(I can't let Platinum pass me here. Once she gets by, there'll be no chance of catching up.)
The chestnut-haired Uma Musume reacted with astonishing speed, relying on instinct like a beast. She gritted her teeth and suddenly drove her legs forward, choosing to accelerate early, no matter the cost.
To avoid being overtaken by the silver-white Heavenly Horse Platinum, who was rampaging along the inside rail, Jungle Pocket had instead been thrown off her rhythm after getting outmaneuvered and was forced to accelerate early!
Along the inside rail, the silver-white maiden instantly saw what Jungle Pocket was doing.
Jungle Pocket wasn't the only one in danger. The other Uma Musume ahead were in trouble too, and some of them had begun accelerating as well.
But Platinum remained calm, her expression unchanged. She felt neither regret nor nerves. Now that she'd finally been roused to fight, she wasn't content to pass only the mid-runners who had been conserving their strength.
She was going to pass every Uma Musume!
(There are only half the Uma Musume left. If I don't use my skills now, this might end like the Oaks, where I never got the chance to use them...)
Platinum had some idea of the skills in many Uma Musume games, and she wanted to see what she could activate this time.
(Then, let's get started!)
The lazy assassin girl made up her mind. In her cold eyes, an infinite majesty seemed to bloom.
What she activated...
Was none other than—Heavenly Horse Vision!!
57. The Greatest Dance! A Crushing Derby Victory! This Is Heavenly Horse Platinum!
Heavenly Horse Vision!!
In the amber-bright eyes of Miss Heavenly Horse Platinum, an incredible radiance burst forth!
And beneath the steady curtain of rain—
The rain-soaked grass, once heavy and dim, seemed to be painted over by a dazzling, sacred white. Gradually, it was covered by a phantom structure.
The vast 2,400-meter racecourse transformed in an instant into a solemn, imposing arena!
Its appearance would astonish any Uma Musume. Yet no matter how stunned or intrigued they were, no matter how much they pondered it, none could possibly discern the true origin of this arena.
It was the Knight Arena of Casimir—recognizable only to Heavenly Horse Platinum, the foremost of her kind in this world!
Casimir, a holy land that had produced countless knights. In Arknights, Centaurea had performed as an Idol Knight at the Knight's Arena, putting on combat performances there.
She hadn't liked that job very much, though, so she'd chosen to change careers.
Just like that, she'd gone from knight to assassin... and become one of the Mugyuu Alliance's elite assassins, the Platinum Grand Seat.
In any case, even before she'd crossed over, she hadn't followed the story very closely, but the Knight's Arena was still utterly familiar to her!
Even Miss Heavenly Horse herself, in her transformed state, was filled with astonishment!
If not for the other Uma Musume around her and up ahead, she might have thought she'd been transported to the continent of Arknights.
(Wait, this... this counts as a skill??)
Even Platinum hadn't expected it. She'd activated her Aura for the first time out of curiosity, wanting to see what might happen, what skill it might trigger!
And what she'd used was Heavenly Horse Vision! It had covered the entire racecourse, even making the scenery itself appear to change?
(Hold on. It seems like I activated more than just my Aura. This is...)
Only then did Platinum realize: what skill could possibly look like this?
In the Arknights game, Heavenly Horse Vision was indeed just a skill, but that didn't mean it was the same in an Uma Musume race!
(Did I turn it into a domain by pushing my Aura to a higher level?)
At the same time, she immediately sensed the domain and the skill she'd activated in her mind.
(Heavenly Horse Vision): Active
Activates at least three exclusive domain skills best suited to the current situation, greatly strengthens Aura suppression, inflicts additional stamina loss on all Uma Musume on the track, and slightly reduces their speed.
Passive (continues automatically): Slightly reduces own speed, moderately increases power and enhances stride frequency, slightly increases perception and reaction speed, slightly steals the acceleration effects of all Uma Musume on the track, and absorbs a tiny amount of their stamina.
*(Heavenly Horse Beyond This World): Can activate when the track is "slightly heavy," "Heavy Track," or "extremely heavy." Restores stamina according to the severity of the track conditions, reduces stamina consumption, and slightly increases speed.
*(Quick Shooter): The closer she gets to the Uma Musume ahead, the faster her speed increases. When there are no Uma Musume ahead, slightly reduces subsequent stamina consumption.
*(Knight Killer): The more Uma Musume she passes, the faster her speed increases. When there are no Uma Musume ahead, slightly restores her stamina.
After learning her domain's effects and the effects of these exclusive skills, Miss Heavenly Horse was caught off guard.
These unheard-of skills... really did suit the situation!
One skill helped her overcome and master harsh conditions, while others were suited to a Late-runner who overtook opponents, restoring stamina and reducing its consumption!
The only problem was... she seemed to have opened her domain too late?
They'd already entered the third turn, with only a short distance left before the final stretch. Even a talented Uma Musume with poor stamina might have thought it was too early to activate her domain now.
This special domain, Heavenly Horse Vision, had a passive effect that continued automatically, stealing other Uma Musume's acceleration and stamina. In other words...
This domain was practically a permanent skill from the Arknights game, best activated as early as possible in a race!
Activating it now wasn't the full extent of Heavenly Horse Vision, but for this Japanese Derby... it was enough.
"The domain is Heavenly Horse Vision, and the course has become the Knight's Arena. So..."
She was here to end this race!
Or rather, to kill the race. She had half a quiver of arrows left to use!
"I'd better win, then."
"Let's see how long you can keep running!"
In the very next instant, the silver-white maiden's cold eyes flashed with... the killing intent of an assassin!
