With each step forward, it felt as if thousands of blades were slicing across her entire body.
In her dazed state, Tokai Teio even mistook sweat for blood, yet she showed not a hint of weakness—for with every stride, the power of her Zone transformed the scattering flames into phoenix feathers that sealed her wounds.
The sensation of being scorched by flames was no more bearable than being cleaved by blades, yet this unbearable, searing heat continuously fueled Tokai Teio, allowing her to channel extraordinary speed amidst the agony.
The phoenix feather ornament dangling from her hair blurred into fragmented afterimages at high speed, and against the backdrop of her crimson cape—spread like wings—they truly seemed to transform into scattered feathers raining down upon the racetrack.
Now enveloped in wings of flame, Tokai Teio resembled nothing less than a phoenix, growing stronger with each injury as she defiantly charged forward under the crushing pressure of Dream Weaver's Divine Blade.
Watching the two streaks of red light—one leading, one pursuing—on the track, the spectators momentarily couldn't distinguish which was which.
Some, thoroughly confused, even swapped the positions of Dream Weaver and Tokai Teio in their minds.
"Has her Zone awakened?"
Dream Weaver, racing at the forefront, sensed from behind an aura all too familiar to her—the unique presence of a Uma Musume's Zone.
"A true genius, to grow like this even under such pressure."
For any other Uma Musume, realizing the despairing gap between herself and her opponent would be enough to invite fear and loss of fighting spirit—let alone achieve the rapid growth and Zone awakening Tokai Teio was displaying.
"No... perhaps it is precisely this pressure that fuels your growth."
Yet even with Tokai Teio's awakened Zone, Dream Weaver didn't believe it posed any threat to her own victory.
She even began to wonder: if she applied even more pressure, could Tokai Teio grow further still?
As her thoughts shifted, so did her body.
The long-unsheathed Divine Blade gleamed eagerly, revealing an inch of its icy blade from the scabbard.
An aura of sharpness—ten times more piercing than before—instantly surged toward Tokai Teio.
The thick scent of blood rushed through her nostrils and straight to her brain, plunging her into a hallucination of standing in a hellish battlefield.
No—perhaps it wasn't an illusion.
Facing such an opponent, from the moment she chose to step onto this track, she had already entered a battlefield of demons.
The multiplied pressure transformed into blades that pierced through the phoenix feathers encircling Tokai Teio in an instant.
Even with her Zone's reinforcement, she had no choice but to slow her pace again and again.
Yet despite this, she glared with eyes already dyed crimson by the red silhouette ahead and roared fiercely:
"Is this still it?! Even now, you look at me with those eyes?!"
"That sword in your hand isn't just for show, is it?! Strike me with it!!"
The moment her words fell, the flames upon her body blazed once more, rebelling like a phoenix—reviving again and again, granting Tokai Teio renewed strength.
The effects of a Uma Musume's Zone awakening are shaped by her emotions and environment, whether it's T.M. Opera O's Overlord's Pressure or Shinzan's Divine Might.
Tokai Teio's will to fight on despite seeing the gap between herself and Dream Weaver had naturally forged a Zone as unyielding and reborn as a Phoenix.
"Still holding on…"
Feeling the wave of scorching heat drawing closer once more from behind, Dream Weaver murmured softly.
Tokai Teio's performance far surpassed her own when she first awakened her Zone.
For a long time, Dream Weaver couldn't fully control what was then still a Cursed Blade's Zone—often managing just a single strike before reaching her limit.
But Tokai Teio could persist again and again under the aura of the Divine Blade, even with her Zone suppressed, reviving each time.
Her endurance alone already surpassed Dream Weaver's back then. A true genius, indeed.
But that was only the Dream Weaver of the past.
Seeing Tokai Teio still had strength to spare, Dream Weaver hesitated no longer.
The Divine Blade slid another inch from its sheath, and the surging pressure immediately forced Tokai Teio back step by step.
Yet within seconds, she ignited her flames once more, roaring as she tried again to close in on Dream Weaver.
"A Phoenix… a fitting name for a Zone."
Dream Weaver mused as she allowed the Divine Slash another inch of freedom.
Her intention was to apply pressure gradually, hoping Tokai Teio could grow within it—perhaps even elevate her Zone further on the track, just as Narita Brian and she herself had done once.
But Tokai Teio clearly didn't see this as kindness.
Tearing her hoarse voice, she shouted at Dream Weaver:
"What… what do you even think this race is?! What do you think your opponents are?!"
"Draw your blade—now!!"
Dream Weaver fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought.
Her hand rested on the hilt of the Divine Blade, neither drawing it further nor sheathing it fully.
Several seconds later, she replied softly:
"As you wish."
When the Divine Blade rested in its scabbard, a wisp of its aura was confined to Dream Weaver's wake.
But once truly drawn, the entire racetrack would tremble.
In the next instant, the Divine Blade was fully unleashed!
A shriek like the ringing of blades instantly swept across the track.
A chilling sharpness, carrying an indescribable bloody scent, assaulted the nerves of every Uma Musume.
Even those trailing far behind the two felt their hearts stop and muscles tremble uncontrollably, staring at Dream Weaver with disbelief.
So this was her full power?!
How could such a monster appear in the Satsuki Sho?!
"What's happening?! Why have all the Uma Musume slowed down? Could the track be too damp today, making it hard to exert force?"
Seeing the unusual movements across the field, Akasaka Rin couldn't help but exclaim.
But Tokai Teio could no longer hear her voice.
She couldn't even hear her own heartbeat clearly—all that remained in her ears was the ringing resonance of the drawn blade.
Her barely maintained Zone vanished almost instantly.
Even when the Phoenix tried to revive, it often sparked only a flicker before being severed once more.
A pressure as if the entire world rested on her back forced Tokai Teio to instinctively bend low.
Now, roaring like before was impossible—even breathing felt like a luxury.
Dream Weaver didn't strike with the full force she had once used against Shinzan.
Instead, she simply swung the Divine Blade once, lightly, toward Tokai Teio.
As the blade fell, it nearly overturned the world in Tokai Teio's eyes.
Facing the endless crimson arc of light, her Zone, her thoughts, her entire presence on the track—all were severed completely.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.