Chapter 154: The Emperor Stabs Twice

One week of training together with an obviously hyped-up Wilm.

At last, the day had arrived.

A mock race between Hoshino Wilm and Symboli Rudolf—likely the most anticipated exhibition in history.

Or perhaps, more simply put: a match between the strongest and the strongest.

Normally, mock races are conducted under the direction of the trainers hosting them.

In this case, since our side had issued the challenge to Rudolf’s camp, it would ordinarily have been my role to oversee everything… but this race had grown a little too large in scale.

After all, despite being scheduled for midday on a weekday, thousands—no, tens of thousands—of fans had flocked to the academy to watch, and the academy had accepted them.

URA’s official announcer was present, along with starting gates and even a proper finish board. The scale was already comparable to an official race.

At that point, it far exceeded what a single trainer could possibly manage.

And so, this time, it became a semi-official project—an event hosted by the URA.

…That said, when things are handled at that level, we trainers end up with a bit of free time on our hands.

Of course, I had already done what needed doing—having my trainee explain her projected race developments, presenting running plans based on that, giving her contingency plans for emergencies, backup contingency plans for those contingencies, and even tertiary contingencies for maximum caution… until Wilm started looking at me like I’d gone overboard.

A trainer’s job is to train their horse girl daily, research rivals, and formulate race plans.

Once that’s done, there’s honestly not much left to do until the race actually begins.

Naturally, there are still things to watch for—any signs of decline in your trainee, the condition of other runners, and so on…

But for me, with “App Reincarnation,” I could assess all of that just by looking at them.

Rather than that, it was more productive to think about races I hadn’t analyzed yet or exchange opinions with other trainers.

So that was how I ended up standing beside Nature’s trainer—a personal friend of mine—watching the horse girls before the start.

"Once again, thanks for letting Nature participate this time. Having a race-maker like her makes things far more complex, so I really wanted her involved."

"From our side, this is a golden opportunity too. Getting real race experience against not just Hoshino Wilm but also the current strongest runner in the Dream Trophy League? Couldn’t ask for more. …Honestly, if someone’s competing in the Twinkle Series, there probably aren’t many who wouldn’t want to run in this mock race, right?"

"There are also girls who’d avoid it so they don’t lose confidence."

"Ah, yeah, that’s true. Nature and Rice aren’t that type, so I was starting to forget."

It’s easy to lump them together as racing horse girls, but their personalities vary wildly.

Some are fired up by overwhelming strength. Others shrink back when faced with too large a gap in ability.

Still, as he said, for many horse girls, this was undeniably a dream race.

We’d set fairly strict conditions—“currently active in the Twinkle Series” and “at least one graded race victory”—yet even so, we’d received more applications than for any race before.

Among them were girls from Wilm’s generation—her close friends and rivals—Tokai Teio and Nice Nature.

"If I’m being greedy, I’d have liked Rice to participate too."

"Don’t be unreasonable. Even including Tokai Teio and Nice Nature could be judged as letting personal feelings interfere. If we added Rice Shower too—someone Wilm is personally close with and still in the Classic class—that would completely cross the line."

Generally speaking, the period after a horse girl reaches full maturity directly correlates with her racing ability.

Rice, still in June of her Classic year, was simply too young for this race.

After all, the opponents this time were Symboli Rudolf and Hoshino Wilm. At minimum, you’d want a Senior-class runner with one year under her belt—ideally two.

In that sense, it would have been even better if seasoned champions like Meek or McQueen had entered…

But unfortunately, neither had applied.

From what Wilm—who had layered multiple Domains—had told me, Meek’s Domain release conditions required knowing her opponent well, so she likely judged that she couldn’t perform at her best in a race featuring Rudolf. More likely, she intended to observe and gather information.

As for McQueen’s camp, considering they’d even skipped races like the Osaka Hai and the Takarazuka Kinen, they were probably prioritizing maintaining peak condition for the Tenno Sho (Autumn).

"Still… the strongest of the dream stage—Symboli Rudolf. Seeing her in person, she really does have an aura."

"No doubt."

Symboli Rudolf was currently talking with Wilm.

I’d seen her many times through a camera—and even spoken with her in person before—but…

Right before a race, the pressure she gave off was completely different.

In a sense, that presence was similar to Wilm’s.

That girl’s atmosphere changed completely between everyday life and race time… honestly, the gap might even be bigger than Rudolf’s. Wilm, who normally acted like such an ordinary girl, would radiate the presence of a rabid beast the moment it came to racing. Horse girls really were something you couldn’t fully understand.

