Dream Weaver didn't offer much in the way of explanation.
When it came to the "Zone," ten thousand words of theory weren't worth a single moment of firsthand experience.
Now that Liberty Island had claimed victory in the Oka Sho, she was finally deemed worthy to face the cold, sharp edge of the Divine Blade.
Of course, even if she couldn't handle it, it wouldn't be the end of the world.
Dream Weaver would simply have Agnes Tachyon look after her.
Once a resolve has been bared, there is no room left for talk of retreat.
But now isn't the time to show her, Dream Weaver thought, her eyes drifting over the other Uma Musume pouring their sweat onto the training ground.
The influence of her Zone at full power was simply too vast; she had no desire to cause a massive wave of medical leaves at Central Tracen Academy tomorrow morning because of her own indulgence.
After a moment's thought, she turned back to Liberty Island.
"That's enough for today's session. Rest up and gather your strength. Tonight, I'll run a mock race with you."
"Then, I will show you what a true Zone actually looks like."
Liberty Island, still looking a bit dazed, nodded obediently. Under Dream Weaver's guidance, she went through a few recovery stretches before heading off to focus on her rest.
Dream Weaver remained at the track. She waited for Hishi Miracle to snap out of her state of shock before guiding her through the rest of her offline training.
Since today's plan focused heavily on endurance, the sun was already dipping below the horizon by the time Hishi Miracle finished.
After instructing her to stay and rest until nightfall, Dream Weaver placed a call to Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights, asking them to bring medical monitoring equipment and injury-recovery tonics to the field.
By the time everything was staged, the sky had turned a deep, bruised purple.
There was no moonlight in the black expanse above, only a few lonely stars flickering in the void.
Seeing that no other Uma Musume were left on the grounds, Dream Weaver finally called Liberty Island back. After half a day of rest, the girl's complexion was rosy; she was clearly in peak condition.
"I guess the thought of seeing a real Zone got me so excited I slept better than usual," Liberty Island said, scratching the back of her head with a shy, sheepish grin.
"What exactly is a 'true' Zone anyway? Does the one in the simulator not count?" Hishi Miracle asked curiously.
She had felt the crushing pressure of the simulated Dream Weaver countless times in the virtual pods.
Was that heart-stopping sensation not the real thing?
When she heard Liberty Island repeat the phrase "cutting the sky apart," her face became a mask of disbelief.
She couldn't help but wonder if she was an Uma Musume or if she'd suddenly stumbled onto the set of a high-fantasy action flick. Or perhaps their trainer was just a child at heart, still fond of sounding cool?
At that moment, Dream Weaver approached, now changed into her sportswear.
She gave a brief nod to Agnes Tachyon and the others to signal they should stand by, then addressed Liberty Island and Hishi Miracle.
"To the track."
"Miracle, you stay back. Just watch from the sidelines."
Liberty Island said nothing, but Hishi Miracle couldn't help the pang of gloom that hit her chest.
She knew she couldn't compare to her companion, and she knew Dream Weaver was doing this for her own sake, but the sting of being left behind was hard to shake.
Still, she kept her peace and watched the two of them step onto the turf.
Walking to the starting gate alongside Dream Weaver, Liberty Island took a deep, steadying breath. The last time they had a mock race was over six months ago, before the virtual pods were even finished.
Back then, Dream Weaver merely running beside her had been enough to make her break into a cold sweat.
But half a year had passed, and Liberty Island had grown enough that Dream Weaver finally felt she could withstand the full weight of her Zone.
It brought a small spark of pride to her heart.
She had trained so hard for so long; though she still didn't know how wide the gap between her and Equinox was, she could clearly see the distance between herself and Dream Weaver narrowing.
Even if she was semi-retired, Dream Weaver had been a world-class Uma Musume. To be met with her full power was, in Liberty Island's eyes, a supreme honor—a mark of true recognition.
And she would not let that recognition go to waste.
Just as Liberty Island was steeling her resolve, Dream Weaver's voice drifted over from her side.
"Are you ready?"
It seemed she wanted to give a final warning before unleashing it. Liberty Island felt it was unnecessary, but she wouldn't dream of contradicting her trainer. She replied with absolute confidence.
"Ready!"
"Come on, Trai—"
SHHHHHHING—
Before Liberty Island could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a metallic hum, like a blade being unsheathed.
Before she could even process the bone-shaking ring in her ears, a horrifying, marrow-deep chill crawled up her skin. In an instant, a phantom, stinging pain radiated across her entire body.
An unspeakable weight crashed onto her shoulders, forcing her frame to bend lower and lower.
Her heart raced and blood surged, yet she felt not a flicker of warmth.
At this moment, only one emotion remained in Liberty Island's heart—a primal, instinctive thing.
Fear.
She couldn't marvel at it; she couldn't even think. Under the suppression of this ultimate sense of danger, she had no strength left to even describe what this Zone felt like.
Outside the track, even at a significant distance, Hishi Miracle felt the palpitations triggered by that "unsheathing" sound.
Because she was further away, she still had the capacity to think, but her physical constitution—far weaker than Liberty Island's—wasn't enough to keep her upright.
Her legs turned to jelly, her muscles feeling nonexistent as she collapsed onto the grass.
Even with the floodlights, the training ground at night wasn't perfectly clear, and at this distance, Hishi Miracle should have only seen two blurry figures.
But the moment that metallic hum rang out, the figure with the red ribbon tied behind her back became the only thing in existence.
The darkness of the night vanished; in her eyes, there was only that piercing, violent flash of red.
"Look away!"
A voice that seemed both miles away and right in her ear snapped Hishi Miracle out of that crimson world.
Only then did she realize her eyes were stinging unbearably. Two tracks of silent tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Agnes Tachyon shook Hishi Miracle, sighing in relief once the girl's eyes finally refocused.
She handed her a handkerchief to wipe the tears, then squinted, turning her head slightly to watch the track only through her peripheral vision.
"To think that after over a year away from the turf, she still commands a Zone with such overwhelming presence..."
As she marveled, Sugar Lights sat in her wheelchair, face already drenched in tears.
She stared at the red figure on the track—a silhouette that seemed to be the very center of the universe—and whispered as if in a trance.
"So this... is a true Zone?"
--+--
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.