A sense of foreboding rose in Cattleya and Bonnie's hearts once more.
They had seen Tokai Teio's stance before.
They understood what it meant.
"No way?! She can still accelerate?!"
"This is unbelievable!"
Cattleya and Bonnie exclaimed in unison.
Tokai Teio's burst of speed on the final straight was already on par with theirs.
And now, near the finish line, she could still accelerate?!
Everything happened quickly, and moments later, their questions were answered.
The sound of heavy footsteps slamming into the ground rang out again, and a brown-haired figure burst through the gap between them.
"She's overtaken! She's overtaken! Tokai Teio has overtaken Bonnie and Cattleya!"
"Tokai Teio unleashed a powerful final kick at less than 200 meters!! She's overtaken Cattleya and Bonnie!"
"This is the power of a three-time Umamusume! Even facing attacks from two American Umamusumes, she held her own!"
"Mejiro McQueen crosses the finish line!"
"This is Mejiro McQueen's complete dominance! She led from start to finish, never being overtaken!"
"Second place is Tokai Teio!"
"TCB defeated Abyss! Incredibly strong, truly incredible!"
"Is this the strongest active-duty Umamusume?!"
Seeing Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio cross the finish line one after another, many Umamusumes from Tracen Academy, who had been quite dissatisfied with the various underhanded tactics of the American Umamusumes, instantly felt a sense of relief.
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, with their overwhelming strength, completely defeated the two Umamusumes from Abyss.
"See that? They didn't even have a chance to cause trouble when they were competing against Miss Teio and Miss McQueen!" one Umamusume exclaimed excitedly to her friend.
"They can only bully Umamusumes weaker than them! Against stronger opponents, they can't even muster a fight! So satisfying!"
The Umamusumes from Tracen Academy were buzzing with excitement, all feeling that Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen had given them a much-needed boost.
In the arena, Cattleya was panting heavily, her mind a jumbled mess.
"What? The strongest active-duty team? Weren't they supposed to be the weakest team overall?"
That's not the problem.
The problem is...
She actually lost to two Umamusumes without their domains activated!
What terrifying raw power!
Cattleya slowly raised her hands, only to find them trembling uncontrollably.
She slowly turned to look at Bonnie, who was wearing a sports vest and shorts, revealing large areas of tanned skin.
She noticed that this usually assertive Umamusume was now acting as if she had lost her soul, displaying a tremor incongruous with her imposing stature.
A domain should be unbreakable.
Originally, only a domain could defeat a domain.
Cattleya glanced again at Tokai Teio, who was glaring resentfully at Mejiro McQueen after crossing the finish line. Suddenly, she felt a surge of fear toward this seemingly youthful Umamusume.
Mejiro McQueen was fine, as she was always leading the way.
But Tokai Teio was trapped between her and Bonnie's domains.
While a domain increases speed, it also amplifies one's inherent aura.
The psychological pressure this placed on an Umamusume who hadn't yet mastered a domain was unparalleled.
A slightly weaker Umamusume might have been terrified, her legs trembling, or at least her mind thrown into disarray, preventing her from unleashing her full power.
But Tokai Teio, who had been caught in the crossfire of her and Bonnie's domains at close range, seemed completely unaffected.
Not only did she not tremble, but she defeated the two of them solely through sheer physical strength.
What terrifying mental fortitude and power!
Bonnie and Cattleya's prized domain was shattered in this match by Mejiro McQueen and Tokai Teio in the most brutal way.
The two, who had originally intended to intimidate Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen with their domains, were instead left trembling with fear after the match.
"It seems the blow was a bit too much. Won't she be completely crushed?"
Obey Your Master said regretfully, resting her chin on her hand, her gaze mockingly fixed on Bonnie and Cattleya, who stood rooted to the spot in the arena, seemingly lost in thought.
The domain was an Umamusume's strongest shield; when that shield was broken, the blow would be devastating.
Golden Crown Eagle stared blankly at Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen for a while, deep shock washing over her.
"I absolutely cannot let these two master their domains! No, not even their aura!"
Though unwilling to admit it, Golden Crown Eagle was certain that without her domain activated, her physical abilities were no match for Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen.
In just over four months, she would be participating in the Japan Cup, an international tournament held in Japan.
If she could win the Japan Cup, she would etch her name onto the world stage.
Golden Crown Eagle was 100% certain that Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, in their current state, were no match for her after she activated her domain.
Golden Crown Eagle couldn't even imagine the terrifying power these two would unleash if they activated their domains, given their superhuman abilities.
"It seems necessary to tell these two how to break through to a domain..."
Once the method for breaking through to a domain is known, an Umamusume's actions will become deliberate in their desire to break through, actually reducing the likelihood of activating their domains.
Therefore, Umamusumes who have mastered domains usually keep it a secret from those who haven't.
Golden Crown Eagle silently noted down the information about Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen but didn't dwell on it too much.
Even if she didn't say anything, activating a domain was already extremely difficult.
Moreover, these two hadn't even mastered their aura yet.
At this moment, she was more concerned about something else.
"Obey Your Master, have you ever heard of a Umamusume named 'Ogura'?"
"Ogura? Never heard of her. Why?"
"Last night, I lost to her."
Obey Your Master's smiling face instantly turned to shock upon hearing this, and she turned to Golden Crown Eagle.
"However, I only activated the lowest level of my domain, and I even deliberately slowed down on the field, so it's not a big problem," Golden Crown Eagle explained. "But looking at the information you've collected, there's no record of this Umamusume named Ogura. I suspect it's an alias."
"Any distinguishing features? Tell me."
"Blue hair, blue eyes," Golden Crown Eagle said.
Berno Light, nearby, glanced over furtively after hearing this.
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap who had already devoured a huge mound of fried noodles suddenly stopped eating for a split second before continuing, her ears twitching slightly upon hearing the description.