Uma Musume, do I have to tell you that I know how to use the Santa Hat special move?

Narita Shirahito still firmly believes that Stardust Illusion will never be lax in the treatment of this Neon Derby, so the scene 1 before him only means another possibility.

Could he no longer feel the aura that the Stardust Illusion had when preparing for battle? !

The dull aura was not only felt by the two of them. The star illusion was originally being watched by everyone, and now everyone noticed this problem after stepping through the gate.

The part where your breath is so low that it can be almost ignored, and you can still yawn even when the game is about to start?

Was it because of her battles or other reasons that she became a spent force, or was there another reason?

The horse racing ladies who noticed this began to whisper to the runners beside them, either mocking, being wary, cheering each other on, or expressing indignation.

"Stardust Illusion... she doesn't seem to be in good condition?"

"Great, then the only opponent is the Emperor of the East China Sea..."

"Is it because of the battle history? That trainer really ignored Stardust's phantom body and harmed her?!"

"We must not let this opportunity slip away... The outcome of the Neon Derby will be decided by me!"

"It's our stage next!"

"The formula for victory has been decided!"

Listening to the increasingly noisy sounds around him, Stardust Illusion just raised his eyelids and ignored them completely.

Her bangs, soaked by the rain, were scattered randomly, covering her forehead, making it impossible to see her eyes clearly.

However, behind this displayed laziness, those red eyes had begun to be tinged with the blue that symbolizes the strong wind.

The words that the horse girl said most during the special training seemed to still echo in my ears:

(Relax, relax~)

“Ha…hahahahahahaha.”

The corners of the Stardust Illusion's mouth curled up slightly, revealing its eerie, pale fangs.

This was the expectant laugh that followed the monster being quietly released.

Chapter 281: Out of the gate...a mistake?

"So Stardust Illusion will win today? I never get tired of watching her escape."

"Stardust Illusion's condition today is a bit strange. I think Miss Emperor may be able to avenge her previous defeat in this game."

"We can't ignore Dongsho Kaijin and Narita Hakunin, right? They are both very capable contestants. Their failure in the Gaoyue Award was just a fluke!"

"Come on, Narita Bairen and Tosho Kaizen have already lost twice, it's unlikely~"

"What about Sky God Palace? This player seems to be able to perform better than the first time when he meets the same opponent for the second time. Today is also worth looking forward to."

In the audience, taking advantage of the last moments before the game started, people held up their umbrellas and kept discussing, and the atmosphere was quite lively.

Seeing the adults discussing enthusiastically, Good Opera, who was being led by his mother, was shaking his head impatiently, wanting to get closer and find some people to have a good chat.

"Mom, let me go and talk to everyone too!"

She looked up at her mother with pleading eyes, trying to influence her mother to give her permission.

However, her mother just refused helplessly when she gave it back to her.

After all, for safety reasons, in an auditorium with so many people, letting a good opera leave you to communicate with adults is risky in itself. If it gets lost, it will be difficult to deal with.

In addition, Umamusume's supporters are diverse, and the mother understands Good Opera's unconditional support for Stardust Illusion. It would not be good if she met an adult who was too picky and made her cry.

She took her daughter and looked around. Suddenly, she found two little girls not far to the left who were looking at the stadium with great interest. So she lowered her head and said:

"How about this, I take you to find those two little sisters? You can chat with them."

"Eh?"

Good Opera looked in the direction of the mother's hand, only to find two little girls holding hands, their eyes fixed on the stadium as if they were about to burst into light.

At first glance, it’s clear that she’s a Umamusume fan just like me!

Good Opera made this judgment in his heart instantly, and then nodded quickly to agree with his mother's suggestion.

After making the decision, the two of them squeezed over there together.

"...Sure enough, Miss Emperor looks the best today."

"Yeah! Diamond thinks so too? I think that Stardust Illusion seems distracted, and he's bound to make a mistake!"

Kita no Xuanju was excitedly whispering with his friends, not noticing the two people approaching him.

However, the good opera, who had just approached, heard her rash judgment and immediately became furious:

"Master Stardust Illusion will definitely be fine!!!"