…But putting Wilm aside.

Right now, this was about Rudolf.

"So, Horino-kun, what’s your read? Do you think you can win?"

"…It’ll be a tough fight."

The words slipped out before I realized it, my brows furrowing.

Symboli Rudolf was, without exaggeration, a true powerhouse.

She should have already passed her peak—given her age and the fact that her maturation phase had ended—but her overall stats were only slightly below Wilm’s.

In other words, she still maintained the absolute highest level among active Twinkle Series runners.

Why she was so strong was an interesting story.

Horse girls who transfer to the Dream Trophy League regain the power of their prime.

This phenomenon occurred in nearly all of them.

Some theories said that the harsher races and stronger rivals—beyond even the Twinkle Series—reignited their souls.

Each horse girl regains her peak and competes.

That was precisely why the Dream Trophy League could serve as the ultimate dream stage—where champions from different generations gathered.

…However, what they regained was limited to stats.

In terms of technique, girls who had continued racing on the turf for years were often vastly superior to those in the Twinkle Series.

Rudolf was especially notable in that regard.

Her skill list—visible through “App Reincarnation”—was frankly absurd.

“Armor-Piercing Dominance,” “Gale Burst,” “Hayate Strike,” “Decisive Downhill Charge,” “Raging Wind Flash,” “Sharp-Leg Flash,” “Blazing Spirit,” “Swift Decision,” “Headliner,” “Emperor’s Gaze,” “Internal Visualization,” “Desperate Resolve,” “Grand Perspective,” “Divine Step,” “Arc Maestro,” “Race Planner,” “Unshaken Composure,” “Right-Turn Demon,” “Noble Through Frost and Wind.”

And that was only the gold-tier—top-level—skills.

Including lower-tier ones, the quantity reached levels never seen in the Twinkle Series.

On top of that, her Domain: “Behold, the Divine Might of the Emperor.”

Its level was “9”—the highest I had ever seen.

A realm unreachable within the three-year system of the app in my previous life.

Like Teio—and now Wilm—she had undoubtedly completed Domain Sublimation as well.

And then, as if that weren’t enough, there was one more thing.

Another gold-framed skill possessed by Symboli Rudolf…

“The Arrow That Dispels Shadows and Murmurs.”

At first glance, it looked like just another high-tier skill.

But perhaps my instincts had sharpened through years as a trainer.

This skill gave me an intensely bad feeling.

…Bad enough to make me consider the worst-case scenario.

"For Wilm, most of her past races were ones where she had a strong chance of winning. But this time is different. Not just an equal opponent—this is her first battle against someone clearly above her."

"You’re bold. You’re saying Silence Suzuka and Special Week were equals?"

"At least they were within the same Twinkle Series framework. It wasn’t an absurd gap like this time."

…And to be honest, at the time of the Arima Kinen, the difference between Wilm and Special Week or Silence Suzuka hadn’t been that large.

Their stats and Domains had been superior, yes—but still within a range Wilm could overturn.

The reason Wilm lost that race was simple.

I wasn’t there.

If I’d woken up sooner, I might have won that race together with her…

…But there was no meaning in hypotheticals.

The reality was that Wilm lost to the Suzuka–Spe tag team. That was the only truth.

What I could do wasn’t regret—it was ensuring I never made the same mistake again.

"What about you? From Nice Nature’s camp—do you see any chance of beating Symboli Rudolf?"

"Well… saying this might be betraying my own trainee, but honestly? No chance. It was already extremely difficult once Hoshino Wilm and Tokai Teio were involved. Add the Eternal Emperor on top of that… and it’s basically impossible to overcome with straightforward tactics."

"Yeah. Figures."

There was an unbridgeable gap between the Dream Trophy League and the Twinkle Series.

Nature, in particular, was the type who compensated for lacking raw power with strategy. Her disadvantage in this race was even greater than Wilm’s or Teio’s.

And yet, they still entered her.

Because they believed that this very defeat would carry her higher.

…It was the same conclusion I’d reached myself.

"What matters is what we learn from this race. …Since we have the chance, let’s witness this so-called ‘absolute’ of racing."

"And now… all runners are in the gates. At last, the race is about to begin."

The eighteen horse girls lined up inside the gates, preparations complete.

The distance was 2400 meters, right-handed course.

The weather was clear, the track condition firm—about as perfect a racing surface as one could hope for.

