"Star."
I paused stretching for a moment, and I turned back to see Oguri walking towards me. "What's up?" I asked, smiling slightly.
Oguri gazed out across the track they were on. 2400 meters of turf, stretching far into the distance. "...I wanna run." She said simply, and as she turned back to me, a small smile curved her lips. "And I'll catch you, Star."
I huffed. "I know you will." I said, my eyes burning brightly. "But don't think I'll make it easy." I grinned. "Let's show the world what we can do, Oguri."
"Nn!"
"All runners are to head for their gates!"
I stepped into my gate, and I took a deep breath as it shut close behind me.
This was it. The culmination of over a year of training and progress, now crystalized into this single race. For the first time, Oguri and I would be running as rivals, and only one of us could be crowned the victor.
"Excluding the two cancelled entries, all 14 participants have entered their gates!"
A few gates to the left, I could see Oguri shaking her head as she usually did. I grinned slightly, though I soon followed her, shaking my head to clear the rest of my thoughts. Regardless of what would follow, right now, I only had one thing I needed to do.
Whether I'd win or lose, it was time to stop holding back.
"Will the overseas umamusume claim victory!? Or will it be the Japanese umamusume!?"
"All eyes in the world are on the [Japan Cup]!"
I firmly planted my foot onto the turf, and immediately, the air around me seemed to distort slightly. An undeniable warmth washed across the unopened gates, and those that turned my way would see the air around me seeming to warp, as if heated by some invisible source.
Oguri's eyes narrowed slightly, easily recognizing this familiar pressure. Tamamo Cross smirked at the clear challenge. Obey Your Master's plastic smile widened slightly.
"The moment of tension builds…"
I let loose the breath I'd been holding, and I leaned forward, preparing to lunge forward the very moment the path forward opened. The muscles in my legs were fully tense—strength coiled within every fiber of muscle. My heartbeat sped up, and a scalding warmth coursed throughout my veins.
And then,
BANG!
"And they're off!"
The gates slammed open, and gritting my teeth, I soared forward with an explosive lunge. {Starlit Crown} immediately activated, and I quickly took the lead as I began accelerating as fast as I could. I didn't look back; I didn't need to. Whatever struggles occurred behind me was unimportant.
I just needed to make as large of a lead as I could before Oguri began her Great Chase.
"Blossom Star immediately takes the lead with a powerful Great Escape!"
"School Road and Shirley Sky continue to battle for 2nd place, with Michelle my Baby and Tony Bianca just behind them!"
Despite immediately using {Starlit Crown} from the start, I barely felt any strain. Not just because my Stamina had finally been pushed over the 1000-mark, but also because {Standard Distance ◎} was activated, further increasing my Stamina. The drain my Unique Skill would've normally caused was barely an inconvenience this time!
And so I ran. Charged far ahead from 2nd place. The lead quickly stretched, and by the time I reached the first corner, I was already 12 lengths ahead from 2nd place.
"Blossom Star has already reached the first corner!"
"Amazing! She hasn't slowed down in the slightest!"
Tony Bianca scowled as she raced forward, quickly overtaking the two Japanese umamusume who'd been in front of her and taking 2nd place.
And now that she was in front of the pack, she had an unobstructed view of my back, fading into the distance. It would've been a demoralizing sight for many, and even she couldn't deny that a small part of her felt an instinctual fear when she realized just how far I had gotten.
But that was fine.
She glared at my retreating figure, and wisps of rainbow light swirling from her pupils.
"Most of our runners have finally reached the first corner, while Blossom Star is halfway through the second!"
"Oguri Cap remains in last place!"
Tamamo Cross grit her teeth as Ellerslie Pride suddenly surged forward, slamming their shoulders together. 「Are you okay, Lady?」She asked in accented English, her voice paradoxically concerned yet cold.
"Oi! Sod off, I ain't tryin' to wrestle 'ere!" Tamamo spit back. Her thoughts raced as she surveyed her position, and she realized that there was no point in further struggling here. "Can't be help'd, then."
"Ya' can take it if ya' want!"
She slammed her foot down, and with a powerful kick, she surged to the outside, quickly placing distance between her and the rest of the pack. The soles of her shoes cackled with white lightning, as if a bolt of plasma had just flown across the track.
