The gates slammed open, and nine umamusume surged forward.
But just moments later, a white blur streaked forward, soaring ahead like a shooting star.
"And there she is…!"
"Blossom Star surges forward with her Great Escape!"
And the crowd roared with excitement once more as they saw Blossom Star's awe-inspiring Escape from the rest of the pack, the lead she was building from them lengthening with immense speed. Every other runner was left behind, only capable of watching as her silhouette continued to shrink.
However, the crowd's excitement didn't just stem from seeing the White Comet make her triumphant return, but also from seeing the new strange running style Blossom Star had adopted.
The few trainers and umamusume in the crowd quickly began analyzing it, and many found themselves…confused. The way Star ran looked awkward at best, with how low her body was compared to the odd way she bent her knees. Looked from an angle, it almost seemed like she was trying to climb an uphill that just didn't exist.
It just didn't make sense! Her previous way of running had served her well enough—why would she willingly adopt this strange looking stance?
But everyone's questions were then answered when they all heard it.
A breath came loose from Star's lips. Her blue eyes burnt bright, so much so that they seemed to leave a contrail of fading blue.
A leg was raised.
And when she stomped down, the earth itself rumbled. The sound was explosive, and even the announcer's jaw hung loose as they saw Blossom Star burst ahead with such forward force that each step she made dug massive gouges into the earth. Clumps of dirt and Turf were flung into the air, and had she not deliberately separated herself into the outer lanes, all the runners behind her would've been faced with a shower of debris.
"This-, this is-!?"
At that moment, a crowd of over 50,000 were stunned into complete silence. Most of them had seen the [Osaka Hai]—they had seen Oguri's terrifying strength, and the aftermath of her steps. The holes she left behind Hanshin Racecourse were so monstrous that it dominated the news for several days.
And now Star was doing the same from the very start of the race!
"Blossom Star makes a terrifying advance…! Her strength-, not even the track itself can handle it-!?"
Even the announcers had fallen into a small silence, both awed and terrified as they watched Star lay waste to the Japanese Turf.
Down on the tracks, Super Creek could keenly feel the pressure Star exuded, even from a distance. There were easily over a dozen lengths between them now, and yet it still felt like her shoulders were being pressed down.
And yet this wasn't a Domain.
Super Creek smiled grimly as she sped up slightly, easily taking 2nd place as she watched Blossom Star shrink into the distance. "So this-, is her true strength…?" She whispered, her pupils shaking as she saw Star enter the first corner. "No-, this isn't it. Not yet."
Because she could see it; despite the terrifying power carried by each of Star's steps–
Star wasn't even struggling. It was hard to see from a distance, but as Star continued to turn around the corner, Creek could see it,
Star was smiling. She wasn't taxed at all.
Super Creek grit her teeth. She needed to speed up. Victory might not be possible, but that didn't mean she would just lie down and take it!
A pulse of white rang from her chest, before that light was overwhelmed by an inky darkness that spun itself around her torso. Her subverted {Pure Heart} came active, and she began burning through her stamina in exchange for higher speed.
An unadvisable tactic, especially considering the length of this race.
But she was Super Creek, and if there was one thing she had, it was her stamina!
"Super Creek begins accelerating! Is she trying to catch up to Blossom Star!?"
"But Blossom Star just makes it to the second straight! And she's still going faster…!?"
"This-, I just can't believe it! Blossom Star remains in the outer lanes, but that isn't slowing her down in the slightest!"
Meanwhile, Star herself didn't really think of much as she ran ahead of everyone else. Most of her focus was dedicated to maintaining this new powerful strides she'd learnt from Secretariat.
Sure, she was spending much less Stamina despite all the force she was putting out, but in return, she had to actively consider each movement to ensure she didn't break the rhythm she'd fallen into. One accidental lapse of concentration, and she could accidentally trip.
Which honestly wouldn't slow her down too much, considering how far ahead she was from the other runners, but tripping was never a fun experience.