As for gate positions, Hoshino Wilm was in stall 3 of bracket 2, while Symboli Rudolf was… stall 18 of bracket 8.

In simple distance terms, it was extremely favorable for Wilm and unfavorable for Rudolf.

But…

Before the great Emperor herself, what meaning could such a slight difference in distance possibly hold?

“…………”

Standing with her arms folded, quietly awaiting the race, Symboli Rudolf showed not even the faintest shadow of unease.

Her expression declared it plainly: she would run, and she would win. Of course.

"Now then… Twinkle versus Dream Trophy. Just how great is the gap in experience?"

"And… they’re off!! All eighteen burst cleanly from the gates! Who will claim victory in this extraordinary race?! Will it be the old and new undefeated Triple Crown champions—or will a hero arise to topple even them!?"

Among the horse girls charging forward in unison, one stood out as always—Hoshino Wilm.

She seized the lead faster than anyone else and, without losing momentum, began widening the gap on the pack.

Meanwhile, Tokai Teio secured third position off a strong start.

Symboli Rudolf settled into fifth, while Nice Nature took eighth as the race unfolded.

"Symboli Rudolf’s positioned a bit wide. Well, starting from the outermost gate, that’s only natural."

"Tokai Teio’s secured a great spot. Her race sense really is exceptional…"

Most likely, the race wouldn’t change much until the middle stages.

Hoshino Wilm, the runaway frontrunner type, never slowed down even in the final stretch.

To overtake her required tremendous closing speed… or, quite possibly, the use of a Domain.

Which also meant that until then, everyone would conserve energy to avoid unnecessary depletion.

Just as in previous races, most horse girl competitions were decided by race development, finishing kick, and clashes of Domains.

In this race, victory would depend on how well each runner could conserve stamina while maintaining their planned speed and position through the midrace—and whether, in the final phase, they could unleash a finishing burst and Domain that surpassed Wilm’s.

"Entering the first corner, and as expected it’s Hoshino Wilm in front! She’s smoothly taking the curve while steadily pulling away from the pack!

Symboli Rudolf is holding back firmly in fifth, tracking from the outside within the leading group!"

Something came to mind, and I asked the man beside me.

"You’ve seen Symboli Rudolf’s Domain before, haven’t you? Do you remember what it was like?"

"…Hard to say. Back then, I wasn’t really conscious of Domains as a concept. But one thing I’m pretty sure of… in this race, positioning will become meaningless once the final stretch begins."

"Symboli Rudolf’s Domain… lane shifting."

I had heard about it.

Symboli Rudolf possessed two Domains.

One of them—the one tied to her green racing outfit—could forcibly shift opponents into different lanes.

A terrifying effect. If true, it meant she could escape effortlessly even when boxed in with no path forward.

Rather than a Domain meant for winning, it was almost one that prevented losing due to bad luck.

Perhaps that was the form of absolute preservation befitting Symboli Rudolf—the one for whom victory itself was simply expected.

"Down the backstretch, Hoshino Wilm continues her blistering pace! About three lengths behind is Stenz, and another two lengths back is Tokai Teio!

Further behind, Symboli Rudolf runs calmly in fifth, while Nice Nature watches the race unfold from seventh! Who will make their move from here!?"

…Symboli Rudolf’s speed stat was 1109.

An extremely high value even for a horse girl at peak maturity.

But Wilm’s current speed was 1126—still faster.

If both simply ran at full power head-on, Symboli Rudolf shouldn’t be able to catch Hoshino Wilm.

However, races were fluid. Unexpected situations always arose.

The deciding factors would be remaining stamina, the number and mastery of skills, and above all… the difference between their Domains.

"Now into the third corner—this is where it begins!

Tokai Teio is accelerating, aiming for the front! Five lengths to Hoshino Wilm—can her hands reach the stars once more!?

Or will the divine might of the Eternal Emperor bring down even the dragon!?"

…I recalled Symboli Rudolf’s confident expression before the race.

She had to understand the overwhelming level of Hoshino Wilm’s ability.

So why had she looked so composed?

Was she that confident in her Domain?

Certainly, her Domain was level 9—the highest I had ever seen.

No one alive could surpass her precision.

But purely in terms of level, even Happy Meek—whom Wilm had overcome at the Takarazuka Kinen—had reached level 8.

That alone… the precision of a single Domain alone… wasn’t enough to justify such confidence against someone as strong as Hoshino Wilm.

