Gold Legend made a phone call and, while she was at it, reported it to the Student Council and Miss Hayakawa.
Afterward, she came to the exclusive training ground of Team Spica.
Shi was slowly performing strange movements, seemingly warming up.
"Sorry for the wait." Legend greeted her.
"No, not at all." Shi stopped her movements and twisted her neck.
"I remember you seem to be the Acting President of the Student Council now, right? To borrow a training ground, and not even the main one, do you still need to prepare all this?" Shi turned to look at the returning Legend and asked.
"Even as the Acting President, one should follow the rules; that is a matter of course." Legend loosened up her body and spoke slowly.
"Mm, you're right. Following the rules is not a mistake." Shi nodded in agreement.
"Weather is clear, track condition is good." Legend looked at the sky and stomped her feet to feel the condition of the grass, then asked, "What distance should we set?"
"No need." Shi shook her head.
"Oh?"
"Honestly, I don't really like modern Uma Musume races. Compared to my era, the distances are still too short."
"Oh..." Legend raised an eyebrow.
"And you're actually the same, right?" Shi looked at Legend and revealed a subtle smile, "For people at our level, the track and weather are both irrelevant things."
Legend remained silent.
She was right. For an Uma Musume who had stepped into Ultimate Attainment, the track and weather were indeed things that didn't need to be cared about.
Take Legend for example—having completed her stride, she walked as if on flat ground regardless of the terrain, whether it was good turf or a harsh heavy track, whether it was a steep slope or a gentle surface; it made no difference.
Legend could now even walk on water that wasn't turbulent, without needing to take a running start and utilize speed and inertia like she once did.
The weather was even more irrelevant. The wind surrounding her, though slight, was enough to isolate all external influences. If Legend wished, she could even change the weather within a small area; at the very least, a single race track would be no problem at all.
This was the power of Ultimate Attainment. Wherever the mind reached, strength would follow; it could be called an authority.
"Then how do you want to race?" Legend asked.
Shi took out a coin; it looked rusty, and one could tell at a glance that it had some years on it.
"Let the race begin when the coin hits the ground, and end when one person laps the other or one person runs out of strength and stops. How about that?"
"...Interesting. You're going to lose. I have never lost when it comes to endurance." Legend grinned. Unlike her usual calm smile, her mouth stretched wide, just like a beast baring its fangs.
In the unseen, something spread out.
"Oh, oh, that's it! I thought you were truly as calm as stagnant water. This isn't bad at all."
Shi made no effort to hide her admiration. Such momentum—only then were you qualified to be my opponent.
The two turned around, stood side by side, and assumed the starting posture.
Shi tossed the coin with her thumb.
The coin spun in the air, and time seemed to stand still.
Clack. The coin hit the ground, and the race began.
"I'm back."
On the spectator stand at the edge of the track, the Trainer walked over to Hayakawa Tazuna, who had rushed to the training ground immediately after receiving the call.
"Thank you for your hard work. Dispersing the crowd was troublesome, wasn't it?" Miss Hayakawa said.
"Not really. Although it's the festival, the crowd's attention is all on the main training ground, so it wasn't troublesome." The Trainer shook his head and looked at the track.
"It seems I didn't arrive too late."
"That's right, the race just started."
Hayakawa Tazuna didn't speak; it was Invincible, who had come with her, who spoke.
"Who are you?" The Trainer hadn't seen Invincible before and asked.
"Excuse my rudeness. I am Invincible from White Horse Temple." Invincible greeted him with proper etiquette.
"White Horse Temple, huh..." The Trainer said with a complex expression. He didn't turn his head, continuing to watch the track, "This speed is already almost at the level of a finishing kick, right? How many laps have they run?"
"This is the third lap." Invincible turned her gaze back to the track and said.
"...For real? At this speed? Although this training ground isn't as big as the main one, a lap is still almost a thousand meters." The Trainer said in disbelief.
"You should be aware that for an Uma Musume who has achieved absolute transcendence, this level is at most just a warm-up." Miss Hayakawa stared fixedly at the track.
"Sorry to interrupt, am I late?"
The person who arrived was Symboli Rudolf. She had originally been dealing with Teio at the butler cafe, but upon receiving the call, she had come immediately, not even having time to change her clothes.
"No, you're just in time; the race hasn't even started yet." Miss Hayakawa shook her head.
"It's already the fourth lap." The Trainer spoke up weakly.
Miss Hayakawa shook her head, not responding, and turned to look behind Rudolf: "Did you bring a bit too many people?"
Behind Rudolf was the Student Council group that had followed her all the way here, as well as Oguri Cap, who had been mooching food at the cafe.
Deep Impact had been left with Teio, which incidentally held her back.
However, the imposing run of the Student Council group still attracted a wave of attention.
"Sorry, it happened suddenly. Is there any impact?" Rudolf asked, feeling a bit awkward.
"It's nothing. Just make sure to stop those Uma Musume who haven't completed their honkakuka. Such a race is too early for them."
"Say, Legend, how does it feel to run?"
On the track, Eclipse, who was running side by side with Legend, asked easily.
"If I had to say, it's just okay." Legend replied indifferently.
