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

From the very beginning of the race, all the runners gave it their all, revealing their skills to each other.

However, on that uphill section in the early game, Stardust Illusion was able to unleash a terrifying speed that was no less than on flat ground, thanks to its instinctively ingrained uphill skills.

While Elise was not troubled by the uphill slope, her speed did indeed decrease significantly!

After all, for a player like Suzume who hasn't competed for several years, it's almost impossible for him to completely master the ramp like Stardust Illusion or Mejiro Ryan.

In other words, once she steps onto the ramp on the final straight line, the Stardust Illusion's speed will overtake Alice and create the miracle she needs!

(In this situation, she didn't give up on the possibility of victory, and with her instincts as a racehorse girl, did she find the path to victory?)

"But... I'm not the only opponent in this match!"

----------

"What...what...what!"

In the stands, the orange-haired racehorse girl was already extremely anxious, clinging to the iron railing with both hands, her eyes glued to the final showdown on the field.

So nervous, she didn’t even realize that she had been unconsciously gnawing on the railing since earlier.

To be honest, as someone who didn't learn about Uma Musume Pretty Derby from a young age, she didn't quite understand the current situation of the race.

Even just by feeling the atmosphere, Good Opera can show just how strong the horse girl named Eliseko is, even leaving Stardust Illusion far behind.

She wanted to shout her support for her idol, but she was afraid that her shouts would affect Stardust Illusion's state in this tense moment, so she could only suppress her excitement.

"The last leg of the Stardust Illusion is starting to exert its strength, but it seems unable to catch up with Alice?"

"She's five or six lengths behind the leader in second place, and Manchester City are closing in. It seems like the final standings in this race are pretty much decided, right?"

"Everyone has to slow down on this deadly uphill, otherwise, given the stamina of these racehorses, a serious accident could easily occur!"

The spectators around him were buzzing with discussion, but almost no one still believed in Stardust Illusion, the runner; some had even prematurely announced the race results.

Stardust Illusion... Will they lose?

The girl swallowed hard, snapping out of her daze. She quickly released her grip on the railing, lifted her head, and looked at her two friends beside her.

"Is this uphill section really that scary? Stardust Illusion-sama has run up many similar slopes before, hasn't he?"

"Huh? I'm not quite sure either..."

Before the match began, the Northern Black Horse, who had said he would witness Stardust Illusion's defeat, now looked more nervous than if it were a good opera.

Upon hearing the question, she paused for a moment, then shook her head vigorously, before turning to Kouzumi Satomi for help, along with the opera singer.

Faced with those two guys' big, blinking eyes, Light Diamond could only barely turn his attention back to White McQueen.

Incidentally, at this point, McQueen had already been drawn into the Golden Ship and was fighting back against the Lady's elbow strike.

Running not only had to support the tired body, but also had to avoid the back-and-forth collisions and elbowing between the two, which was quite a mess.

"The key is the slope and position... Generally speaking, when the final straight comes, runners are often almost exhausted and are ready to use their resilience to make a final sprint and rush to the finish line."

"But the final straight of Kyoto Racecourse has a long and steep uphill section that blocks all runners."

"Here, the already exhausted racehorse girls might accidentally end up like His Majesty the Emperor... Ah, sorry, Xiao Bei! I didn't mean to—"

Instantly, Good Opera's mind went blank, and he could no longer listen to what Light Drill was about to say.

She held her breath and turned her gaze back to the arena.

At this moment, the three running at the forefront—Suko, Stardust, and Chaza—had already completely rushed into the final straight uphill section.

(Lord Stardust Illusion... what if a terrifying accident like the one involving the Emperor of the East Sea occurs?)

The surrounding chatter, the conversation between Guangzuan and Beihei, the shouts of all the spectators further away, and all the noises in the arena made Good Opera feel dizzy.

No, that won't happen!

Lord Stardust Illusion is a tyrant who brings miracles; no matter what kind of predicament he faces, he will definitely find a way to overcome it!

Good opera grits its teeth, forcing itself to keep its eyes glued to the screen, refusing to look away.

Now that we've become supporters of the Overlord, we must place absolute trust in her... Every millisecond from now on could be the chance for the Stardust Illusion to bring about a miracle and seize victory.

She absolutely cannot miss out.

Charge, Overlord!

Then, as you promised yourself, continue to seize victory!

——?

Suddenly the girl realized that the intense shouts around her had changed.

