Zzzzt!
Thump, thump, thump!
The sound of crackling lightning flickered alongside the explosive power radiating from Tamamo Cross's feet as she lunged forward.
Following closely behind, the sound of Divine Starlight's footsteps echoed through the shimmering electric arcs like the tolling of a great bell.
Because it was a one-on-one duel, the two Uma Musume naturally chose a simple and brutal strategy: The Great Escape.
In an instant, a fierce gale howled past, with gusts of wind swirling around both girls.
Clutching her data sheets in one hand and pressing down her fluttering hair with the other, Kiryuu Inami couldn't help but be shocked by their opening move.
Catching a glimpse of the expression on Starlight's face out of the corner of her eye, Tamamo Cross exhaled a turbid breath, and her blue pupils suddenly constricted.
A faint red light began to radiate from her entire body.
The surrounding environment dimmed until it reached a darkness so profound one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.
Divine Starlight frowned and came to a halt, scanning her surroundings.
'This is her Red Skill... incredible! It feels like falling into a black hole!'
The silence was terrifying, Starlight could only hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, shaken by the sheer intensity of this sudden Red Skill.
After calming herself, her eyes narrowed, and she applied pressure to her feet.
Crack, shatter—!
The sound of breaking glass erupted from the ground beneath Starlight's feet.
The dark floor splintered as a faint golden light began to spread across the area, and a brilliantly dazzling thread appeared ahead, charting a route for Starlight.
She gave a relaxed smile and ran forward with unwavering determination along that straight line.
On the outside, Tamamo Cross almost jumped with excitement when she saw Divine Starlight crack her Red Skill.
'Not bad, Starlight-chan! But it's not over yet!'
"Ahhhhh!"
With a loud roar, countless blue electric arcs burst from her body. In a mere instant, Tamamo Cross overtook Divine Starlight.
In Starlight's eyes, the sight was surreal.
The unstoppable Gray Uma Musume, engulfed in lightning, tore through the pitch-black barriers surrounding her.
The shattered glass reflected Tamamo Cross's determined face with crystal clarity.
By the time all the glass fragments converged in front of Starlight, the other girl's figure was already pulling further and further away.
"Amazing! Tamamo Cross-senpai..."
Special Week swallowed hard, her heart starting to race with the intensity of the scene.
'Starlight-senpai, keep going!'
Naturally, Starlight wasn't about to just sit and wait for defeat. She prepared to use her sheer raw stats to break through everything.
Adjusting her breathing, Starlight focused her gaze on the golden thread ahead, and her speed began to climb.
The four-length gap that Tamamo Cross had opened up began to shrink.
The two Uma Musume hadn't even reached the first corner yet, but the initial straightaway was already this fierce.
The Uma Musume in the audience began to cheer.
This cheering broke through the barrier meant to trap Starlight.
From the cracks created by Tamamo Cross, the light of the outside world began to seep in.
"Almost there, just a little more—!"
That "little more" also referred to the distance between her and Tamamo Cross, only half a length remained.
'How is this possible? My speed is already capped— how is she still accelerating?!'
A cold sweat broke out on Tamamo Cross's brow as she marveled inwardly.
Fortunately, she still hadn't activated her Unique Skill. The lightning effects from before were merely a state manifested by her deep, concentrated aura.
If Starlight's willpower hadn't been far beyond that of an ordinary Uma Musume, she likely would have lost her nerve long ago.
The moment Starlight pulled ahead of Tamamo Cross by a single step, the cage that should have been destroyed suddenly repaired itself.
Thick black iron chains locked the cage shut.
Black sludge flowed across the ground, and countless dark hands reached out from within, dragging Starlight backward.
The sudden deceleration caused Tamamo Cross to blink in confusion. She looked back.
She saw Starlight with vacant eyes and a contorted expression, her forehead drenched in sweat.
'This isn't my Red Skill... this is... it's a sign that she's about to awaken her Unique Skill!'
