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

The sudden heat almost made her cry out in surprise.

It is not a stardust illusion.

Dongshang instinctively understood this point.

If it were a stardust illusion, it would never feel like this, and she would never mistake the oppressive aura emanating from the stardust illusion.

So, who is it?

The moment the question was posed in one's mind, the answer to the transformation of Dongshang was already there.

If it's not a stardust illusion, then there's only one person standing in the darkness.

The three of them stared into the darkness at the seemingly petite yet incredibly tall racehorse girl in their eyes.

The raindrops in the sky seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, and they completely enveloped the entire racetrack with a loud patter.

And through the rain, the runner's figure finally emerged.

"East Sea... Emperor."

The aerial palace called out the name of the person before it.

Chapter 279 Stardust Illusion: If it's possible, so can I!

The oppressive aura emanating from the darkness was revealed, accompanied by the crisp sound of horseshoes clashing—it was the name spoken by the celestial palace in the sky: the Emperor of the Eastern Sea.

Without any accompaniment, the emperor walked through the athletes' tunnel to the exit where athletes would enter the track.

This once high-spirited genius, who once boasted of aiming for the undefeated triple crown, suffered a Waterloo at the Satsuki Sho, being knocked down on the field by Stardust Illusion.

What has become of her now?

Almost no one has seen this contestant. Did she completely fall from grace this month? Or did she break through her limits again and impress all the contestants and the audience with her overwhelming strength?

In the past, when this girl appeared before everyone, she would definitely show her signature sweet smile and greet each contestant warmly, right?

But now, the four people present fell silent in an instant. Everyone kept their mouths shut, and no one spoke up to break the silence.

The Emperor of the East Sea had only a chillingly empty gaze on his face, as if he wasn't paying any attention to this at all.

"Your Majesty, what is she saying...?"

Dong Shang frowned, watching the East Sea Emperor's murmuring lips and straining his ears to listen carefully to hear what he was saying.

"……meeting……"

"What?" Dong Shang Biange, who hadn't heard clearly, took a few more steps forward in confusion.

"We'll win, we'll win, we'll win, we'll win, we'll win..."

"W-What's going on?!"

The chilling whisper finally reached Dong Shang's ears, causing her to shake her head and cover her forehead, trying to dispel the shiver.

Why would the Emperor of the East Sea be so focused? The Eastern Merchants' reforms are not incomprehensible—the humiliation of failure, and the difficulty of chasing the shadow of the Stardust Illusion as a challenger.

Even he himself had doubts at one point: whether he would still have a chance to compete with Stardust Illusion.

But isn't this going too far?

Thinking of this, Dong Shang couldn't help but hug his arms.

Although she has always regarded the Emperor of the East Sea as an opponent, and even harbored some hostility towards her for some reason, this does not mean that the East Sea Business Reform does not respect her as a runner.

But now that I see the East Sea Emperor in a clearly abnormal state... should I compete with such an emperor in a derby?

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"

With this in mind, Dongshang Biange stepped forward and asked directly.

"……fine."

"Well--!"

As the deep voice came from the mouth of the Emperor of the East Sea, Dong Shang Biange subconsciously felt his whole body stiffen, his ears and tail tensed up, and he instinctively stepped back.

The Emperor of the East Sea slowly raised his head. His usually lively blue eyes were now lifeless, staring at her without any emotion.

In his eyes, which were as calm and deep as the sea, the fiery red of burning flames was gradually being ignited.

Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the emperor as he raised his head, Dong Shang Bian knew that the girl before him was definitely not incomplete.

It could even be said that the current emperor exudes a stronger sense of oppression than ever before she had ever been seen. Even without standing on the field, one could tell that her indomitable fighting spirit had reached its absolute peak.

However, this demeanor, this vast and heavy aura, was completely different from the East Sea Emperor that the three of them had seen a month ago. It was as if the core of this petite body had been completely replaced.

Narita Shirahito, standing to the side, swallowed hard, unsure of what to say.

The girl's running style was originally based on instinct, coupled with the keen sense of smell of a lone wolf. At this moment, Bai Ren knew better than anyone just how terrifying the thing gestating in the emperor's body was.

The thought of having to compete with her on the same field, vying for the future, made Narita Shirahito feel every hair on his body stand on end, and cold sweat began to seep uncontrollably from his forehead.

Emperor of the East Sea...!

Clenching his teeth and making a tight fist.

Narita Shirahito's fingernails were embedded directly into his flesh, allowing blood to seep out between his fingers.

She simply couldn't accept this happening. The East Sea Emperor had clearly come in second place in the last competition, but when they met again this month, he was still getting stronger, to the point where it was almost impossible to judge whether she or the Stardust Illusion was stronger.

What's so special about this? This is what a true genius is all about.

"Hmm...it certainly has an unsettling aura."