The initial enthusiasm, which had begun to wane due to the large gap in the final score, has somehow been reignited.

Gone were the previous murmurs tinged with disappointment; replaced by shouts of astonishment and disbelief.

"What...what is that?! How is that possible?!"

"No way... can they even do that?"

"Could it be... that the outcome of this match is still uncertain?!"

At this point, the girl had no time to pay attention to the exclamations.

From the moment I came to my senses, my eyes widened, and the wine-red gaze of the opera was instantly tinged with a dazzling color.

Just stare straight ahead at that ever-burning, fiery light on the final straight of the so-called "death slope" in the center of the track!

--------

boom!

Stardust Illusion took a firm step forward, having already unleashed her full speed limit after accelerating through the final bend.

The discomfort that was originally caused by the simultaneous pressure from the two areas has been largely eliminated.

They took a step and trodden deep trenches in the ground.

This figure perfectly complements her clear and bright mind, showcasing her heroic spirit on the field.

Ahead, Elise was already slowing down because she wasn't good at uphill tracks, but Stardust Illusion's speed remained at its maximum limit.

He surged forward, unleashing his final, limit-breaking speed!

Even a distance of five horse lengths can be pulled—

The perfect rhythm suddenly faltered. The stardust illusion's crimson pupils contracted sharply.

Once again, what came into the girl's view was that persistent, dark-skinned runner.

The golden eyes, immersed in the black hole, confronted the gaze of the stardust illusion as it turned its head, completely absorbing the reflected light.

"Don't even think about escaping...!"

This girl named Manchester Tea House is actually following behind the Stardust Illusion!

It should be noted that Stardust Illusion was able to catch up with Alice on this uphill slope by using its maximum speed.

The fact that Manchester City Tea House was able to follow at this moment means that she also displayed a strength no less than her maximum speed!

How could that be...

This is the limit that only top-level speed runners can reach!

……

[The golden skill, "The Approaching Shadow," has been activated.]

[The golden skill, "State of Self-Forgetfulness," has been activated.]

[Skill Wake-Up, activated.]

[Skilled Mountaineer, activated.]

That's right, on this final straight uphill section, Manchester City Tea House triggered a total of 4 different running patterns at the same time.

With four enhancements, she forcefully pushed her speed to a point where even the Stardust Illusion couldn't escape her.

(That's my friend! She's at her limit just like you; if she can just hold on, she'll succeed!)

She's not the only one who can break through the limits!

(That's right! There's absolutely no way to escape the Stardust Illusion... and then, your chance of victory is absolutely attainable!)

Manchester Tea House's eyes widened, his left eye gold and right eye black, filled with bloodthirsty pleasure, as he strode forward, drenched in sweat.

Being followed closely by the tea house was the most unfavorable situation for Stardust Illusion!

Splash!

The pitch-black chains that had just been freed flew out from the darkness behind him once more, binding Stardust Illusion's limbs again.

Their already depleted physical strength was further eroded, and the speed that Stardust Illusion had been able to maintain began to gradually decline...

However, the same applies to the Manchester City Tea House!

He repeatedly used a running technique that required extra stamina, coupled with the astonishing backlash after the domain ended.

Even with the overlap with [Friend], Manchester Tea House was already on the verge of its limit. It had just caught up with the Stardust Illusion and unleashed its demonic power, forcibly dragging her into the quagmire as well, and then began to fall backward.

Adding to this, the fact that Eriko had already slowed down due to the uphill climb meant that the top three finishers in the race were all starting to show signs of fatigue.

It can be said that, from the very beginning, this competition has become a quagmire due to the clash between these top players.

The consequences of this rhythm accumulated further expanded its influence every minute of the race, and finally all came back to all the race girls at the end of the race!

Strength, endurance, and even mental fortitude have long since surpassed that taut string...

At this moment, their last leg could no longer hold on until the very end!

……

My breath was burning hot, and the taste of rust lingered in my mouth.

Alice's steps uphill were incredibly heavy, her bones creaking and her leg muscles twitching and groaning.

Most of the [Shūko] that had been wrapped around her body had already dissipated, forcing her to desperately force her legs to take firm steps.

Even without turning around, Alice could clearly see the runners clashing behind her.

The stardust illusion attempted to ride uphill in pursuit, but was pulled towards the black hole by the teahouse that was forcibly chasing it. Of course, she could also sense this: