Time rewound to ten minutes earlier.
In another lounge at Belmont Park, Easy Goer silently got herself ready.
Secretariat watched her prepare, concern in her eyes.
The image of Easy Goer crying after the Preakness Stakes still would not leave her mind.
Because she had given everything she had, and then lost.
That was why it hurt.
That was why she felt frustrated.
That was why she cried.
Truthfully, Secretariat had taken Easy Goer to Japan and let her meet Sakuraba, pulling her low spirits somewhat back to normal...
But so what?
Even if Easy Goer's mood had returned to normal, what then?
Did that mean she would definitely beat Sunday Silence in the Belmont Stakes this time?
Secretariat did not know the answer to that question.
Ever since her younger sister stepped off the return flight to America, something subtle had changed about her aura.
It seemed her answer had had some effect on her.
That was why Easy Goer had felt especially different lately...
As if she had undergone a transformation.
Easy Goer had grown stronger.
Stronger than she had been before the first two crowns.
Secretariat dared to guarantee that much.
But could this stronger Easy Goer beat Sunday Silence?
That question still had to be marked with a question mark.
Secretariat could not guarantee that Sunday Silence's strength in the Belmont Stakes had remained exactly where it was.
While Easy Goer had been improving, had Sunday Silence really not improved as well?
Impossible.
With Sunday Silence's personality, there was no way she would stand still and wait for her opponent to slowly catch up.
So in the Belmont Stakes, Easy Goer would be facing an even stronger Sunday Silence.
As for the physical burden of competing in consecutive high-intensity races, both Sunday Silence and Easy Goer were starting from the same line.
So this race would begin with the two of them on equal footing.
As always.
What if Easy is crushed by Sunday Silence again in this race...?
How am I supposed to comfort her then...?
"Sis, you don't need to worry so much."
As her older sister, Secretariat could not help imagining the worst-case scenario.
Perhaps noticing Secretariat's expression, or perhaps sensing her sister's thoughts from the atmosphere around her, Easy Goer turned around after finishing her preparations and smiled at Secretariat.
"I know you've been worried about what will happen if I can't win."
"I also understand why you took me to Japan before..."
"With how thoughtful you are, Sis, you must have brought me to Mr. Sakuraba's place to comfort me, right?"
"I know. I know you've always cared about me."
Under Secretariat's somewhat surprised gaze, Easy Goer bent at the waist toward her.
"This might be a little late, but I'm sorry, Sis."
"In the past, I was so caught up in proving myself that I turned a blind eye to your kindness... I even chose to distance myself from you."
"That was wrong. Even as your younger sister, I shouldn't have done something that hurt my family."
"Even though you kept trying to get closer to me before, I kept making you sad..."
"I'm sorry!"
"Thank you for putting up with an immature little sister like me."
The girl bent at the waist toward Secretariat once more.
"..."
Secretariat looked at Easy Goer, who was apologizing to her so earnestly, and an indescribable emotion lingered in her heart.
"You don't need to apologize so seriously. I didn't really mind any of that..."
"Mm."
"I know."
Easy Goer lifted her head and looked at Secretariat with a smile.
"You never minded how I acted toward you, Sis..."
"But I still had to apologize."
"Because what I did really was wrong. If I didn't apologize, I wouldn't be able to feel at ease."
"And... there's actually one more thing I want to tell you."
Easy Goer smiled at Secretariat, a gentle light flashing through her blue eyes.
"Ever since I asked Mr. Sakuraba about the meaning behind my running, I've been thinking about how I should answer that question."
"At first, the meaning behind my running was to prove that I was myself, not some so-called 'third-generation Big Red.'"
"On the plane, the answer you gave me was that I only needed to run with a heart that refused to lose..."
"After coming back, I did try training with that refusal to lose. But actually, it didn't work very well."
"Huh...?"
A look of slight surprise appeared on Secretariat's face.
Eh?
Hadn't Easy been in excellent condition during training these past few days?
Did I misjudge it?
That shouldn't be...
Oh no!
As her older sister, I've failed in my duties!
Visible wavering appeared on Secretariat's face.
Seeing her like that, Easy Goer hurriedly waved her hands and explained.
"My training condition is actually really good!"
"It was only bad for the first few days..."
"And I did figure out my reason for running~"
Easy Goer spread her palm in front of herself. In her hand, she seemed to see the version of herself who had run in the past...
