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

Just one step away!

The winds of victory are blowing from behind my stardust illusion!

As long as we can get to that place...!!!

"—Ugh!"

but.

The moment the girl took her next step, the pitch-black darkness that came from behind quietly spread to her legs and feet.

At the moment the stardust illusion trampled onto the lawn in front of her, she heard a sound of something breaking coming from within her body.

Then, the entire body came to a complete standstill, like a robot that had completely lost its power; the tense muscles relaxed, and the body fell forward—

In a daze, the world before Stardust Illusion's eyes seemed to freeze instantly.

The phoenix that had accompanied her on her journey so far cried out and vanished into the air, extinguishing the starlight path before her eyes in an instant.

The girl standing before the finish line stared blankly into the distance:

(I...didn't make it?)

What Stardust Illusion was faced with was the fact that it was beginning to fall into a pitch-black abyss.

Chapter 328 (plus 48) Ride the wind, P... Stardust Illusion!

Inside a luxurious hospital room at Treson College.

The Emperor of the East Sea sat on the bed, clutching his pillow tightly with both hands, and looked up at the live television broadcast on the wall.

More than half a month has passed since the Neon Derby where she was injured. Although it is hard to believe, the East Sea Emperor's originally broken body has improved a lot.

There was no possibility of infection or worsening, and the recovery was quite rapid.

To this day, only the right leg, which suffered the most severe injury, still has stitches that haven't been removed, but it shouldn't affect mobility much.

Although his request to go directly to the venue to watch the match with the guild leader was ruthlessly rejected, Stardust, the Emperor of Matches, would not miss a single one!

That's why she was in the hospital room today, watching the Takarazuka memorial with Anshin Sawa, who was accompanying her and recording data.

From the very beginning of the match, the East Sea Emperor had been focusing his attention on Stardust Illusion, carefully observing just how much stronger his nemesis had become.

And this match did not disappoint her either. One domain-level confrontation after another, and in the end, the emperor even saw the legendary Shattered Star Realm, which transcends ordinary domains.

Even if she activated the supernatural brain specially cultivated by the Emperor of the East Sea and placed herself on the field, she would still find it difficult to say exactly where she would be at this point in the competition.

These scenes are invaluable experiences for active runners, especially for a racehorse girl like her who is trying to catch up with Stardust Illusion again. It can be said that being able to witness such a battle between strong people is worth dying for!

In the final moments of the match, Stardust Illusion displayed her running technique, which greatly impressed the East Sea Emperor. However, she was even more pleased that her skills could still help her in this level of competition.

Now, the girl's expression, which had been fluctuating with emotions, had turned into one of deep worry.

"Sister Cicimei... doesn't Stardust seem a little off?"

In fact, the emperor had long since noticed that the three people running at the front of the track were in very poor condition.

It wasn't just their distorted running postures; their deathly pale faces and contorted expressions further indicated that everyone was completely exhausted from the race.

Even under these circumstances, the Emperor of the East Sea felt that the condition of the racehorse girl he was focusing on was rapidly declining.

Stardust Illusion's eyes were already slightly closed, and it was taking steps forward entirely by its last instinct.

With each step she took, the surging fiery battle aura around her dissipated at an alarming rate. In the brief moment she spoke, the Stardust Illusion had completely lost all traces of battle aura, and its closed-eyed face began to shift from ferocious rage to serene peace.

An Xinze's eyes were bright and sharp. She watched the last struggles of the top three runners on the track and subconsciously forgot to breathe.

(The Stardust Illusion's body is truly amazing. It's hard to believe that Alice could break through her limits here. I really want to study them—will Alice's body be the same as Rudolf's symbol afterward...?)

Upon hearing the question from the Emperor of the East Sea, she turned her gaze to the completely erratic movements of the Stardust Illusion beside her:

"...She's about to collapse."

At this moment, the Stardust Illusion seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, its legs were weak and its eyes were tightly closed.

