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

but……

(In the end, this is where it ends.)

The so-called "willing victim" approach isn't actually that complicated at all!

The voice of Qingyun Tiankong explaining to him seemed to echo in his ears again. The stardust illusion was gradually covered by a blazing white light, and a thunderclap suddenly exploded in front of him.

The phantom of the runner who always raced at the forefront of the track, whom even he himself could not easily overtake, appeared instantly. He was accompanied by a stardust illusion, with a little chestnut hat dressed in Christmas attire on his left and right. The three of them ran side by side on the star-studded road ahead.

The mirror-like heart, so clear and pure, reflected the images of the two runners onto the stardust illusion itself...

Take control of the game's pace, conserve your energy, and wait for the right moment... Finally, strike when your opponent is at their most vulnerable, and unleash your full power!

(Accumulating strength, waiting for the right opportunity...)

Bang! Bang bang bang bang!

With each step, Stardust Illusion used more power than the previous one, holding nothing back and squandering all the stamina it had accumulated since the start of the match, building up its momentum to climb to ever greater heights.

Two illusory figures, one green and one reed, gradually approached the girl running in the middle. The three of them moved in unison and gradually merged into one.

……

Stardust Illusion knows better than anyone how determined the emperor is to overcome himself.

The special main quest "Blue Rose" brought by the system led her to fully understand the mindset of the East Sea Emperor before the competition. She naturally knew that at the Satsuki Sho, the East Sea Emperor used a spirited performance to completely cover up his inner resentment and anger.

This feeling of humiliation, which she considered humiliating, was nurtured and cultivated over the course of a month.

Every time she trained and simulated running in front of the president, it felt like she was trampling on her dignity as the symbolic successor of Rudolf.

However, the East Sea Emperor never revealed this thought in the slightest during this month. It could be said that only in the contestant tunnel before the start of the competition did she no longer have to suppress this complicated feeling.

For the emperor, victory is not just an honor, but also her mission as a racehorse girl, a battle she must fight as the emperor of the East Sea.

Yes, this is a battle where only one player can survive.

This applies not only to the Emperor of the East Sea, but also to himself... and to the Stardust Illusion!

(Your Majesty, you must keep up this time.)

Once the illusion of stardust was realized, there was no longer a trace of confusion or hesitation.

Calm your mind...concentrate!

[Unique skill angling×scheming, activated!]

boom!

The fishing rod cast at the beginning of the game is caught at this moment.

The true essence of Qingyun Sky, known as "Willing Ones Take the Bait," the ultimate running method that every escapee dreams of, is revealed at this moment!

The dark clouds were completely dispelled by a single step, and a thunderclap suddenly exploded in everyone's ears above the endless blue sky!

[It's here! The most powerful and thrilling final leg of the Stardust Illusion has finally begun to unleash its power!!!]

The heavy rain stopped at that moment, and the announcer's thunderous shouts at the Tokyo Racecourse echoed in everyone's ears.

[So fast! So fast! So fast! So fast! So fast! In the blink of an eye, the Stardust Illusion has left the East Sea Emperor behind! Is it about to break free?! Is it about to break free?!!!!]

Watching the stardust illusion, which suddenly changed its running posture and instantly widened the almost non-existent gap again, the host was so excited that he could only shout hoarsely and desperately grip the microphone in front of him:

[These last three waves—they're practically the ultimate destroyers!!! Stardust Illusion, Stardust Illusion is accelerating forward! This overlord who commands wind and thunder hereby declares that he will not yield the scenery ahead!!!]

Can they still catch up?! The second-ranked Emperor of the East Sea! Can they still catch up?!

"Don't...joke!!!"

As the stardust illusion that had vanished before them transformed into azure lightning, it widened the gap once again.

The Emperor of the East Sea gritted his teeth and tried his best to catch up, but found that no matter how fast he was, he could not shorten the gap that seemed as close as the ends of the earth.

The biting, icy wind, the metallic taste filling my mouth and throat, the tearing sensation in my chest with every breath – this was the ultimate struggle, a desperate act of giving my all.

His bones creaked as if they could not bear the weight, every muscle in his body cried out in pain, and his legs, which he relied on for support, were in excruciating, tearing pain.

No matter how much you push yourself and force yourself to move forward, you still can't narrow the gap...

The runner galloping ahead of her, the racehorse girl known as the Overlord, suddenly rose from the ground in the Emperor's eyes, transforming into a Dharma body that directly suppressed her.

Kneel down before me! Surrender to me!!!

I could almost hear a deafening rebuke, a declaration forcing me to surrender.

but……

How could that be? How could we admit it? How could we allow it?!

