But that was wrong. Completely wrong.
That was the proof that Secretariat had refined her Domain to its absolute pinnacle. Risen Star was Secretariat's junior, and her Domain happened to be similar, which was why she had a chance of reproducing that miracle. Yet even Risen Star, still not in her senior year, with too little racing experience and too coarse a control over her Domain, could not fully recreate that strike.
So what about Xingyun Liuge?
Her original Domains should have been wind and lightning, then something else after that… in any case, definitely not Star.1GaL2
True, the cosmic realm she used was extremely close to Star—perhaps even a special Domain that surpassed it. But hadn't she already displayed her own ultimate technique before? That overwhelming torrent of light, that force like a flood intent on swallowing everything whole—that should have been the peak of Xingyun Liuge's power.
So how could she possibly use this move too?
What kind of monster could unleash two ultimate Domain techniques in the same race?!1GaL2
Ordinary people could not see the Domain clash itself, nor sense its splendor—or its danger—so the announcer kept roaring the two girls' names, eagerly awaiting a miracle.
He was even thinking:
Was there perhaps a chance… that the two of them might finish as co-champions?
It was rare, but not unheard of. It was entirely possible.1GaL2
And if Xingyun Liuge and Risen Star tied for first, then Xingyun Liuge would still become the first Japanese horse girl to claim the American Triple Crown, while Risen Star would have preserved her family's honor at the final moment.
For both sides, that would be wonderful.
A perfect win-win.
The announcer swallowed hard and took a breath. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced his sudden inspiration was the ideal outcome. He even began to feel pleased with himself, secretly hoping that this was the ending the gods had prepared.1GaL2
What he did not know was that, as she watched the second star descend, Secretariat had closed her eyes and released her grip on the railing.
"Cough!"
Feeling the pressure descending from directly above, Risen Star nearly coughed up blood. She did not look up, but she had already experienced the terror of Starstring Descends, so she could easily imagine what Xingyun Liuge's Starfall looked like.1GaL2
That deep black cosmic realm must have trembled violently, then shattered layer by layer like space itself being crushed by some immense force.
And from behind that broken cosmos came a star dragging a brilliant tail of light as it fell.
It would reveal its supreme might to the world, sweeping the entire racecourse with the strongest possible shockwave and crushing every single opponent cleanly and decisively.
At that moment, Risen Star wanted to cry.
No—before the thought had even fully formed, salty tears had already sprayed from the corners of her eyes.1GaL2
She understood her defeat with painful clarity.
Xingyun Liuge had already gone through several brutal clashes and even used one ultimate technique. Her condition should have been far from perfect.
Meanwhile, Risen Star herself was still in comparatively good shape. She had already taken an enormous advantage.
And even then, she had used the ultimate technique Secretariat had taught her…
Yet Xingyun Liuge had managed to perform the same move without ever being taught by Secretariat, and with a degree of completion far beyond her own.
How could she still have the nerve to call herself Secretariat's junior?1GaL2
The girl's heart collapsed on the spot.
Her soaring battle spirit crumbled almost instantly, leaving not even the faintest possibility of recovery.
Seeing this, the smile on Xingyun Liuge's face only grew brighter.
Though perhaps it was not the nicest thing to admit, she truly wanted to say:
*Yes. This is it. This is exactly what I wanted to see!!!*1GaL2
Cry.
Cry in that depthless, despairing sense of frustration.
Under Xingyun Liuge's delighted gaze, the radiant star fell soundlessly, carrying the momentum to transform the earth itself into a gorgeous, lethal aurora hell.
Yes—this strike made no sound at all. Not even the slightest ripple of force.1GaL2
Because the core of Ultimate Grimoire: Celestial Cascade was not explosion, nor the shockwave of a meteor smashing into the ground.
Its essence was ultimate—
beauty.
The instant the star touched down, the dirt track did not deform in the slightest. There was no crater, no blast. It was as silent as a droplet sinking into the sea, as if nothing at all had happened.
