At the very instant McQueen crossed the finish line, the torrential rain began to ease.
By the time she gradually slowed to a stop, the rain had ceased as if on cue.
A gap opened in the clouds.
A clear beam of sunlight poured down from the gloomy heavens, falling perfectly at the girl's feet.
It resembled a spotlight.
Silently illuminating the sole victor on this racecourse.
"Haah... Hah..."
Behind her, Dancer also crossed the finish line.
Her body staggered slightly, but she did not collapse in a wretched heap as she had in the past. Instead, she braced both hands against her knees and gasped desperately for breath.
Only after a long while did the French girl manage to raise her eyes toward the giant screen above the racecourse.
Second place: Dancer.
Margin: Four lengths.
She fell silent for a moment before shaking her head with a helpless smile. Her gaze settled upon the pure-white figure walking toward her.
"...You really meant what you said. You told me you wouldn't wait, and you genuinely never looked back even once."
Dancer sighed helplessly.
When McQueen extended a hand toward her, Dancer did not hesitate. She seized it tightly and used McQueen's strength to pull herself upright.
"If I'd given you even half a second, you might have been the one who won."
McQueen smiled gently and supported Dancer's trembling body as she struggled with complete exhaustion.
Dancer waved her hand, drew a deep breath, and barely managed to steady herself.
"So, how does it feel to be the champion of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?"
"How does it feel? Hmm... If you're asking whether I've had some special revelation..."
McQueen thought for a moment before answering honestly.
"I don't think I have."
"Other than facing you, this race didn't feel particularly different from any of my other races."
Dancer stared at her in surprise.
Then she clutched her stomach and burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Hahaha! McQueen, your competitive spirit has finally awakened!"
After laughing for a while, Dancer lightly bumped her fist against McQueen's shoulder.
"Now that this race is over, you'll be returning to the Far East, won't you?"
"That means we'll have to settle our next match on another racetrack."
McQueen nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"And next time, I'll definitely win!"
"You should have said that before we crossed the finish line."
"Come on, there's nothing wrong with letting me boast a little!"
...
Meanwhile, inside the viewing box...
"Mm! That was completely satisfying!"
Secretary stretched lazily with a broad smile, putting her dramatic, voluptuous curves on full display.
"That was exactly the kind of spectacular showdown I was hoping to see."
She turned her head and gave McQueen and Dancer one final look.
Then a thought suddenly seemed to flash through her mind.
However, when she turned toward a certain spot beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, her eyes briefly lost focus.
"Huh? What... was I about to do?"
The tall, striking red-haired woman tilted her head in confusion as she stared at the empty space by the window.
"And wasn't someone standing there a moment ago?"
The strange feeling lasted for only an instant before she cast it from her mind and turned toward her assistant.
"Come on, Brise! We need to hurry to the Winning Concert and claim a good spot in the front row. If we're late, they'll all be taken!"
"Hm? Wait... Slow down..."
Brise stumbled several steps as Secretary dragged her along, rubbing her head in confusion.
A trace of bewilderment had also appeared deep within her eyes.
Come to think of it, hadn't Secretary been discussing something with Rudolf from the Far East before the race?
...What had they been talking about?
Secretary and the others were not alone.
With the race concluded, the legendary Umamusume and their teams from the other countries also began leaving to attend to their own affairs.
"Let's go! It's time to welcome McQueen back after her triumphant victory!"
Inside the viewing box, Rudolf called out to everyone before leading the Umamusume from Central and the Chasing Light team out of the grandstand.
Not a single person seemed to notice that Kuroha had not left with them.
As everyone departed one after another, the enormous luxury viewing box quickly became deserted.
Several seconds later, a clear and melodious chuckle suddenly echoed through the empty room.
"Kuro-kun, was it really necessary to tease the children like that?"
Godolphin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows with her hands folded in front of her. Her eyes were filled with a gentle smile.
Following her gaze revealed an illusory figure that had somehow appeared before her, wrapped in a faint, sacred glow.
"I was only conducting a little experiment. I didn't expect it to work so well."
A familiar murmur emerged from within the light.
As soon as those words fell, the sacred glow dissolved into countless motes and disappeared.
When the light receded, it revealed a familiar figure.
On the surface, he possessed nothing more than the body of an ordinary human.
Yet the moment he fully manifested within this world, an indescribably vast presence instantly filled the entire room.
It was as though, between heaven and earth, he alone was divine.
"That beam of light above McQueen's head was also your doing, wasn't it?"
Godolphin blinked.
"I never realized you had such a flair for ceremony."
Kuroha coughed lightly and turned his head aside.
"I had to give this journey a sufficiently grand conclusion."
"Yes, yes. You have more Divine Power than you know what to do with now."
Godolphin nodded casually before changing the subject.
"So, how do you feel?"
Kuroha paused.
He raised his right hand and closed it around the empty air.
"...Honestly, it doesn't feel real."
Only a few minutes earlier, at the exact instant McQueen crossed the finish line, the Power of Faith Kuroha had accumulated in this world had reached its peak.
At that moment, the Star Robe had finally undergone a qualitative transformation.
His ascent along the Stairway to Godhood had reached its end.
There had been no earth-shattering phenomenon when he became a god.
Kuroha had merely felt as though a heavy shackle had fallen away from both his body and soul, leaving him lighter than ever before.
It was a leap to an entirely new level of existence.
Not only had the Divine Power within him increased thousands upon thousands of times over, but he had also gained terrifying physical abilities and mental power.
His eyes shifted slightly.
Even while standing still, his gaze could easily pierce the clouds and survey both poles of the planet.
He could even clearly see Aoi and the five little ones at the distant Mejiro Training Grounds in the Far East, huddled together and cheering with delight.
...
He raised one hand and flicked a finger through the air.
"Thump!"
Far away in the corridor, Secretary, who was waiting for the elevator, suddenly clutched her head.
It felt as though someone had sharply flicked her on the forehead.
She suspiciously looked from side to side, but there was not a single person in sight.
Kuroha shifted one foot forward.
He possessed an instinctive certainty.
If he wished, a single step would carry him across the entire Eurasian continent. In an instant, he could appear beside Hishi-chan and the others and join their celebration.
"So this is the power you Three Goddesses wielded at your peak?"
Back inside the viewing box, Kuroha enthusiastically experimented with his new abilities.
A faint light appeared in Godolphin's eyes.
She silently observed him for a moment before nodding.
"If we disregard the Divine Power we divided among the other children as blessings... then yes, it is roughly the same."
"However..."
She paused before continuing.
"In terms of the sheer amount of Divine Power within you, you already possess more than the three of us did when we first claimed our Divine Thrones, before our Divine Rings were divided."
"Oh?"
Kuroha's expression shifted slightly.
"Then can my power surpass your [Mortal World]?"
"It definitely couldn't before, but now... I don't know."
Godolphin hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
"That's fine. We'll know after we have a match."
Kuroha smiled and naturally reached out to stroke the blue goddess's hair.
Godolphin did not avoid his hand. Instead, she comfortably rubbed her head against his palm.
Kuroha then took Godolphin's hand, and their figures flickered.
A faint light flashed and disappeared.
The scenery around them suddenly twisted.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them crossed the intervening distance and silently appeared at the entrance to the competitors' tunnel before anyone else arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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