Chapter 273 383
Mejiro Ryan's burst was abrupt and vicious.
So abrupt that Yaeno, who had been holding third position, only caught a flash of silver-gray in the corner of her eye. Before her brain could even process the shock, an air-ripping boom had already detonated at her ear.
So vicious that it wasn't until that silver-gray streak fully cleared Yaeno and thundered up alongside Wakaba that the commentator's voice finally arrived, a beat late and nearly cracking.
"O-o-oh! Ryan is coming! Mejiro Ryan is coming!"
"What unbelievable closing speed, what terrifying pace! She's blown past three in one go and is bearing down on the battle for second!"
But before the amazement could even settle, the very next instant-
"She's past her!"
"Mejiro Ryan moves into second! She's launching a surprise strike at the leader, Mejiro McQueen!"
"At the very end, is this really going to be a peak showdown between two Mejiros?!"
In the stands at Nakayama, the passion of more than a hundred thousand people ignited all at once.
Boom-boom-boom!
Horseshoes hammered the turf like a string of rapid-fire shots. Cold, metallic silver light coiled around Ryan's body as she punched through the air in an unstoppable rush, tearing open wave after wave of wind.
McQueen, I'm here!
Ryan shouted it in her heart, her short hair flattened back by the gale. That bold, gallant face was lit with wild, unrestrained exhilaration.
She could feel it, a strength she'd never had before, and the joy of finally reaching the point where she might touch her rival.
…
And right in front of that savage impact, the one who had been watching McQueen without blinking, McQueen herself-
…
McQueen tilted her head a fraction, her peripheral vision sweeping over the silver-gray afterimage charging up behind her.
She didn't speak. Even her breathing rhythm didn't change.
"We're into the final turn! Now Mejiro Ryan has only 550 meters left!"
The commentator's howl shook the sky.
"The gap between Mejiro McQueen and Mejiro Ryan is shrinking! Seven lengths, six lengths, five lengths! McQueen still hasn't moved?! What is she waiting for?!"
The moment Ryan broke past the five-length line-
"Hah…"
A faint but clear exhale spilled from the purple-haired girl's lips.
The next instant, every line of muscle in her long, rounded thighs tightened all at once.
Her already taut legs swelled with a frightening tension, like bowstrings drawn to the absolute limit.
Boom!
The wind screaming around them turned razor-sharp.
No wasted motion, no flourish. She simply shifted up one gear and quickened her cadence.
Ryan's Domain-boosted legs suddenly felt like they didn't exist at all. The gap snapped into place, fixed, and she could not claw back even an inch.
…
In the stands, Kuroha narrowed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh, his gaze burning.
The world of horse girls was full of unfairness, and yet it still preserved the fairness it was meant to have.
The unfairness was talent.
Some horse girls fought with everything they had and still couldn't win their debut. Some were cursed by hereditary afflictions like trigeminal neuralgia.
Even those who did win their debut, plenty ended up like Haru Urara, unable to secure even a single victory in regional races.
Others, like Star, awakened a first-step Domain before True Blooming, becoming "super horse girls" who could defeat many who had already True Bloomed.
And the fairness lay here:
Every ounce of your effort, every drop of sweat, is carved directly into your muscles, your will, and your bones.
When talent is close, the numbers and experience you stack up become shackles that simply cannot be crossed.
And right now, Ryan had slammed headfirst into those shackles.
A hopeless gap, more than 200 points in every stat, over a thousand points total, a disparity so absolute that even a Domain could not salvage it.
…
On the track, staring at the purple-haired girl who had suddenly accelerated again, Ryan's pupils contracted.
No way… why can't I catch her?!
I crossed that boundary too.
My speed is already at the limit, so why-
She watched the purple back turn distant again, unreachable again. The hope that had just flared, the belief that she might brush even the edge of McQueen's outfit, was crushed into ash in an instant.
Ryan could accept not catching her.