"I used to be bound by the title of third-generation Big Red, so I kept thinking about how to prove myself... But when I thought about it carefully, even now, after proving myself to everyone, that restlessness in my heart has only faded a tiny little bit..."
"And then I realized that I don't actually hate the title third-generation Big Red, and I don't hate being called Secretariat's younger sister either."
"I just want to become a younger sister you can be proud of."
"That simple reason is why I stand on the racetrack."
Looking at Secretariat, Easy Goer showed the brightest smile she had ever worn.
Secretariat looked at Easy Goer's smile, and her vision grew slightly blurred.
She had seen that smile before.
When Easy Goer was very little, she had seen it.
Back then, Easy had always shown her a smile like this.
It was only after she grew up that Easy Goer stopped opening her heart to her... so Secretariat had not been able to see that smile for a long time.
Now that she was suddenly seeing it again, Secretariat could hardly hold herself together...
"Actually, Easy, you've always been..."
Secretariat wanted to say the words in her heart right then, but before she could, Easy Goer pressed a finger against her lips.
"I want to hear that after the race. Is that okay?"
"..."
Seeing her younger sister ask this of her, Secretariat nodded.
"Then I'm going to race."
"You have to watch closely, Sis. Watch how your little sister runs!"
Easy Goer opened the door, then looked back at Secretariat inside the room and smiled.
"Mm."
"I'll watch properly."
Secretariat returned the smile.
Seeing Secretariat's smile, Easy Goer's own smile grew even brighter.
She pushed open the door.
The aura around her shifted in an instant.
The one about to step onto the track now was—Big Red!
In the dim entrance tunnel, light seeped in from the direction of the track, casting several long, slanted streaks across the floor.
Several Umamusume stood quietly or paced lightly, their expressions focused as they listened to the faint sounds of the announcer and the cheering audience outside. The air was filled with the unique tension of the moments before a race.
Steady footsteps came from deep within the tunnel. Easy Goer approached without hurry. She stopped beside Sunday Silence and did not speak, merely turning her face slightly.
Sunday Silence's golden eyes flicked sideways, her gaze cold as a tempered blade as it rested on Easy Goer for an instant.
Her voice was flat, yet carried its usual chill.
"The aura around you has changed."
"Looks like you've grown quite a lot lately."
Easy Goer turned toward her, her smile warm, yet her eyes shining with a light that could not be ignored.
"Yes. Thanks to my sister... and Mr. Sakuraba's help."
Her tone was sincere as she continued.
"I'm very grateful to them."
Sunday Silence's brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
Sakuraba.
Why had her boyfriend helped this girl?
Thoughts quietly spread like fine vines. She pressed her lips together, her fingertips unconsciously curling slightly.
Easy Goer seemed to see through that moment of silence.
Her smile did not fade. Her voice was soft, but clear.
"There's no special relationship between Mr. Sakuraba and me."
"So you don't need to worry too much."
Sunday Silence raised her brows slightly, a sharp light passing through her golden eyes.
"So," she said, lowering her voice a little, with a trace of playful coldness, "why are you going out of your way to tell me that?"
Easy Goer's smile did not change, but her gaze grew even clearer.
"Because, Sunday Silence, haven't you always wanted to run with 'someone strong'?"
She tilted her head slightly, her tone peaceful yet carrying unmistakable certainty.
"The me today should be able to satisfy that requirement, no?"
Sunday Silence's gaze slowly swept over her—over that figure which was no longer tense, no longer anxious, but calm and filled with power.
She understood.
This was not idle chatter. It was a declaration of war.
Yet unexpectedly, the corners of Sunday Silence's mouth lifted in a faint but genuine curve.
It was an almost delighted expression, one sparked by interest.
"You..." she murmured, her voice carrying a rare trace of excitement. "You've become exciting."
She could smell it.
From the opponent before her, once thoroughly crushed by her, there now radiated the clear, pure aura of a strong rival.
It was not empty bravado, nor the dying embers of frustration, but a real pressure refined through tempering, enough to make her blood grow faintly hot.
Outside the tunnel, the announcer's impassioned voice rang out, clearly calling her name.
Sunday Silence stepped forward. In the instant she brushed past Easy Goer, she turned her head slightly and left behind words in a volume only the two of them could hear.
