A familiar pressure, emanating from the unleashed Zones of five Triple Crown Uma Musume, instantly weighed down upon Mr. C.B.
Her chest tightened, her brow furrowed deeply, and her once-fluid stride ground to a halt.
This was the intensity of five Triple Crown Uma Musume combining their Zones. Even Mr. C.B., having reached the peak condition of her life, had no choice but to stop her advance.
Yet, in Mr. C.B.'s eyes at that moment, there was none of the fear the leading Triple Crown Uma Musume had hoped to see!
'This familiar oppressive feeling… I see… So this is the kind of Zone one awakens within the confines of the training camp system.'
Because of the Zones' connection, the leading triple-crown Uma Musume ahead could vaguely sense her thoughts.
Seeing Mr. C.B.'s speed decrease, she felt her judgment had been correct—Mr. C.B., who had fled the training camp, couldn't possibly withstand such pressure. A smug smile unconsciously curled her lips.
"Hmph, just a loser who couldn't handle the pressure and quit. Even awakening a Zone amounts to nothing in the end!"
"Mr. C.B., this is where you stop!"
Mr. C.B. didn't respond. She simply closed her eyes.
Seeing her like this, the other triple-crown Uma Musume naturally assumed she was out of options. Their morale surged instantly, and the shock caused by Mr. C.B.'s sudden Zone outburst settled.
But just as they dismissed Mr. C.B. as no longer a threat, through the Zone's link, they suddenly heard her voice.
"How dull. Just like the world constructed by European Uma Musume Racing—every race reeks of the same sameness. And now, even Zones have become the same?"
'Foolish fillies… this isn't what they should be.'
The leading Triple Crown Uma Musume flew into a rage upon hearing this and couldn't help but rebuke through the Zone's mental link.
"What right does a mere failure have to judge the victors?!"
"Victors?"
"Twisting your ideals, reshaping your wings, molding yourselves into what they prefer—is that what you call victors?!"
Mr. C.B.'s eyes snapped open, a rare fire blazing in those clear blue irises.
Her words only infuriated the leading triple-crown Uma Musume further. She would never allow the ideals she had fought for so many years to be refuted by Mr. C.B.
"But I won! We won! Glory, applause, the spotlight—we fought our way out from countless Uma Musume to become triple-crown champions! Even the European Racing Association has to look at us differently now!"
"Winning is winning!"
"How does that not make us victors?!"
Mr. C.B. lifted her head, her gaze piercing through the several triple-crown Uma Musume before her, locking directly onto the leader.
"Even as their claws and fangs?"
"Then we are the claws and fangs of victors!"
The leading triple-crown Uma Musume was now speaking recklessly.
For the sake of what she had upheld, the reason she had come this far—this victory—she didn't mind calling herself a claw or fang.
"Then we will sever you, their claws and fangs, and see how they raise their blades against the European racing world that twisted you and wielded you!"
The moment her words fell, Mr. C.B.'s speed skyrocketed.
With absolute resolve, she charged straight into the defensive line formed by the combined Zones of the five Triple Crown Uma Musume.
No tactics, no set path.
Under such horrifying, overwhelming suppression, even with Mr. C.B.'s Zone fully unleashed, it couldn't guide her direction as it had against the others before.
But the so-called wind, aside from being formless, untraceable, and elusive, also possesses formidable destructive power. Once a raging gale rises, everything is swept into its violent turbulence.
And at this moment, Mr. C.B. was charging at the five Triple Crown Uma Musume with the fury of such a gale.
"Reckless! Foolish! Do you think you alone can tear apart the combined Zone of five of us?!"
"You're far too arrogant, Mr. C.B.!"
With the leading Uma Musume's low growl, the other four also poured their power into their Zones.
Pressure unimaginable to ordinary beings crashed down on Mr. C.B.'s shoulders like a mountain.
Yet, even as every muscle in her body screamed in protest and her heart seemed to stutter in her chest, Mr. C.B. did not alter her course.
Driving her remaining Zone power, she transformed into a hurricane and surged toward them.
Faced with such a desperate charge, even the seasoned triple-crown Uma Musume couldn't help but pale. Their usual relentless training and racing were for victory, but if victory seemed hopeless, they would wisely conserve their strength—only by preserving power could one last until the end.
They had never seen an Uma Musume like Mr. C.B., who charged through the pain even when she knew victory was nearly impossible.
Through the Zone's link, sensing her astonishing will, even the leading triple-crown Uma Musume who had looked down on Mr. C.B. felt her spirit shaken.
And in that moment of their shock, the once-impenetrable Zone wavered subtly due to their weakened resolve.
At the very epicenter of the pressure, Mr. C.B.—most sensitive to the Zone's fluctuations—allowed a smile to touch her lips. Enduring the agony in every muscle, she glanced back.
'Now's the time!'
She didn't speak; she had no breath left to spare. But through Mr. C.B.'s eyes, Dream Weaver understood perfectly what she meant to say.
This was the opportunity Mr. C.B. had fought for with everything she had—for the Japanese Derby, for defying the European racing world.
Under the assault of her Zone, the triple-crown Uma Musume's defensive line, which Dream Weaver would have needed to burn her Kindling Flames to breach, had been torn open, however faintly.
The fissure was almost imperceptible, but it allowed Dream Weaver to glimpse victory.
The opening was there. Victory was at hand.
She gazed into Mr. C.B.'s eyes. Now, those sky-blue orbs could barely stay open.
Overusing her Zone and forcefully crashing into five triple-crown Uma Musume had taken a severe toll on Mr. C.B.'s body.
Yet Dream Weaver felt that Mr. C.B.'s eyes shone brighter than they ever had before.
"I understand."
"For victory, for everyone, for dragging that so-called European racing world down from its pedestal…"
"I will sever their Zone."
A sharp crimson light flashed through Dream Weaver's black eyes.
A shiiing like a blade leaving its sheath rang out, and an aura of terrifying danger that made one's hair stand on end instantly swept across the racetrack, threatening to transform the Tokyo Racecourse into a sea of blood and carnage.
The cursed blade was unsheathed.
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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.