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

The uncoordinated feeling from his right leg forced the East Sea Emperor to slow down, even though he managed to stay upright and didn't fall.

Driven by an urgent desire, she endured the pain and took another step forward... but the moment her weight shifted to her right foot, pain and swelling instantly flooded her brain.

Did I...step into thin air?

They had clearly worked their way up to the final, most crucial stage, yet this happened at this critical juncture?

Don't joke around...

Don't be ridiculous! An emperor wouldn't care about such a minor injury—

Clenching my teeth, I forced myself to take another step forward, but my body resisted the command.

Chapter 291 (42.5) (5k) Stardust Illusion is the strongest.

The strong wind blew against his face, and even though the heavy rain had stopped, it was still icy cold. However, what was even more icy was the fact that was facing the Emperor of the East Sea.

She broke her ankle, which means... she has completely lost any chance of continuing to compete.

In this final, fastest, and strongest showdown, the East Sea Emperor knew that she was a weaker challenger than Stardust Illusion. Therefore, from the very beginning, she was determined to break through her own limits and reach a new level in this competition.

This is the true possibility of defeating the Stardust Illusion.

However... even if one's body is in perfect condition, one still has to gamble on the possibility of breaking through in battle. So what can an emperor who can't even stand still do now?

The fighting spirit burning brightly in the girl's eyes never wavered. She stared intently at the straight line ahead, the uphill slope before her now an insurmountable barrier between her and the finish line.

(Did I fail...? Me...?)

Almost the instant they realized this, everything around the arena turned into complete darkness, and the undying flames of hell were extinguished in that instant.

The Emperor of the East Sea tried to break free, but she couldn't move her legs. Only the pain spreading from her right ankle became a shackle binding her in place...

"——!!!"

A desperate, agonizing scream almost escaped the girl's lips, not because of the pain, but because she realized the situation she was facing.

But at the last moment, she bit her lip tightly and suppressed the sound.

The heart was still beating, and breathing was still ongoing.

The starlight scattered across the sky dimmed at this moment, and the girl could see nothing but darkness...

No, there was something else that she was still staring at intently.

That's the silhouette of Stardust Illusion, the strongest contender in this race, speeding ahead!

(How can I fall here... The Emperor must keep moving forward, he must defeat Stardust as his archenemy!)

……

Unable to run.

Even with the strongest fighting spirit and desire covering his entire body, the emperor could not take another step with his right leg.

Why...what did you do?

Take a step, take a step.

Move.

Hurry up and move, Theo!

It's just a leg injury, don't act like you're dying here, keep moving forward!

however.

Even when the emperor's fighting spirit exploded, completely dispelling the surrounding darkness... this time, no miracle occurred.

She wanted to take a step; she wanted to keep running forward with all her might, even in this situation.

She wanted to stand behind the finish line and say to the Stardust Illusion:

Stardust, I've caught up! I can catch up now!!

But even if it were just one more step... I couldn't take it.

The final step, brimming with burning determination, crumbled completely in that instant.

A sudden, inexplicable feeling of ease washed over me, or perhaps it was a sense of loss as my consciousness seemed to drift away from my body.

What follows is the feeling of being suspended in mid-air due to the sudden loss of weight.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment. The Emperor of the East Sea could only stare in astonishment at the upside-down world before him, watching his body fly outward from the inside of the track.

Floating in the air, it seemed that at this moment, the emperor was forced to recall the challenge that his opponent had launched against him after his debut battle.

And at that time, the Stardust Illusion spoke to her about her realization as a loser.

No matter how many excuses you make for yourself, no matter what reasons you have, a loss is a loss. Ultimately, only the person who crosses the finish line first is considered a winner.

In that instant, the girl stared blankly at the departing figure, reaching out her hand as if trying to grasp or hold onto something.

His face was contorted with a defiant expression, and hot tears completely obscured the bloodshot eyes.

The last emperor of the East Sea could only call out that name in his heart, call out it again and again...

As they race towards the finish line to enjoy glory, they head towards their nemesis, a place they no longer belong to.

(Stardust, stardust... stardust...!)

In the final moments, the emperor could only stare intently at the back of the figure before him.

She bit her lower lip, forcing herself not to make even the slightest sound...

An indomitable emperor, an immortal phoenix from hell.

He perished on the final straight of this neon derby.

----------

This is the final moment.

The closer they got to the finish line, the more excited Stardust Illusion became. Everyone in this arena was fighting to the death, unleashing their full potential to seize that supreme brilliance.

She knew this very well—none of the racehorse girls she knew would ever give up.

These girls are all true prodigies; no matter how huge the gap between them, they will only choose to fight back.

Especially... the Emperor of the East Sea.

Just like her past failures, they have become her most primal and fundamental driving force. No matter how much she tries to hide it, from the moment she stands on the field, the Empress will definitely unleash an unimaginable and terrifying potential.

The one who usually acts like a close friend to the emperor in the academy is himself.

Now, it is he himself who is igniting the fire in his heart to completely extinguish the emperor's hope of victory.

Once you're on the field, there's no other choice but to annihilate all your enemies and climb to the top by stepping over their fallen corpses...

Only then can you grasp that shining Top Star!

As it treads on the ground, the final burst of the stardust illusion continues unabated.

This uphill slope in front of me is the final runway to help me climb to the summit.

(Let me use my last and strongest stance to meet your powerless struggles...)

boom.

The horseshoe fell, and the grass beneath their feet burst open with a roar, cracking open a large dent.

[Skilled Mountaineer, activated.]

Let you all become the starlight surrounding my shining glory!

Thunder roared and lightning flashed out of nowhere from the racetrack. The sprinting figure, tearing everything apart, compressed its momentum to a single point, causing even the earth to tremble.

Stardust Illusion's acceleration stance is fully set up. On this track, in the next instant, she will unleash her strongest running style ever.

The true inherent skill is called [Stardust Illusion].

From her debut race, Stardust Illusion, as a racehorse girl, mastered a special technique called "Shrinking Ground".

Its essence is to use a sudden forward movement, with explosive acceleration and body swaying to create a visual illusion for the other opponents, thus giving the illusion that she is moving in an instant.

After that, the Stardust Illusion, accumulating experience and stats, further honed and evolved it, thus gaining new skills:

Golden skill: Phantom Step.

Stardust Illusion's unique running style combines the basic application of shrinking ground with continuous changes in footwork to induce opponents to misjudge the direction of the run.

The moment the movement begins, it creates the illusion of countless phantoms running in different directions in the eyes of runners watching it, which is a further form of visual deception.

And then, what happens after that?

Stardust Illusion, has this racehorse girl's unique running style improved?

The answer is, of course.

It symbolizes her awkward yet simple personality, her focus on the game, and her legs that are willing to give everything in pursuit of brilliance.

As an inherent skill of racehorse girls, it is always the essence of this racehorse girl, and it is also the symbol that establishes this runner as the wind ahead and her true self.

For Stardust Illusion, that was proof of her status as a racehorse girl, and the invincible strength she possessed as a tyrant.

Awaken, my true self...

"—?!"

A sudden surge of emotion instantly pulled Stardust Illusion out of its reverie.

Stardust... Aaaaaah!!

All I could hear was the howling wind, but inexplicably I heard a sound like a mournful cry, calling my name.

There was no reason, no logical explanation, yet the Stardust Illusion sensed it at that moment.

Then, instinctively following her heart, she turned to look behind her.

Do not……

Why... do we turn back?

Now is the best time to initiate the final acceleration; turning back here will only affect speed and offer no other benefit.