"And they're off!"
The gates slammed open, and sixteen umamusume raced forward as the [Champions Cup] officially began. Immediately, they began fighting to stake their claim on their preferred positions, in just seconds after the race began, most of the runners had taken some position in the pack. But there was one clear difference that could be seen even from afar.
"All runners have taken position, with Fleetstreet Dancer taking the lead!"
"But it seems everyone has taken some distance from Belno Light!"
As the [Champions Cup] was only a Mile-length race, Belno Light opted to run as a Pace Chaser, shadowing the two runners in front of her. And considering she was the top favorite to win, it would've been natural for her to be targeted or even deliberately blocked.
But that didn't happen. Instead, with Belno Light firmly in 3rd place, the pack had been split in two. The two Front Runners ran nearly 4 lengths in front of her, having already known that it was Belno's constant pressure that'd caused many of her previous Front-running competitors to lose. Meanwhile, the other runners behind her kept a big distance, wary of the tricks she'd shown during the [Japan Dirt Derby] and the [All Comers].
It wasn't all that surprising, in a sense. Belno had shown that trying to directly compete with her would only invite defeat, and so the other 15 runners chose a different strategy this time.
When they saw Belno refusing to accelerate or change her position, they believed they'd found a way to circumvent some of the Tactician's deadly tactics. Some even dared to feel somewhat smug about it.
If only.
"We're entering the second corner!"
In truth, Belno wasn't thinking about the other runners at all. She'd already considered this scenario beforehand, and seeing it play out as she expected, she decided to place her focus on something else entirely.
She could see it again.
That same monolithic wall; an impassable barrier symbolizing her Limits. It stood before her, judging, mocking. It refused to budge even after months of constant effort, and it promised to remain there to protect her body from crumbling apart.
Normally, she'd feel a sense of loss. Such a divine restriction wasn't something she could break through, especially with her relatively mediocre talent. She wasn't like Oguri who could simply break through obstacles with her monstrous strength, or like Star whose growth was slow but seemingly endless.
That did not happen this time.
"We've reached the second straight!"
"Belno Light remains in 3rd place!"
Up in front, Fleestreet Dancer remained in 1st place. From the start, she'd worried that Belno would suddenly accelerate and pressure her, which was why she'd made sure to put far more distance than she normally would. It'd burnt through her stamina, but she felt that it was a good trade-off to ensure the Tactician wouldn't disrupt her pace.
But now, midway through the second straight, she still didn't feel the prickling pressure that had caused other Front Runners to fall against Belno Light. That should've brought her some relief, but the only thing it did was feed her growing discomfort.
So, despite knowing how risky this was, she dared to take a look back.
And she saw a sight so shocking that it caused her to trip, causing her to slip into 2nd place.
"Eagle Cafe has taken the lead! Did the slight uphill cause Fleetstreet Dancer to trip?"
"But Fleetstreet Dancer isn't ready to give up just yet!"
No, it wasn't that. It wasn't that at all…!
An instinctive fear she hadn't felt since her Junior Year crept up her spine, and she had to grit her teeth to restrain the urge to race forward with all her might. Her instincts were begging her to run away—that she had to leave before the inevitable sting of defeat would catch her.
Because in that single momentary lapse, she had seen it.
Belno Light was smiling.
"We're almost at the third corner! Many umamusume are beginning to accelerate!"
She was so close.
Belno smiled. Smiled widely even. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from how wide her smile was, and her eyes burnt like flowing magma. Her hair was sticky and damp with sweat, but she barely registered the uncomfortable feeling.
Because all she could feel right now was euphoria. A deep well of happiness that pulsed throughout her body, filling every orifice with an inescapable feeling of jittery excitement.
The monolithic representation of Limit—the thing that had spurned her self-loathing for many sleepless nights.
Now, the only thing it inspired within her was the reckless feeling of retribution.
Because, even in this state, she recognized what this was. She'd gone and asked Tamamo-senpai about her experience awakening her Domain just a few days ago, and she could only distill her experience into one word: Euphoria. Unending euphoria, as if at that moment during the [Japan Cup], she could race against even the Three Goddesses and win.
And now, Belno felt that same feeling.
"We've entered the third corner! All runners except Belno Light have accelerated!"
"She's fallen to 9th place! Is she reserving it for the final straight!?"
It wasn't the same, of course. Despite this feeling, the wall remained in place. It did not shake or tremble, as if on the verge of being torn apart. She just didn't have the strength to plow right through it like Tamamo-senpai did.
Instead, after several days of secretly training, she'd finally found that epiphany that'd evaded her for so long.
