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

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the shouts from the stands gradually subsided, and everyone craned their necks, widened their eyes, and held their breath, afraid of missing a single moment of the most exciting match.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or a complete novice, standing here, you can clearly sense one thing: the real highlight is about to begin!

As the rain pierced through the curtain of clouds, a sign marked "[3F]" flashed before Stardust Illusion's eyes, signifying that only the final 600m of the race remained.

With only a few bends left, the track then features a 150m uphill final straight.

The long-awaited Emperor of the East Sea unleashed an aura that astonished everyone in that instant. With his enhanced senses from special training, Stardust Illusion could clearly perceive the situation on the field.

Almost at the same time as the East Sea Emperor's outburst, everything seemed to surround the girl behind him, bowing down and worshipping her as the center.

With that powerful aura and that piercing, almost scorching gaze, Stardust Illusion was absolutely certain that the other party's target was him.

"The Emperor is your only one!!!"

The howling wind carried the shouts clearly from behind, and every second the gap between himself and the emperor behind him was shrinking.

The Emperor of the East Sea was perfectly aware that at this point, both he and the Stardust Illusion were nearing their limits.

However, those who cannot surpass their limits are not qualified to stand on this field, let alone call themselves each other's only rivals.

Therefore, you must keep running and use your superb legs to defeat your opponent.

If you can't surpass them, then bite them; if you can't bite them, then stomp them with your legs. Use all your willpower and all your fighting spirit to collide with them, so that Stardust has no chance to catch its breath!

The gap has been widened to just one horse's length away!

Within the vision of the Stardust Illusion, the scorching crimson light had already intruded, and the power of the phoenix grew stronger and stronger, transforming into a fiery tornado that gradually devoured it.

The young girl slowly raised her head, and the flames that danced rapidly in her azure eyes were proof of her fighting spirit.

The grotesque expression, almost tearing the skin off, was a sign of hysteria.

Accelerate! Accelerate! Burn your soul to accelerate at full speed!

This is the only thing the East Sea Emperor can do at this moment, and it is also her determination to risk everything in a real battle against the Stardust Illusion!

Its unstoppable momentum and all-out attack made it virtually invincible. Even the domain that Stardust Illusion had just created with the help of Holy Night was instantly wiped out, leaving it with absolutely no chance of resistance.

but……

That was just Holy Night.

The speed that the Emperor of the East Sea was unleashing at this moment was indeed the strongest opponent that Stardust Illusion had ever seen.

Unlike Stardust Illusion, who possesses a system, the Eastern Sea Emperor... this young girl relied entirely on her supreme talent and unwavering fighting spirit to unleash three unique skills on the field, even breaking through her own limitations and evolving into a completely new form.

If this had happened a month ago, even the Stardust Illusion at its final stage of power would probably not have been a match for the current emperor.

but--

(Impressive, Your Majesty... I will probably never forget you, my rival.)

Stardust Illusion's eyes narrowed slightly as it looked ahead, and its previously rapid breathing adjusted its rhythm at that moment.

The effects of using that special training mask over the past two weeks are now becoming apparent.

Even though he had been running at full speed in the racetrack for nearly two minutes, Stardust Illusion was not showing much fatigue thanks to several stamina-restoring skills.

This means she still has plenty of energy to showcase her strength in the latter three waves of the competition.

For the first time, Stardust Illusion used the curve of the final bend to slightly turn its head and look at the East Sea Emperor diagonally behind it.

As she looked back, the emperor, who was almost unconscious from his desperate run, met her gaze.

Will those eyes looking at me show surprise? Or will they reflect the same burning fighting spirit?

The Emperor of the East Sea couldn't help but look on with anticipation, seeing the other's expression through the eyes of the Stardust Illusion.

At this moment, I have given it my all, surpassing my peak, and presented this run to Stardust, responding to her expectations of me...

A moment later, she saw those eyes clearly.

Her thoughts were suddenly frozen after that, a pause she couldn't comprehend.

On the face of the Stardust Illusion, the Emperor of the East Sea could only see a confident smile.

Is it welcoming its own arrival?

……

It's not like this.

This is an acknowledgment of the East Sea Emperor who has caught up, a consolation prize from the victor to the challenger.

(Good run, thank you for your hard work.)

Although he did not speak, the Emperor of the East Sea understood this meaning from the girl running before him.

Then, the Emperor of the East Sea was stunned in disbelief.

How could I have sensed such thoughts from Stardust?

She had clearly unleashed a domain that completely suppressed her, and she had clearly caught up step by step, almost keeping pace with Stardust, beginning the final and strongest head-to-head battle.

Why does Stardust still look so relaxed at this moment?

Even an emperor hasn't put in any inescapable pressure on you?

(Absolutely unacceptable.)

With gritted teeth, the most ferocious expression on the face of the Eastern Sea Emperor revealed only his obsession with surpassing his opponent.

Faster! I can run even faster!!!

She is now completely incapable of making systematic decisions.

We want to surpass, we want to defeat!

