There was no bone-chilling pressure, no sense of danger seeping into her very marrow.
Taking the Divine Blade as her reference point, Liberty Island realized none of the scenarios she had imagined regarding Equinox's Zone had come to pass.
The wind was still just the wind, and her heartbeat remained a steady rhythm. On the surface, nothing spectacular had happened on the track; the order of the Uma Musume had simply shifted a little.
Watching Equinox surge to the very front in the blink of an eye, Liberty Island briefly couldn't tell if the blurred figure ahead was due to the other girl's sheer speed, or if her own vision was failing from the shock.
After seeing the Divine Blade, Liberty Island had always believed that the "Zone" was the ultimate decider of victory.
She had viewed the clash between her own Zone and Equinox's as the sole compass for this Japan Cup.
But in this moment, she inexplicably recalled her childhood perspective on racing.
Back then, Liberty Island didn't understand technique, nor did she care much for running theories—and as for the Zone, she hadn't even heard of it. In her eyes, there was one, and only one, key to victory: being fast.
The fastest Uma Musume wins the race.
It was so logical, so intuitive; even a spectator who had never seen a race before would arrive at that answer instantly.
Yet, as the years passed and her knowledge and skill grew, the importance of "speed" as a raw concept gradually diminished. She came to believe there were far more factors on the track that determined a winner.
Or at least, that was what she believed until she saw the current Equinox.
Now, she suddenly understood.
Technique, strategy, the Zone—they were all important.
But if an Uma Musume is fast enough that no one can even touch her shadow, then all those complexities become meaningless.
If an Uma Musume can crush her opponents and win a race through pure physical talent alone, then other factors cease to be the keys to her victory.
Right now, Equinox was running alone far ahead, commanding every gaze in the stadium. The G1-class Uma Musume were the most shaken; they were girls who had witnessed miracles themselves.
To them, the Zone was the ultimate answer, a power that granted them strength beyond imagination.
That was exactly why they found the current Equinox so unbelievable.
This Uma Musume, through her own strength alone, had achieved a miracle that others required a sheer act of will to reach.
No—she hadn't just achieved it; she had surpassed it.
The clash of Zones between Iresine, Symboli Kris S, and Do Deuce fell silent.
They stared at Equinox's back, unable to snap out of it for a long time. Even Stars on Earth, who had been so obsessed with Liberty Island, couldn't help but gaze at Equinox, throwing everything else to the wind.
"She's a... monster..."
Through the connection of their wills, Liberty Island heard the gritted teeth of another racer. She couldn't tell who said it; perhaps it was the collective thought of every G1 racer on the field.
Liberty Island blinked as she listened to the voice echoing in her heart.
So, what was she supposed to do now?
Use this moment while everyone was stunned to accelerate and catch up? But could she really?
Even if she successfully awakened her Zone, wouldn't she just become another person lamenting that Equinox was a monster?
But... was she really going to give up just like that?
Liberty Island's head throbbed. A chaotic mess of emotions churned in her mind—bitter memories of her own inadequacies mixing with her current shock into a cocktail she couldn't name.
She only knew that her heart was racing, her blood so hot it felt like it was scorching her organs. Every breath she exhaled felt like pouring lava through her nostrils.
She didn't want to back down anymore.
Liberty Island wouldn't give up on everything she had stood for until now. She wouldn't give up on the years of gritting her teeth and training through her own deep-seated inferiority.
Most of all, she wouldn't give up on her promise to her Master. She refused to break her oath and stand still like the others, paralyzed by Equinox's brilliance.
She took a deep breath. The scalding air flowing into her lungs felt like it was setting her entire being ablaze. She felt like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
She could no longer endure the fire burning in her heart.
Before meeting Dream Weaver, she had been running away from Equinox for a long, long time.
Having finally mustered her courage, Liberty Island refused to go back to being that girl who felt worthless the moment she saw Equinox.
"Equinox."
"I am going to catch you."
Stars on Earth turned her head in shock. This was the first time during the race she had heard Liberty Island project her will through the Zone connection.
Despite how many times Stars on Earth had thrown down the gauntlet earlier, Liberty Island hadn't responded once.
Stars on Earth had even begun to suspect the girl hadn't awakened her Zone at all—a suspicion seemingly confirmed when Equinox took the lead without using one.
But now, the voice echoing in her heart proved one thing: Liberty Island possessed a Zone.
Stars on Earth didn't have time to dwell on why her earlier challenges were ignored. Instead, she felt a wave of genuine confusion.
Liberty Island... why say that now?
Couldn't she see it? Equinox didn't even need a Zone to surpass everyone here. Opening a Zone now was useless; no one could beat Equinox anymore. Did she really not understand?
But before Stars on Earth could organize her thoughts, a chilling presence that nearly stopped her heart swept past her skin, cutting deep into her bones like a freezing wind.
Her muscles tensed instinctively, almost to the point of cramping.
A primal, biological impulse roared within her—the universal sensation shared by all living things when faced with a lethal threat: the shiver of death.
If she had to describe the feeling with a specific metaphor...
"It's like someone holding a blade to my throat."
In the next instant, a metallic ring, like a sword being unsheathed, resonated across the track.
The sound of that "draw" coming from behind forced every G1 Uma Musume to instinctively tear their eyes away from Equinox.
The violent, overwhelming presence—like a sudden volcanic burst—demanded that everyone witness her arrival.
A blade is the ultimate "Domain."
As Dream Weaver's student, Liberty Island was inevitably influenced by the Divine Blade, and she had subconsciously used it as the blueprint for her own Zone.
However, Liberty Island had gone a step further than Hishi Miracle.
If Hishi Miracle's Zone was merely an imitation of the Divine Blade, then Liberty Island had truly allowed the seed Dream Weaver planted in her heart to sprout.
Having cast her very self into the forge as fuel to temper the steel, Liberty Island drew the blade that belonged solely to her.
Faced with Equinox—a natural-born powerhouse who could dominate the world empty-handed—the only thing Liberty Island could do was grip her blade tight.
This was her only weapon, and the final miracle of the "weak."
--+--
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.