BANG!
"And they're off!"
Super Creek didn't waste a second. The moment she heard the gates open, she charged forward with all her might, immediately securing the lead. Yet even after she did so, she didn't slow down. She continued running as fast she could, building the lead with every powerful step she took.
"Super Creek charges ahead with a stunning display of speed! Is she planning to run a Great Escape!?"
Dicta Striker hummed as she watched Super Creek charge ahead. She'd never seen Creek run as an Escape Artist before, she believed Creek would do just fine. The main drawback of that tactic was the sheer amount of stamina you needed to maintain that speed, and stamina was something Creek had in spades.
But even as Creek continued to pull away, Dicta didn't accelerate to try and match her pace. She remained in the comfortable 2nd place she'd secured, still technically leading the pack if you excluded Creek's distant silhouette.
A little farther back, Tamamo Cross eventually settled in 9th place, running a little on the outside to avoid bumping into the other runners. She slightly raised an eyebrow as she saw Creek charge ahead, but she couldn't help but smirk a little.
The display sure looked impressive, but Tamamo was far from concerned. After all, she'd already run against the Escape Artist of this generation, and Blossom Star's momentum was far more frightening in comparison.
Still, Creek's forward charge showed her drive to win, and that was something she could respect.
"Most runners have entered the second corner, but Super Creek is already midway through the first straight!"
Creek kept her breathing stable as she ran. She could already feel her legs begin to burn from the constant push, but she'd trained for this many times before. And more than that, her stamina still held strong even after she cleared the first 500 meters. Her legs might not be incredibly impressive compared to others, but her chest thrummed with the power of her {Pure Heart}, allowing her to endure far more than most umamusume could.
Despite her great lead however, she remained wary. She knew that Dicta Striker and Tamamo Cross were laying in wait, ready to bridge the gap she'd built with their incredibly powerful spurts. And there was still Tamamo's terrifying Domain, waiting to be unleashed.
But she forced her worries back. For the moment, all she needed to think about was running as fast as she could.
"All runners have entered the first straight, with Super Creek still leading by nearly 14 lengths!"
Dicta took a deep breath as the track turned straight, and her eyes sharpened as she caught sight of Creek's back in the distance. Creek was still pulling away even now, her Great Escape having yet to slow down in the slightest. And it didn't seem like Creek was going to stop anytime soon.
She wasn't sure if Creek would genuinely maintain that speed throughout the whole race, but considering Creek's stamina, it didn't seem entirely impossible.
She grit her teeth, and her ears began to ring as she clawed out all the strength she had. And once she did, she loaded it all into her imaginary champer, locking it all like a bullet placed down a barrel of a pistol.
Her ears twitched, and using the distinct steps following her, she did a quick tally of the other runners behind her. Her hearing was far from perfect, but from what she could tell, it seemed like Tamamo was getting a little closer. And more than anything, she could feel that chill creeping up her back again; a tell-tale sign that things were about to go down.
Which meant it was time for the {Yellow Bullet} to be shot!
She took a deep breath, and with a powerful roar, she lunged forward, immediately accelerating forward so quickly that she seemed to blur into a streak of yellow.
"Dicta Striker begins to accelerate! Super Creek's lead finally begins to shrink!"
But Dicta didn't stop. As she ran ahead of the pack, she immediately began loading the next chamber, preparing for her next spurt. She'd definitely need it once Tamamo finally made her move.
As she pulled away, Dicta couldn't help but smirk slightly. Reloading the chamber for her {Yellow Bullet} was obviously not something she could repeat over and over. During her training, the most she could do was repeat it twice. But after getting some advice from Oguri Cap, she managed to up her ammo count by another two bullets.
It still wouldn't be enough, of course.
But she'd make sure she gave the world quite the shock.
"Super Creek has entered the third straight, but Dicta Striker isn't too far away!"
A flash of white. The sudden scent of ozone.
Dicta felt her heart tremble, and her lips curved into a pained grin. "So there you are…!" She bit out, and with a roar, she shot her second {Yellow Bullet}, accelerating even further to try and get out of the incoming blast zone.
And then, as she was in the midst of reloading her third chamber, she felt it.
"The other runners are midway through the third corner, but some runners have begun-!"
It was time.
Tamamo Cross took a slow breath, and then she smirked. She could feel it—that overwhelming sense of elation, as if the borders between her and the world was melting away. An electrifying feeling coursed through her body, as if lightning itself was rushing through her blood.
The rest of the world faded, and there she saw it—the wall that once stood before. Yet now it was broken, the stone shattered into a million pieces, and on the other side was a the colossus of lightning that signified the activation of her Domain, waiting in place like a set of armor.
She chuckled, and raised her hand forward, she called for it.
And it answered.
"This is-! Everyone, if what I'm hearing is right, it's about to happen-!"
Tamamo's foot met the turf, and a burst of lightning shot forth into the air. Even though she ran in the outer lanes, many of the other umamusume could feel the lightning cutting into them. Many of them gasped, and their ears rang painfully.
But it didn't stop. One bolt became two. Two became four. And before most of the runners could defend themselves, the bursts of lightning coalesced together into an expanding nova of plasma—its shape almost seeming to mirror an egg.
And when that egg cracked, a towering god of lightning expanded into the sky!
Complete Domain Awakening—
{Descent of Susanoo}!
