Often, giving it your all just isn't enough for an Uma Musume to win a race.
To seize that final glory, they must push through exhausted muscles, embrace the pain, and rely on a burning desire for victory to reach their absolute [limit].
And that power, the one called the limit, was something Shinzan hadn't felt in a very long time.
Ever since she had fully realized her prodigious talent, none of her opponents had been able to pose the slightest threat to her.
Before her vast, sky-devouring Zone, every rival had met only one fate: defeat.
But now, facing the cursed blade of Dream Weaver, even someone as formidable as Shinzan felt immense pressure.
A sharp, stinging pain radiating from her Zone served as a constant warning—if she didn't pour all her strength into maintaining it, that cursed blade would pierce her heart in the next instant.
In such a desperate situation, the only way to turn the tables was for Shinzan to find that power known as the limit.
Yet, an Uma Musume's strength is like rowing against the current; you either advance or fall back.
Having been away from the track for so long, even if Shinzan could train her body back to its prime through sheer, awe-inspiring talent, something within her heart had long been worn away by the mechanical, day-in, day-out grind of her work.
Just moments ago, she had been contemplating how best to lose to Dream Weaver.
This competitive fire had been reignited only in the last dozen seconds.
In such a short span of time, could she truly reclaim that state of being?
Shinzan took a deep breath. Darkness swam before her eyes, and all she could hear was the sound of the raging wind whipping across the track.
If anything could transport her back to her past self in this instant, it would have to be divine protection.
But her previous departure from the racing world was, without a doubt, an abandonment of the god who had cherished her.
Now, at this critical moment, would that deity—the god of racing and competition who had always sheltered her—still extend a helping hand?
The answer—
Of course, it would.
Shinzan's eyes snapped open.
An unprecedented light erupted within her amber-hued pupils.
In that instant, all the weariness and loss borne from worldly pressures vanished from her sight.
The scenery twisted in the blur of extreme speed.
It was still the Kyoto Racecourse, still the Kikuka-shō, but to Shinzan's eyes, it seemed subtly different, as if she had been pulled back into the past.
Right now, in Shinzan's view, this was not the place she had chosen for her own lonely decline.
This was the Origin, the very foundation from which the Uma Musume named Shinzan had risen to her pinnacle.
It was here that the brilliant, spirited young girl who wanted to change everything had lifted her first Triple Crown trophy.
And now, Shinzan had found that girl again.
Her radiant white Zone, now almost tangible, expanded explosively.
An unprecedented surge of power coursed through her limbs. The turf beneath her feet cracked and splintered under the oppressive might of her aura.
Extreme speed transformed into a howling gale, like the wrath of a god.
Shinzan's white form shot forward, dragging a stream of light across the track, and in an instant, she overtook Dream Weaver running beside her.
The fissure torn in her Zone by the cursed blade was now rapidly being sealed by a torrent of white light, once again enveloping the heavens.
To the many Uma Musume watching, it appeared as if divine punishment had descended upon the mortal realm.
"Oh god, dance with me once more!"
Shinzan cried out aloud.
This Uma Musume, whose very name meant 'even the gods sing her praises,' lived up to it once again, receiving the deity's blessing.
The white radiance surged toward Dream Weaver like an angry tidal wave.
The nameless blade in Dream Weaver's hand trembled violently under the Zone's assault.
She channeled every ounce of power from her Second Wind into the demonic sword in an instant, yet it still could not withstand the crushing force of what seemed like divine wrath.
Dizzying pain erupted continuously from her brain.
Even as Dream Weaver bit down desperately on the tip of her tongue to cling to reason, she couldn't stop the power of this divine retribution from pushing her, inch by inch, toward the abyss.
Before such raw, simple, and overwhelming power—a force akin to a natural disaster—Dream Weaver felt as fragile as a small boat in a stormy sea.
One misstep, and she would be capsized and shattered by the wind and waves!
This was Shinzan's limit. Without a doubt, she was the most terrifying opponent Dream Weaver had ever faced.
"Shinzan! Shinzan can accelerate again?! Just what kind of race will this Kikuka-shō become before they're satisfied?!"
Commentator Kimura's hands, gripping the microphone, were slick with sweat, but he had no capacity to spare for anything else.
His eyes were fixed on the track where the situation had shifted once more, and he shouted with all his might, his voice hoarse.
This Kikuka-shō had already given him too many shocks.
After multiple bouts of yelling, heedless of his throat's well-being, his voice had long since become rough and grating.
Seeing his partner's strained state, Commentator Matsushita beside him immediately reached for the water bottle on the desk.
But his own hands, trembling with shock, couldn't even hold the bottle steady. He fumbled it clumsily into his partner's lap.
Matsushita, however, had no time to worry about such trivialities now.
With Kimura's voice giving out from all the impassioned shouting, it was his turn to step up.
Matsushita swallowed hard with some difficulty, gritted his teeth to sort through the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and with immense effort, pieced together the current situation before speaking.
"At this moment, the leader Shinzan holds a lead of approximately three lengths over the second-place Dream Weaver! All other competitors have been left far behind and no longer pose any threat of overtaking!"
As he said this, Matsushita couldn't help but furrow his brows.
This could no longer be described as employing any particular tactic.
They were simply desperately pushing their speed, again and again, solely to surpass the Uma Musume running beside them.
What was unfolding now was less a race where two Uma Musume were vying for victory with a front-running strategy, and more like a mutual slaughter on the stage known as the Kikuka-shō.
How could a race be so utterly decisive, so brutally intense?
He swallowed another mouthful of saliva with his parched throat, silently marveling to himself.
But Matsushita knew he didn't have time to dwell in shock. He continued, addressing the fiercely contested track.
"Now, the two Uma Musume have crossed the uphill straight between the second and third corners! The change in terrain hasn't affected their speed in the slightest. It seems the third corner will be pierced through just like this!"
"The final 400-meter straight is right before them! Shinzan's speed keeps increasing! She's now pulled ahead of Dream Weaver by nearly five lengths!"
Even as Matsushita provided commentary, Shinzan on the track accelerated once more. He took a deep breath and mustered the greatest force of his life to shout into the microphone.
"The decisive moment is here! Will Shinzan maintain her lead and charge all the way to the end, or can Dream Weaver stage a dramatic reversal and overtake her?!"
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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.