The stadium fell silent. Tense anticipation simmered in the air. Tens of thousands of people leaned forward in their seats, waiting for that fateful moment when the gates would open. Millions more inched closer to their televisions, unwilling to miss even a single moment.
The staff handling the gates' controls gulped, his hand subtly shaking as his finger hovered just over the flip he needed to switch. This was far from his first time being in control of the gates, but he had never been given the honor of handling the gates at such an incredible event.
The announcers were holding their breaths, with one of them even holding onto their script with so much force that they accidentally crumpled the slips of paper. But they remained just inches away from their microphones, ready to begin commentating the very moment the race began.
Moments passed in agonizing clarity. The ten umamusume who'd descended upon the track were all poised to charge ahead. Their ears were rigid and straight, ready to capture any sudden sounds.
Then–
BANG!
"The gates have opened…!"
The gates slammed open, and dirt exploded into the gates as ten umamusume surged forward. The crowd immediately began cheering as the runners began their struggle to obtain their desired positions.
After all, the first 100 meters of a race was crucial; a misstep during the early-race could compound into something far worse as the race went on.
But there was one umamusume who didn't need to worry about that.
"Blossom Star immediately takes the lead! She's charging ahead—she's begun her Great–!"
Or at least that was how it should've been.
Instead, as Blossom Star surged far ahead of the rest of the pack, her eyes narrowed as she heard steps following just behind her, one far closer compared to everyone else's. She quickly picked up the unique rhythm of her follower's steps, and she grinned slightly as she realized what was happening.
"What is-!? Sakura Chiyono O is following right behind Blossom Star!"
"Marking me, huh?" She asked casually. "Trying to right the wrongs from last year's [Japanese Oaks]?"
Chiyono O grinned slightly, beads of sweat falling from her chin as she did her best to match Star's terrifying pace. "Maybe…!" She shouted.
Star laughed freely, eyes blazing with an eerie blue glow. "Then come follow me!"
She stomped down hard onto the ground, and moments later, her speed grew even faster as she began her {Tyrant's Advance}.
"Blossom Star is already accelerating-!? And Sakura Chiyono O follows right after her!"
"Will Sakura Chiyono O have enough stamina by the end of this race!?"
Dicta Striker whistled as she saw Chiyono O faithfully shadowing Blossom Star, even as their leader surged ahead with such force that she was flinging chunks of dirt behind her with every gallop. "How bold." She whispered, grinning slightly. "Others would completely burn out if they tried that."
But she had a feeling Chiyono O would be different. Sure, she'd completely burnt herself out the last time she'd tried following Star's Great Escape, but that was a year ago. Chiyono O had improved a lot since then, and considering Maruzensky's been mentoring her this whole time, Dicta wouldn't be surprised if she had some surprises in store.
That aside,
Her ears perked up as she listened to the announcer's words, and she hummed. From the sound of things, the Position Struggle had just ended, and everyone had ended up pretty much where she'd expected them to.
Blossom Star was in the lead, with Chiyono O in 2nd.
Dicta Striker was in 3rd, while Super Creek and Obey Your Master traded 4th and 5th place.
Yaeno Muteki was solidly in 6th place.
Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light were practically neck-to-neck, taking 7th and 8th place.
All while Tamamo Cross had settled in 9th, with Oguri's movement towards the outer lanes causing her to fall to 10th.
However, despite the early-race going just as she'd expected, she didn't relax. The first few hundred meters of the Hanshin Racecourse was fairly benign, and there was even a brief downhill that allowed everyone to conserve some stamina.
But right after that was a steep uphill, and Dicta took a deep breath as she readied the first chamber. Her eyes sharpened as she ran downhill, waiting for the exact moment when the uphill climb would begin.
And the moment she reached it, the world around her was overwhelmed with streaks of yellow light as she fired off her first {Yellow Bullet}. It happened right as she began climbing uphill, and so she managed to maintain her current speed despite the sudden climb in elevation.
But just moments after Dicta began relaxing, a familiar figure surged right past her, her white and blue dress fluttering in the winds as she ran ahead.
"Super Creek overtakes Dicta Striker during the uphill!"
"She makes it look so effortless…!"
Dicta's eyes blew wide open as she watched Creek run uphill, barely inconvenienced by something that would've forced many others to slow down.
No-, it went further than that. Her posture, the way she ran—it all subtly changed the moment Creek began running uphill. And whatever she was doing, she was making the uphill practically nonexistent. Something that was meant to make umamusume slow down was instead making Creek faster!
"Blossom Star makes it to the first corner!"
Just behind Dicta, Obey Your Master narrowed her eyes as she saw the way Creek effortlessly climbed the uphill. "That is…" She whispered, vaguely familiar with the stance Creek had now taken. She knew she'd seen that running style once before, even if she couldn't quite remember where.
Regardless, Creek's sudden advancement hadn't changed her plans. Right now, Creek wasn't the greatest threat.
