As the [Autumn Tenno Sho] approached its conclusions, three umamusume were leading the race.
Inari One, Tamamo Cross, Obey Your Master—none of them had slowed down even a fraction ever since they activated their Domains. Their timely activation had not only given them the speed to surge past the rest of the pack, but it'd also served to defend themselves against the sudden pressure that weighed down on the entire Tokyo Racecourse.
Right now, Inari was in the lead, with Tamamo and Obey just behind her. But that could change at any moment. Their Domains were beginning to fizzle away. The amount of energy one needed to sustain a Domain was unimaginable, and not even Inari's monstrous Guts could help to maintain the dwindling storm of foxfire swirling around her.
And not far from them, Belno Light and Dicta Striker were swiftly approaching, their Domains far more intact in comparison due to their later activation. There was no doubt that the two would soon catch up with the three umamusume in the lead.
Without a doubt, this race would end in a dead heat!
"They've entered the final straight!"
"Inari One is leading-, no it's Obey Your-, Tamamo Cross is-!"
Dicta grit her teeth as she ran forward with all her might, blue sparks exploding behind her with every step she took. The power of her {Railgun} continued to propel her forward, and she grit her teeth as the distance between her and those three in the front continued to shrink.
But she felt no consolation. Not just because her speed had been gutted after she recklessly slammed into Belno's phalanx, but also because she knew that damned phalanx was stillbehind her. If her concentration faltered for even a moment, Belno would catch up, those spears would strike her a second time, and she was as good as dead!
"We're about to reach the final slope!"
"We're in the homestretch!"
Obey Your Master took a shaky breath as she barely took the lead from Tamamo Cross just before the final slope of this race.
A vertical rise of 2.1 meters over the span of nearly 300 meters; it wasn't the worst slope she'd come across, and even though her Domain was on the verge of snapping apart, she still had more than enough strength to plow towards the finish line.
But as she took her step up in the incline, a deep chill ran up her spine.
Something was wrong.
"Huh, is that-?"
It wasn't just her.
Inari and Tamamo felt the same as they began climbing the slope. Something was deeply wrong, even if they couldn't quite grasp what it was. They'd all trained for this—this slope was nothing new. They knew full well that this slope would be their final challenge before their charge towards the end.
Yet something was off. Something was different.
Had this slope always looked this tall?
"W-What is that!?"
Dicta and Belno soon reached the slope, and they too felt it. "The fuck?" Dicta whispered, her brows furrowed as she began climbing up the slope. There was something deeply wrong. Her legs felt like they were tearing apart trying to climb up this incline!
Belno was similarly confused, but she narrowed her eyes as she felt a distinct pull weighing her. It was an unnatural force, one that gravity alone shouldn't be capable of doing on a slope with this incline.
And then everyone felt it.
Another presence descended onto them all. The grass beneath them was pressed flat. The railings around the track shuddered, softly screeching as if the metal they'd been forged from was being pressed down. And that pull Belno previously felt suddenly turned into a Tether that pulled them all down.
Inari's foxfire finally fizzled away. Obey's nebula shattered into scattering stardust. The lightning that made up Tamamo's Susanoo crumbled. The acceleration of Dicta's {Railgun} ended. The ghostly battalion defending fell apart.
And in that sudden gap, a new pressure overtook them all.
A Demon makes herself known.
"I-IT'S SUPER CREEK!"
Belno's eyes went wide as Super Creek suddenly charged past her. Her expression was etched with ice, and a dark haze surrounded her as she began climbing up the slope. Grand rings of light seemed to pulse from beneath her with every step she took, causing the ground below to churn.
And then–
"I'm sorry."
"I promised her that I'd win this time."
That weight multiplied. An overwhelming gravity overtook them all. The Turf was flattened. The ground outright caved into itself. The 2.1 meters seemed to stretch impossibly into the distance, turning into an impossible wall that no mere mortal could climb.
And in the midst of it all, the kind smile Creek had looked almost demonic.
Domain Awakening—
{Graviton Well}!
Belno Light, Dicta Striker, Inari One, Tamamo Cross, Obey Your Master—she passed them all one by one. While they were all struggling against the gravity that pulled them down, Creek ran up the slope with ease. To others, it almost looked like she was outright flying across the track.
Terror, amazement—those two emotions mingled in the crowd as Creek passed these legendary umamusume one by one. Somehow, she'd secretly climbed her way to the final straight, and in everyone's moment of weakness, she unleashed a Domain that completely stripped them of any strength they had left.
But it was Obey that felt this most keenly. Not because of Creek's outrages Domain, but because of the way Creek was running. As she ran past her and took the lead, Obey could've sworn that it was Blossom Star instead that'd passed her. The way they ran was just too similar.
At least, that was what she thought at first. But as she saw Creek conquer the slope and began her charge towards the finish line, a more outrageous answer came into her mind.
It wasn't Star that Creek was mimicking.
It was Secretariat.
The heavy gait, those bestial gallops, the wide arm swings—it was the same exaggerated movements that matched the titan that was the Big Red, slightly altered the better fit Creek's shorter frame.
A defeated smile came onto her lips as she watched Creek's back disappear.
She was the one who'd been called America's Assassin, and yet Creek had outperformed her.
She laughed softly.「It's my loss, this time around.」
Of course, that didn't mean she was going to back down. She took a deep breath, and though she had barely anything left in her, she grit her teeth as she powered through the last few meters of the slope. And once she did, she roared as she leaned forward and lunged.
Everyone else wasn't far behind.
Belno had taken 3rd place; her defensive Domain allowed her to resist Creek's Domain better than most, and she was right behind Obey Your Master as she cleared the slope and began her final run towards the finish line.
Inari One wasn't far behind her either. Her foxfire had been completely extinguished, but her monstrous Guts still allowed her to pull through, and she snarled as she ran ahead of Dicta Striker and Tamamo Cross—the two who'd been most affected by Creek's sudden Domain.
Alas, it was too late.
"S-Super Creek…"
"Super Creek crosses the finish line!"
Silence followed for a few seconds, before half a million people erupted in cheers over the incredible competition they'd just witnessed. It was a race unlike anything they'd ever witnessed. And more than that, many were awed by Super Creek's victory, especially since the dark haze that surrounded her had yet to cease, giving her a demonic visage that completely contrasted her usual image.
But Creek didn't give the audience any mind. Instead, she turned her gaze up to the audience. There was only one person she had eyes for—one person she'd promised to pay back after everything they'd done for her.
Super Creek smiled brightly.
And up in the stands, Fumino Nase smiled back as tears fell from her eyes.
.
.
.
AN: Fun fact, but this race's outcome was completely random. I used a wheel of names to see who'd come out on top, and in a surprise twist, it was Super Creek who stood as the victor. Which was insane, considering Creek barely survived the last round of eliminations, and she also barely won against Belno Light in the final round.