Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

[It's the Emperor of the East Sea!! The Emperor of the East Sea suddenly started accelerating downhill! Is she becoming agitated?!]

[No!! The Emperor's speed is incredible! This...this is! In the blink of an eye...he reduced Stardust Illusion's lead to almost nothing?!]

Unbelievable, unimaginable things are happening.

Just a second or two ago, anyone looking at the race would have thought that this 400-meter downhill bend was the perfect battlefield for Stardust Illusion to establish an unreasonable advantage in their escape.

However, the current situation is that Donghai Emperor has firmly grasped the home advantage in its hands with a perfect downhill running style that no one can find fault with!

That's right, this is the highlight of the show.

This will be a life-or-death competition that will distinguish the weak from the strong!

Boiling! Boiling, igniting everything!

That petite runner displayed an aura that surpassed everyone else's.

That was a phoenix, a mythical creature of the highest rank even in mythology, bathed in flames!

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

The shout, though coming from far away on the track, seemed to explode right next to everyone's ears, its power and determination resounding even from close range.

More importantly, the way the Emperor of the East Sea was rapidly catching up made it impossible for any viewer to look away.

——!

The fierce wind whistling from the friction of the air was like the popping sound of firewood being ignited.

The ground roared as it was trampled underfoot, as if it were about to shatter completely.

Her steps were quick and powerful, like drumsticks pounding on the hearts of the other contestants!

Ibuki Maikaku, who was just in second place, had almost no time to react. She only felt a sudden cold sweat break out on her forehead.

The fiery racehorse girl had already swept past her, and for a moment her mind went completely blank.

Unstoppable and irreversible!

The extraordinary fighting spirit of the Emperor of the East Sea spread throughout the entire world.

Whether it's a great escape by wind and thunder or a white lightning bolt, it doesn't matter.

This is completely irrelevant. Constantly trying to find ways to counter other opponents' attacks... is just too foolish!

From this moment on, the rhythm of the game belongs to me, to this invincible genius, the East Sea Emperor who is about to claim the three undefeated championships!!!

The host's shouts followed immediately:

[The Emperor is here! The Emperor is here! The Emperor is here!!!]

The repetition three times in a row revealed her excited state of mind:

[The Emperor has caught up! The East Sea Emperor and Stardust Illusion have both chosen to accelerate on this nearly impossible downhill track, beginning their final battle at the top!]

The host's loud shout instantly brought Ibuki Kagura back to her senses, completely shattering the blonde girl's previously composed demeanor.

With no time to think about anything else, Ibuki Kagura only then noticed the emperor's figure before his footsteps had already obliterated her—

(H-How is this possible!? This level of aura is simply comparable to Master Tamamo-no-Mae—!)

Seeing the girl beside her whose face was starting to contort, Ibuki Kagura showed an expression of disbelief.

Even though she had participated in several high-stakes events before, she had never faced an opponent like this before.

This doesn't look like a race at all; the East Sea Emperor... it's like she's fighting a bloodbath with everyone else!

This runner, who had taken the lead in the early stages and shocked all his opponents, unconsciously gritted his teeth and tried to accelerate as well, unwilling to give up second place.

[The debuff skill "Anxiety" has been triggered.]

I've lost track of what I should do...

Ibuki Kagura's mind was in chaos, but her body had already moved first. She suddenly quickened her pace and desperately squeezed her lungs to inhale fresh air.

However, at the very moment she did this, the Emperor of the East Sea, who was running beside her, didn't even glance at her.

"Oh no—"

Unable to control the downhill slope, Ibuki Maikaku had no time to be shocked by others. Almost instantly, she realized her problem: she was about to lose her balance!

We have to slow down, we absolutely have to.

In Ibuki Kagura's vision, the runner beside her continued to lower her body slightly, and her petite figure was like a cannonball being launched, the gap between her and the front narrowing little by little... and then suddenly bursting out!

[Four horse-lengths—three horse-lengths! The Emperor of the East Sea has completely approached the Stardust Illusion! However, Ibuki Kagura encountered some problems, but fortunately, she stabilized herself after falling to the fifth position.]

Let's continue looking at the battlefield at the front lines. Dangerous... Amazing!!! Truly a flawless genius!

The Eastern Sea Emperor had completely mastered the downhill slope; even this maneuver did not affect her acceleration—a speed that even the Stardust Illusion could not match!

