Despite watching everyone else surge ahead, Belno Light had yet to accelerate. She watched with seeming impassion as even Mejiro Ardan passed her as she began her own acceleration, her running style both ferocious yet graceful—befitting of a member of the Mejiro Family.
She smiled softly, as her eyes shone with cold calculations.
From the very beginning, she knew that she couldn't replicate what she'd done back in the [Osaka Hai]. The Divine Spear was far too unwieldy, and with Blossom Star dragging the race's pace far ahead of what should be normal, her spear would only hit perhaps half of the runners. On the other hand, she couldn't use her Domain to slow down Tamamo or Obey like she did with the Divine Anchor—it was too unwieldy in this case, and doing so would only guarantee mutual destruction.
Her usual tricks wouldn't work either. Controlling the race's pace was impossible with Oguri and Star around, trying to obstruct the other runners was nigh impossible, and getting purposely surrounded to use some of her more manipulative tactics just wasn't feasible.
Which only left one option–
Belno took a deep breath as she approached the first corner. Ardan was nearly 2 lengths ahead of her by this point, while Oguri was maybe a Head behind her, though it was hard to judge since Oguri was running in the outer lanes.
It was time.
Her eyes burnt a deep amber, and a wide smile stretched across her lips as a deep feeling elation pulsed throughout her body. And following it, the air seemed to thrum with a soundless music, carrying with it a feeling of dissonant pressure. The weight was far more subtle compared to the current weight in the air, but all the runners in today's race were all veterans—they could feel the sudden addition.
Belno's foot slammed into the ground, and the track flashed as the world was momentarily taken over by another—an infinite void, created of black and white squares, similar to that of a chessboard.
A swirl of black and white formed behind her, rotating over her back like a pinwheel. Her eyes sharpened as she reached back, and breathing through grit teeth, she grabbed hold of that tumultuous mass of energy and dragged it to her front, using both hands to forcefully pull it into the desired shape.
The mass elongated, morphed into something far more physical,
A chariot formed from pure energy, pulled along by the silhouette of a strange animal appeared in front of her.
Partial Domain Awakening—
{Chariot of the Divine General}!
Belno suddenly surged forward with immense speed, her acceleration so sudden and powerful that she immediately passed Ardan.
Yet she didn't stop. The chariot kept pulling her forward, her speed aided by some mystical being she couldn't quite comprehend. Power flooded her every limb, and at that moment, her acceleration even managed to surpass both Tamamo Cross and Obey Your Master's.
"Belno Light begins accelerating! She passes Mejiro Ardan, but she isn't willing to let Belno Light break away so easily!"
However, something even more incredible was about to happen.
Belno's partial Domain was becoming more and more sophisticated, but it was still only a partial awakening. She could harvest this strange energy to empower herself, but it lacked the overpowering pressure carried by both Tamamo and Obey's Domains.
But as Belno passed Yaeno Muteki and began closing the distance to Tamamo Cross, the subtle weight Belno's Domain was letting out began interfering with the clash of Domains. A third force was added into the precarious balance the two Domains had achieved, and suddenly–
The skies themselves seemed to crack. A deep screeching wail echoed across the Hanshin Racecourse, and for the humans watching, the world suddenly exploded into light as the umamusume's elusive Domains suddenly became visible once more.
And as expected, the crowd immediately went wild.
"T-There is it–!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! Once again, we're blessed to witness a clash of legends!"
"Don't you dare look away now! Witness the clash between the Domains of today's legends!"
The god of lightning that surrounded Tamamo Cross. The nebulae that spun around Obey Your Master. The chariot-like creation that pulled Belno Light forward.
At that moment, it was as if the epithets given to these umamusume were suddenly given life. The White Lightning, the Wild Joker, and the Divine General—these seemingly ordinary names were suddenly given power by the Three Goddesses, and now the entire world could witness this procession of the divine.
