Having trained real horses, why are we now training racehorse girls after time-traveling?

"I just want to accept my true self, no matter how ungentle that reality may be compared to what I wish it to be."

Chapter 568: The Final, Truly Fair Duel

Embracing one's true self may sound simple, but for someone as dramatic as us, it is an extremely difficult step to take.

Because of this, she must acknowledge that everything she has suffered is a true reflection of her own experience. For various reasons, she unknowingly ingested banned drugs, was sidelined by the broadcasting company for many years after her last Arima Kinen race, and even had to sneak around to make a comeback, disguised and using an alias, as the so-called "essence of Japanese racehorse girls"...

Even her whereabouts had to be concealed, as if she had never existed in this world. For one reason, which was not her fault, she was deprived of all her honors, as if she had never run. And she had to face the doubts and anger of those who had once supported her.

How could she honestly accept herself like this? Countless times, the thought had deeply shaken her—if there truly was another version of herself in this world, she would never have followed such a path in life. Her life should have been much more carefree, filled with the pursuit of higher goals.

But now, the appearance of another version of her has shattered the illusion that Da Shenzhen had always had about another version of herself. It turns out that... even she from another world experienced these things.

However, in the end, the ending seemed completely different for her and the other girl. At the final Arima Memorial event, the other girl finally proved herself with her strength—even though she couldn't even speak or clarify anything for herself.

But why is it that, despite having such a significant advantage, my current situation is worse than that of another version of myself?

Gradually, the great shock made him understand everything... It turned out that he hadn't chosen to break free like his other self, but instead chose to escape his past...

Unlike her counterpart, who, after such a scandal, immediately proved her strength in the Japan Cup upon returning home, and even in her final race, Arima Kinen, she would never have wanted to step onto the track again if it weren't for pressure from the broadcasters and encouragement from her trainer at the time.

When she returned to the field two months later, it was too late. Her absence from the Japan Cup gave rumors and public opinion ample time to ferment. Even if she refuted them at that time, even if she won Arima Kinen beautifully, it was too late to turn the tide.

This is the biggest difference between myself and the other woman.

"Is it too late for me to choose to face my true self now?"

"It's never too late." "Great Shock" also extended his palm. When the same person who had crossed space grasped each other's palms at this moment, Great Shock's consciousness slowly recovered from the haze.

She found herself back on the track, and everything before her eyes seemed to have been unveiled, revealing a refreshing clarity. Suddenly, she felt her body become incredibly light.

"This is..."

Shocked and somewhat incredulous, Da Zhen looked at her body instinctively. At that moment, she felt as if she had been reborn. Her steps were lighter than ever before, and the feeling of running had never been so real. She felt it again after a long time, as if she had felt the lightness and joy when she first stepped onto the field.

That was the most basic joy a racehorse girl experiences while running; her value had been proven, and she felt the dawn of victory!

"That's it, that's it!"

"The feeling of accepting your true self—so that's what it means!"

She was deeply shocked to feel the changes in her body. At that moment, she was so excited that she almost cried.

How many years has it been? How many years has it been since she felt this relaxed? Is running really such a joyful thing after embracing her true self?

How many years had it been since she felt this joy? That primal joy? How long had it been since she had felt such happiness since she began to bear burdens and responsibilities?

This is what I've been pursuing! This feeling of running with ease, this joy and relaxation, the feeling of running for myself!

"This is me, this is the real me."

"I'm so stupid... Why did it take me so long to understand this, why did it take so many years to understand this..."

Overwhelmed with emotion, she felt a surge of tears. She gritted her teeth, determined not to burst into tears on the field. Her breathing was already somewhat impaired, and if she choked during the match, making it even harder to breathe, she would be the one in trouble.

However, a few crystal-clear tears still seeped from Da Shaken's eyes, and the [domain] on her body finally began to slowly dissipate, allowing the Golden Master to finally see Da Shaken's state.

"Finally—has it been achieved?"

When the Golden Master saw Da Zhenhan looking so pitiful, she was slightly taken aback. However, she quickly sensed the change in Da Zhenhan's aura and became certain that Da Zhenhan had finally achieved a breakthrough.

This is truly remarkable. Of course, it's not easy for the Golden Master herself; given the immense shock she's experiencing right now, she's probably overjoyed beyond words.

"Oh, um—congratulations."

"...Thank you, Master."