Platinum's running stride accelerated further, her stride frequency surpassing ordinary understanding. Her acceleration along the inside rail had reached a terrifying level.
Heavenly Horse Platinum had activated her domain for the first time. Even if she'd done so at the wrong moment, and it wasn't complete—
Her strides seemed to belong to a completely different level from those of the other Uma Musume. The two other popular favorites up ahead had already been pursued by Platinum to within two lengths!
"Erasure begins."
Behind Platinum, the dazzling phantom of the Goddess appeared once more and drew her bow again.
"Count one: shatter their feet."
"Huh?!"
"W-wait, what is this?"
"Why does the racetrack look like some kind of arena now?"
"Even the Aura of a top Uma Musume could probably only change part of the scenery a little. Could this be..."
"A domain, beyond Aura?!"
"Is this arena going to make me fight Platinum to the death? Gah, I don't want that!"
Several Uma Musume near the front stared in shock. They hadn't yet seen Platinum's Transcendence Effect, but they were fortunate enough to witness the domain effect first.
It was the Knight Arena of Casimir. The sight filled the running Uma Musume with pressure, and that wasn't all: their already dwindling stamina was rapidly draining away...
Some of them had powerful Auras, but even after activating them, they couldn't resist the domain or even lessen its suppression!
It was an absolute gap, an insurmountable chasm!
The foreign girl known as Black Ship gritted her teeth and held on to her pace.
"Are you kidding me? The Heavy Track is already hard to run on, and now there's an Uma Musume from the Classic Year who can use a domain?"
"Even among the most famous Uma Musume on dirt and turf, in the American Triple Crown and British Triple Crown, there are usually no more than three to five who can use a domain."
"They said Japanese Uma Musume were all weaklings, and even the strongest Older Horses might not have a domain! How did I end up running into a monster who could challenge for the title in the American Triple Crown or British Triple Crown?"
"If she's this strong, why is she even running in the Japanese Triple Crown?"
What kind of Uma Musume could command such an incredible Knight Arena domain?
Black Ship, who had come to Japan to compete, had just learned what it meant to "try to bully the weak and get bullied instead."
Races between 2,000 and 2,400 meters were middle-distance. Anything over 2,400 meters was long-distance.
Many Uma Musume could handle the shortest middle-distance race, the Satsuki Sho, but not the Japanese Derby—the longest middle-distance race, and the one closest to long-distance.
Black Ship was one of those who struggled to handle 2,400 meters. On top of that, the Heavy Track would drain her stamina more than she'd expected, and she was already finding it difficult.
Now, the vast Knight Arena taking shape, with its powerful domain suppression and stamina drain, finally made Black Ship's heart sink.
(Maybe I should've switched to the mile races, around 1,000 meters, or tried dirt races instead...)
But she could only switch after the race, in the future. Right now, she needed to figure out how to win—or at least how to lose with dignity.
As Black Ship continued to think, the next moment she caught sight of a familiar, formidable opponent in the corner of her eye.
It was—Jungle Pocket!
Jungle Pocket had accelerated early and was gradually drawing even with Black Ship. She had reached the top five, but her expression was still tense.
At the sight, Black Ship's heart leapt into her throat. Her keen instincts told her something was wrong.
(What's going on? With the pace she's good at, Jungle Pocket shouldn't have moved this far up before the final stretch.)
(Did she change her strategy... It doesn't feel like it.)
Then, along the inside rail, where no one should have dared to challenge, a dazzling silver-white figure burst into view!
In that instant, Black Ship understood everything.
A beast was speeding up to reach the finish line? No!
It was clearly...
(A beast has run into the hunter who's tracking her! She's come face-to-face with an assassin she can't escape!)
(Heavenly Horse Platinum, the hunter with a bow, has begun chasing her prey!!)
(That's right, this domain is definitely under Platinum's control!)
So this wasn't a duel between Uma Musume at all, but a chase between hunter and prey?
Black Ship didn't hesitate. She, too, picked up her pace, unwilling to be overtaken so soon by the monster on the inside.
Even if she couldn't win, she'd make Platinum work for it.
(I'll show Platinum that American Uma Musume... aren't so easy to beat!)
Black Ship, then Jungle Pocket, and finally the last formidable opponent—all of them began sprinting at full speed before reaching the final stretch!
With Platinum accelerating along the inside and activating the domain Heavenly Horse Vision, which surpassed everyone's expectations, she'd taken control of the entire race. None of the Uma Musume up ahead dared hold back or wait for Platinum to slow down!
The Japanese Derby's final, white-hot stage had begun.
Come on! Who will emerge as the final winner and live up to the crowd's expectations?
Will it be Platinum, who has her sights set on the Triple Crown of Transformation, or the mighty Jungle Pocket? Or perhaps the outstanding foreign Uma Musume, Black Ship?
Jungle Pocket and Black Ship were accelerating as they headed toward the final turn, but... Platinum was visibly faster!
The Heavenly Horse on the inside seemed to be declaring that she was the fastest. In a very short time, she caught up with the leading group.
Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes! Platinum had drawn even with Jungle Pocket and Black Ship. The true showdown between the three strongest runners was about to begin!
As the commentator announced the crucial moment, the more than one hundred thousand spectators erupted in an excited, expectant roar.
"Just seeing such powerful runners compete up close makes the ticket worth every penny, even if I die!"
"Platinum! Platinum! Platinum!"
"Jungle Pocket has to win! Then she can prove that Tachyon is the strongest of this generation!!"
Before you continue