Kindling Flames, Seeing the True Self, Nirvana—the synergy of these three skills, fueled by her very life force, had once allowed Dream Weaver to defeat the strongest Uma Musume of another world, Shinzan.
They were powerful, yet flawed.
A person's vitality is never a fixed constant; it cannot provide perfectly steady strength until the moment it hits zero. The more she used them, the weaker Dream Weaver became.
Kindling Flames was at its peak the exact millisecond it ignited.
Every second thereafter, it began to wither like a fleeting firework. The moment of the explosion was her most brilliant instant—the most dazzling point of her existence as an Uma Musume.
Once that moment passed, the radiant firework would inevitably dissolve into the night sky, burning out just like the final results of her previous races.
So, despite the "Star" in her name, Dream Weaver was never an eternal, undying celestial body on the turf.
She was a firework, destined to fall after her most brilliant flash.
However, Dream Weaver had once experienced a moment that came infinitely close to being a star.
During that desperate struggle in the virtual world where she faced a phantom while using Kindling Flames, she replaced her life force with sheer Guts and Stamina.
Through the synergy of her skills, she achieved a degree of permanence, nearly rivaling the eternal stars.
That was her strongest form in history, yet she still wasn't a "true" star.
The buffs provided by Seeing the True Self and Nirvana weren't infinite. No matter how breathtaking the synergy looked, it could never reach true eternity.
But now, she could.
In a corner Dream Weaver wasn't aware of, the description of the star embedded in her chest had quietly changed.
[Once per race, replace the life force required by all skills with Willpower.]
To be honest, it wasn't exactly a perfect effect. A person's will fluctuates; it is far less stable than life force. If the will to win the race was insufficient, one might be better off sticking with life force.
But for Dream Weaver, this was the most perfect effect imaginable.
Because no other Uma Musume possessed a will stronger than hers.
Perhaps others were willing to give their lives for victory, but no one had endured as much agony as Dream Weaver.
It was true—every time she "burned" in the Scenario World, it wasn't a real death in a sense.
She knew her journey wouldn't end. But that made it even more cruel; she knew exactly what kind of pain she had to face to win. She had to confront it again and again.
The pain of death is usually so abstract to the living that it's almost unimaginable.
Choosing death under that blank lack of understanding could be called the "fearlessness of the ignorant."
Dream Weaver was not ignorant.
She knew the clarity of death better than anyone, yet when the time truly came, she never hesitated to pay that price of pain.
That was why, the moment her leg bone snapped, her first reaction wasn't the regret of withdrawing.
Instead, she gritted her teeth until they nearly broke, trying to fight one more time, trying to catch up with Time.
She knew she couldn't outrun Time.
Shinzan couldn't do it, and neither could she. Eclipse was just a legend; no Uma Musume could truly outrun light and shadow.
Having lost so much stamina that she couldn't even spark her Kindling Flames, she was even more powerless.
But the heart that hungered for victory roared in her chest, making Dream Weaver refuse to give up, no matter what.
If her leg was broken, she'd use her hands; if her hands lost strength, she'd use her teeth. Even if she had to crawl to the finish line like a maggot in the most hideous fashion, she would never surrender.
A Zone is an extension of an Uma Musume's will. When Dream Weaver's will to not lose became virtually infinite, the Divine Blade shifted into a new form to match her heart.
Previously, Dream Weaver couldn't use her Zone. No matter how strong her will, her body was shattered.
If she couldn't even maintain a running form, where would she find the stamina to manifest a Zone?
But the existence of the "Star of Stars" changed everything.
When the power of Will could truly affect reality, Dream Weaver gained a power beyond compare.
The life force and stamina that had already leaked away couldn't be replenished. Dream Weaver still couldn't squeeze a single drop of vitality from her frame, and the agony of the fractured lower leg remained as sharp as ever.
However, the Kindling Flames triggered by Willpower instead of life force allowed her to cast all of that aside in a heartbeat.
Her body had never felt so light.