Pride narrowed her eyes. It was certainly impressive. The quick decision making, paired with immense flexibility-
There was a reason her manager told her Tamamo Cross would be a dangerous competitor.
"Oh!? Tamamo Cross begins accelerating-!"
"Obey Your Master begins surging forward as well!"
"Yaho~! We meet again, Tamamo-chan!"
"Ya' again. Can't stop meet'n clowns, huh?" She scowled in mild annoyance, especially when she saw how seemingly unbothered Obey was. She even had the audacity to smile like that in the midst of the race!
Obey's starry eyes gleamed. "So, is it time to start catching up?" Her smile deepened. "Won't be easy, you know? Blossom Star's built quite the lead~"
"...I know." She scoffed. "I ain't Oguri, y'know?"
She grit her teeth, and with another surge of strength, she continued accelerating forward to begin bridging the gap I'd been building from the very start.
Obey Your Master watched Tamamo's movements with a growing smirk.「Just like I expected.」She whispered, and ignoring the tingling sensation that crept up her hands due to all the blaring electricity, she began accelerating as well.
"Tamamo Cross now fights for 2nd place, but Tony Bianca isn't giving it away so easily!"
She hummed. She could hear the White Lightning quickly approaching her position from the outer lands.
Which meant it was time.
"Tamamo Cross takes 2nd-"
"No, wait, Tony Bianca is-!"
She took a deep breath, and the thin wisps of rainbow light exploded into a billowing surge of light. Her heart thumped like a war drum, and her eyes shone with animalistic ferocity as she suddenly surged forward.
But it wasn't just her speeding up. Suddenly, every umamusume on the track could feel it—the sudden shift in atmosphere. The flowing rainbow flames suddenly became visible to every runner, and they gasped as they felt their visions constricting, overwhelmed by the sheer brightness of what they saw.
A strength belonging only to umamusume who defined a generation-
The innate power of all living beings, further amplified by the blessings of the Three Goddesses-
The Domain!
"Tony Bianca accelerates forward! For the first time, the gap begins to shrink!"
Tamamo Cross harshly grit her teeth as she felt her vision narrowing. It was the first time she'd felt anything remotely close to this—it was as if dozens of war drums were being hammered all around her, causing her head to spin.
Yet, she persisted.
Because while this was the first time she'd felt the direct effects of a Domain, this wasn't the first time she'd heard of it.
A few days ago, when I'd gone to her and her trainer for my plans regarding the URA, I didn't want to owe the two any favors. And so I told them about the power of the Domain, something that she'd no doubt face during the [Japan Cup]. Not just to prepare her, but also because she hadn't awakened her own Domain, since she never had a full-on battle against Oguri in this world.
So Tamamo took a deep breath, and a surge of white lightning exploded from the soles of her feet as she surged forward, doing her best to keep up with Bianca's immense acceleration.
Except,
"Tamamo Cross refuses to fall back! She continues to chase both Tony Bianca and Blossom Star!"
"But behind her is-!"
Suddenly, another pressure spread across the track. This one somehow even more overwhelming than the dazzling weight of Bianca's powerful Domain.
No, that wasn't it.
Tony Bianca grit her teeth as she felt it. This pressure-, no, this darkness—it was trying to consume everything. Even her own Domain was being eaten up, treated as nothing more but food to feed the approaching abyss.
She wasn't the only one. Tamamo, Michelle, Pride, Moonlight, even Oguri—they could all feel it.
That moment when the Mask finally shattered.
The turf trembled, and suddenly, from the outer lanes, came an umamusume no one was expecting.
"O-Obey Your Master takes 3rd place…!"
"D-Da hell!?" Tamamo gasped as an explosion of starry flames washed over her, and before she knew it, Obey suddenly surged past her, causing her to fall back into 4th place.
「D-Delivery running!?」Michelle gasped out, barely recognizing the strange new posture Obey had taken. It looked nothing like the footage she'd been studying, and her smile turned bitter when she realized that she'd been completely bamboozled.
But despite the chaos her sudden Domain caused, Obey Your Master showed no joy.