"I'll be waiting on the track for you to 'satisfy' me—"
She paused, and for the first time, clearly and formally called her by that title.
"—Big Red."
The words fell, and she walked straight toward the bright entrance, her figure gradually swallowed by the boiling roar of the crowd.
Easy Goer stood in place, briefly stunned.
Big Red...?
Back at the Preakness Stakes, Sunday Silence had not even given her a proper look, much less called her that.
A moment later, the smile at the corner of Easy Goer's mouth quietly deepened, and the blue light in her eyes glowed like a spark catching flame.
She breathed out lightly, then stepped forward, following the powerful back ahead of her toward the battlefield that belonged to them.
The instant Sunday Silence stepped onto the track, Belmont Park erupted. A tsunami of cheers surged skyward, almost enough to lift the roof from the stands.
"Sunday Silence! Sunday Silence! Sunday Silence!"
The unified chant rang through the clouds. Countless arms waved through the air, and flags and banners gathered into a surging tide.
In America, she was the unmatched ace among active athletes, the sole focus under the spotlight.
"Sunday Silence! She's going to make history today!"
"Go! Take Belmont! You'll be a legend!"
Every pair of eyes in the stands burned with nearly fanatical expectation.
A Triple Crown Umamusume.
That was a name engraved at the very pinnacle of racing history, the supreme crown.
And now, the black-haired girl with the commanding figure was walking step by step toward the starting point of a new legend.
The air trembled because of her. Everyone's heartbeat resonated with the sound of her steps.
However, when Easy Goer followed close behind—or rather, when the "third-generation Big Red," stepping into this place in an entirely new form, walked beneath that blazing light—the stands also burst into clear, enthusiastic cheers.
"Easy Goer! Do your best!"
"Big Red III! Show them what you're made of!"
"Run your heart out today!"
The voices were not as unified or vast as those for Sunday Silence, but they were loud enough, gathering into a warm, firm wave that surged toward her from every corner of the stands.
Many people remembered the way she had given everything in the Preakness Stakes. They remembered the frustrated tears she shed after crossing the line.
Perhaps not all of them believed she could win, but at this moment, they were willing to offer encouragement to this challenger who had broken free of her restraints and returned with her head held high.
That unexpected support brought a subtle change to the atmosphere.
It was no longer merely a pilgrimage to pay homage to the king. There was now also respect for resilience and transformation, and deep anticipation for a true peak confrontation.
Easy Goer faced the wave of sound rising for her and lifted her head slightly.
Her blue eyes reflected the bright lights of the track and the vivid colors of the stands, clear and firm.
She heard it.
Not only the majesty of an opponent reigning over the world, but also the echo of recognition that belonged to her.
The two girls stood one after the other on the same dirt track.
The boiling voices surrounded them and pushed them toward the center of the storm.
The decisive battle was about to begin.
Without any unnecessary words, the two girls entered their respective gates one after another. The soft click of the metal gates closing was so clear on the racecourse, now silent to the extreme, that it made hearts tremble.
Tens of thousands of gazes locked tightly onto those narrow gates. The air seemed to freeze, and even breathing unconsciously grew lighter.
The next few minutes would decide whether a legend would be forged, or whether a challenger's most magnificent charge would unfold.
Everyone understood that they were holding their breath and witnessing history.
Dead silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop moving.
The next instant—
BANG!
The thunderous sound of the gates springing open tore through the frozen air!
Like beasts long lying in wait bursting from their cages, two figures erupted almost at the same instant!
Sunday Silence! Her start reaction was as fast as lightning, her stride broad and full of explosive power. Her black hair stretched into a streamlined trail in the wind, her golden eyes fixed straight ahead. She had only one goal—the frontmost lead position!
Easy Goer's launch was just as swift and extraordinary. But unlike her earlier aggressive starts tinged with impatience, her acceleration now was smooth and stable. Every step carried a steady force that had been stored up for a long time.
She did not blindly try to overtake Sunday Silence in an instant. Instead, she bit tightly onto Sunday Silence's flank, like a blue light and shadow following close behind.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already thrown the other opponents several lengths behind them, breaking from the pack first. One black, one blue, they firmly occupied the very front of the leading group!
From the very first second, the race entered a rhythm that belonged only to the two of them.
Very soon, the pair opened a clearly visible gap from the main pack behind them.
Naturally, the broad Belmont Park track abruptly became a cruel one-on-one duel between the Black Tyrant and third-generation Big Red.
