"And they're off!"
Sixteen umamusume ran forward the moment the gate slammed open. Chunks of dirt were flung into the air as ironed cleats slammed into the ground, deforming the dirt and flattening the well-kept turf. Immediately, each runner began struggling to reach their desired positions. None of them were juniors anymore—they understood that the outcome of a race would shift tremendously depending on the first few seconds.
After a brief but harsh struggle, the runners eventually formed into a pack. Yaeno Muteki had taken the lead, Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light had settled in the middle of the pack, while Tamamo Cross was at the very end.
And it was only then that everyone noticed something odd.
"Oguri Cap is…3rd!?"
Confusion immediately spread amongst the runners and the audience as they saw Oguri comfortably take 3rd place, settling near the front of the pack. It was completely unlike her usual tactic, where she'd usually end up as an End Closer that made use of her monstrously powerful acceleration.
Not only that, but she didn't seem to be Shadowing anyone either. She wasn't following anyone in particular—in fact, with how dazed she looked, it almost seemed as if she'd taken her position by accident.
"They're approaching the first corner now!"
Belno narrowed her eyes. She immediately began trying to figure out why Oguri had taken such a strange position. It couldn't be accidental; Oguri wasn't one to make mistakes like that, especially so early on in the race. It couldn't be because of Tamamo Cross either, since Oguri had never other End Closers affect her usual style.
It was only when they entered the second corner that a possibility formed in her mind.
"They've entered the-!"
"W-What is-!? Oguri Cap is separating from the pack!?"
"Da' hell's that idiot doin'?" Tamamo muttered as she watched Oguri sway into the outer lanes, causing her position to fall all the way to 5th place. "Did 'merica make 'er brain all woozy?"
…tch.
"Whatev'r." She whispered before her eyes turned harsh. The scent of ozone filled the air as sparks of white lightning began buzzing from the soles of her shoes. "Just gotta win 'dis race."
With a deep breath, she grit her teeth and slammed her foot into the ground. Power surged through her legs as bolts of lightning exploded around her legs.
It was time for the [White Lightning] to make her entrance!
Dirt was flung behind her as she surged forward. The runners at the rear end of the pack quickly began speeding up as well, but none of them could outspeed Tamamo's lightning-fast acceleration. The crowd's excitement burnt anew as Tamamo began blitzing through the pack, quickly nearing the area where Ardan and Belno were settled at.
"We're only halfway through the second straight, but Tamamo Cross begins to advance!"
"Will Mejiro Ardan and Belno Light make their advance as well!?"
Belno grit her teeth. "So that's it…!" She bit out as she glared at Oguri, who was still running in the outer lanes, far away from the pack. Her ears twitched as she heard Tamamo's powerful steps, and for the first time, she felt a deep frustration regarding her friend's hidden genius.
Belno's frustration didn't go unnoticed by Ardan, who was practically running to her left. But she didn't let ponder over it for too long, instead taking a deep breath as she dipped to the left before she began accelerating as well. Belno's eyes widened as she saw Ardan suddenly pass her, all while Ardan returned a small smile. "I'll be going, Belno-san!"
The raging storm in her chest finally burst out, and the sunlight almost seemed to warp around her, seeming to twist into a sort of [Monkstraumen].
"We're nearing the third straight! Yaeno Muteki remains in the lead, but Mejiro Ardan is quickly approaching!"
"But can both of them outrun the White Lightning's advance!?"
No, no, no. What the hell was this? What the hell was going on!?
"What're ya' doin', ya' numbskull!?" Tamamo roared from across the track, her rage boiling as she quickly approached Oguri's position. Not a terribly difficult thing to do, considering Oguri's running had been strangely lax throughout the race, causing her to fall all the way to 9th place. Running in the outer lanes, purposely slowing herself—it was all sorts of weird!
Oguri's ears perked up when she heard Tamamo's words, and as if she wasn't running in a G1 race, she casually turned and waved at Tamamo. "Ah, Tama-chan."
"What Tama-chan, ya' idiot!?" She shouted back, barely able to suppress her Domain from activating due to sheer anger. "Focus on da' race ya'-!"
"I know."