Even while running at a speed approaching an Uma Musume's final spurt, both of them remained at ease, their words clear and natural.
"I actually quite like the feeling of running—the breeze on my face, the solid ground beneath my feet, feeling like I'm flying with every step. It's a feeling of freedom." Eclipse said leisurely. "Honestly, at my age, I shouldn't really feel anything about running anymore, but for some reason, every time I start running, it feels great."
"You say that as if you're very old." Legend retorted.
"I'm over two hundred years old." Eclipse said leisurely.
"Really?" Legend was somewhat incredulous.
"I never lie." Eclipse said calmly.
"Then you've maintained yourself well." Legend said, squinting slightly.
"Right? I think so too." Eclipse nodded happily.
Another lap.
"By the way, are those your friends in the spectator seats?" Eclipse tilted her head, looking at the stands with interest.
"Yeah, why? Want to meet them?" Legend asked.
"Is that okay? Then could you please introduce me?"
"...Where's your shame?"
"Who could refuse a young, beautiful girl?"
"Shameless."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"It's already the 7th lap... Won't they get tired?" The Trainer asked with a complex expression.
"Of course they get tired, but for them, the speed of fatigue is not faster than the speed of recovery." Miss Hayakawa shook her head.
"Within the realm of Ultimate Attainment, an Uma Musume establishes a connection with the external environment. This connection is bidirectional; they use it to influence the world, and can also draw energy from the world. Where we come from, this is called Bigu." Invincible added.
"...Is such a thing really possible?" Rudolf was somewhat incredulous.
"Of course, but it's not without limits. This replenishment cannot compensate for the loss of physical strength; it only significantly delays the process." Miss Hayakawa explained.
"That's quite a significant delay..." The Trainer remarked.
"An average Ultimate Attainment practitioner can't reach this level." Invincible remarked. "The seniors in my family would probably start panting by the 6th lap."
"So, there are gaps even between Ultimate Attainment practitioners? By the way, are there many seniors in your family who have reached this level?" Mr. C.B., who was listening, asked with a grin.
"Not many, not few, just seven or eight. After all, the base number is what it is." Invincible said calmly.
"...I didn't see any when I traveled there." Mr. C.B. said with a complex expression.
She prided herself on having traveled far and wide and being knowledgeable, so why hadn't she seen them?
"Those who can reach this step are all old fossils with advanced age, and their numbers are pitifully small. Our country is so big, there are only a few with names, and they have long settled down and don't like to show their faces. It would be a miracle if you could see them." Invincible retorted.
"...Here it comes." Oguri Cap, who had been staring at the track, spoke up.
"The race has begun." Miss Hayakawa said.
The wind picked up on the track.
At first, it was just a breeze, but then it gradually grew stronger.
Then, the wind came from all directions, and a storm descended.
With Gold Legend at the center, the invisible wind seemed to take on a physical form, wrapping around her.
Although the wind was invisible, anyone could feel it. Something was filling this space.
The gale raged, and the spectators in the stands were squinting their eyes against the wind; only a few were exceptions.
"Ah, this wind..."
Hayakawa Tazuna stood straight at the very front of the spectators; the oncoming wind blew her hair, but it didn't cause much of an impact.
"...I can feel the spirituality within it." Rudolf extended her hand to block it, lightning flickering on her body. "Has it already reached this level? Legend..."
"..." Oguri Cap did not speak, a faint radiance overflowing from the surface of her body.
"She's so fierce..." A faint white stream appeared around Invincible, resisting the blowing wind.
"Wow, the materialization of wind, that's awesome!"
But the raging wind did not affect Eclipse, who was right there; she was even commenting leisurely.
"I've seen people who control wind or summon wind, but this is the first time I've seen someone who, like you, has almost become the wind itself." A hint of playfulness appeared on the corner of Eclipse's mouth, and she sighed, "The world is truly wondrous."
"...Here I come."
Legend did not express an opinion and said straightforwardly.
"Oh? Here it comes? Bring it on! I'm ready!"
By the way, is it a bit strange for an Uma Musume to say "bring it on"?
Eclipse said with a smile.
In an instant, the storm stopped.
It fell into absolute silence, as if the gale had never raged there; all movement had come to a standstill.
The senses of everyone present also seemed to come to a standstill.
Bang.
A huge noise broke the silence, waking everyone up.
Eclipse took a forceful step, and the lawn, which should have been fluffy and soft, actually developed cracks.
"Damn, you used the gale to interfere with my perception at the start, but the killing move was actually a mental attack? Why didn't you just hit me with the wind? That's too dirty!"
Eclipse was somewhat flustered; she had almost fallen for it.
"You're the one who said 'bring it on', and besides, you didn't fall for it, did you?"
Legend, who had accelerated to take the lead during the gap in Eclipse's exertion, said indifferently.
"And hitting people in a race is against the rules."
"You've developed such a dirty trick, yet you still care about rules?"
"That's different."
The two were still bickering.
"What was that just now?"
In the spectator stands, Mr. C.B. asked in a daze.