'The race can't stop, or Starlight's awakening will fail!'
Seeing the situation clearly, Tamamo Cross steeled her resolve and focused on the track ahead, continuing to accelerate.
'Although winning this way feels a bit unsportsmanlike, I'd feel even more guilty if Starlight failed her awakening because of me.'
She unleashed her full aura, gritting her teeth as she sprinted on.
"Starlight's condition isn't right, should we—"
Oguri Cap reached out, stopping Kiryuu Inami, who was about to call a halt to the race.
"Why? What if Starlight gets hurt..."
Suddenly, Symboli Rudolf's hand rested on Inami's shoulder. She spoke calmly.
"Starlight is awakening her Unique Skill. Calm down."
"A Unique Skill? At a time like this...?"
Squinting her eyes, Inami looked closer and saw that Starlight's state was indeed similar to Seiun Sky's when they were fishing that last time.
Only then did she relax slightly.
"A Unique Skill, huh? Interesting... awakening during a training race."
Ryo Nishizaki curled his lips into a smirk, pulling a lollipop from his mouth.
Huff, puff...
Spectral black palms pressed firmly over her eyes, Starlight was unable to make a single movement.
Aside from running, it felt as though a restriction had been placed upon her entire being.
"This is the original you. Your original speed... see how weak and pathetic it is..."
A slightly sinister voice echoed in her ear.
"Without those miraculous drugs, you could never have pushed yourself to exhaustion without worry. Without auxiliary equipment, you could never achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"Your own talent is so poor you can't even comprehend a single skill..."
As if witnessing its own victory, laughter began to echo— but only for a second.
Starlight's aura erupted like a volcano, unstoppable, instantly blowing back all the giant dark hands.
"Even without drugs, I would still train until exhaustion."
"Without equipment, I would find my own way."
"Skills... perhaps without them, I wouldn't be able to win G1 races... but I would still work hard! Hard enough that I cannot be bound by an opponent's skills!"
A six-pointed star radiated a dazzling light from her eyes.
Inwardly, however, Starlight felt a strange sense of irony.
'Is this my inner demon? Why are its questions so innocent...'
Tap, tap, tap...
On the outside, as they neared the final corner, Tamamo Cross frowned and looked back once more.
What met her eyes were Starlight's pupils, the golden light within them made everything else turn dim.
Shaking her head, Tamamo Cross discovered to her shock that her own speed was plummeting drastically, as if her personal flow of time had been slowed down.
Meanwhile, that golden figure accelerated with the force of a breaking wave, widening the gap to a Distance.
It was as if the very space between them was being sliced away.
On the final straight, Starlight successfully overtook Tamamo Cross.
Looking at the other girl's shocked face, she let out an enigmatic smile.
Finally, the moment Starlight crossed the finish line, the entire racecourse gradually regained its original color and light.
Symboli Rudolf flexed her fingers.
A gale-like pressure emanated from her eyes as she looked at the silver-haired figure in the distance with disbelief.
'What... what was that? Even I was affected.'
Naturally, Rudolf wasn't the only one, many Uma Musume had been caught in the crossfire.
Narita Top Road, with her pale gold short hair, tilted her head in confusion as the blue-gold light radiating from her body dissipated.
Her Unique Skill was a passive trigger, so it had neutralized most of Starlight's influence.
"How incredible... Starlight-san actually awakened a Unique Skill."
"Ha! Haha~ Interesting, how interesting!"
Purple-blue flames flickered in her violet eyes as T.M. Opera O grinned and gave her evaluation.
"Eh, e-eeeek! What was that just now? I couldn't move..."
Beside her stood a chestnut-haired Uma Musume, her face filled with panic and her voice soft and timid.
Most notably, she possessed a "pair of weapons" that slightly surpassed even Daiwa Scarlet's.
"Doto-san, don't make such a fuss. Stay calm..."
As the flames faded, T.M. Opera O turned her head slightly and waved a hand dismissively.