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

"It feels awful... It feels like it's interfering with the Emperor's undefeated three crowns... I want Stardust to disappear completely..."

"When I returned to the dorm after training and saw the empty bed across from me, I would think... Stardust, why are you still able to continue training? This is definitely abnormal, isn't it?"

"If we're thinking about the other racehorses, shouldn't we stop this to prevent setting a bad example for them? Have you considered how much they can handle?"

"An emperor who thinks like that... is the worst kind of person, and doesn't deserve to be called a horse racer at all!!!!"

"..."

Stardust Illusion looked at the girl in front of him, who seemed to be throwing a tantrum, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.

However, even someone with low emotional intelligence like Stardust Illusion could understand that now was not the time for him to speak.

"That's why the emperor discovered it."

"If I continue to compete against you, Stardust, the Emperor won't admit defeat, and then... he'll have those thoughts again, right? I can't accept myself thinking like that...!"

"So, during the match just now, when the Emperor missed his step, he was actually relieved inside... In the end, he gave up, didn't he?"

"If the injury is irreversible, then there is sufficient reason to give up... That's what the emperor... thinks..."

The emperor's voice grew lower and lower as she spoke, until finally it sounded like a sob and no one could hear what she was saying anymore.

"This is for you, okay?"

Completely irrelevant to the question, Stardust Illusion squatted down in front of the brown-haired girl.

She pulled out a beautifully decorated amulet from somewhere, placed it in the emperor's muddy pocket, and then carefully fastened the hood to prevent the amulet from falling out.

"...Huh?"

Opening his eyes in confusion, the Emperor of the East Sea could not understand the meaning behind the Stardust Illusion's actions.

"...Your Majesty, you want to be number one no matter what, don't you?"

"But the emperor has already lost! Not just once! It's been a series of defeats!! Now even his legs are injured...!"

Upon hearing the Stardust Illusion's question, the Emperor of the East Sea instantly erupted.

She laid bare her innermost self, showing her ugliest side to Stardust Illusion, all so that Stardust could understand her decision to retire.

But what does it mean to want to be number one no matter what?

For Uma Musume, could there be any other answer to this?

What's most important to an emperor isn't that at all; the desire to be number one is coupled with the complete inability to see any possibility of it. It is this sense of despair that drives emperors to—!

Only emperors...

"Only emperors...would...want to retire..."

With a sorrowful lowering of his eyelids, the emperor did not want to say anything more, and closed his eyes to show his refusal.

"If you want to be number one, then become even stronger next time."

However, the Stardust Illusion was completely unaffected by this posture.

Her tone was relaxed, her gentle voice like a breeze, softly caressing the girl on the verge of collapse before her.

It was as if they were talking about the simplest skill in the world, as if they were saying 1+1=2. The Stardust Illusion seized the power of discourse and once again attracted the emperor's attention:

"The most direct reason why I am so powerful today is because of you, Your Majesty."

"Your indomitable spirit during your debut battle is deeply etched in my heart. It is the best motivation to spur me forward and the fundamental reason to urge me to keep getting stronger."

"Emperor...you are also my target, aren't you? You never give up, no matter what adversity you face in the competition, you always struggle like a phoenix and strike again..."

With her right hand gently pressed against her chest, Stardust Illusion's eyes were hazy as she reminisced about her most beautiful memories in the world.

That was every moment she crossed the finish line on the track.

"Seize victory, grasp the brilliance, and bring unparalleled happiness to all the spectators with your indomitable run—this is the power that Stardust Illusion borrowed from the Emperor of the East Sea, isn't it?"

"Therefore, if I could only choose one nemesis, that person would have been you, Your Majesty, from the very beginning."

“Every time I train to the point of being unable to endure it, or even to the point of mental breakdown, that image will reappear before my eyes, making me realize just how weak I really am.”

At this point, Stardust Illusion couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic expression, and his gaze towards the Emperor of the East Sea was filled with tenderness.

"What right do I have to give up? The existence of emperors has shown me this cruel reality."

"If I, who was already in a weaker position, don't train like my life depended on it, how could I possibly be qualified to fight alongside you, who are so dazzling?"

"So I seized every bit of power I could to become stronger... stronger than ever before."

"Then, I came to this arena... and that's how I've been able to keep winning until now."

Muttering to itself, the Stardust Illusion was speaking to itself rather than advising the Emperor of the East Sea:

"The emperor just asked if I like him? I do feel that way too."

"However, the emperor... what binds us together is neither friendship nor affection."

"He who tramples the defeated will eventually be defeated by others... Only such a simple and pure desire for revenge can truly bind me and you together."

After a brief pause, Stardust Illusion looked at the silent, battle-damaged girl before it and stood up again.

"Stardust... what do you mean by that..."

After standing up, she ignored the emperor's bewildered whispers.

The tenderness in his eyes had completely vanished, leaving only the domineering condescension of a tyrant:

"Now the roles of top and bottom have been reversed, Your Majesty."