Through the display of their current aura, Da Zhenhan and the Golden Master understood each other's meaning without saying a word. Da Zhenhan smiled slightly, tears welling up in his eyes, and said to the Golden Master, "I'm sorry for saying a lot of hurtful things to anger you... but I really just want to feel this way again."

"I really want to experience this feeling of running without restraint, which I haven't felt in a long time, one more time before I step onto the track for the last time."

"Thank you, Master Goldsmith, thank you so much... You have made me realize what I truly want."

"Oh, well, you're welcome."

The Golden Master, unaccustomed to handling such situations, nodded indifferently. However, he quickly regained his focus, and after wiping away his tears in profound shock, he spoke softly:

"So that means you can feel pain now, right?"

"……well?"

However, before Da Zhenhan could react, the Golden Master's golden aura suddenly attacked him! Da Zhenhan was startled and subconsciously summoned his newly awakened [Aura] to resist.

All that could be seen was that the dark [domain] beside the Great Shock, under the effect of [momentum], condensed into a figure slightly shorter than the Golden Master. The Great Shock's phantom, holding a Western longsword, immediately blocked the Golden Master's attack.

"boom!"

"Huh?!" This time, with just a simple collision between the two, Da Zhensheng's expression changed instantly. Since awakening his own [Domain], Da Zhensheng had never been affected by the effects of other people's domains before. For the first time, he tasted the feeling of his physical and mental strength being severely damaged.

This time, I was truly shocked to realize that the destructive power of the "Golden Tyrant" was no joke.

"Why?" But Da Zhen was still somewhat confused. She had never intended to win. She had said that she wanted to pursue a breakthrough rather than victory. Moreover, the Golden Master had exhausted so much of her energy before, so there was really no advantage for her to fight him again now.

The Great Shock was originally planning to give up, and even to eliminate a few more potential threats for the Golden Master, paving the way for the Golden Master's victory and achieving true mutual assistance.

But now, the Gold Master actually stopped the Great Shock who wanted to give up, determined to compete with her.

"You think I beat you so hard? It's so you'd have the guts to fight me fair and square, you bastard!"

"Who gave you permission to desert your post?! I will defeat you fair and square! This is the victory that Ikezoe and I have been striving for!!"

With her ferocious expression and furious roar that showed no sign of waning fighting spirit, the Golden Master forcibly pulled back from the Great Shock that was about to retreat. She intended to use her remaining strength and the Great Shock that she could finally feel to experience even greater discomfort!

"I didn't help you break through your limits so you'd run away at the last minute, you bastard! I just wanted you to experience what it's like to get beaten up!"

"Now! You bastard, grit your teeth and prepare yourself!!"

Chapter 569: A Group of European Racehorse Girls Giving Up?

"It seems that only by helping Da Zhenhan break through her limits can we find a way to defeat her from within her [domain]."

"You want to improve our opponent's strength? Ikezoe, are you serious? You're not joking?"

On the last day before the start of the competition, Ikezoe and the Golden Master, who had studied numerous plans and tactics, were unable to devise a reasonable strategy based on the information from the Great Shock's [Domain]. This was because the Great Shock's ability to remain unaffected by others without [Aura] effectively sealed off the Golden Master's most powerful weapon, leaving them helpless.

The higher the damage, the higher the return, and she herself might not be affected at all. Such a "domain" is a complete counter to the Golden Master... no, to any racer girl who possesses a "domain" that negatively impacts others, leaving her with absolutely no chance to retaliate.

On the last day, however, Ikezo suddenly had a flash of inspiration and presented the Gold Master with his own tactical ideas, which the Gold Master could not understand at the time.

Why would they help their opponents improve themselves, allowing them to break through their limitations and reach the level of awakened "momentum"?

“Because if Great Shock doesn’t awaken its [momentum], we will never be able to defeat Great Shock head-on.” Chi Tian also expressed his opinion: “And if we can’t defeat Great Shock head-on with the same tactics as before, we will have to maintain a stalemate with Great Shock and a bunch of European racehorse girls.”

"Master, do you think you have the determination to win, compared to the Great Shock, who can freely activate his [Domain] without using it, and who can also nullify other people's [Domain] and provide himself with a bonus?"

"……No."

However, Chi Tian's words also made the Golden Master realize this reality. Although he was very unwilling, the Great Shock Domain was indeed a problem that even the Golden Master was helpless against. Without being able to hurt her, the Master could not ensure his victory.

"That's why we need to help Da Zhenhan awaken her talent in advance on the field. As long as her [aura] can be awakened, her [domain] will no longer be invincible. At that time, we will have a chance to defeat Da Zhenhan."