After all, even if she had crossed that "boundary," McQueen had achieved it long ago.
Losing was only natural.
What Ryan couldn't accept was how simply she was losing.
Her full power hadn't forced out even a sliver of McQueen's real strength.
Just running normally was enough to throw her away completely.
And then-
A crisp voice rode the wind and reached Ryan's ears with startling clarity.
"Ryan, didn't you say you wanted to see my full power?"
McQueen's voice was soft.
But the moment Ryan instinctively lifted her head and looked-
Whoosh!
Without warning, an endless blaze of pure white radiance surged out from the purple-haired girl, flooding the world as if it could blot out the sky.
If Ryan's Domain had been a stubborn firefly in the wilderness, then McQueen at this moment was a bright moon hanging high above, illuminating all things.
"Here. Etch my running into your memory forever, Ryan."
That dreamlike white brilliance, in that instant, fully dominated Nakayama.
Domain: End of the Sky!!!
Boom!
All the clamor of the real world was shut out completely.
…
A deep, black inner lake.
No roaring crowd of 170,000. No rivals' ragged breath. Even the sound of wind was gone.
Bzzz…
A long, exquisite silhouette stepped across the mirror-still black water.
With each step, rings of faintly glowing ripples spread outward beneath her feet.
Then the girl slowly stopped.
The lake under her feet changed in an instant, showing three overlapping reflections.
Closest was Ryan, face twisted, chasing with everything she had, fighting to close the distance.
Further back was Yaeno, teeth clenched, legs driving desperately.
And further still were Eishin Flash, Yutakei along with several others, all tearing at one another as they fought for the remaining contested positions.
The afterglow of the old era and the wave of the new generation intertwined, and yet now, they existed only as the backdrop to her ascent.
McQueen stood still, gazing at those reflections.
"Two generations of rushing currents are trying to stop me. They're trying to cross me."
"But… it doesn't matter."
In that instant, an indescribable understanding settled into her bones.
In this Arima Kinen, what she felt wasn't pressure or urgency. It was more like being crowned, as effortless as pushing a boat downstream.
From the time she was still a young horse girl, from the moment she met her Trainer.
Through these years of effort and growth, until now, she had already surpassed the skyline of Central Tracen Academy.
"I will become… the finish line."
…
Rumble.
With the birth of that realization, the calm inner lake suddenly churned.
Before McQueen's slightly startled eyes, an ancient, towering stone gate, steeped in boundless desolation, slowly rose from the deepest part of the lake.
It rose and rose until it stood before her, blocking all sight.
That was the third step of Domain.
In the history of Chasing Light, even the most dazzling senpai had only managed to brush the existence of this gate, and only in the twilight of their careers.
And among those three, only Inari One had possessed the potential to push it open halfway, glimpsing what lay beyond.
And now.
At the end of this Classic Year, in front of the Chasing Light that had driven so many to race like blue fire, this Mejiro girl stood before the gate with shocking ease.
…
After a moment of silence, McQueen raised a hand, her pale fingertips resting lightly against the rough stone.
She could feel it.
This gate offered her no resistance at all.
All she had to do was push, and she would become the finish line for every horse girl in Central.
McQueen didn't hesitate. She gave a soft laugh, and her fingers pressed forward.
Crack.
A clear sound echoed through the silent inner lake.
Then the scenery beyond the gate, drenched in endless light, poured into her pale violet eyes.
…
"Across the line!!!"
The commentator's scream rang through the entire stadium, the shock in his voice unmistakable.
"A massive-margin victory! Unmatched strength! It's a dimensional gap!"
"The final race of the Twinkle Series! The Arima Kinen crown belongs to- Mejiro McQueen!!!"
At the finish line, that lithe purple figure crossed the marker alone, light as a feather.
One step, and she crossed two generations.
One step, and she shattered every doubt.
2,500 meters. Arima Kinen: finished.
(End of Chapter)
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