The Eastern Sea Emperor's eyes widened, bloodshot veins filling her entire eyeballs. Her lower lip was bitten so hard that blood gushed out, flowing back into her mouth to provide her with her final burst of energy—

It's impossible to admit defeat here; I cannot surrender to the stardust illusion here...

I have a reason why I absolutely cannot fail, and fate is beckoning me, the Emperor of the East Sea!

I am the nemesis of Stardust Illusion!

I am an indomitable phoenix!

Me, me, me, me—

"I'm……"

"East! Sea! Emperor! Ahh ...

Crouch down, gather your strength, and burst forth!

High in the boundless sky, the star named Spica suddenly trembled.

This star, which showered its light upon the emperor of the East Sea and guided her toward her end, seemed to sense the tragedy that was about to unfold.

To prevent the girl from self-destructing, it had to unleash its starlight to its fullest extent, shining down from the sky to give the Emperor of the East Sea a final boost.

Under the starlight, the hellfire that had been almost completely extinguished by wind and thunder rose again, and the arrogant Phoenix Warrior of Destruction lurked in the shadows, pushing the Emperor of the East Sea to the other side!

The emperor, her body ablaze with the final flames, was filled with courage and defiance. This step she took was a declaration that she would never yield to the tyrant.

(We must remove that brilliance.)

At this moment, the emperor's vision began to darken, and only this last thought remained in his mind.

This is the emperor's final and only truly shining moment, as he transforms himself into firewood!

[The Emperor has accelerated! The Emperor has surged forward! The East Sea Emperor and Stardust Illusion! The two final contenders have passed the final bend, leaving only the straightaway behind!!!]

[Next comes the final hurdle of the race: a full 150m uphill section on the final straight! How will these exhausted runners fare?!]

Who is it?! Who is it?! On the final 525m straight at Tokyo Racecourse, can the Emperor of the East Sea catch up?! Or will Stardust Illusion pull ahead in a cloud of dust?!

There's still time! There's still time! There's still time! There's still time! There's still time!

We have to make it in time!!!

The Eastern Sea Empress stared blankly at the figure in front of her, her consciousness almost lost due to the torment of pain. She could only rely on her instincts to try to close the gap between herself and the other person.

No longer caring about anything else, the Emperor of the East Sea, burning with passion, had only one obsession left in his heart!

The moment she stepped onto the final straight line, the girl suddenly crouched down.

At this moment, they staked their last shred of hope on victory.

[Final sprint of skill activated!]

With a ferocious expression and blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, the girl's stomping foot instantly produced a discordant note.

Click.

The sound, transmitted through the bones, instantly entered the emperor's mind, but...

I can't worry about that now!

This is no longer the time to think about these things!

(Even if I die here, it doesn't matter. If every Uma Musume has its own shining moment... then the Emperor was definitely born for this moment!!!)

The sound of the wind rushing past my ears turned into a shrill explosion in that instant, an anomaly that even someone running at the absolute breaking of the sound barrier could only perceive.

The Stardust Illusion's silhouette, which had been escaping for the entire game, was still in front of him. Had the gap between them narrowed or not?

Don't bother with such trivial matters.

The feeling of failure she had once experienced tormented the East Sea Emperor for a whole month, and she absolutely did not want to taste that feeling again.

Wholeheartedly, with all body and soul.

Beyond everyone's imagination, let me, the Emperor of the East Sea, shape today's legend.

All the suffering he has endured in the past will only make the emperor stronger today, stronger than ever before.

Right here on the final straight line, right here on this uphill slope.

May the emperor, in this final, ultimate moment, burn himself out and decisively defeat the stardust illusion before him—

--no.

Click.

The sound was even clearer and crisper than before.

The moment the girl followed closely behind the stardust illusion and took a powerful step uphill ahead.

Suddenly, the girl realized that there was no way to reverse the situation.

The sound coming from inside the body was the sound of something breaking.

Then comes the feeling of something incredibly fragile shattering instantly under pressure.

Is it... in pain now?

In the blank mind of the Emperor of the East Sea, he could not even sense his limbs and could only make guesses subconsciously.

A momentary feeling of weightlessness came from his right leg, which had just taken a step. The Emperor of the East Sea was a beat slow to realize what had happened and immediately adjusted his position to try to steady himself.

Her running posture was instantly and completely ruined. She lowered her head in an extremely ugly posture, looking at her legs in disbelief.

Immediately afterwards, fragmented melodies accompanied by indescribable pain followed, instantly wiping away the dopamine that had been flooding her mind.