Mejiro McQueen was the first to cross the finish line.
Her time appeared on the big screen.
Her result had broken the previous record.
And after the countdown ended, not a single horse girl behind her managed to cross the finish line before the timer ran out.
On the big screen, it could be seen that after her first-place ranking, every position from second place onward was marked with two words—"Distant"!
The original Mejiro McQueen, who had reached the finish line, supported herself on her knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from her face. She felt like she was in a nightmare that she still hadn't woken up from. Looking up at the results on the big screen, her eyes instantly welled up.
'I... lost.'
The original Mejiro McQueen choked back a sob, but her tears couldn't stop streaming down.
She had lost in the most important race, and in such a crushing defeat!
She felt so frustrated.
'But... I really did my best. I just couldn't win...'
Thinking about the power that 'other girl' had displayed, she had to admit that she had no way of defeating this opponent right now.
It was the first time she had ever encountered such an overwhelming gap in strength.
At this moment, the original Mejiro McQueen wasn't the only one in a daze, nor was she the only one shedding tears.
In fact, almost every contestant in the race had a similar reaction.
The horse girls in the audience felt a chill run down their spines. What Mejiro McQueen had shown on the final straight was simply too terrifying. For these horse girls, it was like a being from a higher dimension had descended. In reality, only a few exceptionally talented horse girls could master one or two skills, and most of those were only at the strength of a white skill. Mejiro McQueen's "color flash" level skill was like a goddess descending to the mortal world!
But even so, Mejiro McQueen didn't dare underestimate the horse girls of reality.
Because according to the game system's introduction, the strength of the "Domain" (ZONE) was even above that of Flash Skills.
And it seemed that the top-tier horse girls in reality had, to some extent, mastered this powerful ability.
Just as the audience was cheering for the race and everyone was focused on Mejiro McQueen.
Her body began to emit motes of light, and she started to become ethereal at a visible rate.
"What's happening?!"
Seeing this, the audience's cheers abruptly stopped. The broadcaster's voice sounded bewildered.
The horse girls around Mejiro McQueen all gathered around her at the same time, their faces filled with worry.
The original Mejiro McQueen ran up to her and shouted, "Wait! Who on earth are you? And me—"
Before she could finish, Mejiro McQueen's figure had disappeared like a foam of light.
This bizarre scene shocked everyone present. Symboli
Rudolf even rushed onto the track with security personnel.
Everyone watched in silence as the last speck of light rose into the sky and vanished. The next moment, the entire world seemed to flip upside down.
...
In the Tracen Academy dorms, all the horse girls who had been paying attention to the upcoming Kikuka Sho race woke up startled from their dreams.
The original Mejiro McQueen was one of them. She stared blankly at her surroundings, murmuring to herself, "Was I... just dreaming?"
She glanced at the calendar hanging on the wall. There was still one day until the Kikuka Sho. In other words, what happened before was just a dream. At this thought, she suddenly relaxed and couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "How could I have such a dream? How could I be completely defeated in the Kikuka Sho by another 'me' I don't even know? If you think about it, something like that is impossible. Because I am the strongest desu wa!"
Just then, Mejiro McQueen's roommate suddenly spoke up, "I just had a weird dream, too. I dreamed that in the Kikuka Sho, you were defeated by a McQueen wearing a white racing uniform. Do you really think it was just a dream, McQueen?"
"..." Upon hearing this, the original Mejiro McQueen looked up at Ikuno Dictus in terror.
Could it be that... it wasn't a dream?!
And just as Mejiro McQueen was reeling from the shock, the "dream" incident was beginning to affect reality.
For example, on an online platform this morning, a post suddenly appeared.
This post was originally just from a racing fan who had been hyped up by the Kikuka Sho in their dream. The content was about the dream he just had. He wrote that he fell asleep last night holding his Kikuka Sho ticket, and in his dream, he arrived at the Kikuka Sho event.
At first, a few comments just treated it as the original poster's fantasy.
But soon, a comment appeared saying they had the exact same dream, and more such comments followed.
Some said they also went to the Kikuka Sho in their dream; others said they watched the race on a live broadcast in their dream. Soon, the post was trending.
At the same time, many people in the real world were also talking about this dream, realizing that something strange was going on.
...