So what was she confident in?

…No.

What was she hiding?

The strongest active runner in the Dream Trophy.

Perhaps even the strongest in history—Symboli Rudolf.

Just what was she…?

"They’re rounding the final corner!!

A tightly packed group clings to Hoshino Wilm’s low, ground-skimming forward lean!! 400 meters remain!!"

Suddenly, watching the situation, a question surfaced.

Why hadn’t Symboli Rudolf broken free from the pack yet?

Based on her stats and skills, the optimal move should have been to surge forward from the third corner.

Her Domain activation condition was “overtake three other horse girls during the final phase.”

In this race, the final phase began around the third corner.

Which meant she should have escaped the pack there, launched a long spurt, and aimed for Wilm earlier.

More fundamentally—

Why hadn’t she used her Domain yet?

If she had, the others should have been forced outward into different lanes.

Since that phenomenon hadn’t occurred, she clearly hadn’t activated it.

Why? Was she waiting to synchronize with others’ Domains?

…No. According to Wilm, interference-type Domains couldn’t affect horse girls who had already activated their own Domains.

In other words, if she deployed it after others opened theirs, the lane-shift effect would be nullified.

Which meant she should have used it at the third corner—before anyone else activated theirs.

Had she failed to meet the conditions?

No. That was unlikely. A battle-hardened veteran like her wouldn’t fail to secure advantageous conditions against comparatively inexperienced Twinkle Series runners.

Then what?

What was Symboli Rudolf… planning?

"Alright—now! Go, Nature!"

From beside me, I heard the cheer urging on his trainee…

Chiri.

It felt like sparks scattered inside my brain.

“…This is bad.”

"Huh?"

Why hadn’t Symboli Rudolf broken free from the pack until now?

There was only one reason a horse girl would display abnormal running in the final phase.

…To fulfill the activation conditions of a Domain.

But not the conditions for her Domain, “Behold, the Divine Might of the Emperor.”

This was probably for that unfamiliar skill… “The Arrow That Dispels Shadows and Murmurs.”

The activation condition for a second Domain… scaled down into a skill.

Thud.

I felt as though I could hear the sound of Symboli Rudolf’s step all the way from here.

The next instant—

“…What?”

“Eh…?”

Hoshino Wilm, Tokai Teio, and Nice Nature—

Their pace suddenly dropped.

Their running lost its sharpness.

Especially the two beside Wilm, who quickly recovered her posture—Teio and Nature were visibly thrown off, their form deteriorating all at once.

To an outside observer, it might have looked like some minor accident had occurred—a subtle but undeniable disruption.

But through my eyes, through “App Reincarnation,” I could tell it was something abnormal.

After all, their condition—something that normally wouldn’t worsen during a race—had dropped from Excellent to Good.

And before I could even process that shock—

An instant later, every horse girl, including Wilm, was blasted outward from the inside rail as if repelled.

Only Symboli Rudolf alone was permitted to stride calmly along the king’s path.

If they’d been pushed aside—if they’d suffered Domain interference—then… Wilm’s Domain hadn’t opened?

No—not just Wilm. Teio and Nature too…

…No.

Judging from the situation, this was—

“Their Domains… were forcibly shut down!?”

“Huh? …What!? What does that even mean!?”

Given what I was seeing, that was the only possible conclusion.

Wilm, Teio, and Nature had opened their Domains, preparing to clash—

But in that instant, Symboli Rudolf had dispersed them.

They should have been running inside worlds perfectly optimized for themselves.

Instead, those worlds were suddenly gone.

It wasn’t strange that their rhythm collapsed and they couldn’t maintain optimal performance.

…So this was Symboli Rudolf’s hidden card.

No wonder she’d looked so composed.

With a single move, she could crush our greatest advantage—and even weaken us on top of that.

“The Eternal Emperor… who brings ‘absolute’ into a race.”

Symboli Rudolf…

She had been hiding an outrageous trump card.

In the end—

The other horse girls, including Tokai Teio and Nice Nature, couldn’t keep up with the fiercely surging Symboli Rudolf.

Even Hoshino Wilm, who somehow managed to recover her condition, found it difficult to contend with the Eternal Emperor without her Domain…

One and a half lengths.

With a large—overwhelmingly large—margin, Symboli Rudolf claimed victory.

---

“Are you alright, Wilm?”

After the race, I ran up to my trainee with a towel and a drink in hand.

Usually by now, the composed mask she wore through the excitement would have slipped.

