The WGP finals, the final preparation zone.
In the exclusive lounge of Tracen Academy, the atmosphere was completely different from the eve of any previous major battle.
There was no tense, lingering anxiety.
There was no frantic desire for victory.
There only existed a sense of solemn, dignified, almost sacred mission.
Kaito stood up before everyone.
Behind him was the electronic whiteboard covered with the final operational plan.
But this time, the marks next to the names of the eight Umas were no longer cold tactical assignments.
Instead, they were warm, unique: Emotional Keywords.
TM Opera O: Joy
Taiki Shuttle: Hope
Zenyatta: Pride
Gold City: Indomable
"Everyone"
His voice was soft, yet it brimmed with undeniable determination.
"Today we are not fighting for that cold championship trophy"
"Nor are we fighting for any personal honor or reward"
"Our only mission today is..."
"To bring back that lost child from that cold mechanical cage"
He observed each member of his beloved family before him.
"Run using your proudest and most unique soul"
"Let her witness firsthand how much brilliant and dazzling light a free and passionate heart can unleash"
"Go..."
"My paladins"
It was like the eve of the final battle.
The Order of Paladins was receiving the final blessing from their only Pope.
...
The race begins!
Dawn, just like in yesterday's exhibition race, instantly launched herself to the front of everyone with a perfect, programmed, and undeniable racing style.
She was like a war machine, devoid of emotions and born solely for victory.
But following closely behind... were TM Opera O and Taiki Shuttle
They did not frantically pursue Dawn's superhuman speed.
Instead, with extreme tacit understanding, they "wrapped" her between two people, one on the left and one on the right.
Like two burning and resplendent suns, trying to melt that thousand-year-old ice with their light and heat!
— First movement: The impact of the orange and golden "sun"!
TM Opera O's playstyle was no longer focused on winning.
It was like the most magnificent play ever performed before the entire world!
Every one of her movements was filled with extreme art and expressiveness!
She seemed to be proclaiming loudly to Dawn who was beside her, using her vibrant and melodious way of running.
"Look! Running is something so happy and joyful, something worth showing to the whole world!"
Meanwhile, Taiki Shuttle's face wore her brightest, most characteristic, and cheerful smile, like the California sun!
Her trajectory was full of limitless vitality and beautiful aspirations for the future!
She seemed to be telling her, using her soul scented with burgers and cola —
"Hey! Don't run so fast! Look beyond the finish line! Burgers and sodas await us! How wonderful the future is!"
In Dawn's inner world, of a pure and eternally empty white.
Two unknown colors she had never seen before appeared for the first time.
The magnificent yet warm "Orange" belonging to TM Opera O
And the brilliant yet hopeful "Gold" belonging to Taiki Shuttle
In her hollow and apparently structured consciousness, a thought emerged for the first time, one that even she found strange:
[ Under execution... can I... not be executing an order? ]
...
In the VIP box.
Catherine Underwood, performing surveillance duties through the incredibly precise "Skynet" system.
She immediately detected a mere 0.01% of Dawn, insignificant, yet absolutely forbidden: "Emotional Fluctuation"!
A flash of fury instantly crossed her face.
"Stupid, low-level... Emotional virus"
She muttered something coldly to herself, and then she forcefully pressed the dangerous crimson "Forced Execution" button on the cold control panel in front of her.
"Skynet!"
"Immediately activate the highest-level 'Emotional Firewall'! Filter out all invalid and low-level emotional resonance!"
"At the same time! Forcibly boost Dawn's physical functions to a state of 110% overload!"
"Use extreme physiological load to completely suppress all unwanted distractions in her mind!"
...
On the track!
Dawn's body suddenly trembled!
Her speed increased again in an inordinate and irrational way!
In an instant, she left the two warm "suns" far behind!
But for the first time, a subtle, almost imperceptible expression of pain crossed her face, which used to be as flawless as a doll's.
...
In her inner world.
The faint orange and golden color that had just appeared.
They were forcibly and ruthlessly overwritten and erased by a stronger and colder "blue data stream," full of command code!
Seeing Catherine's frantic countermeasure.
Kaito, who remained standing by the track, showed no change in his expression.
He slowly made an energetic "Strong Impact" gesture toward the second echelon, Zenyatta and Gold City, who were already prepared in the center of the track.