Suddenly, a chilling pressure exploded across the track. No one was safe, whether it be Muteki who was leading or the umamusume who ran in the rear of the pack. And most of all not Tamamo Cross, who was the closest to the source.
Her shadow stretched. Dark mist coiled around her legs. And her eyes burnt blue as she exploded forward, accelerating with such power that her cleats tore a few inches into the turf, sending so much dirt behind her that it would've seriously injured anyone who'd been running behind her. Such was the strength of her [Triumphant Storm].
"O-Oguri Cap begins accelerating! She isn't willing to let Tamamo Cross escape!"
And suddenly, it made sense to everyone watching why Oguri had separated herself so far from the rest of the pack. Had she attempted to do the same from the inner lanes, she would've no doubt caused a national outcry by injuring half a dozen umamusume.
But it wasn't just that.
Belno smiled grimly as both Oguri and Tamamo ran past her. All four runners she'd kept a careful eye on were now in front of her, and she could've easily used her own Domain to begin wrecking havoc across the track.
Except it wasn't that easy. The most obvious step was to use her Divine Spear, but doing so would leave Oguri completely untouched. On the other hand, using other forms that had a wider reach would include nearly everyone in the track, but doing so would greatly dampen the effect of her Partial Domain.
…
No. There was no more time to waste!
Her foot stomped into the ground, and the world flashed pastel blacks and whites as a strange mystical force spread across the track. Her hands instinctively reached out, and a swirling mass of white and black coalesced around her hand, its form shifting into something resembling a spear.
She took a deep breath, and with eyes burning like amber, she hurled the spear forward just as the pack entered the third corner.
Partial Domain Awakening—
{Spear of the Divine General}!
The spear was relentless, easily piercing through most of the runners in front of her. An invisible weight pressed into them, and their legs suddenly felt sluggish, causing those hit by the spear to slow down. Furthermore, since they were just about to enter a curve, many of them slowed down even further to avoid injuring themselves. Only Ardan and Muteki, both having readied themselves, were able to slow down the least.
Tamamo Cross was the only one not affected. The moment the spear approached, instincts took over, and she roared as she reached into her own Domain. Lightning burst forth from her chest, and the scent of ozone became overwhelming as {Susanoo} formed around her, descending from the heavens to shield her from the effect of Belno's Divine Spear.
As she was the only one unaffected, her acceleration only climbed with the activation of her Domain, allowing her to easily surpass Muteki and Ardan to take the lead.
Or at least that was what should've happened.
Instead-
"Oguri Cap is-!?"
Tamamo Cross watched with utter shock as Oguri accelerated even further, surpassing her speed despite tapping into her Domain. And to make it even worse, she was still running in the outer lanes, meaning she had to cover more distance compared to everyone else.
And she still passed her…!
"Oguri Cap is in the lead! Tamamo Cross is still accelerating, but Oguri Cap isn't giving an inch!"
Several lengths behind the two, Muteki grit her teeth as she gazed forward—at the towering god of lightning and the swirling shadows it was trying to catch. Her heart pumped in her chest, and a powerful urge to run welled in her as she became a [Stargazer] at the two leading runners.
But before she could even begin accelerating, a powerful stomp shook the earth behind her, and her legs suddenly felt heavy as exhaustion suddenly pulled her down. And before she could do anything, Belno Light surged past her, having performed her [Final Gambit] to wear her down even further.
Muteki wasn't the only one. Ardan, who'd been just behind her, also felt whatever stamina she had suddenly vanished, and she rasped weakly as Belno ran past the two of them. The whirlpool surging around her suddenly turned thin, and before long it shattered completely, causing her to slow down.
"Belno Light accelerates again! She's now in 3rd place! Can she catch up to Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap!?"
"COM' OVER 'ERE…!" Tamamo shouted, desperately trying to speed up as much as she could. Yet no matter what she tried, Oguri remained just a step in front of her, her lead continuing to grow as they entered the last 400 meters of the track. "I AIN'T LOSIN' TO YA' THIS-!"
"Here she comes." Oguri whispered, almost to herself. But Tamamo easily caught her words, and a chill crept up her spine as she felt a familiar pressure surge across her.
Partial Domain Awakening—
Her pupils shrunk. "Again-!?"