She didn't think about that, though. More than anything, she was just overwhelmed with this freedom she felt as she ran. For the first time in her life, winning the race didn't seem all that important. Instead, she found herself just happy that she was running at all.
"Blossom Star-! With a staggering lead of 14 lengths—her dominance is undeniable!"
"Super Creek is in 2nd place! Can she ever catch up to the White Comet!?"
Of course she couldn't.
Creek had a bitter smile on her face as she continued accelerating, yet no matter what she tried, Star's back had only grown more and more distant. The fact that Star could run her Great Escape with no worries despite the staggering length was just further proof of Star's monstrous stamina.
She'd known winning was impossible. Her trainer had known winning was impossible when they first registered for the [Spring Tenno Sho].
Yet, right now, faced with such an overwhelming distance to the lead, she wanted nothing more than to win.
And perhaps ferried by such boiling emotions, Creek finally encountered it.
For a moment, the world went silent, all colors draining away as she found herself slamming into a giant wall. Her eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of the monolithic existence. She knew what this was—she'd often trained with Belno Light, and Belno had never been shy with sharing her experiences.
This was her Limit, and beyond it, her Domain.
At that moment, she understood why so many of her friends were incapable of reaching that mystical state. Even from a glimpse, she could feel the sheer impossibility of it. Her whole body screamed that breaking through that wall was impossible, that she'd never glimpse what stood at the other side, no matter how hard she tried.
It didn't stop her from trying.
"Super Creek continues to accelerate! She hasn't given up!"
"Move…!" She grit her teeth as she pushed against her Limits. The shadows circling her torso grew deeper as she sped up, but the wall remained untouched. It seemed no amount of force could get the wall to move, much less shatter.
She didn't stop. She continued pushing. Continued speeding up. Even as her chest began to burn with increasing exhaustion. Even as she could feel her legs beginning to burn.
She didn't know how far she'd run at this point. She'd tuned out most of the world, knowing nothing but the wall before her and the need to run.
"Blossom Star-, she-! By the Goddesses, she's made it to the third straight already…!"
Far ahead, Blossom Star's ears twitched, and her eyes narrowed. For a moment there, she'd felt a strange sensation washing over her. It was familiar, and it took her a moment to remember why that was the case, but when she did her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but glance to the side.
And her smile widened as she saw Creek just enter the third corner, her lips curled down with frustration, her figure seeming to blur as the shadows curling around her grew darker in color.
The feeling Star felt closely mirrored what she felt whenever Belno rammed into her Limits during their training,
Which meant that Creek could possibly have a Domain of her own!
…
But it was a shame, really.
Had there been someone else that could actively unleash a Domain, then Creek would've benefited greatly. After all, progress towards achieving a Domain rose the fastest whenever one was faced with the pressure from another Domain. And unfortunately, there was no one this race that could act as a whetstone for her.
Well that, and the fact that this race was entirely unfair.
Star took a deep breath as she neared the end of the sixth corner, and her eyes then sharpened as she grinned. Half a dozen different Skills activated at the same time, and the ground beneath her exploded as she leapt forward with a powerful kick.
"B-Blossom Star accelerates again!?"
"She hits her final spurt…!"
The crowd exploded with cheers as Star entered the final straight. She mostly ignored them, focusing only on running forward. She was beginning to feel the strain by this point, but it wasn't anything too strenuous. She'd run for far longer during her training with Secretariat, and the Japanese Turf was far more forgiving compared to the American Dirt tracks.
And so, with relatively little interference,
"Blossom Star finishes first!"
"An incredible showing! She comes 1st with a staggering lead of 24 lengths…!"
She took a small breath as she turned back. Creek was still in the sixth corner by this point, though it wouldn't be too long before she'd cross the finish line. As for the other 7 runners–
She could only grin wryly as she saw them all the way back in the third straight, having been completely left behind.
…she could only hope they weren't too heartbroken by the time everyone crossed the finish line.