"—Of course, there is also a pessimistic possibility, which is that after the Great Shock's weakness is exposed, Orpheus, your stamina may be almost exhausted. At that time, there is a possibility that you will either defeat the Great Shock but lose to other European racehorse girls, or you will not have the strength to defeat the Great Shock."

As Chi Tian spoke, a wry smile appeared on his face, but when he turned his gaze to the Gold Master, he smiled calmly again.

"—But I have faith in you, Orpheus, I believe you can win."

"Ah, I'm sure I'll win."

At that time, the Gold Master nodded without hesitation. Faced with this extremely risky plan, she agreed without a second thought. Just as Chi Tian said, this might be their only chance to defeat the Great Shock.

Help her break through, and then crush her in one fell swoop—this may be difficult, but the Gold Master has no reason to back down.

This is the victory she has been striving for! Ikezoe believes in her, and she will do everything in her power to respond to him.

……

"It was actually—a pre-arranged tactic?"

The shock was completely unexpected. She never imagined that what she thought was under her control, that she had only stepped onto the field to improve herself, and that although she didn't care much about winning, she never expected that the part she was most concerned about, "breaking through herself," was already expected by others.

In fact, it was precisely because of this that the opponent found the breakthrough point to defeat her, the biggest vulnerability in her "domain"!

Yes, now that she possesses [Aura], she has broken through her own limits, but her [Domain] is no longer truly invincible. Now, the great shock of breaking through her limits has brought her first challenger, who is slightly tired but full of anger!

And this challenger is really—very difficult to defeat head-on!

"Come on, let's have a showdown! This is going to be amazing!!"

The Golden Master roared and launched wave after wave of fierce attacks against the Great Shock. Faced with the Golden Master's brutal offensive, even the Great Shock could only barely parry. However, she still could not stop her mental power from being collided and consumed time and time again. Even though her [Domain] returned the same damage to the Golden Master, her movements did not stop at all.

Now, she truly understood the feelings of her disciple, the noblewoman, back then. The terrifying, bottomless spiritual power of the "Golden Tyrant" was truly a nightmare for every horse girl.

But Da Zhenhan gradually regained her rhythm. Facing the Golden Master's fierce attack, she went from being flustered to becoming excited. She also wanted to know where her current limit was.

"Come forth, Master of Gold!!"

Her eyes, wide with shock, also gleamed with excitement. Finally, she adjusted her mindset and took the initiative to meet the attack! The residual power of the battle between these two racehorses made the European and American racehorses behind them tremble with fear.

"Have these two guys... gone mad?"

"Is their spiritual power limitless?"

"It's best not to get involved in this situation—it's better to wait until they're exhausted."

Several European racehorse females thought this to themselves and unanimously chose to silently follow behind. Now, the sharp right turn was almost over, and they only needed to make sure that the distance between them didn't get too big. In the end, they still had a way to unleash their full potential and turn the tide.

The two Japanese female racehorses ahead of them are exceptionally strong, exceeding their expectations. However, their current internal strife is actually a very good thing for other European female racehorses.

As they approach the finish line, the outcome of their match should be decided soon. By then, both women will be exhausted and won't have the strength to defeat them. If the two women seize the opportunity, these two foolishly fighting amongst themselves will be helpless.

But rushing forward now would only lead to their deaths. None of the European racehorse girls possessed a [domain] with such a brutal attack as the Golden Master. And the shock... the three racehorse girls who have now fallen to the back of the pack are proof of that.

There's nothing we can do but wait. Hopefully, they can wear each other down quickly. The faster they decide the winner, the greater their energy expenditure, and the more advantageous the situation will be for them.

Having devised the same tactic, the European racehorses behind the Great Shock and the Golden Master maintained a distance of about two or three horse lengths to avoid being affected by the two women's [domain] and to prevent themselves from falling too far behind.

As a result, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded: two Japanese racehorse girls were locked in a fierce battle, almost colliding with each other, and were leading the race, while the European racehorse girls, who are generally said to be of higher quality, seemed to be hiding in the back, slacking off, as if they were afraid.

This bizarre scene shocked the audience at Longchamp Racecourse. Such a situation was unheard of—it was as if everyone except the two Japanese female racehorses were slacking off and throwing the race.

"What's going on? Is this still our country's racehorse girl?"

"The two most energetic ones are actually the two Japanese racehorse girls?"