Her main focus remained on the umamusume far in the lead, and the terrifying pace she'd set the race into. If she wanted to make sure she could catch up with Star, then she would have to accelerate early.
She was sure Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap thought the same.
"Super Creek finishes the relentless uphill with incredible grace!"
"Dicta Striker and Obey Your Master aren't far behind!"
After several seconds of relentless uphill climb, Super Creek finally clears the uphill. And the moment she did so, she grit her teeth as she forced out as much strength as she could, rocketing forward with a sudden burst of acceleration. Her {Pure Heart} began beating faster as faint rings of light momentarily showed around her chest, before they suddenly darkened into wisps of shadows.
Dicta Striker cleared the uphill a few seconds after Creek, and a hapless laugh left her lips as she saw Creek practically soaring forward. "She isn't messing around-!" She whispered, and with a harsh breath, she lunged forward as she fired her second {Yellow Bullet}, fully intent on reclaiming the 3rd place she'd lost.
The rest of the pack soon caught up, successfully clearing the uphill one by one. And just like Dicta and Creek, everyone immediately began accelerating despite not even reaching the first corner. They all knew that if they didn't speed up now, they would never catch up to Blossom Star, who was already nearly a dozen lengths ahead of them all.
But in the midst of this movement, a sudden pressure descended from the very end of the pack. An electrifying feeling shocked through the air, felt by both the runners and the audience alike, followed soon after by the dizzying scent of fresh ozone.
And just moments after that–
The world was overwhelmed with white as a powerful lightning strike descended from the heavens, crashing into the track with such force that it caused the Turf below to tremble. And from that divine retribution rose a god made of condensed lightning, its being bursting with incredible energy.
Domain Awakening—
{Descent of Susanoo}!
Up ahead in 5th, Obey's eyes narrowed. "This early!?" She muttered, and her pupils shrunk as she heard Tamamo Cross' explosive steps, growing louder and louder as the White Lightning began accelerating.
Belno Light and Mejiro Ardan, physically closest to Tamamo, felt the Domain's awakening the most keenly. But neither of them were amateurs by this point—Ardan had long gotten used to a Domain's oppression thanks to her sister's aid, while Belno's own partially awakened Domain helped shield her from most of the initial impact.
Still, Tamamo's Domain allowed her to easily surpass Belno and Ardan, and suddenly she was charging towards Muteki.
"Tamamo Cross begins accelerating! She's now in 7th place!"
Muteki took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could feel Tamamo Cross approaching. If nothing changed, it wouldn't be long before she was overtaken.
Knowing that, Muteki took a deep breath, and she turned towards the other side of the track. She could see Blossom Star there, having just entered the track's second straight. There wasn't a trace of exhaustion on her, and she had a bright smile on her lips as she ran ahead.
Her eyes softened for a moment; at that moment, she became {Stargazer}, enraptured by the radiance of that shooting star she knew she could never grasp. A powerful heat suddenly bloomed in her chest, both envious and hopeful, and Muteki let out a powerful warcry as she charged forward.
"But Yaeno Muteki refuses to yield! She accelerates as well! Tamamo Cross can't pass her…!"
Tamamo Cross blinked as Muteki suddenly shot forward, but she then grinned as she met the challenge head-on. She too began to accelerate, the god of lightning surrounding her blazing with arcs of electricity.
But just moments after–
Another explosion of pressure surged from in front of them. For a moment, Tamamo's own Domain shrunk, as if pushed down by some invisible force. Fabrics of sparkling nebulae expanded in front of her eyes, spreading outwards like fusing galaxies. Tamamo grit her teeth as she found her attention forcefully pulled towards it, causing her concentration to falter and her acceleration to decline.
Obey smiled serenely. "I ain't letting you come any closer, Ms. White Lightning."
Domain Awakening—
{Wild Joker}!
Tamamo forced a grim smile. "Flashy as always!" She screamed, and with a guttural roar, she forcefully broke herself out of the strange trance she'd fallen into. "I'm comin' after ya', Joker!" Her smile grew to a manic grin, and lightning exploded from her cleats as she lunged forward.
Muteki, similarly ensnared by Obey's Domain, only broke out of it when she saw Tamamo suddenly pull ahead, and she grit her teeth as she shook her head and immediately began trying to catch up.
"Oh-!? Obey Your Master begins accelerating as well! Tamamo Cross and Yaeno Muteki seemed to have stumbled, but Tamamo Cross quickly recovers!"
"Super Creek and Dicta Striker continues accelerating as well!"
"Can anyone catch up to Blossom Star and Sakura Chiyono O!?"
Now that two Domains were active across the track, the air began trembling slightly, as if some invisible veil of reality was nearing the point of shattering. No humans were able to see the mystical display that was occurring just yet, but those that were watching live from the stadium could feel the hairs on their arm standing up.
By this point, it was safe to say that this year's [Takarazuka Kinen] had become the most competitive the race had ever been. And most of the runners hadn't even reached the halfway point!
…
And all the while, a mysterious smile slowly grew across Belno's lips, her eyes burning a deep amber.