The spectators, utterly absorbed in the race, had no attention to spare for the commentator's words.
They subconsciously tightened their grips on whatever they held, eyes locked on the track, unwilling to miss the slightest shift.
The stands were now filled only with the sounds of fabric straining under tense grips and heavy breathing. In this fraught atmosphere, Richard lifted his long-broken glasses and murmured toward the track.
"Five lengths… that should be the maximum distance Dream Weaver can sustain."
Hearing this, Anthony beside him startled, jolted back to reality. He manually pushed his slack jaw back into place before asking.
"How so?"
"The stronger an Uma Musume's physical prowess, the harder it is to refine it further. Once training lapses, regression is immediate."
"Even if Shinzan is a heaven-sent genius who could return to her peak in a few months, Dream Weaver is also a peerless talent. The gap in their physical capabilities shouldn't be that vast…"
Richard made his judgment based on his own experience and his impression of Dream Weaver.
"So, the only reason Shinzan could pull that far ahead of Dream Weaver must be the power of her 'Zone'!"
"The Association has reviewed Shinzan's past races, consulting many Uma Musume who once shared the track with her. Their answers were surprisingly consistent—"
"Facing Shinzan's Zone felt like facing a deity. It completely crushed any will to resist."
As he spoke, Richard lowered the glasses he'd held before his eyes and sighed.
"We're outside the track. We can't truly understand what a 'Zone' is. But according to them, Shinzan's Zone must be unbelievably powerful."
After listening, Anthony couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Even that Dream Weaver…"
"Yes…"
"Even she can't withstand it."
Richard sighed again. He could already see Dream Weaver's defeat.
Yet, for some reason, he felt no joy at all.
It was Dream Weaver's emergence that had disrupted his life's plans, casting his once bright future into fog. He should be laughing as she failed.
But now, he didn't even have the strength to lift his glasses for a clearer view.
Bearing these intensely conflicted emotions, Richard whispered low.
"So, in the end, the butterfly cannot fly across the sea…"
Similarly, all those who held Dream Weaver in their regard sighed at this moment. As the final stretch drew nearer, the five-length gap between Dream Weaver and Shinzan showed no sign of closing.
Was it truly over?
Looking back now, these past few months felt like a dream. From an Uma Musume no one noticed at the Satsuki Sho, she became the generation's brightest new star.
With victory at the Japanese Derby, she ignited a global wave of resistance against the European Racing Association.
Time and again, miracles led many to believe the story deserved a perfect ending.
But now, facing Shinzan—revered as standing atop the world, who single-handedly proved the superiority of the European training system—could she ultimately not triumph?
Those present, those before televisions, people across the world sighed silently.
They would not demand more. As an Uma Musume with just one year since her debut, her story was already legendary enough. Yet, that tinge of regret in their hearts remained unresolved.
Just like Richard's murmured words, they clearly understood the butterfly cannot cross the sea, but still could not bear to witness that moment arrive.
Yet, just as everyone inwardly sighed and resigned themselves—
On the track, staring at the white light that nearly filled her vision, Dream Weaver still did not give up.
The boost from Kindling Flames was receding as her vitality waned. Even with the Phoenix skill enhancing her fortitude, the power from her second wind was nearing its limit.
The tools she possessed had long since expended their effects. Even the Cursed Blade, always considered her final weapon, was submerged by the white radiance that seemed to devour the sky.
All means exhausted, the distance between her and Shinzan remained a despairing five lengths.
How similar this was to her very first debut race against Tokai Teio.
Then, too, she had given everything, only to be rewarded with the despair of watching that back pull steadily away.
Her weakening heartbeat and cramping muscles screamed that her body had reached its limit.
The taste of blood rising from her throat flooded her mind, nearly drowning her, staining the blankness behind her eyes a deep, thick red.
Even burning more vitality through Burning New Fire could not produce new power now. Her body simply could not support it anymore.
Five seconds, perhaps three, and she would collapse completely from exhaustion.
Squinting her eyes, Dream Weaver thought to herself. Now, she could see nothing but that white radiance.
She had reached this state about ten seconds ago. Back then, she still harbored hope that Phoenix—now upgraded to a purple skill—might trigger a hidden effect, granting her strength to fight on.
But it seemed even this state could not trigger it.
Legends say the Phoenix undergoes Nirvana after death, emerging stronger.
In the eyes of such a divine bird, my current state must still fall far short of death.
Dream Weaver slowly closed her eyes. What she would do next was also a first—pouring every last ounce of her vitality into Kindling Flames all at once.
In previous script worlds, she had used Kindling Flames, but always within limits, ensuring she would awaken again after the race.
She did not know if pouring everything in would make her collapse on the spot.
Moreover, Kindling Flames could no longer provide power no matter how much vitality she burned.
It would only make her fall faster.
However, Dream Weaver's ultimate skill was not Kindling Flames. It was Phoenix.
She wanted to gamble once. The wager was everything she had accumulated in this script world, and her hope of saving her mother.
The prize would be the Phoenix's rebirth from the ashes of utterly exhausted vitality.
This was her only, her sole, path to victory now.
"Death… I've experienced it before. I should be able to do it well this time too."
Dream Weaver closed her eyes and whispered.
"I will stake everything I have…"
"…to buy that one possibility of victory!"
The instant her words fell, Kindling Flames activated at full force.
Already parched vitality was cast once more into the raging flames. Dream Weaver felt her entire being set ablaze, her very consciousness splintering amidst boundless agony.
Yet even so, she clung to a single thought, maintaining the barest shred of reason, preventing immediate collapse.
'I will… save… Mother!'
'I must… I absolutely must… win this race!!'
Accompanying her heart's cry was the system's cold, mechanical prompt.
[[Stamina] Breakthrough successful.]
[[Nirvana] has been triggered.]
--+--
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.