What could possibly convey a sense of danger more than a handgun?
The answer: a handgun with the hammer cocked, the trigger halfway pulled, and a bullet ready to fly at any moment.
Everyone knew that Liberty Island's drawn blade was aimed squarely at Equinox.
Yet, sometimes, the body acts before reason can catch up.
Faced with a threat that chilled them to the very bone, the G1-class Uma Musume reacted instinctively, their bodies providing an answer long before their minds could process the situation.
Confronted by Liberty Island's direct charge into the pack, the other racers instinctively veered aside.
Perhaps they were curious to see the sheer power of Liberty Island's blade as it left its scabbard once more, or perhaps, the moment they grasped the monstrous essence of Equinox, they had already subconsciously accepted that winning the Japan Cup was an impossibility.
Whatever the reason, once they regained their composure, they made no move to close the gap or block her path.
After all, wasn't this duel between the two of them destiny?
As the most eye-catching fated pair in this Japan Cup, the history between Liberty Island and Equinox was common knowledge.
Since the chance for the crown had slipped away, why not bear witness to the conclusion of this final battle with their own eyes?
Liberty Island and Equinox—the Undefeated Triple Tiara winner and the world-class Uma Musume.
A bond forged at Northern Farm, lives intertwined by the fate of Dream Weaver; this tale of resentment and evasion was finally reaching its climax.
As the ones closest to the ending, how could these racers not look forward to the moment that would decide their karma?
"Liberty Island! Liberty Island is surging forward! She's so fast—she's slicing through the pack almost without resistance! She's still five lengths behind the leader, Equinox. Can she close the gap in these final 400 meters of the home straight?!"
Beyond the racers, the crowd in the stands was even more electrified by the sight.
People chanted Liberty Island's name incessantly, desperate to see her reach Equinox and settle the score with the rival who had haunted half her life.
As for Liberty Island herself, she couldn't hear a thing.
In this moment, she only watched Equinox's back, counting her own heartbeats between sharp breaths.
The art of Iai is a martial technique that pursues a one-hit kill. It requires the user to pour every ounce of their being into a single, perfect strike.
What Liberty Island had to do now was judge her remaining stamina while building momentum, timed to the rhythm of her heart.
She had to ensure she had just enough strength to cross the finish line after the strike, while pouring every other scrap of power into this single "swing."
Only by doing so could she find even a sliver of hope to defeat Equinox.
However, in this moment that demanded absolute focus, strange thoughts began to drift into her mind—thoughts that had no business being there.
She mused that since her master had named her domain the "Divine Blade," and since she had also manifested her own domain as a sword, perhaps she should give her own blade a name as well.
There was no need for deliberation; the name surfaced the moment the thought took root.
"Setsuna."
Liberty Island wanted to call her blade Setsuna—a name inspired by a book she had once seen on Dr. Sugar Lights' desk.
It was a modern fantasy novel, but when she had flipped through it, the character who left the deepest impression wasn't the protagonist, but a minor supporting character who only appeared a few times in a single chapter.
That character, at the lowest and most insecure point of his life, met a teacher who changed everything. After being knocked down countless times, he gradually grew through the clashing of their steel.
Until finally, he raised his blade, seeking to reclaim the dignity he had lost from his teacher.
And the way he chose to reclaim that dignity was to defeat his teacher with the blade named Setsuna.
Unlike that character, however, Liberty Island didn't want to defeat her teacher.
Her dignity had never been taken by Dream Weaver. The person truly weighing her down, making it impossible for her to hold her head high, was Equinox—the girl whose back was currently turned to her.
Just like those days at Northern Farm, no matter how many times she challenged Equinox, Liberty Island could only ever see that back. She had never once been able to pull ahead.
At that thought, Liberty Island's grip tightened instinctively around her illusory blade.
Suddenly, she didn't want to hold anything back anymore.
In truth, Iai is a technique that leaves no room for hesitation.
If one thinks about what comes after the strike before the blade is even drawn, one can never deliver a perfect blow—and certainly never defeat Equinox.
Dignity is a fragile thing; it's easy to lose.
Liberty Island had spent years hiding from Equinox, but picking that dignity back up was agonizingly difficult. It was so difficult that she had to sacrifice everything she had just to earn one single chance.
In that instant, she heard a sound other than her heartbeat. It was a roar of resentment from her younger self.
Back then, every time she lost to Equinox, she would hide away on some random patch of grass. She would pin a red flower to her hair, pretending to be an idol from the television, and scream wordlessly as she ran.
It was childish, immature behavior. Whenever Liberty Island had remembered it before, she would feel so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a hole.
But in this moment, hearing the roar of her younger self, she suddenly understood that "childish" girl again.
At the end of the day, she simply didn't want to lose.
And for an Uma Musume, what was wrong with a little bit of spite?
The ability of that character in the book was speed—extreme, ultimate speed.
Thus, the blade was named Setsuna, signifying that the enemy would be cut down in a mere "moment."
There was only one reason Equinox could surpass everyone: she was fast. Her peerless physical talent gave her a velocity that transcended everyone else on the track.
Now, Liberty Island was determined to test it. She would use the blade she had named Setsuna to face Equinox head-on with that same ultimate speed.
Her will, her stamina, her resentment—a jumble of things she couldn't quite define—were all thrust into Setsuna.
An unprecedented wave of exhaustion instantly weighed down her shoulders, but simultaneously, an incomparable power surged from the blade in her hand.
Liberty Island knew the time had come.
She gripped her sword tight and spoke softly to the back that had overshadowed half her life.
"Setsuna."
At the same time, that childish, immature version of herself from the past bellowed along with her.
"Iai Slash!"
In the next heartbeat, the blade cleared the scabbard.
The flash of light it carved was like the legendary Uma Musume "Eclipse" her master had told her about—so fast it seemed to pierce through light, shadow, and time itself.
The Japan Cup had never seen such a swift blade, nor such a resolute intent to strike.
A split second before she lost consciousness, Liberty Island saw Equinox turn her head.
For the very first time, the expression in those eyes was one of pure wonder and disbelief.
--+--
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.