"Eh?" X2

The two girls turned their heads in surprise and saw the horse girl with short orange hair, who was half a head taller than them, seriously refuting the topic they had just discussed:

"Whether it was a mistake or not, no one can be a match for Master Stardust Illusion in this race!"

The Northern Black Horse, who had originally wanted to ask who the newcomer was, also cried out in surprise when he heard this:

"Ah! No way! Miss Emperor will definitely win, and Stardust Illusion will pay the price for his carelessness!!!"

"The Overlord will not be careless! That is just the margin of a king! You don't understand Master Stardust Illusion at all!!!"

One with black hair, the other with orange hair. In order to boost their own momentum, these two loyal supporters of Umamusume on the field would take a step towards each other every time they shouted.

At the end of the quarrel, the two people simply pressed their foreheads together and tried their best to push each other back to prove that their love was more passionate.

Mitsuzumi Satomi and Good Opera's mother, who were standing by, had no choice but to smile apologetically at each other, leaving everything unsaid.

The rest of the spectators around also watched happily as the two little girls fought for the contestants they supported. No one was dissatisfied with their noise or unreasonableness.

After all, in the eyes of most people, this kind of debate is just a pastime after the competition. Although these kids don’t understand it very well, they are just supporting the contestants in their own way.

Everything that truly belongs to Uma Musume will only be verified through competitions to determine strength; this is the true meaning of "competition."

As spectators, they now just need to watch the exciting game and wait for the results to be announced.

--------

[This year's Neon Derby still has a lot of players, and heroes are emerging——and then, the time of destiny is coming soon!!!]

[All the horse racing ladies, with their own ideals and ambitions in mind, have made their final preparations for the start inside the gates - already, everyone is in position!!!]

All the horse racing ladies, whether impatient or angry, relaxed or calm, were all ready for the starting position.

The fighting spirit in their eyes has reached its peak, waiting for the next order -

【beep--】

boom!

The whistle symbolizing the start of the race was accompanied by the gates suddenly opening. Without any unnecessary movements or declarations, all the contestants rushed out and rushed directly to the starting track, running towards the official track ahead.

Then, in an instant, all the horse girls seemed to have anticipated what would happen next, and began to take control of their starting positions and set the pace for the opening race.

[The race begins! All the runners have completed their start beautifully, forming a horizontal line and rushing forward! ! ! ]

[Ah! It seems that because of the heavy rain, the Leodban runner is not used to the heavy racecourse. There is obviously a problem with the start. She fell directly to the end of the team! Oops, can she catch up! ? ]

In the racecourse, Narita Shirahito looked at the horse racing girls surrounding him, as well as the sound of horseshoes hitting the mud and water in front and behind him, without any hesitation in his heart.

Even though she had already reached the leading position, which was what this lone wolf was best at, she had decided from the very beginning that she would not use the leading running method today.

(In this neon derby, there will be a guy who will block everyone's running options...)

The raindrops right in front of his forehead slid down the ends of his hair, and Narita Shirahito squinted his eyes slightly to prevent them from affecting his vision.

There were as many as 20 people participating in this Neon Derby, and the heavy horse field had an adverse effect on breakthrough acceleration. Even Narita Shirahito, who was confident in physical confrontation, had to admit that once he was surrounded by the crowd, it would be very troublesome to make any changes.

We need to seize a sufficiently advantageous position before that guy causes a riot in the team.

To grab the first place in the race?

No, facing such a heavy horse field, taking the first place means a direct conflict with the monster. She who is about to use that will never allow anyone else to take the first place.

At that time, it is very likely that you will be forced to conflict with the opponent for position, which will consume a lot of extra physical energy and affect your subsequent state.

"hiss……"

He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath, and water droplets mixed with the smell of soil and grass were also sucked in through his teeth.

From the very beginning of the game, one could feel that everyone's fighting spirit had intertwined together, and was almost materializing, solidifying the air and suppressing it to the point where it was hard to breathe.

However, the more tense the environment, the clearer Narita Shirahito's mind became.

(Horrible... Such an enemy is so terrifying——!)

