Even A-rank stamina wasn't enough for Dream Weaver to maintain her Zone from start to finish and still launch a final sprint. What she relied on was that already upgraded S-rank Guts—what the system called "Crown-Class" determination.
According to what Chizuru Haibara had said before, the period when a trainer's Guts truly kicks in is called the "second wind."
During that time, the Uma Musume's body gradually adapts to high-intensity exertion and taps into a new wellspring of energy. It was precisely this power that propelled Dream Weaver right up behind Orfevre.
But determination alone wasn't enough.
Even with Dream Weaver's Zone fully deployed, it couldn't completely negate the boost from Orfevre's own Zone.
Not to mention, Orfevre's base speed was likely a full tier higher than Dream Weaver's to begin with.
With such a staggering gap, even with the Challenger Badge's bonus and her Zone weakening Orfevre, Dream Weaver could only manage to stay half a length behind.
That was her absolute speed limit.
Even an Orfevre unable to reach her top speed could still hold her off.
If this stalemate continued, all that awaited her was defeat.
Dream Weaver knew this perfectly well. She understood better than anyone just how absurd the gap between her and Orfevre really was.
To the spectators outside the arena, Dream Weaver was a miracle—a country girl who'd not only broken into the central circuit but had also defeated Orfevre head-on.
In this generation, it seemed there were no other contenders besides the two of them. The chasm between them and the other Uma Musume was so vast it felt unbridgeable, earning Dream Weaver and Orfevre the title of the "Twin Sovereigns."
One was a chosen king, born of noble blood and possessing peerless talent.
The other was a miracle queen, of humble origins yet capable of explosive, astonishing power.
In everyone's eyes, Dream Weaver had bulldozed her way here.
Even Chizuru Haibara, who knew Dream Weaver's limits best, believed she possessed boundless potential. Her victory in the Satsuki Sho made Chizuru think that an Uma Musume's limits couldn't be defined by base stats alone—that miracles could happen on the track.
But only Dream Weaver herself knew that merely standing on this stage was already a miracle.
From countless losses against Tokai Teio in her debut race, to the soul-crushing realization of her limits in the first scripted world, to finally burning herself up like kindling just for a chance at victory.
She was never some peerless, one-of-a-kind Uma Musume. It was only because of everything she'd accumulated from the past that people watching now believed Dream Weaver had limitless potential.
But now, having come this far, Dream Weaver knew she had exhausted all her reserves.
The boost from Tokyo Swift, the amplification from the Challenger's Badge, the synergy between S-rank Guts and her Zone—this was every last ounce of strength she had.
Now, running all-out while maintaining her Zone, Dream Weaver could already foresee the moment her determination would burn out completely.
The reason it's called the "second wind," and not the third or fourth, is because the power it offers comes only once.
After her Guts was exhausted, Dream Weaver would sink into a mire known as "hitting the wall."
It would feel as if a solid, high wall had suddenly appeared on the path ahead. No matter how badly she wanted to run faster, no matter how hard she pushed, breaking through that wall would be impossible.
Once the effect of the second wind faded, the outcome of the Japanese Derby would be decided beyond any doubt.
Even if her skill, Phoenix, could keep her going a few seconds longer, it would be useless—because Dream Weaver's top speed simply couldn't catch Orfevre.
It was the most straightforward, and cruelest, of truths: the gap in their fundamental abilities.
People outside the circuit saw her as the Queen of Miracles.
But Dream Weaver felt more like an assassin.
Wielding a cursed blade capable of a single, lethal strike—an opportunity she had only once, and one she'd already used in the Satsuki Sho.
If she wanted to draw that blade, named Murasame, again… it would cost her her life.
Ahead of her, Orfevre seemed to sense her impending victory. Despite the stormy currents and the pressure of Dream Weaver's Zone, she forced out words:
"Well?!"
"Has the figure of the Golden Tyrant captivated you, my rival?!"
The innate desire of an Uma Musume for a strong opponent made her hope Dream Weaver could still surprise her. But if victory was to be hers like this, Orfevre would still rejoice.
In her view, since they were rivals, trading wins was only natural.
If she never won against Dream Weaver even once, what right did she have to call herself Dream Weaver's rival?
Just as it had been with T.M. Opera O back then, in the intense collision of their Zones, Dream Weaver once again gained the ability to understand Orfevre on a deeper level.
So she didn't need to speak aloud to convey her thoughts.
For some reason, knowing she was nearing her limit, Dream Weaver suddenly wanted to ask Orfevre a question.
"What do you think of the Uma Musume behind us?"
They, too, had long reached their limits under the pressure of Dream Weaver's Zone.
Hearing Dream Weaver's voice in her mind, Orfevre raised an eyebrow. After listening, she responded proudly:
"Any Uma Musume without the capacity to bear expectations will have the hopes placed on them devoured. Only then can the stage erupt with the most dazzling glory."
"Those who have already given up on winning will naturally have their former expectations consumed by you and me."
Orfevre had grown up in a racing world dominated by elite families. The values she'd absorbed since childhood had shaped her logic:
Uma Musume carrying expectations compete for victory. The strongest among them devours and absorbs the expectations placed on all the others. In the end, only one Uma Musume stands above the rest, reigning supreme over her generation.
This was Orfevre's ideal—the Golden Tyrant. Even she was pushed to her limit by the overwhelming weight of expectations, but she saw that only as a sign she hadn't yet truly matured.
That was also why she wanted Dream Weaver to unleash even greater power. Orfevre wished to grow stronger through competition with her rival, until she could finally bear everyone's expectations and become the Golden Tyrant.
'Like fuel?'
Dream Weaver thought inwardly. Suddenly, she understood this scripted world.
In a racing world ruled by elites, every Uma Musume would burn herself up like kindling. Only by continuously winning, by plundering the expectations of others, could one keep running in this endless combustion.
Kindling piled upon kindling—from the resulting flames, a sovereign powerful enough to dominate the generation would inevitably emerge.
And forgotten country Uma Musume like Nanno Sumire, Artisan Bell, Nishimoto Makusa, and Kobayashi Kaze would form the very bottom layer of this system of fuel.
Burned up at the fastest speed.
Now, Dream Weaver finally realized what the vow she'd made to them truly meant—that promise to drag the elites down from their thrones.
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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