It was completely different from Secretariat's Starfall, enough to make even Secretariat's eyes widen.1GaL2
One thought flashed through her mind:
Had it failed?
But that was impossible. The sheer presence of the attack could not be faked. Xingyun Liuge had absolutely succeeded.
So why had it turned out like this?
Secretariat could not understand.
And yet—was there truly no shockwave?1GaL2
In truth, there was.
It was the ripple of a drop falling into water: harmless, subtle, almost impossible to notice.
But when that ripple reached Secretariat's position, she finally understood the severity of the situation.
She could no longer feel the power within her body. It was as though everything she had was being dissolved into those harmless ripples, turned into tiny streams, then drawn toward Xingyun Liuge as she ran proudly onward.1GaL2
The horse girls could all sense it clearly.
That harmlessness was only the deceptive surface.
Beneath it raged an undercurrent of terrifying force.
The change at the point of impact arrived a beat late.
But it was not a blasted crater of scorched earth.
Instead, what rose there was a crystalline tree—translucent, glittering with starlight.
No… not a tree.
A forest.1GaL2
Those crystal trees erupted from the earth with a speed that defied all laws of growth, becoming colossal giants that blotted out the sky almost instantly.
Branches spread, leaves formed, buds swelled—and then bloomed soundlessly.
Liquid starlight flowed through the flowers, refracting iridescent, dreamlike colors so mesmerizing that one could not help but want to reach out and pluck one, as though compelled by the thought:
When flowers are meant to be picked, pick them.1GaL2
In fact, even Secretariat, still some distance from that dazzling crystal grove, found her eyes drawn to it. Her hand lifted before she realized it.
But almost immediately, she snapped out of that entranced state and broke into a cold sweat.
Because that beautiful crystal forest, so dreamlike and so fragile in appearance, was anything but harmless.1GaL2
If Xingyun Liuge's ultimate technique had truly been harmless, then Risen Star's later Starfall should have smashed it to pieces.
But it had not.
On the contrary, those towering crystal branches had caught the descending star and absorbed its power, dissolving it quietly into nothingness.
Secretariat's mind leapt to the answer:
Steal its power… and make it her own?
Those crystal branches gleamed with gorgeous light, but if one truly sensed what lay within them, one would find a monstrous force hidden there.
If it erupted all at once, forget the racecourse—New York itself might be flattened.1GaL2
Of course, Domains did not literally possess such power.
But then again, who could ever really say what a Domain was capable of?
At that moment, Secretariat's only fear was that Xingyun Liuge might fail to control this force and cause a disaster.
And it was precisely then that Secretariat felt a gaze on her.
She followed the sensation and found Xingyun Liuge smiling directly at her.
Then the crystal forest burst into a soul-shaking brilliance, as though it meant to turn the entire world pure white.1GaL2
The force of it nearly knocked Secretariat off her feet.
And in that instant, she understood:
This technique had been under control from beginning to end.
She did not know how long passed before her sight and hearing slowly returned.
"Xing… yun… champion…"
"Absolute… cheer for her!"1GaL2
And within that light, bright enough to shake the whole world, the Belmont Stakes came to an end.
The announcer let out a near-hysterical roar:
"Xingyun Liuge! Xingyun Liuge takes the Belmont Stakes with absolute authority, tying Secretariat's record! With overwhelming strength, she has proven who truly reigns supreme this year as the queen of middle-distance dirt racing! Cheer! Let us cheer for this horse girl who crossed the ocean to come here!"1GaL2
Secretariat blinked, still not fully recovered from the earth-shaking impact she had just witnessed.
A moment later, she realized something far more urgent:
Risen Star.
Risen Star would need treatment immediately.
The other Triple Crown winners did not know what had happened to Risen Star. They assumed Secretariat was simply hurrying off to comfort her junior. As they turned to the big screen to check the final result, they all fell silent.1GaL2
Because emblazoned there in plain sight was the margin of victory:
Thirty-one lengths.
There could be no doubt.
A new monarch of the middle-distance dirt track had been born.1GaL2
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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