While Agnes Tachyon was speaking, Sham's footsteps never ceased.
That thunderous tremor seemed to shake the entire racetrack as Sham drove her legs with a frenzied, unrelenting force, leaving deep imprints on the ground.
"Oh, she's in fine form," remarked Golden Sixty, perched cross-legged high in the spectator stands. Watching Sham's figure, she couldn't help but let a smirk curl her lips.
"Looks like this special race will be more interesting than I expected."
"Having a rival at their peak is just what I need for a comeback running partner."
As she said this, Golden Sixty's gaze swept over Platinum standing at the entrance of the racetrack, and she chuckled softly. "Isn't this scene a bit much for a kid? Hope she doesn't get scared."
"How can this be…?" Agnes Digital stared in astonishment at the figure of Sham racing past. "In terms of timeline, she should have retired even earlier than me…"
"Right? I was shocked the first time I saw it too," Urban Sea approached, a towel draped over her shoulder.
Wiping sweat from her brow, she struck up a conversation with Agnes Digital.
"That intensity… it's hard to maintain, isn't it?"
"Uma Musume are like bundles of firewood. Their so-called peak is when the flames burn brightest. That's why their prime is so short—it's not just due to physical limits, but mental ones too."
"Once the flames die out, Uma Musume have no choice but to retire. It's like burnt-out firewood can't be reignited; at most, you get a few lingering embers and sparks."
"But to burn this fiercely, even growing stronger… I'm afraid Sham is the only one like that."
Agnes Tachyon also stepped forward, watching Sham sprinting across the track.
"Indeed. I heard Sham doesn't compete in races anymore, but she never held a retirement ceremony, right? Doesn't that mean she's technically still active?"
"Besides, she has metal pins in her leg, doesn't she? After such a severe injury, to still drive her legs so recklessly… It's like she's a machine, impervious to pain."
Platinum watched Sham from a distance, repeatedly trying to grasp that fleeting sensation.
That feeling of time almost standing still wasn't an illusion—this wasn't the first time she'd experienced it; it was the second.
Platinum felt she was onto something. She seemed to understand what separated her from these top-tier Uma Musume.
But… not entirely. Now she understood why Agnes Tachyon had been so vague—because this was something you could only comprehend intuitively, impossible to put into words.
Especially now, as Platinum desperately tried to re-enter that state but couldn't.
It was this maddening, just-out-of-reach feeling that tormented her most.
Just as Platinum was furrowing her brow, lost in recollection, Agnes Tachyon slung an arm over her shoulder. "Stop thinking about it. Let it come naturally. If you can't grasp it, you can't force it."
"Now do you see what I meant?"
"An Uma Musume's strength isn't just physical—it's also mental. Spirit is as important as the body's power."
"With your previously soft attitude, I was really worried you'd fail to keep our promise."
"Anyway, finding the right direction is better than fumbling blindly in the dark."
As they spoke, Sham had already completed another lap around the track.
As the thunderous sound drew near again, though Platinum couldn't recapture that earlier sensation, she was still shaken by the footsteps.
Was this really something a person could do?
As Sham drew closer, she gradually slowed, finally coming to a stop before the group.
Her expression remained fierce and cold, as if she might shove a Smith & Wesson Model 686 into someone's mouth at any moment.
But this time, Platinum also saw a blazing fire in her eyes—a fire that wouldn't rest until it had consumed everything.
Sham's body trembled, then her legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground.
Urban Sea hurried over to support her and help her sit to the side.
Platinum noticed that the leg tattooed with the crimson phoenix was trembling faintly.
"Are you okay?" Agnes Tachyon, completely unafraid of Sham's fierce exterior, stepped closer and examined her as if studying a rare animal, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"I've seen many Uma Musume whose bodies can't keep up with their spirit, but this is the first time I've seen someone whose spirit remains so fervent even after their body is burnt out."
To continue the floral metaphor—Golden Sixty was a flower in full bloom, while Agnes Tachyon, Agnes Digital, and Urban Sea were like withered, fallen blossoms.
Platinum was the thriving bud, still gathering nutrients, preparing to bloom.
But Sham was different… She was like a flower cut at its peak, preserved as a specimen—severed from the branch that supplied nourishment, yet blooming as if time had stopped.
Sham ignored Agnes Tachyon, her face pale and drenched in cold sweat, clutching her right leg as she twitched uncontrollably.
Then, she reached for her waist, drew out a syringe, and plunged it directly into her side, slowly injecting the liquid into her body.
"What's that…?"
Under everyone's gaze, Sham, still sweating, waited for the medication to take effect. Gasping sharply, she explained to the group.
"Painkiller. Legal."
…No, that added explanation just made the whole scene even weirder!
Agnes Tachyon crouched before Sham, carefully examining her right leg and even reaching out to touch it. The moment her fingers made contact, Sham let out a pained grunt.
"Your bones were shattered beyond belief. It's a miracle you can even stand. So why do you keep running?"
Agnes Tachyon studied Sham's leg, her tone cold. "You must know that every step you take now is shortening the lifespan of your legs."
"And carrying painkillers like this… still maintaining such skilled form…" Platinum noticed that though Agnes Tachyon's voice sounded unchanged, she was actually angry—very angry.
"Just how badly do you want to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair?"
Perhaps the medication was gradually taking effect. Sham, her face still ashen, looked at Agnes Tachyon.
On her shark-like teeth, [VICTORY] glinted brilliantly.
"If I cannot race, then let God take my soul."
"Sham will run forever. Run or die."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.