Ever since that fateful battle against Shinzan, how long had it been since Dream Weaver last used "Kindling Flames"?
Counting from the Hopeful Stakes in the real world to the Japanese Derby, it had been a full six months since she had truly given her all.
If one factored in the time spent as a trainer in this scripted world, the gap was even wider. It had been a long time since she faced a situation that demanded she burn her very essence to seize victory.
The price for Dream Weaver to go all-out was simply too steep.
Even in the best-case scenario, activating her skill set through Kindling Flames resulted in a prolonged coma.
Wasn't it precisely because the cost of her full power was too great that the Dream Weaver of this scripted world had missed out on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe time and time again?
Moreover, just as the projection had said, Dream Weaver's physical condition in the past often fell short of the requirements to awaken a Zone. The only reason she had managed to manifest one despite having "B-rank" attributes across the board was that she had paid a sufficient price.
The Divine Blade, the Demon Blade, Muramasa—no matter what name the blade went by, one fact remained unchanged.
It was a thing born from Dream Weaver's own blood and agony.
To master it, she had grown accustomed to trading that same blood and pain for power.
Before now, Dream Weaver might have hesitated. Even if this was a virtual world, what if the damage to her consciousness bled back into her physical body, ruining her chances at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?
But now, she didn't hesitate for a second.
The Dream Weaver of this world had failed at the Arc repeatedly precisely because of such indecision.
An Uma Musume's life always has an end date, but before that road reached its conclusion, she refused to leave behind regrets—and she certainly didn't want to taste defeat again.
Thus, sensing the absolute gap in raw power between herself and the projection, Dream Weaver activated Kindling Flames without a moment's thought.
She was already well-practiced in the art of trading pain for power.
In the real world, the effect of Kindling Flames was to sacrifice vitality in exchange for a massive boost to all attributes.
However, it's important to clarify one thing: while this place was governed by the System—capable of manifesting Zones and skills with real-world fidelity—it was still, ultimately, a virtual space.
In a digital world, the abstract concept of "vitality" cannot be easily quantified.
Therefore, it was categorized as a composite of Guts and Stamina. Because of this, the strongest form Dream Weaver had ever achieved through skill synergy finally appeared.
Kindling Flames would consume the pool of Guts and Stamina, granting her strength at the cost of intense pain.
Meanwhile, her other skill, "Seeing the True Self," vastly increased her pain tolerance and converted a portion of that bodily agony back into Stamina, ensuring the process wouldn't end until her Guts were entirely depleted.
The synergy of just these two skills alone allowed the empowerment from Kindling Flames to reach staggering heights.
But one must not forget there was yet another skill that could link with them.
Nirvana.
Even disregarding its hidden effects, the sheer fact that it granted a massive boost to the effectiveness of Guts once Stamina was completely drained was terrifying enough.
Under the triple synergy of Nirvana, Seeing the True Self, and Kindling Flames, Guts and Stamina—which represented Dream Weaver's life force in this virtual world—were magnified to an incredible degree.
In other words, the power exchanged for that life force increased accordingly.
An unparalleled, violent surge of energy flooded into the Divine Blade.
That intimidating aura, almost physical in its intensity, filled the gold-and-red blade in an instant. Even a blade that had once "slain the gods" could not fully withstand such horrifying power.
A crimson glow burned in Dream Weaver's pupils like a lit torch. By sacrificing her Guts and Stamina, she had obtained power beyond imagination.
Faced with this frantic energy—which felt as if its mere existence might tear the virtual space apart—the Divine Blade held by the projection of Dream Weaver looked laughably fragile.
"So this... is what she looks like at full strength..."
"How wonderful. If only I could have... during the Arc..."
Feeling the magnificent pressure from behind that threatened to crush the entire world, the projection—born from the hearts of the people—whispered softly.
Because she was born from the public's perception, she possessed physical attributes that the current Dream Weaver couldn't hope to match.
Yet, for that same reason, having never shown the use of Kindling Flames on the track in their eyes, she was naturally powerless to resist the current Dream Weaver.
She was going to lose.
But the moment that decided this match wasn't happening now; it had happened during those repeated failures at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe within this script.
If she had found the resolve even once to use Kindling Flames for herself, rather than for the expectations of the crowd, she wouldn't be falling this quickly.
The will of an Uma Musume creates miracles on the turf.
The Dream Weaver of this script had lost to such miracles countless times, even though she held the "miracle button" in her own hand. She simply couldn't bring herself to press it because of others.
And so, she was about to be defeated by a miracle once again.
Clang!
Crack.
A gold-and-red flash of light swept past. The Divine Blade in her hand shattered instantly. The backlash from her collapsing Zone made it nearly impossible for her to even maintain her running form.
Even though both had burst into a full sprint at the start, there was still some distance left to the finish line. But running was no longer necessary.
The moment the Divine Blade broke, the outcome between her and Dream Weaver had been decided.
This wasn't a victory of Zones or skills; it was a victory of conviction.
The projection, representing the world-class Uma Musume in the eyes of the public, had lost to the current Dream Weaver in terms of pure resolve on the track.
[Mission Accomplished.]
A cold, mechanical voice rang in Dream Weaver's ear. The Tokyo Racecourse before her eyes dissolved into nothingness, as if shattered by her previous strike.
She returned to that empty, void-like space. A translucent blue screen appeared before her, announcing her victory with two very prominent words:
[Success]
Immediately after, another screen popped up.
[Exit Simulation?]
[Yes] [No]
Just as Dream Weaver thought this bizarre ordeal was over, a voice came from behind her.
"Could you wait a moment?"
Dream Weaver turned her head to see the projection, looking no different than before. She didn't speak, merely watching her in silence.
"I want to... talk to you a bit more."
"There isn't much to say to an Uma Musume with only B-Rank Wit, is there? She wouldn't understand what you're saying anyway," Dream Weaver retorted.
The projection blinked, then gave a bitter smile.
"You're still hung up on that? Someone who relies on intuition as much as you shouldn't really need that stat, right?"
Since it involved her pride, Dream Weaver didn't respond. She simply crossed her arms and huffed, turning her head away—though she didn't actually leave the virtual world.
--+--
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.