For the first time, Dream Weaver felt that the fire burning in her chest brought warmth instead of pain. A warmth that even the torrential rain of Longchamp couldn't wash away filled her entire being.
Compared to the violent power Kindling Flames used to bring, perhaps only this kind of warmth could truly be called a miracle.
"I see... so this is what Uma Musume feel when they run."
Dream Weaver spoke softly. She felt something she had never been able to experience before, something previously masked by distorted pain.
Words like "emotion" or "state of mind" were too abstract and inaccurate; calling it "instinct" was too grounded and lacked that dreamlike warmth.
If one had to describe what Dream Weaver felt in this moment: the passion for the turf engraved in the soul of every Uma Musume was the best answer.
"So running... really isn't such a painful thing after all."
"Murasame, what do you think?"
She lowered her head, asking the blade that had accompanied her through countless races.
The Murasame, which should have been a mere illusion, buzzed softly in Dream Weaver's hand as if in total agreement.
It was born from the battlefield, because Dream Weaver used to view the racetrack as exactly that.
Only the Uma Musume who survived could become the final victor on the battlefield. To be a victor required a blade, and a fragile girl like her needed one even more.
Murasame was born to cut things down—to cut down enemies, to cut down gods, or perhaps to cut away Dream Weaver's own weakness.
But now, Dream Weaver felt that the racetrack shouldn't be such a cruel place.
There might be tears, there might be frustration, but the track also connected the hearts of one Uma Musume to another. It shouldn't be a terrifying place of blood and gore.
At the very least, the warmth surging from her chest would never appear in a place like that.
And so, Dream Weaver gripped her sword tight. She didn't aim it at her opponents as she had before; instead, she pointed it toward the finish line.
This time, she would use the blade in her hand to carve a path to victory for herself.
The shell of the sword known as Murasame cracked.
The blade that was once indestructible, capable of even slaying gods, shattered without any collision. But it didn't disappear.
Rising from the fragmented steel was a shimmering sword composed of gathered starlight, like the physical manifestation of a radiant dream.
At this moment, Murasame should no longer be called the Divine Blade.
This blade of starlight and dreams should perhaps take the name of its master.
"Sword of Stars and Dreams—Murasame."
"Is that a bit too long?"
The Murasame in her hand didn't signal any rejection, so Dream Weaver simply let out a light chuckle.
Then, she swung the blade forward in a gentle arc.
In an instant, every Uma Musume at Longchamp Racecourse felt an extraordinary aura. It wasn't frightening, nor was it piercing like a cold blade.
Though massive, it felt warm—as if what it cut through wasn't them, but the freezing December rain.
A brilliant light that shouldn't have existed there pierced the veil of rain, illuminating the track.
If this gray, rainy world was the night sky, then the most dazzling Uma Musume within it was surely the brightest star in existence.
Watching that blinding figure, the other racers thought to themselves:
"Even now, she's still that brilliant...?"
Sea the Stars murmured under her breath, her eyes hazy as if drawn in by that magnificent starlight.
She had thought the extremely dangerous blade from moments ago—the one that had nearly cleaved her in two—was sharp enough. She thought that was Dream Weaver's final trump card. But Sea the Stars realized she was wrong.
As a fellow world-class Uma Musume, even though Dream Weaver hadn't spoken a word, Sea the Stars could faintly sense the change in her heart.
She understood that her rival had achieved a sublimation on this track, reaching her strongest form ever.
Looking at the luminous Dream Weaver, who stood like the protagonist of a grand stage, Sea the Stars felt a twinge of regret, yet also a sense of joy.
The regret came from the fact that despite her long efforts, she still couldn't defeat her.
The joy came from being able to stand on the same track, watching her achieve this transcendence before her eyes. At least in this moment, she was the closest Uma Musume to Dream Weaver.
After all, Sea the Stars, like everyone else, had grown up watching Dream Weaver's races.
No matter how much she hated to admit it, no matter how much she wanted to prove she wasn't like those girls who only knew how to admire from afar, she still harbored special feelings for Dream Weaver.
