Amidst Dream Weaver's deafening roar, Shinzan felt a sudden blurring of vision as scenes from the past flashed before her eyes.
It was a memory she thought had long faded into the depths of her mind—utterly ordinary, just a few companions running wild across a grassy field.
That chaotic, rule-free dash was nothing more than child's play, hardly worth remembering at all.
In Shinzan's life, there were many races imbued with profound meaning.
Her first true test against a European prodigy, where she washed away past shame, or the later Triple Crown races she ran to become Japan's first triple champion—all carried far more weight than that playful sprint.
She still had a Triple Crown title to defend.
She needed to keep stacking victories to make herself more exceptional.
Every race was loaded with immense significance, and to chase those goals, Shinzan had to win every single time.
And so it was for all the Uma Musume raised in the European system.
Each had their own reasons for needing victory—to raise their clearance level, to reach a grander stage, or simply because they'd accepted the Association's offered olive branch.
One reason after another pushed them onto the track.
In this seemingly endless cycle, the very meaning of stepping onto the field became twisted bit by bit.
Over time, everyone forgot why they'd started racing in the first place, thinking only of what they could gain by winning the next race.
To Shinzan, this Kikuka-shō wasn't really any different from those other significant races.
Before, she needed to win the Triple Crown to establish her uniqueness.
Now, she was choosing to lose this race so Dream Weaver could become her successor.
Once the essence of the race itself was diluted, all Shinzan ever thought about was what fruit victory—or defeat—would bear.
That rule-free, consequence-free, game-like run, existing only in her early memories, had naturally faded for lack of meaning.
But now, Shinzan suddenly remembered it.
Remembered why she had run back then.
Not to prove anything after winning.
Not to gain anything.
She wanted to win.
Simply driven by raw competitiveness and a desire to best the rival beside her, to be the first across the line, to taste that thing called victory.
If this memory had surfaced earlier, Shinzan would have scoffed at it.
Wanting to win just out of competitiveness was childish.
Not calculating the impacts of victory or the consequences of defeat, stepping onto the track purely out of rivalry—that was far too frivolous.
That was the foundation of the European training system, the first lesson every Uma Musume heard upon entering the camp:
Succeed in the challenge, and your status and power rise.
Fail, and you lose what you currently have.
Only by balancing risk and reward could Uma Musume be driven to desperately grow stronger, to train harder for the prize of victory.
As a prodigious talent, Shinzan never needed to calculate those risks.
For her, entering a race only ever led to one outcome: Victory.
But after living within this system for so many years, she had unconsciously absorbed its principles into her very instincts. Before entering any race, she would calculate what she stood to gain.
This Kikuka-shō was the same. Rather than winning herself, it was clearly more important for Dream Weaver to take the victory and claim the Triple Crown.
Yet, hearing Dream Weaver's furious roar through their Zone link and recalling that long-forgotten memory, Shinzan's heart involuntarily gave a fierce thump.
That long-lost, pure competitive fire flooded her chest once more, as if all those calculations suddenly didn't matter.
Compared to achieving some so-called perfect ending, she now felt a fiercer desire—to beat Dream Weaver herself.
'I see now…'
'So this is what you were truly trying to do.'
Shinzan murmured at blistering speed, her amber eyes blazing with light.
In that moment, she felt a flicker of understanding toward Dream Weaver.
More than overthrowing the European racing world's dominance, what Dream Weaver truly cared about was whether an Uma Musume could run according to her own will.
Toppling the absolute authority of European racing was merely a necessary step to let Uma Musume run free.
In Dream Weaver's eyes, Shinzan—unable to choose freedom because of that very system—was perhaps no different from other Uma Musume barred from the track.
All were forced to change by Europe's authority.
So Dream Weaver would rather discard this twisted victory than fail to awaken the pure competitive spirit buried deep within Shinzan.
At that thought, the corner of Shinzan's mouth lifted. She gazed at the crimson streak of light ahead and whispered,
"What a fool."
"But… I don't hate a fool like this!"
"Show me your power, Dream Weaver!"
The next instant, her presence erupted.
Time and space seemed to freeze.
The spectators surrounding the track vanished from perception.
In every Uma Musume's eyes, there was only that sacred, blinding stream of white light.
Scorching radiance instantly swept across the entire course, like a god descending from the heavens. Its mere existence made many Uma Musume tremble uncontrollably.
They had long abandoned any hope of victory, settling for aiming third behind Shinzan and Dream Weaver, already left far behind by the pair.
Yet, the moment Shinzan's Zone fully erupted, their hearts seemed to stop. Their bodies shuddered instinctively, as if sensing some indescribable, superior presence.
The urge to submit—a primal, instinctive fear of danger buried in all living beings.
Shinzan, merely by standing on this track, had awakened that instinct.
Now, they finally understood what it meant to be the world's strongest Uma Musume. They understood why Shinzan was called the End of the Road.
Having witnessed the eruption of Shinzan's Zone, they could no longer imagine any Uma Musume in this world surpassing her. Her presence on the track represented the very limit of an Uma Musume's path.
Even those lagging far behind, almost indistinguishable from spectators, could feel this terrifying might.
Then, the pressure borne by Dream Weaver—mere meters away from Shinzan—could only be more horrifying.
Dream Weaver's mind went blank, as if drowned by that all-consuming light.
But in the next instant, catching a glimpse of the white streak pulling past her from the corner of her eye, Dream Weaver bit down hard on her already bloodied lip, using the pain to claw her thoughts back into focus.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.