「The King of Europe? The Japanese Ace? 」
「So what?」
Obey scowled, no longer bothering to force her usual smile. The stars in her eyes had shattered alongside her mask, and now her pupils had expanded into a bottomless abyss, surging with the darkness of her Wild Joker.
「The master of this race is ME!」
"I-Incredible! Both Tony Bianca and Obey Your Master have completely left Tamamo Cross behind!"
"They're catching up to Blossom Star! Her lead has shortened to only 6 lengths!"
I grit my teeth as I forced my legs to keep running.
Now that Bianca and Obey were closing in, I could feel the effects of their Domains pressing down onto me. The feeling was beyond unpleasant, and I could feel my usual rhythm being thrown off. The lead I'd built was shrinking faster and faster the closer they got.
But that was fine. I'd prepared for this. I wasn't done just yet, and I could feel all my Skills getting ready to burst when the moment was right.
And besides, I wasn't the one those two had to worry about!
"Oguri Cap finally begins accelerating!"
The announcer's words fell like a guillotine, and suddenly everyone could hear the explosive thumping of Oguri's steps. They echoed through the turf like earthquakes, and before anyone could prepare, Oguri suddenly began accelerating.
The two other Japanese umamusume, Moonlight Lunacy, Gold City, Ellerslie Pride—all of them were overtaken by her in mere seconds.
Despite the clashing Domains in front of the pack, Oguri seemed entirely unaffected by the pressure.
No, the opposite seemed to be happening. Her acceleration seemed to be growing stronger the closer she came to the center of the battle. Her already monstrous acceleration had only become more exaggerated, as if the pressure had only served to feed her strength.
And perhaps that was an apt description.
After all, were darkness and rainbows not merely fuel to a growing Black Hole?
"Blossom Star reaches the third corner, but Obey Your Master and Tony Bianca aren't far behind!"
"Can she keep up her lead!?"
Michelle My Baby grit her teeth as she began accelerating, but before she could even pick up her speed, Oguri quickly sped past her, her eyes burning with an unquenchable hunger.
"Oguri Cap is now 4th!"
"Sod'...off…!" Tamamo screamed to the winds, charging ahead with all the strength she could muster. Her lightning coursed across the turf like pulsing snakes, leaving the grass charred and trampled.
And yet,
"Oguri Cap is now 3rd!"
Tamamo's eyes shook as Oguri ran past her, her expression terrifyingly blank. Wisps of inky blackness swung from Oguri's legs, looking almost like tentacles that were reaching out to devour everything it touched.
And then, she saw it.
That damned Wall.
The rest of the world faded. The track, the turf—everything else but the seemingly untouchable wall blocking her way. "Get out…of ma' way…!" She screamed at it, but it refused to move. The {White Lightning} she prided herself on became nothing but mere scratches on the Wall.
It was impossible. It refused to budge.
But, even so-!
She remembered. Her trainer, her mama, her papa, her fans—she'd been so, so blessed to still be able to run. And now she was here, on this track, given the chance to test the mettle against the rest of the world.
And this Wall dared to try and stop here!?
Her hand reached out, and with eyes that burnt white, she slammed her palm into the unfeeling stone.
"GET OUTTA MA' WAY!!"
And then,
The stone cracked.
"W-What is-!?"
Everyone felt it. A new presence surged across the track, filling the air with the scent of ozone. The already overwhelming pressure caused by the clash of two Domains became practically soul-crushing. And no one felt this more than Oguri and Michelle, who were closest to the source.
White lightning suddenly danced together with arcs of blue, and dirt exploded into the air as Tamamo Cross lunged forward.
This was the Descent of Susanoo!
"W-What am I seeing!? W-What is THAT!?"
The announcer had completely lost their vocabulary, but no one blamed them. The entire audience had been stunned into complete silence, their eyes incapable of turning away from the track for even a moment.
Because down on the track, they could see something miraculous.
Around Tony Bianca spun fabrics of rainbow light, frazzling at the edges as it clashed against the burning darkness that spun around Obey Your Master. And not too far behind them was Oguri Cap, who ran just in front of a War God created from White and Blue Lightning.
Most people were completely unfamiliar with it, but to most veteran trainers, the sight was something they never thought they would ever see.
For the first time, normal humans could see the Domains!