Second movement: The resonance of the purple and golden "Queen"!
The race entered the intermediate phase!
Zenyatta and Gold City!
Like two completely enraged lionesses!
They roared and broke away from the main group!
Once again, they reached that solitary white figure that was being subjected to an "overclocking" movement!
This time, it was no longer a slight infection.
But an overwhelming impact!
Zenyatta did not use unnecessary harassment tactics.
Instead, she faced Dawn in the most brutal confrontation, using the most direct and pure speed and power: a queen versus queen duel!
Purple flames seemed to burn in her proud amethyst eyes!
Her gaze was a silent yet powerful cry directed at Dawn
"Your so-called 'perfect layer,' controlled by others, is nothing but a magnificent set of shackles"
"Watch closely! This! This is my own unique strength, determined by my own will!"
Meanwhile, Gold City tried again and again to overtake Dawn from the most difficult and impossible outer lane.
Even though Dawn's absolute and unreasonable speed relentlessly suppressed her again and again!
She never gave up an inch!
Her constant sweat and her roar full of indomable will seemed to transmit the most primal belief to Dawn
"I might lose! But I will never give up!"
"This! This is the Testament that belongs to me, Gold City!"
Facing this overwhelming emotional torrent, like a tsunami, full of extreme "self-will"!
In Dawn's pure white inner world!
The cold "Blue Data Firewall" experienced violent fluctuations for the first time, as if it were on the brink of collapse!
The orange and the gold, which had just been completely eliminated, reappeared with extreme tenacity!
And they intertwined furiously with the proud "Purple" representing Zenyatta!
And the indomitable "Brilliant Gold" representing Gold City!
They converged, merged, and then... fell.
[ Who am I? ]
[ Why... do I run? ]
[ Is there... something... beyond 'orders'? ]
These questions, which she had never asked herself and which the "Skynet" system considered "errors"!
Like the most terrifying computer virus!
It began to proliferate wildly within her "program"!
...
On the track!
Her racing technique, which had always been as perfect as a work of art, showed for the first time a visible and extremely disconcerting stutter.
She looked like a robot with an overloaded CPU about to burn out!
A serious and fatal gap existed between her body and her mind!
Just when Dawn was about to lose speed completely due to this terrifying "program corruption"...
Unconsciously, as if driven by an instinct for help.
She directed her gaze toward the distant and bustling side of the track.
Her gaze penetrated through the countless crowd that hived.
And she met the soft, powerful, and omnipresent gaze that had been watching her in silence from beginning to end.
Kaito looked at her.
He did not perform any unnecessary tactical gestures.
He simply directed two words to her in silence, the simplest yet most powerful words:
"Live free"
BOOM!!!
Those two words were like thunder that split the world!
Fiercely tearing apart Dawn's eternal, empty, and pure white inner world!
In her pure white and empty world.
The emotional torrent of the four beautiful colors constantly intertwining (orange, gold, purple, gold) finally seemed to find a central point of convergence at this moment!
In this pure white world, like a canvas.
The first drop of color appeared.
A mixture of all colors.
Tiny.
Yet, there it was, an incredibly clear... gray "tear"
...
Inside the highest monitoring room of the "Skynet" system!
The massive core value representing Dawn's "Emotional state" was displayed for the first time!
And for the first time in history!
It jumped dizzyingly from the absolute and eternal "0"... to "0.01".
Catherine, seeing the number on the screen that seemed to her like an apocalyptic judgment, showed for the first time an expression called "Fear" on her face, which was always full of confidence and control.
...
The race was about to enter the home stretch!
The first part of the awakening ritual was over!
Kaito slowly raised his head and looked toward the last "Finishing Group".
El Emperador, Symboli Rudolf
Wolf King, Narita Taishin
And the little heroine, Rice Shower
They would perform the last, most crucial, and most moving...
Final Movement.
The home stretch would be the climax of the emotional impact!
The "royal road" of Symboli Rudolf!
"Resonance of solitude" of Narita Taishin!
And the "Protection" of Rice Shower!
How would these three emotions, the most complex and profound, achieve the complete destruction of the final "Emotional Firewall" of "Skynet"?
And what kind of even crazier final counterattack would Catherine launch, having already exhausted all her tricks?
The second part of "Awakening the Doll's Heart"...
It is about to begin!