The situation was reaching a boiling point.
Fine Motion was being suppressed heavily by Daiichi Ruby, even though she was currently holding the lead.
Having exhausted all her tricks, she could only place her hopes on her raw physical conditioning.
Casting everything else aside, she drained the last of her Blue Skills and began a desperate sprint forward.
Though she still held one Red Skill in reserve, she was hesitating.
Starlight hadn't made her big move yet, but once they cleared the corner, they would be on the final straight.
Turning her head slightly, Fine Motion's expression twisted with strain as she looked back at Daiichi Ruby.
Ruby's face was beaded with sweat and her expression was solemn, but she didn't look defeated. She seemed to have strength left in the tank.
'What should I do? Use it or not?'
'If I use it now, what about the final straight? How will I counter Starlight?'
'But if I don't... Ruby will crush me.'
Coming into the curve, leveraging the advantage of the bend, Fine Motion's pupils constricted.
She saw it—
She saw the hexagram stars in Divine Starlight's eyes begin to radiate light.
'Forget it, I'll hold on a bit longer. Starlight is definitely about to act.'
'When she does, my Red Skill will hit both of them at once.'
As they entered the turn, Ruby was also feeling the pressure. She held several skills in her hand, and unlike Fine Motion, she still had stamina remaining, so she could still manage.
Plus, with her Unique Skill still active, suppressing Starlight behind her shouldn't be an issue.
Ruby's eyes sharpened as she glanced back.
The dark phantom raised its longsword, leaped into the air, and with a flash of cold steel, unleashed a heavy, crushing blow toward Starlight.
Clang!
The golden afterimage merged back into Starlight's body, changing her hair color to silver streaked with gold.
The hexagrams in her eyes flashed brilliantly.
A massive suction force, like a black hole, began to manifest.
The pitch-black knight, which was about to strike its target, was sucked in before it could even exert its power.
Violent air currents began to form, dragging along the vibrant colors of the original world.
Gradually, a dull greyish-white began to swallow the entire racetrack.
In an eerie silence, every Uma Musume in the race could hear nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat.
It was as if a slow-motion filter had been applied to them, their bodies maintained their running postures with agonizing slowness.
'Wh-Why? What's happening? Why is my speed dropping?'
Fine Motion was just about to burst out of the corner for the final sprint, but before her raised lead leg could even touch the ground, her body began to move as if through thick sludge.
Unique Skill: Strip the World of Color, I Shine Alone.
Indeed, in this colorless world, only Starlight retained her hue.
Shimmering with a faint golden light, her speed suddenly exploded.
Like Silence Suzuka's unique skill, she had entered her own "Dimensional Space."
Watching the statue-like Uma Musume blur past her, Starlight's eyes remained resolute as she stared at the path ahead.
Da-da-da!
Ruby's ears could clearly hear the crisp, clear sound of footsteps approaching from behind, and she could sense the other's speed climbing.
But like the other girls, she was powerless.
However—
Crack.
Her Unique Skill was still active.
With the sound of shattering glass, the dark palace forced its way in, and Ruby regained her color. Her red eyes locked onto the front as her pace accelerated.
Ruby threw every single one of her skills at Starlight in a desperate gamble.
If she succeeded, she would be the ultimate winner. Fine Motion up ahead no longer had enough stamina to challenge her in the final leg.
Unfortunately, while Starlight did take the full force of every Red and Gold Skill, they simply couldn't restrain her.
The chains and cages wrapping around Starlight were as fragile as tissue paper, snapping instantly.
That silver figure, like a monstrous tidal wave, surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
Just as Ruby was preparing to push past her limits for one last stand, Fine Motion's Red Skill finally came crashing down on her.
That's right— Fine Motion also utilized the last remaining power of her Unique Skill to regain her color for a fleeting moment.
As the three Uma Musume entered the final straight, Daiichi Ruby was the first to be kicked off the final stage.
Seeing that her Red Skill had been effective against Ruby, Fine Motion's joy lasted only a second.
The color surrounding her was once again erased, and her body entered the slow-motion state.
She could only watch helplessly as Divine Starlight overtook her as if she were running through an empty field, closing in on the finish line.
'How ridiculous... haha! Starlight-chan, you're so strong!'
'To think I actually wanted to test my physical conditioning against yours...'
Da-da-da!
As the crisp sound of footsteps gradually faded, Divine Starlight crossed the line.
She returned the colors she had stripped away to the world, to the racetrack, and to every Uma Musume in the race.
Looking toward the stands where the audience had not yet reacted, she bowed slowly to take her curtain call.
While the scene had been exaggerated in the eyes of the Uma Musume, to the spectators, it simply looked as though Starlight had accelerated past Ruby and Fine Motion.
It wasn't nearly as complicated to them.
"She's crossed the line! She actually did it! Divine Starlight is the champion of the Oka Sho! She has performed the most brilliant race for us using her signature move."
"Exactly, just as Miss Akasaka said, since Starlight chose to participate in the Oka Sho, she will surely continue to forge ahead on the path to the Triple Tiara!"
"Let us look forward to her next race and see what kind of performance she has in store for us!"
In the stands, Kiryuu Inami was filled with joy. Starlight had claimed victory once again.
In contrast, the expressions of Ryo Nishizaki and Tojo Hana were quite a sight.
One had his mouth hanging open so wide his lollipop had fallen to the ground, while the other's glasses were nearly sliding off the bridge of her nose.
"That final leg... it's as if I saw the silhouette of that monster..."
"Yes, Nishizaki-senpai. Starlight did indeed train with Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross for a period of time."
"I see... this Uma Musume gives me a fresh sense of wonder every single time."
"If Starlight is to act as a training partner for Special Week, I believe it is necessary to revise our training plan."
Saving the data she had just recorded on her tablet, Tojo Hana pushed up her glasses and turned to leave.
With Starlight successfully taking the Oka Sho by four lengths, her popularity and fame surged once more.
Early the next morning.
Starlight was shaken awake by a certain cat.
"Mmm... hng~ who is it..."
"Starlight-chan~ it's me. It's already 9:30 AM, are you still sleeping?"
Seiun Sky's playful, smiling voice rang out.
"I had a race yesterday... of course I'm tired..."
Gently batting away the small hand placed on her face, Starlight pulled the covers tighter and turned her body toward the wall.
Seeing her state, Seiun Sky slowly slipped off her shoes and crawled onto the bed.
"Starlight-chan, can I sleep with you?"
"Mm, mhm..."
"Then I'm coming in~!"
As noon approached at 12:00 PM.
Starlight slowly woke up.
She was about to stretch to relax when her small fist accidentally landed right on Seiun Sky's face with a smack.
"Ouch!"
"Huh? Seiun Sky? Why are you in my bed!"
"Starlight-chan, that's so mean... I came to find you to play this morning, and you were the one who told me to sleep with you for a while~"
Looking at her pitiful expression, Starlight slowly sat up.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, that's how it was."
"Alright then... are you hungry?"
Not dwelling on why Seiun Sky was in her bed, Starlight rubbed her stomach and asked.
"I'm alright. Shall we go grab lunch?"
"Yeah... let's go!"
As she sat up, Seiun Sky watched Starlight's figure as she went to wash up, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.
'Starlight-chan... is she actually this silly? How cute~'