Domain: Throne of Dreams Beneath Crimson Feathers!
Crimson light, like burning wings, completely engulfed Tokai Teio's small body.
At her side, Ibuki Mai Kagura's eyes slowly widened.
"So this is... the gap between us..."
A gale wrapped in illusory heat came rushing straight at her.
The intermittent pink-white sparks flickering in her eyes thrashed violently under the reflection of the crimson phoenix feathers filling the sky, like the last candle flame in a storm.
Within that dazzling, dreamlike radiance, so brilliant it was almost impossible to look at directly, Ibuki Mai Kagura finally saw it clearly.
She saw the gulf between herself and this "new-generation hegemon of Chasing Light," a gulf as vast as a heavenly chasm, something that could never be bridged through grit or miracles alone.
It was the difference between an ordinary person and a true monster.
"..."
After a brief silence, the white-clad shrine maiden gave a calm shake of her head. The resolve in her eyes quietly faded. The ferocity was gone, leaving behind only pure fighting spirit.
I can't win...
But even if she had to throw herself into the flames like a moth, she would still keep running straight into that blaze until the very last second!
And yet, at that exact moment...
Behind them, just as Tokai Teio was about to move beyond the effective range of her demonic power, Nice Nature finally unleashed, without holding back, the mental force she had suppressed and built up to the absolute limit over the entire course of the race.
Bzzzt!
That eerie deep crimson radiance instantly turned into a vast invisible net and came crashing down toward Tokai Teio from above.
Unlike her usual mental guidance, this demonic power was exactly the same as what Symboli Rudolf had once demonstrated to Kuroha.
Simple. Direct. A brutal deprivation of speed and stamina.
"Teio... just stop for me!"
Nice Nature clenched her teeth and growled under her breath.
At this moment, both Ibuki Mai Kagura and Nice Nature had pushed past their own limits, each trying to seize even the slimmest chance of victory from beneath the feet of an opponent far too strong to be real.
But no miracle came.
That terrifying crimson light attacking from behind did not even make it close to Tokai Teio before it touched one single strand of the phoenix-feather radiance circling around her.
Pop.
Then it was casually burned out of existence.
That softly drifting crimson phoenix feather, the instant it brushed against that eerie red glow, reduced it to nothing with overwhelming force, leaving behind not even the slightest ripple.
"Ugh..."
And from Nice Nature's perspective, since she had not awakened a Domain herself, her final trump card, poured full of everything she had, had simply vanished for no reason in midair.
That made the twin-tailed horse girl let out the cry of a beaten loser.
Boom!!!
Her steps struck the ground like thunder, shaking the racetrack so hard it felt as though the entire venue were trembling!
In the next moment, nothing remained that could possibly obstruct her. Wrapped in flames and streaming radiance, Tokai Teio fully entered a state of berserk acceleration.
Boom!!!
Her steps pounded the track like thunder, making the whole racecourse tremble as though it might break apart!
In the next moment, nothing remained that could possibly stand in her way. Wrapped in flames and flowing light, Tokai Teio completely entered a state of violent forward drive.
She was like a crimson arrow skimming across the ground.
And in the single instant she swept past, that overwhelming pressure, vast as a collapsing mountain and roaring sea, crashed over Ibuki Mai Kagura like a burst dam, instantly washing away the last scraps of fighting spirit in her heart.
Fast! Too fast!
Under the gaze of all 120,000 spectators, the entire racecourse seemed to have been frozen in place.
Ibuki Mai Kagura, who had been blown apart with ease. Nice Nature, whose final trump card had been crushed. Sakolin Field and Blizzard farther back, still struggling desperately.
All of them became nothing more than a motionless backdrop.
Between heaven and earth, only that small figure draped in countless phoenix feathers remained, flashing, leaping, tearing through the track with an absolute dominance no one could rival.
The finish line at the end of the course rushed closer and closer.
Bathed in the crimson glow of her Domain, Tokai Teio felt the wind screaming past her ears, yet her heart was strangely calm.
I'm strong.
And I'll become stronger than anyone.
For an instant, Tokai Teio seemed to see an ancient, towering gate, as though it had stood in this world since time immemorial.
"She crosses the line!"
The moment that small figure broke through the finish, the commentator's voice rang out right on cue.
"Unstoppable! Unmatched!"
"Tokai Teio, with an absolute advantage that crushed everything in her path, claims victory in the opening race of the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho!"
The commentator's excited roar completely ignited the air over Nakayama Racecourse. The moment victory was confirmed, countless spectators and fans leapt to their feet.
"OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Tokai Teio! Tokai Teio!"
"Triple Crown! Triple Crown!"
"Invincible!"
Cheers, screams, and thunderous applause crashed across the entire venue like a tidal wave.
Tap.
Even after crossing the finish line, Tokai Teio did not stop immediately. Carrying the lingering streams of crimson light around her, she gradually slowed on the track.
Only then did she finally come to a halt.
Several seconds later, second and third place arrived at last.
Ibuki Mai Kagura and Nice Nature, one after the other, crossed the finish line with barely a nose between them.
...
Then, after staggering on for a little farther in complete exhaustion, both of them dropped to their knees on the track, gasping for breath.
A moment later, the giant screen in the stadium suddenly changed, and the scoreboard locked in the final result of this Classic Triple Crown opener, the Satsuki Sho.
First - Tokai Teio!
Second - Ibuki Mai Kagura! By a large margin!
Third - Nice Nature! By a nose!
...
"Hah... huff..."
Ibuki Mai Kagura dragged in a few deep breaths. Sweat blurred her vision so badly she could only barely lift her eyelids to look up at the scoreboard.
When she saw the words "by a large margin," she froze for a second, then shook her head and gave three bitter little laughs.
From seven or eight lengths before the fourth corner... to a large-margin finish at the line.
Who was she even supposed to complain to about that...?
As the rest of the horse girls crossed the finish line, Tokai Teio started moving again not far away.
McQueen may have stolen my move before, but I'm still doing it!
The girl with the crescent bangs flashed a radiant smile.
She spread her stance slightly, then thrust her right fist high into the air like a boxer, before extending a single finger.
Classic Triple Crown: first crown secured.
(End of Chapter)
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