Tracen Academy, Student Council.
Symboli Rudolf sat at her desk like a commander, asking the two student council members sitting on the sofa, "So, regarding this incident, Air Groove, Narita Brian, what do you two think?"
"That dream... was it actually real...?"
Air Groove looked as if she was starting to doubt her own perception of reality.
Because this kind of thing was just too unrealistic.
Narita Brian didn't speak, sitting coolly and properly in her chair.
"Well, although this phenomenon is bizarre, since it has already happened, we can only accept it," Symboli Rudolf said straightforwardly, not getting too hung up on it. "I'm just curious about what that Mejiro McQueen showed at the end."
It was very similar to that thing she knew, but it wasn't the same.
She hadn't sensed the aura of the "ZONE" from that Mejiro McQueen.
[Domain / ZONE]
In the past, no one was clear about the existence of the ZONE.
Most horse girls of the past were like shooting stars, opening the gate to the ZONE for a brief moment before vanishing.
It wasn't until Symboli Rudolf appeared that this ability began to be refined.
As the "inventor" of the ZONE, Symboli Rudolf undoubtedly possessed the ability to activate the ZONE at will.
And unlike other horse girls, her strength didn't regress from overusing the ZONE's power, which would negatively impact the body.
For example, Narita Brian was a typical case. In the past, she was also called one of the "monster" horse girls and had successfully entered the ZONE early on. But because she relied too heavily on the ZONE's power back then, her body was crushed by it, and her current strength was a shadow of its former self.
In fact, at Tracen Academy, the ZONE was a taboo.
In the local horse racing circles, Symboli Rudolf had sealed off all information and research regarding the ZONE.
Because although the ZONE's power was great, its side effects were far too severe.
That ability, strictly speaking, was activated by "burning" the horse girl's body, and it caused immense damage.
Many of the gifted horse girls of the past lost the use of their legs precisely because they used the ZONE.
However, although she had banned research on the ZONE, if a horse girl awakened it on her own, she would definitely attract Rudolf's attention.
After all, a horse girl who could enter the ZONE by her own will could basically be confirmed as one of the strongest monsters of her era.
Faced with such uncut jade, as the student council president of Tracen, Symboli Rudolf found it difficult to refuse such a temptation.
And now, Symboli Rudolf had seen another "domain" that was similar to the ZONE, but different.
This domain also had the power to make a horse girl glow!
Air Groove belatedly reacted.
"Wait, that wasn't the ZONE? But it was
so exaggerated?!"
Although she was the vice-president of the Tracen student council, Air Groove was not a "monster" horse girl.
In other words, while she knew of the ZONE, she didn't have the aptitude to push open that door.
At least, her real-world self didn't. She had always thought that horse girls who emitted a strong, dark, glowing aura were ZONE holders, so she had subconsciously assumed the Mejiro McQueen from the dream was a ZONE holder.
Narita Brian spoke up at this moment, "No. I didn't sense the aura of the ZONE from that McQueen."
"That's right, it wasn't the ZONE. And based on my observations, the thing that Mejiro McQueen used is different from the ZONE; the burden on the body is not as severe," Symboli Rudolf said, finally revealing her true ambition. She had, without a doubt, set her sights on that Meji_ro McQueen's ability.
If they could study that Mejiro McQueen's ability, the strength of Japan's horse girls would take a great leap forward.
It might even be possible to compete with the international "monster" horse girls who used the ZONE without any restraint.
And she had another hypothesis.
Could the ZONE and that other ability... be used together?
Just thinking about this possibility, Symboli Rudolf felt as if she could truly see a horse girl who was "one horse in the lead, leaving ten thousand horses in the dark!"
"...But, Emperor, that was just a dream, no matter how you look at it. Besides, that horse girl doesn't exist in reality, does she?"
Air Groove rubbed her forehead, speechless. She couldn't believe Symboli Rudolf was entertaining such an unrealistic idea.
Hearing this, Symboli Rudolf also leaned back in her chair with a disappointed look. She said, unwilling to give up, "Do you think there's a possibility that it's actually McQueen's potential? That our Mejiro McQueen will awaken that ability sooner or later?"
"..."
Regarding this question, Narita Brian and Air Groove just remained silent.
Although they felt the possibility was minuscule... what if?