"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
Two figures tore through the curtain of rain one after the other, dragging long trails of spray behind them.
The fourth turn rapidly receded beneath their feet.
Then, in the next instant, the view ahead opened wide.
A straight stretch of turf extended far into the distance.
The final straight!
At the end of that track waited the crown symbolizing the highest honor in European racing.
Less than four hundred meters remained.
"...Hah."
Dancer raised her head. Rainwater streamed down her cheeks, blurring her vision.
She could feel the "borrowed" power inside her beginning to fade.
Her speed was falling.
Soon, she would return to the level where she truly belonged.
Yet the white-clad figure ahead of her had not slowed in the slightest.
If anything, now that they had reached the long final straight, McQueen seemed to be accelerating.
The distance between them had already grown from half a length to a full length.
Judging by the difference in their speed during the Irish Triple Crown, the gap would only widen by the time they finished this final straight.
"She's... completely leaving me behind."
Dancer murmured under her breath, yet her expression remained remarkably calm.
She knew she had already reached her limit.
She had used everything she had learned over the years and wrung every last drop of strength from her body.
She had even drawn upon an improvised technique born from a sudden flash of inspiration.
From her explosive start to her pursuit through the middle stages, she had executed everything even faster than she had planned before the race.
She had held nothing back.
She had no regrets.
"...That's enough."
The corners of Dancer's lips slowly lifted as her gaze remained fixed on the receding figure ahead.
Endless currents of black and white energy began to boil around her. Within them, crimson-gold flames surged and expanded.
It was as though some earth-shaking power was being born within them.
"I'll finish the rest with these two legs of mine!"
Even if she could no longer catch that pure-white figure disappearing into the distance, she would still give this race an ending worthy of her pride.
Ahead of her, McQueen seemed to sense something.
A soft smile appeared on her face.
BZZZT!
Heaven and earth suddenly trembled.
Up in the grandstand, countless legendary Umamusume, including Secretary, Dancing Brave, and Tremolo, felt their hearts shudder.
They were Umamusume.
Every one of them had reached at least the second stage of [Domain].
Their powerful instincts were telling them the same thing.
Something magnificent was about to descend upon this racecourse!
[Domain: Terminus of Light and Shadow, World]!
[Domain: The End of the Sky, World]!
BOOM!
A mighty crimson-gold force capable of burning the heavens erupted from the void. Carrying an overwhelmingly dominant will, it crashed down upon the entire racecourse.
Yet in the next instant, the pure-white figure erupted with brilliant white light.
It was as though the very dimensions were trembling.
A vast azure sky descended almost simultaneously from that immaculate glow.
Two wills, both vast and domineering beyond imagination, seized control of everything within sight and brought it all beneath their respective domains.
The final straight of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was suddenly torn in half!
One side was pure white as snow.
The other blazed crimson-gold like the sun.
A distinct boundary stretched across hundreds of meters, dividing even the curtain of rain in two!
Within their respective domains, the surging radiance reached such intensity that it seemed ready to pierce the heavens.
"Hahaha! This is what I wanted to see! It's amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
One of the legendary Umamusume raised a hand to her face as tears welled in her eyes.
A fierce red light burned within her pupils.
It seemed ready to transform into brilliant Domain radiance and spill from her eyes at any moment.
Yet the two [Worlds] enveloping the entire racecourse suppressed it completely, trapping it within her body and leaving it unable to break free.
"What a shame..."
After several seconds of excitement, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she sighed.
"Why couldn't that be me running down there...?"
"..."
The eyelids of the other legendary Umamusume around her twitched.
Only Umamusume on the level of Dancing Brave and Sea Bird lowered their heads as though they understood her feelings completely. Neither of them said a word.
...
Their speed rose again.
On the final straight, the two runners pounded the ground like goddesses of the heavens.
Each footfall boomed like a war drum, seemingly crushing even the leaden storm clouds and lightning overhead.
"McQueen!"
Dancer's expression twisted with exertion, and her voice emerged hoarse and rough.
"Come on! Fight me!"
"Hahaha! Come on!"
Swept up in the atmosphere, even the ordinarily composed McQueen felt an endless frenzy rise within her heart.
BOOM!
BOOM!
The ground cracked beneath their feet. Muddy water and torn turf flew through the air.
In the next instant, both figures surged forward with wild abandon.
The rain was torn apart.
The wind howled in agony.
The entire track seemed to be clearing a path for the two of them!
Behind them, the Domain radiance of the other fourteen runners had long since been crushed.
All that remained was the unyielding light burning within their eyes.
At the head of the second group, a pale-gold sphere of light glimmered like another solitary figure advancing alone.
Generous's damaged [World] had also been overwhelmed.
Yet it had barely preserved enough power for her to continue using the second stage of [Domain].
"Dancer... McQueen..."
The blonde girl stared at the two figures so far ahead that she could barely make them out.
A bitter smile crossed her face.
"How wonderful..."
Four hundred meters.
Three hundred meters.
Two hundred meters.
The masters of the two worlds raced toward the finish line, one pursuing the other.
...
"...Look."
In the top-floor viewing box, Kuroha watched the pure-white figure racing through the rain. The corners of his mouth rose in a proud smile.
"McQueen, you're shining."
That little girl who had once panicked and apologized whenever her dearest friend caused trouble had finally grown this far.
...
On the track, the pure-white figure streaked down the final straight like a meteor, dragging a long tail of light behind her.
One hundred meters.
The finish line was right before her.
Dancer was still chasing from behind.
Even though the gap between them had widened to three lengths, she refused to slow down.
Her crimson-gold flames continued to burn defiantly in the rain, like the final, undying lamp in the darkness.
"McQueen has entered the final hundred meters!"
The announcer's excited shout rang across the racecourse.
"Dancer is behind her, but the gap between them has already widened to more than three lengths!"
"The champion from the Far East can no longer be stopped!"
Spectators from every corner of the world rose to their feet and cheered.
Flags of every color fluttered in the rain.
Shouts in countless languages merged into one deafening roar.
Yet at that moment, they were all crying out the same name.
"McQueen! McQueen!"
"Go!"
"You're the strongest!"
In the next instant, the pure-white figure crossed the finish line with the azure [World] above her!
"The race is over!"
"First place!"
"The crown of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe belongs to McQueen!"
"The champion from the Far East has claimed the pinnacle of the world with an overwhelming victory!"
"This is her sixth G1 victory since beginning her European campaign! Indomitable! Undefeated! Invincible! The strongest! Utterly unstoppable!"
"At this moment, the strongest Umamusume in the world has been born!"
(End of Chapter)
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