The monolith wasn't something she could break with her strength. That was an undeniable fact. She didn't have the qualifications to do so, and even if she did, she'd probably injure herself. She was no different to a prisoner placed in a cell built from concrete.
But just like that prisoner, it did not mean there was no means of escape!
"Belno Light has fallen to 13th place! Is she not going to-!?"
Human hands alone could not break through a wall of stone. But that was fine.
Just like a prisoner planning his escape, she too had unknowingly been preparing for this very moment. Just like a prisoner chipping into the wall day in and out, she too had slammed into the walls of her Limit from the first instance she caught sight of it during the [All Comers], cutting into the same exact spot over and over and over.
If she could not break the wall, then she could at least create its first hole!
"We've entered the fourth corner, and Belno Light finally begins accelerating-!"
"Huh? What do you-? Wait, you mean she's-!?""
The announcer's abrupt silence caused confusion amongst the audience. What could have been so surprising that the announcer went silent entirely?
But this confusion was not shared by the umamusume in the audience. Because they could see it. Just as Belno began accelerating, they saw something terrifying familiar. A wave of mystical energy that signalled the arrival of a state only accessible to those who stood at the peak of umamusume racing.
The other 15 runners down at the track felt this even more keenly. Something otherworld had appeared upon the track, blanketing the world like a thread of cosmic energy. The world around them seemed to lose color, and all sounds quieted, as if the world itself was bracing for impact.
"I-I can't believe it! According to my partner here, something incredible is happening!"
Having fallen to 13th place, only the three umamusume who ran behind Belno would directly witness the scene that would be etched into their memories for years to come.
With every step Belno took, the turf beneath her seemed to flash, momentarily turning into a flat world of black and white squares. The air that blew around her gained color, turning into a swirling storm of black and whites, and from behind, it almost seemed to mimic the spinning wheel of yin and yang.
Belno's eyes burnt like magma, and its glow was so strong against the monochrome world that it glowed like a pair of suns. She took a labored breath, her heart filled with both agony and euphoria, and pulled by whispers she couldn't decipher, she brought her hand backward.
And instinctively, she reached into the epicenter of the swirling mass of blacks and white, and gripped.
"Anyone who has witnessed the [Japan Cup] will surely understand what's happening right now!"
A metallic screeching sounded all across the track, and the swirling mass gathered together, compressing into the shape of a spear. The spear itself was massive, easily towering over Belno's height, but she somehow held the thing with no issue even as she ran forth.
Her vision swam slightly as she felt her stamina burning away, but she grit her teeth as she hefted the spear over her shoulder. The glow of her eyes strengthened even further, and with a powerful scream, she threw the spear forward.
Partial Domain Awakening—
{Spear of the Divine General}!
It was so fast that barely anyone could react. The spear soared forward, carrying with it a sharp wall of swirling energy. The runners in front of her, having formed a large group as they prepared to enter the final straight, were right in the spear's path.
Inevitably, the spear pierced through them all, and while it hadn't actually injured them, the blast of pressure that pushed against them was so powerful that it caused every single one of them to slow down, their bodies suddenly feeling incredibly heavy. Even though many of them were umamusume in their Senior years, nothing could've prepared them for the intense weakness that spear caused.
And now, with the runners in front of her weakened and their tightly-knit pack breaking apart, Belno grit her teeth as she accelerated forward.
"Belno Light is accelerating! I can't see what happened, but every runner in front of Belno Light has slowed down!"
"10th-, 6th-, no, she's taken 2nd place! Will she overtake Fleetstreet Dancer as well!?"
Dancer grit her teeth as she ran forward with all she had. Her legs still felt heavy due to that spear that had pierced through her, but thankfully, she'd been somewhat prepared. When she saw that manic expression on Belno's face, she'd been subtly preparing herself for something to happen. And while nothing could've truly prepared her for a Classic runner to awaken her Domain, her caution at least allowed her to recover faster than the others.
Now, all that was left was the final sprint to the end!
"200 meters left! Can Fleetstreet Dancer maintain her lead, or will Belno Light overtake her!"
Dancer screamed as she ran. Her whole body was burning from exhaustion, but she refused to slow down! She wouldn't let Belno Light overtake her! She couldn't let herself lose to a junior again! She couldn't-!
But then she heard Belno stomp into the turf, and she gasped as whatever little stamina she had left suddenly left her. Her vision swam, and she could only watch in disbelief as Belno raced past her with just 50 meters left in the race.
And so,
"Belno Light crosses the finish line first!"