A few beads of cold sweat trickled down the face of the Sky Divine Palace. Logically and statistically, it was impossible for the Emperor of the East Sea to become so powerful in a month that it was beyond comprehension.

However, the Sky Goddess is definitely not just a rigid theorist; the facts she witnesses are not false, and she must accept the fact that the Emperor has become so powerful that he has reached another dimension.

"Now... I'll have to reconsider a lot of things."

With a slight pursed lip, the Sky Goddess did not dwell on the matter any further. She had originally stood there to wait for another contestant, wanting to see firsthand just how strong [she] had become.

Overlord, monster.

However, the stardust illusion never appeared in sight.

Is it because you realized your previous spying activities that you didn't want to be exposed too early?

The voice of the announcer introducing the racehorse in front of her could already be heard in the stadium outside. No matter how much she wanted to stay and observe, she couldn't stop.

"Tsk..."

The Divine Palace in the Sky clicked its tongue in amazement, shook its head, and then strode directly into the arena.

Indeed, in terms of popularity alone, she is the last of the four present, which is why Sky Shrine needs to be the first to leave – after all, the introductions of Uma Musume Girls are always based on popularity ranking, proceeding from last to first.

(However, please don't mistake popularity rankings for actual ability, viewers...)

Turning his back to the crowd, the aerial shrine narrowed its eyes.

A sweet taste suddenly appeared in her mouth, making the girl savor it as if the food she had chewed and swallowed while she was alone in the lounge was beginning to take effect.

(Overlord, Phoenix, Lone Wolf, Witch... these titles certainly sound very powerful. However, they are ultimately just scenery we've already seen.)

Parcae, although you are the flawless artificial intelligence I created, your data analysis is absolutely infallible.

But the Stardust Illusion has shown me how to fight against fate, and it has succeeded.

Next, I will do everything I can to prove myself in this game.

That logic, the conclusion that I will lose the Neon Derby... I will rewrite it like Stardust Illusion!

Chapter 280 (plus 37.5) (5k) The Neon Derby begins!

in the audience.

"Ignoring last year's debut match and undefeated matches, looking at this year alone, Stardust Illusion has already played seven matches so far."

The bespectacled man unfolded the printed materials about the Stardust Illusion in his hand with a serious expression and began to analyze them carefully:

"She won all 6 of the 'Sakura Sho' races, securing a victory by a margin of 6 horse lengths, and in the Tokyo Mile, she even managed to outrun her..."

"How about that? It's really amazing, isn't it? I didn't misjudge, Stardust Illusion will definitely keep winning!"

The man with binoculars next to him was beaming with pride. His friend had affirmed the exaggerated achievements of the horse racer he supported, which made him very happy.

Today, in the mind of the Telescope Man, is the day Stardust Illusion achieves its seventh consecutive victory, and also the day it wins the most watched event in all of Japan – the Neon Derby.

The bespectacled man turned his gaze from the documents to the racehorses that were already entering the track and preparing to enter the starting gates, and frowned slightly.

"Indeed, the participants in this neon derby are basically the same as those in the Satsuki Sho, which means that the situation that Stardust Mirage will face is likely to be similar."

"The only newly added female racehorse with the strength to compete for the championship should be that one."

The man with the binoculars looked in the direction she was pointing and saw a girl with short, striking blond hair, as eye-catching as a lion, who had just entered the arena.

"Huh, who is she? I don't think I've ever seen her at the Satsuki Sho."

"Leo Durban, or Lion Durban? This contestant, Satsuki Sho, avoided it to avoid overexertion and chose to participate directly in the Neon Derby."

"She is Maruzensky's successor, so her skill level is beyond doubt... However, based on her known record, it is unlikely that this player will pose much of a threat to Stardust Illusion."

The bespectacled man thought for a moment, then came to a conclusion:

"Today, the racehorses that are strong contenders for the championship should still be these familiar female racehorses. The only variable is how much these racers have improved in the past month, and that is today's weather."

"The weather? Will rain have a big impact?"

The raindrops pattered softly, making a rustling sound as they hit the countless umbrellas spread out in the stands.

Indeed, the rain caused some difficulties for them to watch the game, but what about the players?

"Such heavy rain is a great test of the athletes' adaptability and experience on the field."

"Not only do the falling raindrops quickly soak the racehorses and increase their weight, but they also constantly draw away their body heat, causing them to expend extra energy to maintain their body temperature."

"Also, this rain has been falling for most of the day, right? This means the entire track is completely soaked by the rain, which will cause the entire grass track to be mixed with wet mud. The sticky and uneven texture will probably give many female racehorses a headache."

"Then there is a second problem with Stardust Illusion, which is distance."

"All the races she had participated in before were on tracks under 2000m, but today's Japan Derby is a full 2400m long. This seemingly small difference of 400m often becomes a barrier that prevents Satsuki Uma Musume from winning."