"Finally, I've crossed it... my long-sought 2000 meters."
Tachyon's thoughts surged: How long has it been since then?
She couldn't remember. The Classic Triple Crown winner, abruptly retiring at the peak of her career. The overwhelming criticism, the bitterness swallowed in solitude.
People always tell stories of geniuses, proclaiming so-and-so as the strongest of their generation. The Twinkle Series is the stage for these prodigies.
If that's true, why did the gods not allow me to remain on that stage?
A fleeting bloom, a bubble bursting at the slightest touch.
Repeated failures buried her yearning in their wake. Day after day, year after year.
So long that the world forgot her, so long that Agnes Tachyon became nothing more than a phantom name.
"Tachyon? Ah, there was a racer by that name, a shame what happened."
A brief mention, a hasty dismissal.
Was the wind at Nakayama as fiercely hot back then as it is today?
"I've caught up to you."
A slight upturn at the corner of her lips. The phantom before her turned with a smile, lips moving but no sound escaping.
"Thank you for all your hard work."
Tachyon cast one last glance before striding forward without hesitation. The shattered phantom dissolved into countless fragments of starlight.
"Come on! Transcend your limits!"
From the start of the race, Kousei's heart had been stirred by a powerful urge. Before her lay a sight she had never witnessed before: a colossal Forbidden Gate had opened at the 2,000-meter mark.
Spanning the entire track, its towering height stretched beyond the horizon.
Not just Kousei, but all the Umamusume saw the massive Forbidden Gate. Its infinite magic drew their gazes like moths to a flame.
The Forbidden Gate within Kousei resonated violently, urging her to cross this threshold.
"Let's settle this once and for all!"
Her mind went blank, the final 200 meters filled only with the desire to pour every ounce of strength into the sprint.
Surging with passion, a Chaser's assassination strike!
Faster! Faster! Chase that beam of light!
Thump! Thump!
The ground trembled as something tore through the air.
Who? Who was it?
"Mejiro Ryan!"
From the rear, Ryan launched her challenge against everyone—especially Mejiro!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Ryan raged hysterically. "What the hell is going on?!"
Even Ryan couldn't understand the emotions flooding her heart.
"What is this race even about anymore?!"
The Final Straight, which should have seen the competitors spread out, had instead become a chaotic scrum. Tactics and strategy were abandoned, replaced by a primal urge to clash head-on with their nearest rivals.
"Kousei!"
Fueled by her awakened Mejiro Power, Ryan's powerful final leg propelled her forward as if she were teleporting. She recklessly charged into the pack, her sights locked on Kousei.
The collision erupted with a deafening thunderclap.
"Too slow, Ryan!" Kousei taunted.
"Mejiro will never relinquish our Takarazuka Memorial victory!" Ryan retorted.
A treasure known as "fighting spirit" sprouted within Ryan's heart, crushing all obstacles like Mejiro. This is how you should be.
A head-on clash, honorable and just!
The impact caused the Wind Chime tied to her waist to fall. But in the final straight, Kousei had no attention to spare for anything else.
Neck and neck, their bodies forged through relentless training refused to betray them. In this fierce competition, Ryan began to gain the upper hand.
"Glory belongs to the Mejiro Family!"
Her voice rang out with conviction as she surged ahead, pushing Kousei aside.
"Just a hundred meters left! If it's me, I can win!"
The reserved power in her legs had been nurtured for this moment. Using the razor-sharp edge of her final burst, she would make the world remember Mejiro Ryan!
"The Mejiro Family isn't just McQueen!"
Look at me! Look at Mejiro Ryan! Glory will shine upon the Mejiro name once more!
She sensed a fierce pursuit closing in from behind, as if to devour everything. Until they crossed the finish line, no one could be certain of the victor. The relentless chase thrilled Tachyon beyond restraint.
There had never been an Umamusume as reckless as her, utterly without calculation.
Light flooded Hanshin Racecourse, transforming Tachyon's figure into something ethereal. Rainbow-hued ripples shimmered through her body.
Her form was like lapis lazuli, light and form merging into one—fragile yet immensely powerful.
Such a speed, seemingly destined to surpass light itself, would surely burn itself out before reaching the finish line. While everyone thought this, she alone laughed, lost in her ecstasy.
"Exhilarating!"
She had forced recklessness to submit to logic, bending it to her will.
Even the world's saturation seemed to intensify, the sensation—
"It's so hard to breathe! My limbs feel like they're weighed down with lead, and my whole body is burning as if scorched by flames. Yet! My heart is overflowing with joy. Participating in the Twinkle Series has been truly wonderful."
Amidst this fierce struggle, Kousei suddenly smiled. The Gate Technique had unconsciously disengaged; she no longer had the mental capacity to restrain the other racers, focusing solely on her final sprint.
"You won't shake me off so easily now!"
A faint flame suddenly blazed into a raging inferno, squeezing every last ounce of energy from her body—all the way to the very edge of the world!
Let the Red Comet streaking across the meadow become the most dazzling spectacle of midsummer!
A clash of wills and ideals, the three heroes charging forward in unison.
Fixated on the finish line, they forgot even to breathe.
"Who will emerge victorious from the Takarazuka Memorial?"
Suddenly, Kousei's footing faltered. Her balance wavered as if countless invisible hands were squeezing her heart, suffocating her.
"Huh?"
The finish line loomed ahead, yet Kousei felt the world spinning, her consciousness momentarily blank.
How long had passed? Kousei regained awareness, instinctively scrambling to her feet, dazed.
"It's so quiet... Is the race over?"
The next moment, horror flashed across Kousei's face. Tachyon lay sprawled on the ground, clutching her feet in agony.
"Tachyon!"
Kousei took a step forward but froze. Her terror deepened, a bone-chilling cold engulfing her like falling into an icy abyss.
Before her, all the Umamusume lay sprawled on the ground. Ambulance sirens wailed incessantly as Kashimoto Riko, her face grim, directed paramedics swarming onto the scene like a tidal wave.
The usually vibrant Takarazuka had fallen into a deathly silence.
The Central's largest and most catastrophic swerve accident in history had occurred. That day would forever be known as the Ill-Omened Festival.