Umamusume were freaks.
She didn't mean anything negative about that—she was an umamusume herself after all. But that statement was one she made with confidence.
After all, compared to humans, what else could they be? Humanoids capable of running faster than cars, with enough strength to punch through concrete, and apparently had the power to break reality. And that was only the 'normal' umamusume—she didn't even want to get into all the weirder shit she'd heard about throughout her life.
But, right now–
Dicta Striker grit her teeth as she ran forward. The final straight wasn't too far away now, but she was in a bind. All her {Yellow Bullets} had been fired—she'd reached the peak of her speed. She'd finally slammed head-first into her Limits, and she could faintly make out that monolithic wall, once again standing in her way.
To make it worse, she could hear Mejiro Ardan just behind her, her steps slowly growing louder to her ears. The gap between them was slowly shrinking, and her gut was telling her that she was about to be overtaken.
And that wasn't even considering that monstrous ball of foxfire that was rushing towards them like a missile, accompanied by the chilling laughter of a girl that was as high as a kite.
Dicta resisted the urge to scream. She didn't know what kind of hellish training Ardan had done during the summer camp—she'd been strangely cagey about it when Dicta tried to ask—but whatever she did must've worked. The Ardan of today couldn't be compared to how she was even just a couple months before.
If things continued on like this, she'd have to settle for 2nd place, or even worse.
But she didn't really care about that, right now.
Instead, all her focus was placed on the wall she'd slammed into. The crystallization of her Limits—a decree that'd been set from her moment of birth. She'd undoubtedly reached the Peak of her career, and her instincts told her that if she continued to coast along like this, things would start going downhill fast.
But what could she even do?
Her Limits hadn't budged despite how much she'd smacked head-first into it. She'd tried getting help from Belno, but she just didn't have that insane concentration she needed to follow through with Belno's advice. She'd tried asking for Tamamo's help as well, but Tamamo's awakening was through her own power—she couldn't offer much help either.
"It's the final straight!"
"Mejiro Ardan is closing in on Dicta Striker!"
"But Inari One isn't far behind now! She's still charging ahead! An unstoppable advance!"
Tch. What a failure.
Was she going to lose again? All the Classic races, the [Arima Kinen], the [Osaka Hai], the [Takarazuka Kinen]—loss after loss after loss. And sure, no one blamed her for it. Her opponents were just so skilled that they were like titans in comparison. There was no shame in losing against those world-class athletes.
But that wasn't it. Not quite.
The Grey Monster, the White Comet, the Divine General, the White Lightning, the Wild Joker—all of them started just as epithets given by the public. Yet, as if blessed by the divine, those names had turned into a prophecy.
And here she was; the Yellow Bullet.
"300 meters left! Mejiro Ardan and Dicta Striker are neck and neck!"
She liked her title. She really did. Like, come on—the Yellow Bullet. That was a sick name for a runner. The fact that they likened her to a bullet showed just how much she'd captivated her fans with her speed.
But now, that name had lost its luster.
She was the Yellow Bullet, but that was it. She was no Monster, nor was she a force of nature. She was just a single bullet, and what could one bullet do against something like a falling Comet?
"With just 200 meters left, Mejiro Ardan has taken the lead! The Whirlpool of the Mejiro is heading for the finish line!"
"Inari One has closed the gap! She's not willing to lose either!"
"Can the Yellow Bullet catch up!?"
…
Ah, so that was it.
The Yellow Bullet couldn't catch up. The Yellow Bullet had already hit her prime; there was nowhere else she could go from here. The Yellow Bullet was a member of the Generation of Miracles, but that wasn't enough to contend with the true big leagues. A manmade bullet was never meant to contend with the forces of nature.
Dicta Striker wasn't intent on losing again. No more playing 2nd fiddle. No more settling back.
If the Yellow Bullet couldn't catch up, then that meant it was time to settle for an ever bigger gun!
"150 meters left! Dicta Striker has fallen into 3rd place!"
"Inari One is closing in on Mejiro Ardan!"
At that moment, Dicta felt something inside her snap. The sensation was painful, agonizing even. And just a second later, she felt something warm trail down from her nose, and her head began feeling light.
But stark clarity followed that pain, and her bloodied lips suddenly stretched to a smile.
It began with a single bolt of blinding blue. Then came another. And then another. Arcs of electricity pulsed, intensifying into something almost reminiscent of plasma. Her yellow eyes glowed almost blue, as if her Fate as the Yellow Bullet was slowly being morphed into something far more.
The monolithic wall that represented her Limits didn't shatter. Instead, faced with heat capable of rivalling that of a star, the bedrock began to melt.
The air twisted. A mechanical whirring filled the air.
"100 meters left! Can Dicta Striker catch up-!?"
Her smile painted her cheeks in her own blood.
"Of course I can."
Domain Awakening—
{Railgun}!
The world ground to a halt. Then in the next second, a sonic boom exploded across the final straight as Dicta Striker lunged forward with speed never before seen. She blasted right through Inari's wall of foxfire, through Ardan's veil of whirring waters, and straight towards the finish line.
"Dicta Striker charges ahead! She's-, so fast! SO FAST!"
Inari One grinned widely as she saw her senpai suddenly burst forward, but her eyes then widened as she felt her Domain suddenly beginning to unravel. "This is…!?" She shouted as she cast a panicked glance at the accelerating Dicta Striker.
A Domain that cuts through other Domains!?
Inari One grit her teeth. "I ain't losin' here!" She shouted, and her foxfire blossomed once more as she ran with all her might. Dicta Striker might've retaken the lead, but she hadn't gone far. She wasn't going to give up just yet!
Mejiro Ardan smiled with pride as she saw her friend charge ahead. She'd known that Dicta had been struggling to improve ever since the summer camp, and she was so, so proud to see her finally break free.
"But I'm not letting you run away."
Dicta's Domain had temporarily shocked her, but she didn't let herself linger. She quickly redoubled her efforts, and she began sped up once more.
"50 meters left! Can Mejiro Ardan and Inari One catch up!?"
The crowd roared with excitement. This race for three was nearing its conclusion, and now it was time to see if Ardan and Inari could make one last attempt to take the lead from Dicta.
And in the end-
"They can't! Dicta Striker is just too fast!"
"Dicta Striker crosses the finish line first…!"