"You figured it out? I was so close!"
Kousei's escape gambit was seen through at the very last moment. If she could have pulled away on the long straight, victory would have been hers.
The pressure from behind was suffocating, the heavy panting echoing in her ears.
I have to escape!
Once her ruse was exposed, there were no other options. All she could do was run with everything she had.
The Lion's hooves tore through the muddy facade, striking at the heart of the false front-runner.
"In an instant!?"
She left everything behind, her strides soaring, her raw power defying the gap between them.
"You're not getting away!"
The Golden Lion surged from the outer lane, shattering every chain in an instant—the true Lion's Fangs unleashed. The threat was now inches away, its speed tearing at Kousei's limbs with brutal force.
"Hah... hah!"
Each breath concealed a suppressed agony. Kousei had reached her limit. The oxygen her lungs could supply dwindled, and her vision began to blur.
Overload warning.
Kousei clung on desperately, growing weaker by the second. A storm began to whip across the track, the downpour seemingly determined to unleash one final frenzy before the end.
The headwind made leading the race even more difficult. Mud kicked up by horseshoes flew wildly in the wind, narrowing their vision.
Stamina is paramount in long-distance races. Mejiro McQueen's dominance in this domain stemmed from her seemingly infinite endurance. Forged by the Mejiro bloodline, she was the "Strongest in History," and no one had ever pushed her to the brink in a long-distance race.
Now, Kousei faced that same insurmountable wall once again, with only 900 meters to the finish line. Her stamina was completely depleted. Against an opponent who outclassed her in every aspect, she might not even have the strength to complete the race.
Part of the blame lay with her inherently risky running style; a conventional strategy wouldn't have left her in such a desperate state.
But against Mejiro McQueen—against Amel—how could she possibly win without taking such a gamble?
The pressure crashed down on her all at once. Her legs grew heavier, each stride demanding more and more energy. She feared that the next time her hooves sank into the turf, she might never pull them out again.
"My lungs... they feel like they're being torn apart."
Amel pursued relentlessly, giving Kousei no room to breathe, forcing her to quicken her pace again and again. The frantic rhythm felt like the Grim Reaper closing in, step by agonizing step.
It was as silent as the Abyss of Death, with only the echo of her breath and heartbeat.
"Just a little more! The long straight is almost over!" Yurei shouted. In her arms, Yili seemed to scrunch up her little face at her mother's outburst.
"Something's wrong with Kousei's condition!" Genbao suddenly cried out.
Reiko and Rohan took a step forward almost simultaneously, their faces filled with dread as a terrifying thought haunted their minds.
"Your dream is as fragile as your glass slipper. Time's up. Goodnight, Cinderella."
The clock struck twelve. The magic was about to break.
A 3400-meter escape—what kind of person would choose such an absurd strategy? In an instant, Kousei's body froze, shattering like a mirror.
Blood seeped out. Her beautiful, spirited eyes turned into a dull gray mirror. The stars vanished from them, plunging her world into darkness.
Was it sadness? People didn't even have time to react, only a primal instinct to look away.
An escape doomed to fail. A beautiful dream, shattered.
"You've done well," Amel whispered as she passed Kousei. "I will free you from the curse of this bloodline."
"Don't you dare... get so full of yourself!"
Kousei suddenly surged forward, her horseshoes wrenching free from the mud. In an unexpected burst of speed, she broke through the long straight first.
"How is that possible?! She should have reached her limit!"
The situation changed so quickly that the momentary sadness felt like an illusion.
"What? What's happening?"
"Huh???"
A sudden reversal, a desperate comeback. But in less than half a second, a blur of motion followed close behind. The Lion's Fangs struck again, clamping down firmly on Kousei.
"Must I crush everyone's dreams before you'll finally give up, Kousei?!"
The sheer speed was tearing Kousei apart, yet even with her light extinguished, she pressed resolutely forward.
"Everyone's dreams... won't be crushed by your hooves!"
Though her body was broken, her heart burned like a wildfire.
[Preparing to force the finish line!!!]
"I'll fight you to the very end!"
Forward! Forward! One more step! Another! She resisted the Lion's Fangs with sheer willpower!
"Face reality!"
A suffocating sensation—the lion's fangs had pierced her throat. The more dire the situation became, the more fiercely the flames burned. Kousei was giving everything she had to reach the finish line.
Turf churned, raindrops flew, all blurring into an indistinguishable mass of filthy mud.
Reiko gripped the railing tightly, her mind racing. What can I do? What can I do for Kousei on the track right now?
"Kousei!"
A single shout shattered her thoughts, followed by a rising tide of cheers.
"Go, Kousei!"
"Three Goddesses, please protect Kousei!"
Reiko's desire to prove her family's worth, Northern Academy's desperate hopes, NAU's dream of reaching the world stage...