"LET'S DANCE!" Tamamo shouted, her laughter echoing out like the distant rumbling of thunder as she raced forward, immediately passing every other runner and taking 3rd place. The other runners, already weakened and disorientated by the sudden explosion of pressure, could barely offer any resistance as Tamamo blasted forward like a rocket.
"T-There it is! Tamamo Cross has activated her Domain!"
"Tamamo Cross begins to-, she's passed everyone-, she's-!"
"So fast! SO FAST!!"
"Oi…this ain't funny…!" Dicta grit out as she forced herself to run. She was already mid-way through the third straight while Tamamo had only entered the fourth corner, but even from here she could feel the stifling pressure that god of lightning carried. Her instincts were screaming at her to run as fast as she could, and so she grit her teeth as she fired her third {Yellow Bullet}.
Ahead by 6 lengths, Creek narrowed her eyes as she felt Tamamo's pressure wash across the entire track. She could feel some of it pressing down onto her, but she powered through it using her {Pure Heart}. She would not let Tamamo's Domain slow her down for even a moment, no matter how dominating it felt.
But at this point, there was only about 1000 meters until the finish line, and both Dicta and Tamamo were quickly approaching.
She took a deep breath, and her eyes sharpened as the soft white bands that gently spun around her suddenly morphed into dark clouds, as if some corruptive force had suddenly appeared.
Thank you, Blossom-san.
"Hold on, is-, yes she is!"
"Super Creek accelerates again! Is this her final spurt towards the finish line!?"
Dicta clicked her tongue as she saw Creek pull away once more, her lead beginning to extend once more even after she'd fired three {Yellow Bullets} to try and catch up. "You ain't getting away that easily…!" She shouted, and with a roar, she fired her last {Yellow Bullet}, accelerating one last time.
"Super Creek has entered the final corner! But Dicta Striker and Tamamo Cross are catching up!"
Creek grit her teeth as she raced forward. Her legs were burning fiercely by this point, and the Great Escape was finally beginning to take its toll. Every step she took caused her to feel pain, and her lungs felt like they were moments away from collapsing. Yet she continued to run with all she had.
She refused to slow down. She couldn't let Dicta or Tamamo catch up. She had to maintain her lead to the very end. She was so close…!
"It's the final straight! Will Dicta Striker and Tamamo Cross catch up!?"
Dicta narrowed her eyes as she ran, but even she had her limits. All her {Yellow Bullets} had been fired; her chambers were empty. And more than that, she practically had no more stamina left.
So she could only chuckle weakly as the colossus of lightning passed her, and her vision swam as she felt that burst of lightning slam into her. She smiled tiredly as Tamamo Cross ran past her, not even giving her a glance as she continued to forge her way forward.
"Go, Creek…" She whispered, her momentum finally collapsing.
"Dicta Striker slowed down significantly, with Tamamo Cross now in 2nd place!"
"She's still accelerating! Can Super Creek maintain her lead before the White Lightning catches her!?"
She could directly feel it now. The hairs on her arm were standing, and the scent of ozone was overwhelming. Her ears rang, constantly bombarded by the explosions of crashing lightning. But she continued to run; continued to charge ahead. Her subverted {Pure Heart}—the bands of black nebulae that spun around her—were thinning from overuse, but she ran still.
She could see it. The finish line was right there. All she had to do was to keep running.
…
But,
"Y'er strong, rookie." Tamamo said, her words clear despite her voice being as soft as a whisper. "Runnin' all 'da way here—I commend tha'."
"But I ain't losin' here!"
A flash of white and blue, and before Creek knew it, Tamamo had overtaken her lead. She gasped as she tried to catch up, but in the end, all she could do was extend her hand forward as Tamamo vanished into the distance.
And so,
"Tamamo Cross crosses the finish line first!"
"The White Lightning just can't be stopped!"
The audience exploded into cheers, and Tamamo grinned as she turned to them and raised her fist into the air. And at that, the god of lightning that surrounded her finally faded away, shattering into smaller bolts of white lightning.
Soon, Creek also crossed the finish line, but her eyes were empty as she turned towards the scoreboard.
Tamamo Cross—1st place.
Super Creek—2nd place, behind by 7 lengths.
She shoulders rose and fell, but her eyes remained fixed at the scoreboard, her gaze dull. No matter how much she stared, the score didn't change. The words didn't shift. The results were clear.
She'd lost.
Her eyes lowered, and with a hiccup, tears began falling from her eyes. Tamamo quickly turned towards her, but after a moment of silence, she eventually turned away. She could only clench her fists as she subtly blocked Super Creek from the audience, forcing a cheerful smile onto her face.
She'd won, but she also felt like a scumbag. Guess that's what comes with winning.
…tch. Didn't make it feel any better though.
.
.
.
Not long after, Dicta Striker finally crossed the finish line herself. She was gasping as she turned to the scoreboard, and a wry smile came onto her lips.
Dicta Striker—3rd place, behind by Distance
Yeah, that sounded about right. Creek had completely eclipsed her this time around, only being overtaken by Tamamo Cross during the last 400 meters of the race.
And speaking of those two,
She winced slightly as she saw Creek silently crying, but realizing that this wasn't the time, she instead joined Tamamo in subtly blocking Creek from the audience's eyes.
…hopefully Nase Fumino could comfort her after everything was over.