{Anchor of the Divine General}!
A black blur suddenly sped just past the edge of her sight, and before she could see what it was, she felt something heavy snag into her Domain. She grit her teeth as she saw it—a giant anchor-shaped thing had attached itself into the side of Domain, and somehow it was slowing her down!
And before she could stop it-
"B-Belno Light has passed Tamamo Cross! She's now 2nd!"
The crowd roared with excitement as Belno surged past Tamamo, her face pale and one eye shut as she forced herself to keep running. She felt like she was seconds from collapsing—using her Partial Domain twice was nothing new to her, but her stamina just wasn't adequate enough to do it consistently.
But she had no more options left. Her [Final Gambit] had been used to recover just enough of her stamina to use her Domain again, and now she'd managed to pass Tamamo.
The only thing left to do was run!
"200 meters left! Belno Light is gunning for the lead!"
Tamamo grit her teeth as she watched Oguri and Belno run ahead. Her legs felt incredibly heavy, as if there were iron balls strapped to her ankles. She clenched her fists in frustration, her nails digging into her skin hard enough to draw blood.
On one hand, she was somewhat amused. From the way that anchor had perfectly caught onto the ridge of her Susanoo, she had a suspicion that Belno had crafted the anchor solely to slow her down. Which was almost flattering in a weird way—showed that Belno considered her such a threat that she'd shape her Domain solely to target her.
On the other hand-
"I AIN'T GOIN' DOWN THAT EASY!!!"
A storm of white lightning burst around her. For most of the runners behind them, it basically looked as if a pillar of light had suddenly shot up to the sky, cackling with enough power to rival the light of the sun. The humans in the audience naturally couldn't see what was happening, but even they could feel the sudden electricity that seemed to linger in the air.
Beneath such overwhelming power, Belno's Divine Anchor only managed to last a few seconds before it shattered. And now freed, and still carried by the high induced by her anger, she lunged forward to try and catch up.
"100 meters left! Tamamo Cross begins accelerating again! Can she catch up to Belno Light!?"
Tamamo roared as she ran forward with all her might. The god of lightning surrounding her was beginning to dissipate. But it didn't break apart immediately, its form sustained by Tamamo's sheer will alone.
Belno Light was gasping as she ran forward. She didn't know where Oguri and Tamamo were, whether she'd been passed, or how close the finish line even was. All she could think of was to run, and so she did just that.
And all the while, Oguri ran forward, her rhythm steady despite everything that'd happened around her. She didn't seem bothered in the slightest as she continued running in the outer lanes to avoid hitting anyone behind her with chunks of dirt.
So, inevitably-
"Oguri Cap crosses the finish line first! Her undefeated streak continues!"
Oguri slowed down as the audience erupted into cheers. She smiled slightly as she saw all the people cheering for her, before she turned to the now-lit scoreboard. And there she was in 1st place—securely 4 lengths in front of Tamamo Cross, who'd barely passed Belno by a Neck.
Her ears twitched as she heard a dull thud, and she turned to see Tamamo and Belno on the ground, having collapsed in exhaustion. Tamamo was breathing heavily, thin lines of blood dripping from her still clenched fists. Belno's face was sickly pale, her eyes unfocused as she sank into the turf.
Oguri frowned in concern. "Belno? Tama-chan? Are you two okay?"
Tamamo turned to her, eyes twitching. "Da' hell? Y'er…not even…?" She said slowly, before her head collapsed back onto the turf. "Ah, dam'it. Doesn't e'vn matter, huh?" Oguri tilted her head in confusion, but Tamamo only grimaced as she covered her eyes with her arm.
Oguri was about to walk forward to ask what was wrong, but Belno quickly pushed herself up and shook her head. Oguri stared for a moment, before she reluctantly stepped back.
Not long after, Muteki crossed the finish line, with Ardan following not long after. They too collapsed onto the ground after they crossed the finish line, their stamina completely exhausted.
And so the [Osaka Hai] comes to an end, with Oguri the sole one standing amongst all the other collapsed runners. The scene ended up becoming somewhat famous for the next few weeks; a perfect illustration of the Grey Monster's incredible endurance compared to even the other members of the Generation of Miracles.
But that was a story for a later date.