[Surging River of Stars]: Xingyun Liuge draws in a stellar core and gradually expands it into a nebula, gaining an extra 10% movement speed. Activating it again detonates the nebula, silencing all opponents within its area and massively draining the stamina of anyone caught at the nebula's center until the end of the race.
Brian's Time's stamina plunged to a dangerously low level. She had no choice but to ease off, or she would be forced out of the race on the spot.
While the nebula was still swelling, Risen Star had already sensed something unusual from Xingyun Liuge. Her Domain took the form of a cross-shaped starlight; in a sense, that made her a kindred spirit to Xingyun Liuge.
That discovery thrilled her.
First, it meant she could clash with Xingyun Liuge using the power of starlight itself. A battle between similar powers sounded exactly like the stuff of destiny.
Second, Xingyun Liuge's first move had been aimed at Brian's Time. That gave her a chance to observe Xingyun Liuge carefully and work out how to fight back.1GaL2
From that perspective, Risen Star — and the others — had been given an enormous advantage by Xingyun Liuge.
But the moment those golden motes drifted down, Risen Star finally realized how serious the problem was.
It was as if her mind had suddenly short-circuited. All at once, she discovered that she could no longer activate her Domain.
That was the sort of thing that made your scalp go numb.
Of course, a horse girl's own strength was still the key to victory. In the early stages of a career, Domains did not even exist. But once you had one, it was like growing tiger wings. A Domain was the best companion a horse girl could have, her surest trump card.
And now she was being told she could not use it. Anyone would panic.
Worse still, not everyone was being restricted equally. At least one person was still an exception.
Hearing the approaching footsteps closing in behind her, Risen Star instinctively gritted her teeth and accelerated again. Even if she had been reduced to relying on nothing but her own stamina, endurance, and burst speed to face a Xingyun Liuge who could still use her Domain, she would never surrender!1GaL2
No matter how unfavorable the situation became, she would still duel Xingyun Liuge one-on-one to the very end.
That was the pride unique to horse girls.
But before Xingyun Liuge could reach her, Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo made their stand.
The instant they found themselves unable to use their Domains, they abandoned any thoughts of fighting alone and chose to join forces against their "enemy."1GaL2
Perhaps it was because they had spent so long as rivals and close friends, but the two did not exchange a single word. A glance was enough; each understood the other perfectly.
Even if the situation was overwhelmingly against them, even if Xingyun Liuge would overtake them in the blink of an eye, they would still fight to the bitter end.
Yet beneath that resolve, Goodbye Halo harbored another thought: if they suddenly could not use their Domains, then Risen Star was probably in the same boat. But Xingyun Liuge could still use hers at will. Domains should not be able to impose such absolute dominance — there had to be some sort of condition attached.1GaL2
Maybe it was not a full-field ban. Maybe Domains could only be used "within a certain range."
If that was true, then Xingyun Liuge herself was the center of that range. If the others joined forces and refused to let her pass easily, perhaps they could buy themselves a brief window in which their own Domains would become available again. And if that happened, they could finally fight her head-on with everything they had.
Goodbye Halo desperately hoped reality would match her theory. Otherwise, she had finally grasped the power of a Domain only to be denied the chance to use it. That would be too cruel.
If that happened, she really would cry. She truly would.1GaL2
She did not know what Latifah, running half a length away, was thinking. Nor did she know whether Latifah had mastered a Domain of her own. But she believed this much: if Latifah had chosen to run in the Belmont Stakes and challenge Xingyun Liuge, who was practically unbeatable over middle-distance dirt, then she had to be a horse girl with ambitions and dreams of her own. There was no way she would give up so easily.
If that was true, then the four horse girls ahead of Xingyun Liuge were effectively on the same side.
Maybe something extraordinary would happen?
Well… not really.
Latifah certainly wanted to race Xingyun Liuge seriously, but she was a Dubai horse girl. She simply did not click with the American girls.
Seeing Winning Colors and Goodbye Halo adopt a side-by-side formation, Latifah merely tucked in behind them in silence. If she had spoken up, the three of them could have locked into a three-wide blockade, making it even harder for Xingyun Liuge to get through.
Though, even then, it would only have delayed her a little longer.1GaL2
After all, Belmont's course was famously wide. If Xingyun Liuge wanted, she could simply swing all the way out and go around them. Not to mention, she could still use her Domain.
"Another burst in mid-race! Xingyun Liuge no longer presses Brian's Time — she's now gunning straight for the leader, Risen Star! In one surge she blows past three runners, and not even their side-by-side formation can slow her down in the slightest! What terrifying leg power! She's now only five lengths behind Risen Star — can Risen Star hold onto her lead?"
Even though countless people had pinned their hopes on Risen Star, they knew it was little more than wishful thinking. Xingyun Liuge had already defeated Risen Star at full strength — and by a crushing margin at that. The Belmont was still a middle-distance race. It was very hard to imagine Xingyun Liuge losing here.
Xingyun Liuge was acutely sensitive to the mood of the crowd, and she noticed that quite a few spectators had already decided the rest of the race was basically garbage time.
That would not do.
That would make things boring.
So Xingyun Liuge casually snapped her fingers. "Time's about to start flowing again~"1GaL2
At that instant, the horse girls behind her suddenly felt their hands and feet loosen up. Their bodies no longer felt so heavy. Most importantly, they could once again sense the presence of their own Domains.
They could use them again.
Winning Colors did not hesitate for even a second. Azure flames exploded across her body, greatly amplifying her speed and allowing her to latch onto Xingyun Liuge's tail.1GaL2
Strictly speaking, they had not even entered the final stretch yet. Going all-out now meant there was a very real chance she would burn herself out in the last two hundred meters and lose her shot at the championship.
But Winning Colors knew exactly what Xingyun Liuge was doing.
Xingyun Liuge wanted them to use everything they had. She wanted the race to become even more spectacular. That was why she had released them from their shackles.
Otherwise, she could have simply blasted her way to the front and basked in the crowd's cheers. Why would she deliberately unseal them at a moment like this?
Was it because she could no longer suppress them?
No. No matter how she thought about it, that was impossible. Xingyun Liuge was barely even breathing hard. She was still holding plenty in reserve.1GaL2
Just thinking about that possibility filled Winning Colors with a sense of helplessness, but even so—
"A horse girl runs for possibility, even if that possibility is only one in ten thousand!"
At that moment, the azure phoenix spread its wings and soared.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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