"Now that you've become the weaker party, you absolutely cannot afford to relax your guard until you catch up with me... This is your destiny, the pain you must endure as the nemesis of a monster."

"If you are dissatisfied with this, then let's meet again at the Chrysanthemum Appreciation. This is no longer a promise... but my Stardust Illusion's command to the Emperor of the East Sea."

Turning around, leaving only his back to the East Sea Emperor who was being carried on a stretcher, Stardust Illusion walked away with heavy steps.

"Treat the pain you are experiencing now as a test for yourself. Feel it, think about it, know it... and then accept it."

"Those who cannot understand the pain of being a powerless loser will not understand what true strength is."

"I will never forget the defeat in my debut battle, and I hope you will too."

"Your Majesty just said that you can't keep the promise not to get hurt, right?"

"Then from this moment on I will not lose to anyone, until... Your Majesty, you can stand before me again."

The lingering breeze at the racetrack carried her final words:

"This is the Stardust Illusion, the new agreement to be made with the Emperor of the East Sea."

Chapter 293 Uma Musume Pretty Derby: The Road to Undefeated Supremacy!

[Main storyline missions completed.]

[Host detected to have completed the G1-level bounty event in first place, reward 71 PT.]

[Main Quest: The Undefeated Overlord: 3/5 wins in G1-level matches throughout the year.]

[Main Quest: The Swift Runner Who Travels Through Dimensions: 3/9 of the Great Escapes, 2/2 of the Consecutive Great Escapes.]

[Main Quest: Half-Body Illuminated by Starlight: Selected half-body in the Azure Sky, running judgment in progress... Judgment complete, quest conditions fulfilled.]

[Quest reward obtained: All attributes +10, Speed ​​Secret Manual x1.]

[Main Quest: The Wise Man Fishing Under the Azure Sky: Quest in progress... It has been confirmed that the opponent, the Emperor of the East Sea, has been defeated. Quest conditions have been met.]

[Rewards: All attributes +10, Radish BBQ Set Meal x1]

[Main Quest: The Blue Rose of Happiness Piercing the Cold Flame: Quest in progress... Confirmed that the Emperor of the East Sea has been defeated, quest conditions completed.]

[Special Inherent Skill: Blue Rose Beyond All Limits - Level Up, increases the speed of leveling up.]

[Speed ​​Secret Manual: From the mysterious holy land of horse racing girls, a unique training manual that instantly grants +15 speed upon use.]

[Radish BBQ Set Meal: You can invite 1-5 racehorse girls to eat together. Eating it will produce a wonderful effect, giving these racehorse girls a blissful feeling of fullness.]

"Ugh—am I an idiot?! Even emperors are like that, and I'm still spouting nonsense!!!"

boom!

boom!

boom!

With a frustrated scream from Stardust Illusion, she silently closed the obstructive system panel in front of her, then continued to bang her forehead against the wall in front of her, trying desperately to find a way to go back to the past.

Now, Stardust Illusion looks like a helpless old father who is so frustrated after saying the wrong thing to his child that he bangs his head against the wall. He has completely lost the domineering aura he had just displayed.

On the field, Stardust Illusion not only secretly used the panacea he had obtained in the last competition on the Emperor, but also gave away the extra protective charm he had acquired.

Ultimately, this was the first time she had ever witnessed such a serious accident happen on the field right in front of her, let alone the fact that the person involved was the East Sea Emperor, who was so close to her.

Therefore, she was so frightened that her mind went almost blank, and she blurted out a whole string of words almost instinctively. Then, without waiting for the Emperor of the East Sea's response, she hurriedly left the spot.

It seems that, in the eyes of those medical staff, this was entirely her bullying of the loser who was unable to achieve results due to disqualification, even though she had already won.

Even if this loser may completely lose the right to compete or even live a normal life due to today's injury...

"Oh no, thinking about it this way, I'm practically a born...!"

Stardust Illusion clutched its head and screamed in anguish, alone in the corner of the lounge, filled with self-pity.

"Even an emperor would probably think I'm kicking someone when they're down... or maybe not? If it were an emperor, he would definitely understand what I mean...!"

"Ah... I might as well go and explain to the Emperor again. I didn't mean any provocation—"

Stardust Illusion, all alone, can put on a superb manzai performance by relying on his anxiety and uncertainty, without needing anyone else to speak to him.

Unfortunately, the other person in the lounge didn't buy it.

"If you're going to make a fool of yourself, that's about enough, Stardust."

Hikari Toyama, dressed in a light blue long-sleeved tracksuit, sat to one side, completely ignoring the foolish behavior of Stardust Illusion.

She was just typing rapidly on her phone with a serious expression, and with the occasional message notification sound, she was clearly communicating online with someone.

"First, I have some bad news for you. Under Rudolf's arrangement, the Emperor has been urgently sent to receive the best possible treatment."

"The biggest problem now is her leg. According to An Xinze Cicimei, her injuries to her arms and other parts of her body look frightening, but miraculously they are not particularly serious. However, her leg is not only fractured, but there are even broken bone spurs that have pierced through her skin..."