Uma Musume Girl, I'll tell you about my Santa Hat special move too?

Stardust Illusion #7 is leading the pack by more than two horse lengths.

Following closely behind is the No. 2 Emperor of the East Sea.

Following behind the two for now is number 3, known for his excellent qualities; as he runs across the outer track, it's like a flash of lightning...

[Stardust Illusion, brimming with confidence and maintaining its lead, has employed unpredictable running techniques to solidify its advantage. How will it deal with the genius behind it? Let's wait and see!]

Inside the spectator room.

As the commentary echoed through the stadium, Rudolf, the legendary racehorse, revealed a hint of suspicion for the first time.

She turned her head and looked at the assistant's energy bar beside her with some surprise.

At the same time, Qi Kuo turned his head in disbelief and met her gaze.

Although the movements were vastly different, both Rudolph and the air tank simultaneously recognized the power generation techniques inherent in that running style, which they found extremely familiar...

She was a runner who had been competing in the central race for a year. Like Stardust Phantom, she came from the countryside and was known as the legendary racehorse girl of the Reed-Colored Phantom race: Oguri Hat.

Her unique double-acceleration running technique was exactly the same as the step Stardust Illusion had taken just now!

As the title suggests, the actual source material is the Niko-ryu Shrinking Ground technique from Kengan Ashura.

Essentially, it involves taking a sudden, large stride and swinging the body forward to make a sudden turn, thereby instantly closing the distance.

In the original manga, this move is used to suddenly turn a retreat into an advance.

I've adapted this ability here, changing it so that the footwork suddenly changes direction when changing direction. I've used my imagination to fill in the gaps, and it should be pretty much the same.

However, this is actually a running style limited to the lead runner; you must be at the very front of the group to make this turn. Otherwise, the irregular running style could cause confusion for others and lead to accidents.

This can be considered the protagonist's first self-created skill.

Chapter Eight: Holy Night, Ignite the Fire!

"This technique can't be just my imagination, right?"

After a moment of hesitation, Qi Cao asked uncertainly, "Does she know Oguri Hat?"

"If this racehorse girl masters this speed-boosting technique, she'll be good enough to be admitted to the central training program."

Rudolph answered the question about the air tank with a definite answer. She rested her chin on her hand, stood still, and looked towards the arena to explain:

"Moreover, she didn't just blindly imitate Oguri's hat. Instead, she used the Emperor's Acceleration after it reached a critical point, forcibly regaining the advantageous position. This is not a judgment that a horse girl who has only been involved in racing for a month can make... I just don't know if it was just luck."

Rudolf seemed somewhat surprised.

On the field, many things cannot be faked. In the brief period of full-speed running, if you want to win, you have to give full play to all your abilities and skills.

The racehorse girl before us, Stardust Illusion, although Rudolf Symbol couldn't see any desire for victory in her eyes before the start, her risky move just now clearly showed that she was unwilling to be overtaken by the Emperor.

"It seems she just hasn't experienced real sword fights with others yet."

Thinking this, Rudolf became even more satisfied with this Stardust illusion.

Despite the short distance of only 5 or 600 meters, her terrifying racing experience and keen eye clearly showed that this female racehorse likely possessed extremely high potential.

"In that case, the emperor would be in danger..."

Looking at Rudolph, who was already immersed in the excitement of discovering a promising talent, Qisuo began to feel somewhat worried.

It is certainly gratifying that Stardust Illusion has demonstrated extraordinary abilities, but has the Emperor forgotten that this is the Emperor's debut battle?

Has this guy not realized how serious things are? If the Emperor doesn't win the Battle of the Path of Destiny against such a formidable enemy, Rudolf Symbol will probably be hiding in the student council heartbroken for who knows how long.

Rudolph, however, had completely forgotten about that. She was completely focused on the few people competing in the leading group, silently repeating to herself:

Come, Stardust Illusion, let me see your potential again.

I'd like to try that technique again, so I can be sure... that you really could succeed the retiring Oguri Hat and become the next Cinderella!

The race continues.

The running East Sea Emperor was not affected by her recent setback; her face only showed her unwavering desire to win.

With her superior physique compared to all the racehorse girls present, and those exceptionally beautiful feet, the gap that Stardust Illusion had just stabilized was once again closed by Emperor at full speed.

This time, however, the Stardust Illusion failed to create another miracle and was gradually caught up.

Having just taken the lead for half the race, she was now almost running shoulder to shoulder with the emperor on the grass.

She wasn't in a hurry.

Although Stardust Illusion had never participated in a formal race before, her experience delivering newspapers and running errands for her family over the years had taught her a lesson:

When you take your first step, you need to allocate your energy for the entire running process.

She knew very well that endurance was her weakness, and if she continued to compete with the Emperor of the East Sea out of momentary pride, it would only disrupt her own rhythm.