Sunday Silence, leading at the front, curved her lips in an almost sharp arc.
"Since you said you'd satisfy me..."
Battle intent burned like fire in her golden eyes.
"Don't disappoint me, Big Red III!"
The instant her words fell, an invisible yet heavy-as-substance Zone unfolded with Sunday Silence at its center!
The air seemed to tighten and compress in an instant. A thick, oppressive force descended like a sudden increase in gravity, violently covering the front of the entire track.
It was the pressure of an absolute king, a declaration of domination meant to crush every will to resist!
Empowered by that tremendous pressure, Sunday Silence's already astonishing speed rose another level!
Her figure dragged an even sharper afterimage over the dirt. Her cadence and stride length increased together, every kick sending up greater waves of mud. Like black lightning tearing through the space ahead, she tried to pull away in one stroke and ruthlessly leave her challenger behind!
The king launched the first offensive!
She wanted to see just what the blue figure behind her was made of, daring to say such arrogant words about satisfying her!
Feeling the sudden surge of pressure and speed ahead, a sharp light ignited in Easy Goer's blue eyes.
Her lips rose in a calm, battle-filled curve.
"I'll 'satisfy' you right now, Sunday Silence!"
As her words fell, a blue-green light burst out from around her!
Unlike Sunday Silence's heavy black Zone, filled with crushing pressure, Easy Goer's Zone was like a deep-sea vortex, carrying an unbelievably strong binding force and viscous pull as it spread with a roar!
The strength of this Zone far surpassed what she had shown at the Preakness Stakes!
It was clearly an invisible aura, yet the instant Sunday Silence was enveloped by it, she felt as though countless cold, resilient chains had appeared from nowhere, winding around her limbs and torso, trying to slow her steps and suppress her explosion!
The air became thick as glue. Every step forward required her to fight against several times more resistance than before!
"Well, damn!"
Sunday Silence's golden pupils contracted violently, then burst with an even hotter light of excitement.
"You really... have grown!"
Even though she was caught in the binding force, the smile on her face only grew wider. It was the wild joy of meeting a true opponent, of finding someone who could match her move for move!
"Then let's see—whose Zone is tougher!"
Without the slightest retreat, the pitch-black light of Sunday Silence's Zone flared brilliantly around her!
A more violent, more domineering oppressive force surged like black raging waves, slamming back against that blue-green binding power!
BOOOM—!
Two Zone powers of completely different natures, yet equally overwhelming, crashed together at the front of the track!
Invisible force fields clashed fiercely, squeezing, eroding, and opposing one another, even producing a teeth-grating hum and deep explosions.
The air caught within twisted violently, and even the light seemed to bend.
Amid this thrilling collision of Zones, neither girl's speed slowed in the slightest.
Sunday Silence was like a black mad dragon swimming upstream, forcefully breaking through layer after layer of restraints.
Easy Goer was like a blue whale anchored in the deep sea, using her Zone as a cage to lock tightly onto the figure ahead.
The contest of strength had already reached white heat on a level invisible to the naked eye!
The collision between the two violent Zones was not merely a clash of power, but a torrent of will and emotion roaring across the track!
Within Sunday Silence's pitch-black Zone, countless dark-red flames seemed to burn in silence.
They were flames of revenge, burning away past humiliation and frustration, fierce and stubborn, vowing to reduce every obstacle to ash. And deep within those flames twined a warmth and protectiveness that would allow no violation—the pure gratitude of wanting to repay someone's kindness.
The resolve of revenge and the tenderness of protection, two emotions that seemed contradictory yet burned with equal intensity, together forged her domineering Zone that crushed everything before it. Every ounce of pressure was steeped in her unyielding will.
Meanwhile, within Easy Goer's blue-green deep-sea vortex flowed an entirely different kind of feeling.
It was not a flame burning outward, but a radiance gathering inward. Clear, firm will transformed into invisible waves.
To become my sister's pride.
That feeling was no longer the anxiety of being bound by the halo of her family, nor the stubbornness of proving herself alone. It was the purest and warmest desire after all impurities had been stripped away.
She wanted that figure who had always watched over her to smile proudly because of her.
It was this simple yet immensely powerful belief that gave her binding Zone the resolve of a deep-sea abyss. Every invisible chain carried her cherishing of familial love and her answer to it.