Yet, while everyone else was enraptured by the clash between three Domains, no one noticed the way Oguri Cap's eyes seemed to darken for a moment, or the way wisps of darkness seemed to cling to her legs.
And precisely at the moment when Blossom Star reached the middle of the second straight,
RUMBLE!
The world itself shook as a massive explosion tore through the racetrack. Turf and dirt were flung into the air, and somehow, the oppressive weight of three Domains was momentarily overwhelmed by a force even more terrifying. And suddenly, out from the cloud of dust came Oguri Cap, her eyes burning bright blue as she charged ahead with an acceleration that outsped every single runner in the race.
"Oguri Cap begins moving forward! The Beast finally begins her hunt!"
Up ahead, Tamamo Cross smiled grimly as she heard Oguri's explosive steps. "That dam' monst'r." She whispered, her face covered in sweat as she did her best to sustain her Domain. Trying to keep her Domain going while being besieged by Obey and Belno's Domain was hard enough, but now she could feel her body instinctively stiffening as she felt Oguri approaching her.
Even further ahead, Blossom Star grinned as she saw Oguri tearing through the track. "There she is…" She quickly glanced back, and she narrowed her eyes. By this point, the lead she and Sakura Chiyono O had built throughout the early-race was nearly gone. Super Creek was only 5 lengths behind Chiyono O, with everyone else not far behind.
Which meant it was time for her Second Gear!
Star took a deep breath. {Attack Stance}, {Leap Premonition}, and {Steady Advance} activated all at once, and power flooded her legs as she lunged forward. Chiyono O's eyes widened as she watched her suddenly accelerate again, and she grit her teeth as she tried to match her pace.
But it was futile. She was already struggling to match the pace Star had set from the beginning of the race, and now she could only watch with a grim smile as Star accelerated even further.
"Blossom Star accelerates again! Can Sakura Chiyono O-? No, she can't! Blossom Star's lead is growing!"
"By the Goddesses! This is, without a doubt, the fastest pace the [Takarazuka Kinen] has ever seen!"
Super Creek breathed deeply, and she grit her teeth as she continued charging ahead. She couldn't match the explosive acceleration everyone else had, but that was fine. All she needed to do was to keep running!
"You ain't getting away!" Dicta Striker screamed, grinning wildly as she fired her 3rd {Yellow Bullet}, unwilling to let Super Creek get away.
But Dicta's heart then thundered as an overwhelming pressure suddenly crashed into her, and her pupils shrunk as she caught sight of four monsters closing on her. Tamamo Cross, Obey Your Master, Belno Light, Oguri Cap—all four of them were basically neck-to-neck, neither willing to give up as they ran forward.
"Dicta Striker takes 3rd-, no, Super Creek takes it back! Neither is willing to give up!"
"Sakura Chiyono O falls to 8th place! Oguri Cap, Belno Light, Tamamo Cross, Obey Your Master—they're all charging ahead!"
By the time Blossom Star reached the third corner, the momentary boost she got from her Second Gear was practically gone. There was only 3 lengths between her and Tamamo Cross, who'd recently taken 2nd place. She could feel her body stiffening up from the sheer weight of three Domains clashing behind her.
But Star only smiled, and her legs began throbbing as she unleashed her next wave of Skills.
{Competitive Spirit ◎}, {Front Runner Savvy ◎}, {Professor of Curvature}, {Playtime's Over!}, {Mold Breaker}, {Prepared to Die} all activated together, and she grinned wide as she sped up once more. By this point, the sound of her steps were no different to Oguri's. Every step she made created gouges into the track, and dirt was being flung behind her with abandon.
Though she couldn't help but hiss slightly. Her legs were really beginning to throb now, though her tactic of more evenly spacing out her Skills throughout the race was really helping. If she'd activated all her Skills together like she did before, she would've no doubt injured herself, especially with the pressure of three Domains stacking onto her.
"Blossom Star reaches the fourth corner! Obey Your Master takes 2nd place, with Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap not far behind!"