Although she had just triggered both straight-line recovery and cornering recovery skills in one go, as a mere mortal, she couldn't recklessly squander them if she wanted to complete the entire course.

Emperor of the East Sea, I'll temporarily hand over the lead to you.

With this thought in mind, the Stardust Illusion continued at its most comfortable speed, watching the East Sea Emperor gradually overtake it and rush forward.

This prudent choice was also noticed by Rudolf.

With her extensive experience, she could naturally tell that Stardust Illusion was currently running low on stamina.

For racehorse girls who haven't undergone systematic and scientific training, how to allocate their energy is a very important thing during the race.

Of course, once she arrives at Treson Academy, we'll need to make proper arrangements to address this weakness in her...

Rudolph has now decided that she no longer needs to look at the results of the match; she now considers Stardust Illusion to be hers for the taking.

She even started thinking about how to develop her training plan and arrange suitable trainers.

On the racetrack, the horse racing teams have now all entered the second half of the race. Stardust Illusion is running at a steady pace, its figure gradually approaching that of the third-placed excellent horse.

Meanwhile, the East Sea Emperor, who was running ahead of everyone else, showed no signs of having any problems with his stamina. On the contrary, he maintained his speed, which surpassed everyone else's, and gradually widened the gap.

Was it really just a coincidence caused by reckless actions?

Looking at the stardust illusion that was getting closer and closer to him, he thought to himself.

However, Stardust Illusion was completely focused on calculating the race distance. She maintained her own running pace and gradually approached the third turn behind the Emperor...

We're so close! We're almost there!

The moment she entered the bend, her superior speed, coinciding with her run on the inside of the Stardust Illusion, immediately slowed down in preparation for the turn. However, she maintained her straight-line sprint once more, veering outwards from the inside lane—

"Hey, you're not going to... ugh!?"

A voice of concern rang out from behind the Stardust Illusion, but it was interrupted by her exclamation before it could be finished.

Despite his excellent ability to speak even at this pace, he lost his rhythm and his breathing became erratic. His steps slowed abruptly, and he fell into the second-to-last group of people...

However, at this moment, the stardust illusion had already slanted into the outer path, to the predetermined location she had long ago set her sights on. With the next step, her eyes suddenly widened—

I can feel it, the location is right here!

Blue skill: 777 activated!

Stardust Illusion immediately felt a warm current flow into her body, and the fatigue in her limbs was relieved a little. However, this was not the most important thing. As the recovery skill was triggered at the remaining 777 meters, a scene exploded in her mind!

A gray-white phantom flashed across the strip of light on the Christmas tree like lightning. The racehorse girl's eyes narrowed, and she stomped her foot hard on the ground.

Miracle runners of Holy Night, get started!

In an instant, a sudden surge of excitement swept over all the female racehorses on the track, and an indescribable sense of fear enveloped them.

Several racehorses at the back of the pack were startled and their steps became unsteady, causing them to fall out of the running group.

The remaining few in the team weren't much better off. Although they continued to run, their speed and expressions had clearly changed. Only Excellent Quality and East Sea Emperor were able to barely maintain their original state.

What on earth happened?!

But the Eastern Sea Emperor was also affected. She clearly felt a greater burden on her legs, and a sharp, thorny sensation from behind made her dare not slow down even slightly. However, she could still hear the increasingly rapid footsteps approaching from behind—

Someone is catching up!

The moment the thought crossed the emperor's mind, a figure gradually entered her field of vision from the outer corner of her eye.

With each step that figure took, there was a sense of power as if it were about to crush the grass, and its speed was constantly increasing.

How is that possible... There are still almost 700 meters to go, and everyone hasn't even entered the final bend yet. Could it be that someone is already sprinting?!

The emperor gritted her teeth, forcing her body to exert more strength, and her heart was also restless. Although she did not know who the person who had sprinted ahead of her was, since she had already taken the lead, she would absolutely not allow anyone to sprint past her.

Since you're aiming to make a quick push here, let's give it a try... Don't think that's all I'm capable of!

Thinking this, the Emperor of the East Sea suddenly changed his running posture.

She went straight into the final sprint!

Chapter Nine: The Ultimate Imperial Dance

The vanguard is entering the final bend!

The East Sea Emperor, running on the inner path, and the Stardust Illusion, running on the outer path, both rushed into the bend without slowing down even slightly.

After activating the Miracle Runner of the Holy Night, Stardust Illusion felt its body automatically adjust to an optimal running state, its feet stomping back and forth on the ground, each step infusing its body with power.

Speed, stamina, acceleration—all her attributes were boosted by this running style. This inherent skill, known as a god-level ultimate move, truly lived up to its name.

After it was activated, the Stardust Illusion even felt that it could see a view further ahead—

If you don't make it to the final straight, then you'll have to settle your score with the Emperor on this final bend!