"Using the fluidity of the wind to express extreme stillness and extreme movement, interfering with the opponent's senses through contrast—it's a very clever approach." Hayakawa Tazuna narrowed her smile and explained calmly.
"...Isn't this too petty?"
Making such a big scene just to play around with this kind of thing?
Mr. C.B. was speechless.
"No, on the contrary, this is a very smart approach. You can tell that if she wanted to, she could completely whip up a storm. But, this is just a race."
Miss Hayakawa said with a light laugh.
Because she was afraid of hurting others, she used this comical interference method; it's very much in this child's style.
She didn't even stir up sand or dust.
If it were a normal race, the impact caused by such a strong wind would be much more serious than imagined.
However, she probably wouldn't use such a skill on an official track.
"Alright, the testing ends here. Here I come!"
After discovering that Eclipse hadn't been affected by such a small scene, Legend also felt relieved.
Undoubtedly, this Uma Musume was much stronger than her.
And, if there were no accidents, she was... no, she hadn't hidden it at all.
That's perfect. Let me test my own standards. Let me see just how strong the so-called 'Ten Thousand Horses Without Light' really is!
One step out.
A ripple like water spread out, bringing darkness and silence.
First step, Silent Night.
"Oh? Is this your domain of Ultimate Attainment?"
Eclipse did not stop her steps because of the arrival of darkness; she continued to move forward.
For her, vision and sound were not obstacles to running.
She was still on the correct path.
"Does the darkness not affect you?"
Legend's curious voice echoed in the darkness.
"I have long been accustomed to being with darkness. If anything, darkness is my home field."
As soon as she finished speaking, dark blue particles, deeper than the night, gushed out from her body.
"You bestow darkness upon me, then I shall gift you darkness in return."
The particles began to cover the darkness in reverse with an even more ferocious momentum.
"Ugh..." Legend let out a whimper, then counterattacked.
She contracted and condensed her domain to contend with the opponent.
Using the gap between the two as a boundary, the domains of both sides began to clash and crush each other.
"...What on earth is that?"
Mr. C.B., who was staring fixedly at the track, asked in confusion.
"I know this one!" Invincible raised a hand. "The characteristic of Ultimate Attainment is that where the mind reaches, everything is within reach. And the domain is the boundary of their mind. After reaching Ultimate Attainment, the domain can even be materialized. They can arbitrarily interfere with things covered by the domain. Although the methods of interference vary due to individual differences, that is generally how it works."
"?"
"How should I put it?" Invincible explained. "You just need to understand that once they incorporate the other into their own Domain, they can do whatever they want to them."
"Got it." Mr. C.B. nodded.
"So what is their situation now?"
Maruzensky, who was listening in, reached out and pointed at the track. From their perspective, they could only see two black semicircles covering most of the track, one red-black and one blue-black, combining into something similar to a barrier from an anime, crushing against each other.
They couldn't even see the people; if it weren't for the fact that these two black semicircles were moving, they wouldn't even know if the race was still ongoing.
"How would I know? Even though I am a direct disciple of the White Horse Temple, do you think I would be fortunate enough to witness a contest of Ultimate Attainment?" Invincible rolled their eyes.
Hayakawa Tazuna spoke up: "They are wrestling for control. After achieving Ultimate Attainment, the Domain becomes an extension of the mind and spirit, so the confrontation of Domains becomes a confrontation of the mind and spirit."
"Once one side's Domain is devoured, then she loses... right?" Rudolf asked uncertainly.
"Roughly speaking." Hayakawa Tazuna said vaguely.
"What are you all talking about? What's happening? Aren't the two of them just running side by side? Although this speed is a bit fast... okay, more than a bit." The Trainer, who couldn't see the scenery through the eyes of an Uma Musume, looked bewildered.
"Trainer Nishizaki, can't you see that?" Mr. C.B. asked.
"Nishizaki? Oh, that's me. I can see very clearly. Although my eyes were stung by the wind earlier, I'm fine now." The Trainer said. "However, I can vaguely feel that something is covering the track, and even the light has dimmed quite a bit."
"Humans cannot intuitively sense a Domain, but even a Trainer, who is human, can vaguely perceive it. How monstrous are those two?" Invincible exclaimed in admiration.
"Miss Hayakawa, do you know who Legend's opponent is?"
Hearing Invincible's exclamation, Rudolf, who had just realized, asked Hayakawa Tazuna.
"Shh, don't be impatient, look closely. The race has reached its finale."
Hayakawa Tazuna reached out to stop Rudolf, her eyes fixed on the track.
...
"I can tell that this is your first time racing against an opponent of the same level."
No sound came, but Legend still perceived the other's [words].
"?!"
"Don't be so jumpy. The Domain is an extension of the mind, so it's not strange to be able to communicate. In fact, there is no better way to communicate than this. How does it feel to be completely open with each other?"
...
...Is that why you wanted to race against me?
"Don't say it so directly. Your feelings of disdain are overflowing; I'll be sad."
Tsk. Legend clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Hoho, planning to decide the winner here in one go? You really keep surprising me! Come on, I can't wait anymore!"
Legend took a deep breath.
Then, the spring breeze blew.
The second step, Light Clouds.
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