Although he was shouting "terrible" in his heart, there was no trace of fear on Narita Shirahito's face. Instead, there was only excitement and fanatical bloodthirstiness.

Shaking his head, Narita Bairen calmed down his excitement and forced himself to calm down and continue analyzing the situation.

In previous competitions, she always made wrong judgments when faced with a certain situation, which resulted in her losing the possibility of winning in one go.

This is also the real terrifying thing about Narita Shirahito's target today. When facing her, it often only takes one wrong decision to be thrown into the abyss, with no chance of recovery.

Continue to think about the next position to choose, what about running second?

No, not even the second one.

Choosing to run in second place means that you will be completely led by the pace of the leader. Facing such an opponent, being led means placing your hopes on the person in front of you.

And when she stands on the field, she will definitely act recklessly and have no mercy on the other runners!

(Then, right here!!!)

[Stardust Illusion, Stardust Illusion’s start is still perfect! This heavy racecourse soaked in water and drenched in rain has no effect on this runner at all! While other horse girls are struggling with the muddy ground, she stands out like a flash of blue lightning, running from the periphery to the front of the track in one breath! ! ! ]

[Next up is Tosho Revolution, Narita Shirahito, running in third place! And on her inner side, only half a length behind, is Sky Shrine! Everyone seems to have expected Stardust Illusion to use the Great Escape, so they've been chasing her closely from the beginning! ]

[Audience! Listeners! The Neon Derby is once again dominated by the Overlord, turning the entire arena into a competition between two escapes!!!]

(So ​​fast, Saber’s start is still incredibly fast!)

White mist came out of the corners of Dong Shang Bianzhi's mouth as he breathed, and the witch hat on his head was constantly hit by raindrops, making a rustling sound.

Speaking of ordinary horse racing girls, now running in front of the East Business Reform, the figure shrouded in green fighting spirit can definitely be said to be running at a lightning speed.

However, there was a rare hint of doubt in Dongshang Bianzhi's eyes as he stared at her back.

Indeed, the starting speed displayed by the Stardust Illusion in the front was still so fast that no one could catch up, and they could only watch her take the lead.

But what about now?

That speed was definitely that of a great escape, but if it was the Saber that he knew, her steps should have been even faster and more powerful, and she should have continued to accelerate forward and leave everyone behind, right?

But now, she seemed to be running out of energy after seizing the position for the escape. She didn't even need Dong Shang Reform to grit her teeth and accelerate desperately, and the gap between her and the opponent was stabilized at about 2 horse lengths.

How is this going?

Saber... Is there really something wrong with the state of the Stardust Illusion? Or is she affected by the heavy horse field and this is why she is in this state?

This final battle was held at the Tokyo Racecourse. The first straight line they entered after the start was 325 meters long. The relationship between the athletes in the competition for the starting position is often determined within this distance.

As explained before, the lead runner may face pressure from opponents behind her, but she can also actively influence the runners behind her by controlling her rhythm.

In other words, as long as Dong Shang Transformation takes the lead from Stardust Illusion, she will take the initiative in the duel with Stardust Illusion, and the only thing she needs to worry about is the physical exhaustion brought about by the escape confrontation.

The 2400m track is already a test of physical strength, and with every step you take, you will feel the extra resistance caused by the mud sticking to you. If you need to reserve some endurance for the escape...

(Yes!)

Dong Shang Bianzhi raised his head slightly, with a flash of determination in his eyes.

If she was an ordinary horse racing girl who only started training herself after entering school, honing her endurance, speed, strength and running skills, she would indeed face endurance pressure here.

However, she is the magical girl chosen by her grandmother and the only hope of the Fujimasa family of this generation!

Since childhood, before he became an adult, the magic of running has been his favorite thing.

This was the result of her practicing magic since childhood as Sweepy.

It is a skill called [Magic of Running] that she is proud of as the leader of Dongshang Reform!

What she is facing a challenge now is not just the endurance accumulated during the classic year of Uma Musume... but all the physical strength accumulated by the East Business Reform since she learned to run!

boom!

[Skill distance sense, activated! ]