Everyone had placed their hopes on Kousei, believing in her. As her Trainer, there was only one thing left to do.
"Soar, Hero!"
The journey has been filled with sights I never saw at Central.
"It's because of everyone's support that I've made it this far. I want to repay that kindness, so..."
No matter how hard she tried, she could never escape her infamous reputation. Who remembered that Kousei had once given her all for Central?
"I'm not an Executioner!"
So, no matter what the world says, for NAU, for everyone who has placed their hopes in me!
I am—
I am—
I am—
Kousei of NAU!
At that moment, starlight flickered, and the Star's Foot surged once more.
"What is this?!"
Just like in the Japan Cup, the world reshaped itself before Amel's eyes.
"I feel it now- the path of the wind!"
In that instant, all of Kousei's gratitude and obsession ignited into a flame that banished the gloom. She had truly seized that fleeting miracle.
This was the answer given by an Umamusume who yearned to carry the hopes of others—a Domain she did not open herself.
[I, the Radiant Star, Shine to the Very End!]
Where the heart leads is the strongest! Go! Turn hopes into cheers!
Her breathing vanished in an instant, blooming at this moment, a cherry blossom straightaway!
With a deafening BOOM—, the entire racetrack trembled. Turf was ripped from the ground, leaving crater after crater. Breaking the sound barrier, a terrifying figure materialized beside Kousei, its sharp fangs bared.
Her crouched form seemed to hold boundless power. Her bones groaned, and bulging veins formed a grotesque tapestry across her skin as a savage aura billowed relentlessly.
All-Out on the Straight!
The final uphill slope before the long-distance straight—a demon that had devoured countless front-runners. A wall of reality, a mountain no one had ever conquered. But!!!
"Crush it, Kousei!"
The path must be forged by oneself! The moment everyone believes in the fairy tale, the fairy tale will transcend reality!
"Let's settle this!"
Let's make this moment eternal!
Her legs moved without hesitation, charging up the slope with unwavering resolve. Amel, trailing close behind, stared in disbelief. "That's an uphill slope! What is she doing?!"
No-breathing sprint plus uphill acceleration—irreversible damage is now inevitable.
"I have to catch her!" Amel thought, but her own legs slowed against her will. She knew the answer instantly: she was afraid.
Burning her life force like an ephemeral night-blooming cereus, the wings on her back lifted her into the sky. She vanished, becoming a shooting star that streaked across the heavens, leaving its mark here forever.
Faster than light, the star's radiance will tear the night asunder.
A lifetime chasing a dream, a single moment to soar.
The Great Escape of the Century. Reality can't catch the dream. Memories in the rain will no longer be sorrow; from this day forward, history itself will be different.
"What a long journey it's been..."
A precious and hard-won victory, so much so that no one could react at the moment of triumph.
"Reiko!" Just a Way cried out anxiously.
Reiko, her expression vacant, suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Thankfully, Just a Way was there to catch her.
"Huh?"
A single hot tear rolled down from the corner of Reiko's eye. Seconds later, as if finally processing what had happened, she broke down into sobs.
"Aaaaaah—" Reiko wiped away her tears relentlessly. "Did you see that, Mr. Toyama? You won! You beat one of the world's strongest Umamusume! You were right! You were right!"
The weeping seemed contagious, spreading quickly through the stands despite the precious victory.
"Did we win? Did we really win? Did an NAU Umamusume really win?" Yurei asked Genbao again and again, desperately holding back her own tears.
"We won! We won!" Genbao responded again and again, his own eyes brimming with tears.
The husband and wife embraced. NAU was always meant to be the path to dreams, and at this moment, the century-long curse was finally broken.
Our protagonist stood frozen at the finish line, her senses dulled, unable to perceive anything.
As a senpai, did I do enough for those who came after me? Did my words truly reach everyone?
Had her sincere heart conveyed the burning passion within?
Perhaps the journey had reached its end, or perhaps the dream remained unfulfilled. But do not compromise. Do not yield to hardship. May those who lack just a little courage believe that, as they ponder an unreachable future and harbor an unfulfilled dream, they only need to take one more resolute step.
We will meet on the other side of our dreams.
Amel's face was streaked with tears of regret. She finally understood why the Central Committee feared Kousei so deeply, and why Caesar had bet everything on her.
Recovery ability, a quick mind, or gate technique—none of these were Kousei's weapons.
A warm and fervent heart outweighs all schemes and plots.
Amel stared at her own hands, which felt utterly alien. Head bowed, she left the racetrack, her heart filled with bitter resentment.
How did I become so mediocre?
It was she herself who had truly shattered the Lion's Fangs.
The rain stopped, and the dark clouds began to scatter. Kousei tilted her head slightly, a serene smile on her face. The first ray of sunlight gently fell upon her, so warm.
After the rain, a rainbow bridged the world. The raindrops on Kousei's body sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Bathed in light, she seemed reborn.