At this moment, whether it was Sunday Silence's black Zone burning with the flames of revenge and protection, or Easy Goer's blue-green vortex carrying a gentle vow, both poured the hottest and purest emotions in their hearts without reservation into the fuel that made their Zones burn!
There was no probing, no holding back, only the resolve to place everything most precious in the depths of their souls onto the table!
I will never lose to you!
The same decisive cry rang out in both their hearts.
The karmic flames of revenge and the gentle tide, two utterly opposite yet equally vast emotions, did not annihilate each other amid the fierce friction and collision of their Zones. Instead, like lit explosives, they released an unimaginable and terrifying energy!
The torrent of emotion was forcibly transformed into ultimate speed driving their bodies forward!
BOOOM—!
At the center of the Zone collision, the air was torn completely apart, releasing a series of low explosions.
Sunday Silence's figure seemed to transform into black thunder wrapped in dark-red lines of flame. Every step she took kicked up chaotic waves of mud, and with a momentum even more savage than before, she charged forward, trying to crush every restraint.
Easy Goer, meanwhile, was like a blue comet cleaving open the deep sea. Driven by her belief in becoming her sister's pride, her steps grew steadier and more powerful, and her speed continued to rise. She clung tightly to that violent thunder ahead, the invisible chains formed by her Zone pulled taut to their limit, humming under unbearable strain, yet still stubbornly trying to slow her opponent's steps.
The two flew down Belmont Park's long track with a momentum that left everyone dumbfounded!
Emotions burned. Zones roared. Speed soared!
Only the one with the stronger will could claim victory!
At this moment, the tens of thousands of gazes and every mind in Belmont Park were seized firmly by the thrilling peak duel at the front of the track!
The noise in the stands had long since turned into breathless concentration. Every breath seemed to rise and fall with the rhythm of those two speeding figures.
The announcer's voice trembled slightly with excitement as he desperately described this collision of speed and will beyond ordinary imagination.
"TOO... TOO INTENSE! UNBELIEVABLE! SUNDAY SILENCE AND EASY GOER! THEIR DUEL IS MORE INTENSE AND MORE DIRECT THAN EVER BEFORE!"
"This is what we wanted to see!"
In the stands, someone could not help waving a fist and shouting hoarsely.
The suspense was like a bowstring drawn to its limit, stretched taut in everyone's heart.
Who would win?
No one could say, and that was exactly what made the blood race!
"Big Red III... no, Easy Goer really is different now!"
She was no longer the figure from the past, anxious and desperate to prove herself.
Many spectators familiar with her widened their eyes, their faces full of surprise and disbelief.
At this moment, she was steady and firm, like a blade forged through countless hammer blows. Every time her foot struck the ground, it was filled with power, and that formidable Zone stood against Sunday Silence's as an equal, not the slightest bit inferior!
"She really has gotten stronger! Terrifyingly strong!"
Cries of astonishment rose one after another.
To witness with their own eyes a challenger who had once been utterly defeated return so completely reborn, then begin an evenly matched struggle with the strongest king—this impact and emotion struck the heart far harder than simply watching a king defend her throne.
This was no longer merely a race. It was a feast for the eyes and the soul, offered to every spectator, one of resilience, transformation, and a collision at the peak!
The air burned, hearts thundered, and everyone was swept into this feverish storm ignited by the souls of two girls!
...
In the VIP seating, Sakuraba watched the suffocatingly deadlocked fight at the front of the track, and a warm curve unconsciously rose at the corner of his mouth.
It was clearly a major stage carrying countless expectations, one that could write history. And the two girls on the track—
One was the absolute king carrying the dream of the Triple Crown, and the other was a challenger who had changed herself and been reborn from the flames.
Yet in this moment, they seemed to have forgotten themselves, immersed in the purest running and confrontation.
He could even see the almost mad excitement in the smile on Sunday Silence's profile, and the unyielding flame burning in Easy Goer's eyes behind her.
They were smiling.
One smiled wildly and boldly, like a tyrant who had broken free of every shackle.
The other smiled calmly and brilliantly, like a traveler who had finally found the road home.
The pressure and burdens seemed to have become the fuel pushing them to fly.
"Honestly..."
Sakuraba shook his head lightly, but his smile deepened.
He looked at the figure slightly ahead by half a length, tearing through the air like a black meteor, and a surge of indescribable pride and softness welled up in his heart.