"Super Creek and Dicta Striker are just behind them while-, Dicta Striker accelerates again! She overtakes Belno Light!"
"Mejiro Ardan surges forward! She isn't willing to give up just yet! Can Yaeno Muteki and Sakura Chiyono O catch up!?"
Blossom Star winced as she finally reached the final straight, and then smiled tiredly as she saw Obey Your Master approaching. In a few seconds, Obey would surely overtake her, with Oguri following right after. But she wasn't out of options just yet—she still had a few Skills she'd yet to use!
{In Body and Mind} and {Leading Charge} activated, and though her legs throbbed and burnt, Star screamed through the building agony as she sped up once more. The pressure of Tamamo and Obey's Domains were hitting her with full force now, but she refused to give them the lead.
"It's the final straight! Will everyone have enough stamina for the final uphill!?"
Oguri took a deep breath as she came upon the uphill, and the dark mist clinging to her leg grew even darker, her body seemingly overtaken by a phantom-like figure only she could see.
Tamamo Cross' Domain was beginning to flicker, her vision swimming as she began scraping the bottom of her stamina. But her willpower kept the god of lightning from dissipating away, and her drive to keep going had only intensified the pressure she was releasing.
Obey Your Master gasped as she charged uphill, her Domain seconds away from fizzling out. But she held on. Forced herself to keep running, despite how much she wanted to slow down. She couldn't let herself slow down.
Belno Light only bit her lip as she kept running. She didn't even dare to breathe heavily, fearing that it'd break her out of the deep concentration she'd fallen into. Her Divine Chariot was nearly gone by this point, and the strange creature pulling her forward was barely visible.
Dicta Striker was gasping as she ran, her legs burning and heavy. But though the uphill forced her to slow down, she fired her last {Yellow Bullet} to try and keep going.
Super Creek sighed in relief as she made it to the uphill. She used the opportunity to conserve what little stamina she had left. She would need all the energy she had to make the final sprint to the finish line.
Mejiro Ardan was barely thinking by this point. The race's pace had completely drained her, and though she'd prepared as best as she could, nothing could've prepared for how tiring it was to endure the combined pressure of three Domains.
Sakura Chiyono O and Yaeno Muteki ran forward with all their might, neither wanting to be the last place in this history-defining race. Their stamina was spent, their legs were burning from the strain—yet neither backed down. Neither could afford to.
Then–
"Oguri Cap takes the lead as she clears the uphill!"
Though Oguri took the lead at the last second, both she and Star basically cleared the uphill at the same instance. And at that moment, with only both of them capable of seeing the finish line in the distance, their gazes met.
A silent promise was shared.
And both of them roared as they lunged forward, charging ahead with all their might. Oguri's {Triumphant Storm} and Star's {Starlit Crown} activated together, and though neither were Domains, the weight they carried caused everyone behind them to falter. Even Tamamo and Obey's Domains were completely shattered, and everyone else could only watch as two stars surged forward.
The only one who'd been prepared was Belno Light, who managed to make use of the moment to surge into 3rd place. But even she couldn't match the titanic strength displayed by her two closest friends, and so she just grinned as she cheered them on. "Go, Star, Oguri!"
"Oguri Cap and Blossom Star accelerate once more!"
"Oguri Cap-! No, Blossom Star-! No-!"
"Oguri Cap-, Blossom Star-, Oguri Cap-, Blossom Star-!"
The final 200 meters of the race had never felt so long, and the crowd's cheers grew distant as Oguri and Star charged ahead.
Oguri smiled. "Thank you, Star."
"Yeah." Star chuckled softly. "Running with everyone—it's been fun."
…
Star smiled. "Go, Oguri."
The moment those words were spoken, Oguri's form blurred as her acceleration finally reached its peak. Finally, she distinctly took the lead, and Star watched with a fond smile as Oguri sped past her.
And so,
"Oguri Cap crosses the finish line!!"