He poured all his heart and soul into his legs, with the purest of thoughts, wanting to completely shatter the stardust illusion and make her understand his intentions!

Break through her expectations, shatter her composure, you are unbeatable... Let the emperor completely reverse the situation!

Thus, the entire concentrated domain was completely contracted at that moment, converging entirely onto the body of the East Sea Emperor, brewing the strongest step she could unleash.

Every time I opened my mouth to breathe, I felt a tearing pain in my lungs, as if I were swallowing hot carbon. My brain swelled up due to the congestion of blood, and even my ankles, which had been running for a full 2000 meters, kept warning that I had already reached my limit.

But... we must persevere!

Their momentum surged again in the face of this determination, and the final half-horse length gap gradually narrowed.

The East Sea Emperor, who was chasing from the outside, was almost keeping pace with the Stardust Illusion.

The possibility of victory, his imagination of transcending the illusion of stardust, was becoming increasingly clear in his mind; the path to the future had been laid out at the emperor's feet—

--no.

What happened in that instant?

At that moment, nothing happened.

"—!?"

Immediately afterwards, in the East Sea Emperor's eyes, sharp enough to pierce the earth, the figure of his nemesis, who had been by his side, seemed to transform into a cloud of dust and explode in a thunderous roar.

Then, it completely disappeared from her sight.

Before even a look of astonishment could appear on the face of the East Sea Emperor, the girl who had been watched throughout the entire match vanished from the arena after tormenting her opponent, the Great Escape Overlord.

It's like a mirage, easily vanishing.

It wasn't just the phantom of stardust; her battle aura, her domain, everything about her—all of it was captured in that instant…

"—Disappeared?!"

I accidentally only posted the second half of chapter 289. It has been corrected. If you encounter any problems, please refresh the page.

By the way, I think I caught the flu yesterday; I've been feeling groggy all day... I'll finish writing about this match, then take 1-2 days off to rest and adjust.

I should be able to finish writing the competition in about a day or two. Just letting you know in advance.

Chapter 290 The Final Battle

[The final corner! Stardust Illusion maintains its lead at the final corner! Then comes the East Sea Emperor! The East Sea Emperor surges out from behind, and the two racers begin their final showdown!]

[Now, this fierce competition in the neon derby has entered its final stage, with the two runners still maintaining their lead: East Sea Emperor and Stardust Illusion! Stardust Illusion is still in the lead! Stardust Illusion! Stardust Illusion!!!]

Is it the Emperor of the East Sea?! Or is it a stardust illusion?! The final showdown between the second Emperor and the second Oguri Hat is like the arrival of two legends!!

The heavy rain at Tokyo Racecourse had quietly receded, and the overwhelming enthusiasm of the 18 spectators rendered even the worst weather insignificant.

Good Opera, Kita Genko, Satomi Kozan, Rudolf Symbol, Maru Zenki, Team Draco... all the spectators, whether horse girls or humans, were intently watching the race, which had only been going on for less than two minutes.

The audience was so engrossed that they opened their mouths wide and forgot to close them, their eyes were dry but they dared not blink, afraid of missing a single detail.

The rider galloping in a perfect arc ahead of the final bend is Stardust Illusion, but the gap between her and the East Sea Emperor beside her has not widened; the two are only half a horse's length apart.

Following closely behind, a few horse lengths away, were runners from Sky Palace, East Business Transformation, and others. They were still locked in a fierce battle, but once they looked up at the two figures in front of them, these runners couldn't help but reveal an inscrutable expression.

I wanted to catch up with them, challenge them, and win the game, but... the more I wanted it, the less I could move my legs!

[The Aerial Palace! The Aerial Palace has perfectly controlled the position ahead, and the Eastern Merchant Reform is unable to break through directly! Then, Leo Deban also broke through the runners' ranks. Who else can challenge those ahead!?]

Who else can take on the challenge?

Even though the host asked the question to match the atmosphere, the answer was already very clear.

No one could catch up with them anymore. The two who were racing ahead were so powerful that they seemed to swallow mountains and rivers. The flames that rose up mingled with the Wind and Thunder Sect. Any outsider who dared to step in would be instantly pulverized!

At this moment, Stardust Illusion, who is clearly facing the final battle, still does not show any signs of exhaustion. This relaxed attitude makes people wonder if this racehorse girl, whose stamina has been recognized as a weakness since her debut, was showing weakness from the beginning.

It's certainly not about feigning weakness, but her initial "willing to take the bait" tactic, even though it didn't last until the end, still had a significant effect in this match.

When facing Stardust Illusion, which did not immediately accelerate in the early stages of the game, the opponents on the field all had more or less extra thoughts, and in this situation, it was almost inevitable to consume extra energy.

As one side gains at the expense of the other, Stardust Illusion's ability to maintain a relatively strong position is entirely due to the contrast with the disheveled appearance of the other contestants.

But precisely because of this, the fact that the East Sea Emperor has been able to compete with the current Stardust Illusion to such an extent shows that his strength has reached an almost unbelievable level.