He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, faced the track, and shouted with the loudest voice he could manage.
"SUNNY—!"
"GO GET 'EM—!!"
Perhaps his voice could not pierce through the deafening roar of the venue. Perhaps it could not truly reach her ears.
But that shout, along with the wholehearted trust and support in his eyes, had already crossed the distance like the purest strength, reaching toward the black-haired girl currently clashing souls with a powerful opponent.
The race flew by, and the long track compressed into the final decisive straight!
The finish line was like a magnet, drawing every gaze and every pounding heartbeat!
At the final moment that would decide victory or defeat, Easy Goer, who had clung on without letting go, saw the blue light in her eyes blaze suddenly bright!
This time—!
The flame of belief in her heart burned to the limit, transforming into a storm of action.
The blue-green binding force that had been fighting the black Zone suddenly contracted and condensed, its strength rising in an instant to an unprecedented level!
Those invisible chains seemed to become solid, carrying the terrifying will to freeze everything in place as they tried to deal the final and heaviest blow to the violent figure ahead!
Almost at the same time her Zone strengthened, Easy Goer herself unleashed every ounce of power she had built up to the limit!
Her steps accelerated again in an instant. Her figure was like a shark breaking free from the restraints of the deep sea and pouncing on its prey with all its might, or like a blue-green gale rising from level ground, carrying a resolute momentum as she surged forward!
WHOOSH—!
In the blink of an eye, that blue figure, within the last hundred meters before the finish line, used an explosive burst formed from all of her belief and strength to forcefully overtake by half a length, surpassing Sunday Silence!
"Huh...?!"
"It's Easy Goer! Easy Goer is coming up!"
The entire crowd erupted in cries of disbelief!
Countless eyes widened, and in that instant, breaths almost stopped.
No one had expected that at this most critical, decisive final moment, the one to break the balance and seize the lead first would be the challenger, Easy Goer!
She was no longer the blue comet clinging tightly behind, but an unstoppable blue-green surge, roaring toward the finish line with the momentum to rewrite everything!
At the final moment, the suspense was pushed to its absolute peak!
The scales of victory seemed to begin tipping!
But!
Just when the scales of victory seemed to tilt, and the entire crowd thought the challenger was about to create a miracle—
BOOOOOM—!!!
An even more violent, even hotter, even more unreasonable Zone aura erupted from Sunday Silence like a volcano suppressed to its limit suddenly exploding!
This was not merely another rise in power, but the complete sublimation of will and thought!
In her golden eyes, excitement and wild joy burned almost like tangible flame!
"Good...! Very good!!!"
Her body, which had been bound tightly by blue-green chains, seemed to break free of every shackle in an instant.
That desire to clash with the strong, that longing for an ultimate confrontation, had been fully and gloriously "satisfied" by Easy Goer's tenacious challenge, by her performance that had driven Sunday Silence to the limit!
That "satisfaction," that supreme pleasure of meeting a worthy opponent and going all out, did not make her relax. Instead, it became even purer fuel, injected into her pitch-black Zone!
Beyond the flames of revenge and the tenderness of protection, a third blazing emotion was now added—the inextinguishable fighting spirit and greed ignited by this "satisfying" race itself!
"This race... that satisfies me so much—!!!"
Her voice was not loud, but it carried a resolve that seemed to tear the air, ringing clearly amid the roar of her erupting Zone.
"I'm going to... win it!!!!"
RUMBLE—!
In the instant before the blue-green gale could touch the finish line, the black thunder unleashed an unimaginable final sprint!
That was not simple acceleration. It was the desperate ultimate burst squeezed out from every emotion, every ounce of will, every bit of strength accumulated throughout the race, together with that supreme fulfilled joy!
The scales of victory?
In her eyes, they had long since stopped mattering.
What she wanted was to crush every obstacle and claim victory in the strongest, most indisputable form!
What scales of victory?
She kicked them away entirely!
At this moment, on the track, only the purest desire for victory was roaring!
The tiny lead Easy Goer had gained with her life-or-death sprint at the final moment was forcibly taken back, inch by inch, at a visible speed under Sunday Silence's ultimate counterattack, violent as a volcanic eruption!
The gap shrank rapidly. Ten centimeters, five centimeters, two centimeters... until it was almost nothing at all!