Based on An Xinze's professional judgment, and the medical information she had collected about Stardust Illusion, it was clear that she had run herself to exhaustion, which was why she was in this state.

(Judging from his condition, I'm afraid this guy won't even make it to the finish line...)

During her conversation with the Emperor of the East Sea, the race progressed another 100 meters.

In the final 100m of the race, Stardust Illusion, whether overwhelmed by the imposing presence of the three horses behind him or simply unable to maintain his composure, completely lost the monstrous aura he had previously displayed.

Then, my legs suddenly went weak.

"Stardust—!!!"

The Emperor of the East Sea cried out in alarm, instinctively closing his eyes, unable to bear witnessing her tragic fall at the final stage of the race, just like himself.

However, a sharp, beautiful exclamation suddenly rang in her ears:

"This girl—does she really have no limits?"

"What's wrong?! Let the Emperor see!"

Suddenly opening his eyes, the Emperor of the East Sea once again focused his attention on the arena!

--------------

Sink.

I keep falling into the deepest part of my consciousness.

Stardust Illusion was fully aware that it was currently in a state of complete lapse into consciousness, its mind falling into a deep sleep.

The long-lost feeling of relaxation was like a sister's embrace, warmly enveloping her, making Stardust Illusion unwilling to leave even for a moment.

—How's the game going?

It should... be over by now..., right...?

No matter what, I'm already in this state and I can't keep running anymore...

...It seems like...sleep...

Run!

Suddenly, the Stardust Illusion heard a shout coming from beside its ear.

That was a hysterical, unrestrained scream.

Open your eyes, and then run!

—You can do it, that's my judgment as a trainer!

Who is calling in my ear? Whose voice is so disheveled?

In the pitch-black, stagnant sea of ​​consciousness, a ray of light suddenly appeared before the stardust illusion.

It was a point of light that existed only in fantasy.

Planetary particles, tachyons.

Or perhaps... it's called "Shūzō".

"...!"

The next second, the girl opened her eyes again!

The green grass on the field was rushing backwards. Instinctively, he stepped forward and slammed his right leg into the ground to stabilize his body, which had just lost its balance.

The fragrance of fresh grass, the smell of sweat, the cheers and shouts from the stadium...

Behind him came the unwilling growl of the Manchester Tea House, and before him stood Alice, who had been caught up to his side.

Just as Stardust Illusion regained her composure, Suko turned and smiled at her:

"Keep running—Stardust Illusion…!"

The smile on her face now looked awkward and forced, but Stardust Illusion could sense her true intentions.

And the voice was familiar; it was the call that had just jolted him out of his daze.

"……Why?"

Stardust Illusion cannot comprehend Elise's act of waking herself up.

The competition is not over yet, which means that she and I are just enemies.

Therefore, as her opponent, she had no reason to awaken herself.

“This experiment… no, this competition is just so enjoyable, Stardust.”

Alice turned her head forward, looking at the finish line that was getting closer and closer to the two of them.

Her steps were completely bound by the remaining demonic energy, her legs so heavy that she could not move, causing her body to begin to fall backward.

what are you doing?

The image of looking at the other person still lingered in Stardust Illusion's eyes. The movement of Hayate beside her legs was completely broken, which was not the state that a normal racehorse girl should be in.

What happened to Suko...?

"Stardust, my possibilities end here... but you are different."

"The miracle you displayed in this race surpasses all previous Uma Musume races—"

"You are the perfect conclusion I've been searching for!!!"

"Ai...Li...Sho...Ko...!"

The gasps from the teahouse behind them were almost like the low growls of wild beasts.

Even she didn't expect that she would cause such consequences.

But how could that be? At this point, the teahouse owner knew that the last bit of demonic energy he had barely managed to unleash would at most slightly disrupt the two people in front of him.

Even if they were completely exhausted, given the running experience of these two racehorses, they shouldn't have fallen so suddenly and in such a sorry state.

If it's Hayako... could it be her leg...?!

The Stardust Illusion is still not fully understood; what exactly happened is still a mystery.