Perhaps she couldn't prove she was the best in the world by defeating her, and she couldn't prove to her mother that she was the brightest star, but she could witness the Dream Weaver she had always watched finally settle a years-long regret and end the "curse" of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Surprisingly, there wasn't much bitterness in Sea the Stars' heart. She looked at the most radiant figure on the track and whispered a blessing.
"Break the curse."
"Go win the Arc that belongs only to you. Let all of Longchamp, all of Paris, and the entire world cheer for your triumph."
Just as Sea the Stars said, the eyes of the entire world were now focused on Paris, on Longchamp, and on the Uma Musume on the track.
Commentators from all over the globe used their own languages and emotions to shout blessings for Dream Weaver.
Sakurako Kazehaya stared blankly at the screen. She didn't care about the commentary at all.
She just watched the Dream Weaver who looked just like she did in the old days—no, more brilliant than ever—and silently let tears fall.
Memories of chasing Dream Weaver's races echoed in her mind.
She remembered arguing with everyone on the forums when Dream Weaver lost at the Arc, staying up all night celebrating a victory until she couldn't make it to class the next day, and finding the courage from those victories to work toward becoming a presenter.
Her youth was a youth shared with Dream Weaver on the turf.
To Sakurako, Dream Weaver wasn't some untouchable idol; she was a friend who would wave at the stands with a smile after every win, accompanying her and giving her strength.
Now, seeing this friend finally able to let go of her regrets, Sakurako could only choke back sobs, whispering the racer's name in a blurred, shaky voice.
"Dream Weaver..."
At the same time, inside a VIP suite at Longchamp, Vela Azul stared at the track in a daze. Beside her, Panthalassa was screaming at the top of her lungs because of Dream Weaver's performance, but Vela Azul didn't seem to hear a thing, lost in her own world.
"Can an Uma Musume... really even defeat Time?"
A sudden impulse rose in Vela Azul's heart. She suddenly didn't want to retire anymore. She knew her strength had declined significantly after last year's Japan Cup, but she still wanted to try.
Dream Weaver, who had been away from the track for two years, could break her old shackles and run like this at the Arc—why couldn't she hold on a little longer?
Even if she couldn't trigger a miracle like Dream Weaver and ended up losing again and again, Vela Azul still wanted to give it a shot.
After all, she was an Uma Musume.
Was it really so hard to understand that an Uma Musume wouldn't want to leave the turf?
Dream Weaver had given her the courage to move forward, and Vela Azul didn't want to waste that courage.
The emotional rollercoaster was intense. Just seconds ago, Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle had thought Dream Weaver had no hope of winning, but now they stared at the track, unable to recover from the shock.
Yet, hearing the mountain-shaking cheers, they instinctively refused to just stand there.
The trainer who had changed their lives was now breaking the curse that had shackled her for years.
Hishi Miracle and Liberty Island glanced at each other and once again waved that crimson flag until it snapped in the wind. Since they couldn't find the words to express their feelings, they would use action to send their blessings to their favorite trainer.
Sugar Lights gazed at the track, her eyes filled with a look of longing. She whispered to Agnes Tachyon beside her:
"Is this the 'possibility' you were talking about?"
"No."
Agnes Tachyon shook her head slightly, staring at the figure on the track.
"I never imagined she could be this bright. She has already... far exceeded the possibility I predicted."
People whose hearts were stirred by Dream Weaver were either crying, reflecting, or simply lost for words.
They listened to the hoarse, desperate shouts coming from the commentary booth, refusing to look away for even a second.
"Carrying the bitterness of countless defeats, bearing the weight of a cursed name, she is sprinting toward her own path of triumph!"
"The finish line is right there! Longchamp is holding its breath, Paris is watching, the world is witnessing! The brightest star in the world is about to touch the crown she has dreamed of for so long!"
The moment the French commentator's words fell, the brilliant star that had captured the world's attention crossed the final finish line.
The giant screen by the track flashed, and her name appeared on it in this position for the very first time.
First Place: Dream Weaver.
The curse was lifted.
The crown of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was placed upon her head at last.
--+--
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.