At the end of the final straight, the two figures seemed to become two intertwined beams of parallel light, one black and one blue, charging side by side toward the white finish line that would decide everything with a resolve that could tear through space!
They crossed the line—!!!
Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that instant, then abruptly collapse.
The two of them flashed past the finish almost at the same moment!
Dead silence.
Then came a massive wave of shouting and discussion, erupting across the venue because of the unbearable tension and uncertainty.
"Who?! Who was it?!"
"They crossed! Who won?!"
"I couldn't see! Too fast! It was almost simultaneous!"
The announcer's voice trembled with disbelief.
"They've crossed the line! The two athletes crossed the finish almost simultaneously! Unbelievably close! Completely impossible to judge with the naked eye!"
A huge suspense hung over all of Belmont Park like dark clouds.
Whether they were spectators supporting Sunday Silence's creation of history, or spectators excited by Easy Goer's reborn performance, all of them held their breath, hearts leaping into their throats.
Every gaze turned in unison toward the enormous electronic board at the edge of the racecourse.
There, connected to high-speed cameras positioned around the track, it would capture the thousandth-of-a-second instant that decided victory and defeat.
In the anxious wait, time seemed to stretch without end.
Finally—
The image on the board froze. Countless data points refreshed rapidly, and at last, a clear slow-motion frame and result appeared on it.
The image showed clearly that in the instant they crossed the line, Sunday Silence's nose had crossed the finish line first by an extremely slight, almost imperceptible advantage!
"THE RESULT IS OUT!" the announcer's voice suddenly rose, filled with shock and the excitement of declaring history.
"BY A NOSE! IT'S BY A NOSE—!!!"
"THE WINNER—SUNDAY SILENCE—!!!"
"SHE'S DONE IT! SHE HAS TAKEN THE BELMONT STAKES! WITH AN INDISPUTABLE THREE-RACE SWEEP, SHE IS CROWNED THE NEW TRIPLE CROWN UMAMUSUME—!!!"
After a brief silence, the venue erupted into cheers like mountains collapsing and seas overturning!
History was written in this moment! A new king had ascended to the peak in the most thrilling, most intense, most unforgettable way!
And on the track, the two girls who had just finished this battle of the century were nearly exhausted at the same time, slowing gradually under inertia. Their chests heaved violently, sweat soaking through their clothes. Only their eyes, which had burned to the end, remained bright.
The deafening cheers washed over the racecourse like a tide, offering the highest tribute to the historic moment of a new king's coronation.
However, at the center of that boiling wave of sound, Sunday Silence, who had just created history, did not immediately go to receive the glory that belonged to her.
She merely adjusted her breathing slowly, turned, and walked toward Easy Goer, who was not far away and was likewise working to calm her breath.
Her steps were steady, carrying a trace of fatigue after the fierce battle, yet that only made them seem more solemn.
Under the gaze of the entire venue, Sunday Silence stopped in front of Easy Goer. There was no winner's arrogance in her golden eyes, only pure and solemn recognition.
Toward the opponent before her, the opponent who had made her give everything she had and had even once pushed her into a corner, she slowly and clearly extended her right hand.
That hand, which had just engaged in the most intense battle with her on the track, was now offered in the friendliest gesture.
No words were needed.
That simple action was already worth more than a thousand words.
You have earned my respect.
You are an opponent worthy of standing on the same track as me and fighting to the final instant.
This was not merely a victor's consolation to the defeated, but the most direct respect one strong athlete could give another.
For Sunday Silence, to meet such a worthy opponent on such an important stage, and to have fought a duel that satisfied every desire within her, perhaps held a meaning every bit as extraordinary as the glory of being crowned with the Triple Crown.
The wind brushed past lightly, stirring the sweat-damp ends of their hair. The boiling noise seemed to form a quiet barrier between them.
Easy Goer looked at the hand extended toward her and froze for an instant.
Then she lifted her face. Sweat slid past her still-bright blue eyes, and the corner of her mouth rose slightly, revealing a complex smile mixed with relief and a trace of the warmth of being recognized.
She did not hesitate. She lifted her own hand, likewise trembling slightly from overexertion, and firmly clasped it.
Under the gaze of countless spectators, the two hands held tightly together.
---
T/N: now kith
T/N: HI IM BACK HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSAY ONLY UHHH 7 DAYS? 8 DAYS LATE!!!
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