[She's arrived! It's a one-on-one duel! The Empress of the East Sea...she's here!!!]

The developments on the field can happen in an instant, enough to leave people speechless.

The audience was so bombarded with these explosive images that they were completely speechless, staring at the arena with their mouths agape.

The stardust phantom leaped over the silent Suzuka phantom and burst out of the great beech tree.

The Emperor of the East Sea suddenly erupted and accelerated his catch-up.

A sudden crisis for Ibuki Maikaku.

And now, these two runners, who have been arranging their meeting for almost half a year, have finally faced off!

(...)

With the Eastern Merchants undergoing changes, this little witch could only watch helplessly as the Emperor of the Eastern Sea caught up.

How can it be? !

I was fully prepared and determined to take revenge on Saber and Stardust Illusion in this match.

Even so, she understood that she absolutely could not afford to develop the same anxious state of mind as Ibuki Maikaku.

Competition magic is the highest level of ultimate magic, requiring flawless ritual preparation and allowing no room for error.

But... what's with this feeling?!

As the Stardust Illusion was chased by the Emperor of the East Sea, they even heard the two of them calling out to each other from afar...

I was the one who met Saber first!

Sweepy is Saber's nemesis!!!

Transforming this feeling into fighting spirit, Dongshang Reform continued its steady run, burying its head deeply and using the brim of its hat to shield its view of what lay ahead—

(Let you two be a little smug for now... Sweepy's stage hasn't even arrived yet!)

Those who were intimidated by this burning fighting spirit were far more than just one or two people.

The Emperor of the East Sea listened to the rising and falling breaths behind him, and turned his azure eyes to his opponent who was now close at hand.

I'm about to catch up, Stardust.

So, how will you deal with me... how will you deal with my ever-evolving pace?!

Having changed its running style to become the East Sea Emperor specializing in center positioning, it still managed to close in on the fleeing champions midway through the race.

This perfect speed run, achieved by taking advantage of the downhill slope, would be astonishing to anyone who saw it.

Stardust Illusion also knew that it was fundamentally different from those true geniuses.

Not only is it that when studying theory, one is often dismissed as hopeless and incapable of improvement, but even learning other people's skills is extremely difficult.

When she was learning cornering techniques from Shenying and Super Stream, she could only rely on countless attempts to forcibly imprint their running methods into her mind.

She gained nothing, and even fell while speeding... Even though she had a body that wouldn't actually get hurt, the pain and exhaustion still affected her just as much.

Rather than saying that Stardust Illusion runs by talent, it's more accurate to say that he uses the superpowers given by the system and endures training and pain several times greater than other athletes to forcibly catch up with this advantage.

But... that doesn't mean she considers herself inferior.

On the contrary, Stardust Illusion believes that everyone has an equal chance of winning as long as they are on the field, which is why they have been working hard until now.

(Ah, that's how it is.)

The Stardust Illusion, running ahead of everyone else, thought to itself with such emotion.

(A true stage where people can shine must have rivals...)

While running alone can certainly grab attention by making a great escape, it's... boring and unsatisfying.

And now, at this very moment.

The long-awaited rival, the Emperor of the East Sea, caught up at a speed that no one could have imagined.

Even Stardust Illusion herself had to admit that the current emperor was faster than her.

That's a speed boost that only runners who truly master downhill running can fully utilize.

The so-called speeding refers to the ability of a runner to break through their original speed limit due to some external factors. For example, there have been times when racehorses have used strong winds to push their final sprints to their limit.

According to JRA regulations, the times achieved by runners in this state of overspeed are valid, but will not be included in any records.

Regardless of the circumstances, even if this speed was achieved with the help of external forces, the resulting results are undeniably real.

Now, the Stardust Illusion is only two horse lengths away from the pursuers!

However, this was precisely the formidable enemy that Stardust Illusion had been hoping for—an enemy far beyond its wildest imagination…

(Yes, that's exactly how it should be!)

(Being able to break through boundaries that ordinary people can't even imagine is what gets me really excited!)

So, how should she deal with this?

"Mouth closed, mouth closed, mouth closed, mouth closed, mouth closed...!"

She couldn't help but laugh at the thought that had just flashed through her mind.

Isn't it obvious what needs to be done now?

This is a duel in which the emperor extends an invitation, and the duelist must respond.

(Since you've already used your advantage in the first move, it's not the behavior of a duelist to not respond.)

Let's confront her head-on.