge, their chances of victory utterly gone. As a professional commentator, he had to immediately explain the current situation to the live and television audience.
"Narita Brian still holds the lead, but the gap between her and second-place Northern Dreams is shrinking rapidly! A mere two or three lengths is almost negligible at this speed!"
"And in third place is Sakura Chitose O! She also adopted a stalking strategy and didn't falter like the others. After Northern Dreams accelerated, she picked up her pace as well, now following steadily behind Northern Dreams and Narita Brian, waiting for her opportunity!"
Sugimoto Kentaro's eyes swept across the track, instantly grasping the situation.
Narita Brian and Dream Weaver were battling for the win, while Sakura Chitose O was looking for an opening in the aftermath of their clash.
"Only 300 meters left to the finish line! Who will seize the glory of the Autumn Tenno Sho?!"
The spectators' hearts leapt into their throats at Sugimoto Kentaro's words.
The Tokyo Racecourse, just moments ago filled with cheers, now fell silent, occupied only by the sound of heavy, expectant breathing.
Now, conversation was unnecessary; cheers would be meaningless noise. Everything happening before their eyes was the center of the world. Everyone stared wide-eyed, fixated on the track, on those few figures.
On the track, Sakura Chitose O also stared intently at the two before her. Dream Weaver's cursed blade had already been unleashed once. Narita Brian's zone was already active. In these final 300 meters, they would decide the winner.
And this... this was her chance.
But before Sakura Chitose O could even wait for them to make their moves, she suddenly realized Dream Weaver's presence was still intensifying. The sharp, cutting wind had solidified, scraping against her cheeks like a blade's edge, yet she felt no pain.
No... This isn't right! Something's wrong! Why is her presence still rising?!
A cold sweat instantly drenched Sakura Chitose O's back. An idea so absurd it felt laughable crawled into her mind.
That slash... had it not even been fully drawn yet?!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.