But today, she looked somewhat dazed, blinking repeatedly as she looked at me.

“Ayumu…”

“What happened? From here, it felt like your Domain suddenly closed…”

“…Well, it’s kind of hard to explain…”

She lowered her gaze slightly, as if organizing her memories, then began speaking.

“Right after I opened my Domain, I felt something behind me—just for a moment—like President Rudolf’s Domain presence.

But something felt off… so I instinctively turned around.

And then I saw it. A single arrow.”

“An arrow?”

Not a literal arrow, of course.

More like a hallucination created by a Domain—the extension of the mental landscape born from their souls.

“It tore straight through my Domain—rip. And instantly everything destabilized. I couldn’t maintain it anymore.

Right after that, President Rudolf deployed her other Domain, and I couldn’t withstand it—I got blown away.

Ayumu… that was… right?”

“The use of a second Domain.”

As if answering Wilm’s words, a voice called out to us.

The winner of the race—her voice filled with the same dignity as before it began.

Approaching us with light, rhythmic footsteps was Symboli Rudolf.

Full of confidence befitting a victor, she addressed us.

“Hehe… Were you surprised, Hoshino Wilm?

Before you head overseas, I wanted you to see this at least once.

The state reached by horse girls who have advanced beyond the Twinkle Series… this second Domain.”

Wilm blinked repeatedly for a few seconds at those words…

Then, as if suddenly snapping awake, she rushed toward Rudolf.

“I knew it! You were using two Domains, right!?

One was a ‘Domain that breaks other Domains’—and the second was self-enhancement plus external interference, right? That’s insane strategy!!

Guuuhhh… I’m so frustrated! I’m frustrated, but honestly this time it’s a total defeat!! It was an amazing race—thank you so much!! Also, please tell me how you use two Domains at the same time!!”

Her emotions bursting out all at once, Wilm bowed, grabbed Rudolf’s sleeve, and pleaded in rapid succession, utterly restless.

Rudolf accepted it with an amused smile, then turned her gaze toward me.

“How to use two Domains simultaneously… I suspect Trainer Horino has already formed a hypothesis, haven’t you?”

“…If a theoretical guess is sufficient.”

I placed a hand on my chin and spoke the hypothesis I had once considered aloud.

"It’s said that Domains have time limits because deploying one requires an extreme degree of concentration.

And in fact, the more powerful the effect a Domain produces, the shorter its deployment time tends to become.

If that’s the case, then instead of increasing a Domain’s effect, what if you pursued efficiency and miniaturization instead…? If you could even reduce the burden on the brain, wouldn’t it be possible to use two Domains at once?

There was a time when I thought that way."

But in the end, that idea was nothing more than a theoretical fantasy.

Rather than shrinking them and lowering their effectiveness just to use two simultaneously, it would be more efficient to refine a single Domain further and master it—that was the conclusion we reached.

Trying to improve efficiency without reducing the effect at all would take far too much time, and in the meantime, there was a real risk that rivals of the same generation would catch up.

So I judged that I simply didn’t have the luxury to pursue something like that…

…And yet, to think Symboli Rudolf had elevated her Domain to that extent.

A Domain refined enough to use another simultaneously while barely losing any effectiveness—in fact, possessing power far beyond the ordinary…

…Level 9, huh.

It seems the highest Domain level I’ve ever seen wasn’t just for show after all.

"…Heh. I didn’t expect you to see through it that far. I suppose I should say ‘as expected.’

The Dream Trophy League… Through my battles against countless seasoned champions, I continued facing my own world, and eventually reached this state.

…Well then, how about it? Do you feel reassured, Hoshino Wilm?"

"Reassured…?"

At Wilm’s blank, puzzled expression, Rudolf smiled gently.

"You still have many techniques left to learn, many Domains left to polish, many races left to conquer, and many opponents left to defeat.

The world of racing Uma Musume is vast, and the sky stretches endlessly deep. Surely, while we continue to run, there will appear girls with overwhelming talent—ones who may even surpass us.

No matter how strong you become, this world will never let you grow bored."

…Ah. So that was what she had wanted to tell her.

Wilm was simply too strong to run the Twinkle Series in the ordinary sense.

Was Rudolf worried that Wilm might mow down her rivals, seize victory after victory—and in the process lose her passion for running, lose her sense of meaning…?

Perhaps because someone around Rudolf had once ended up that way.

Or perhaps Rudolf herself had.

…But.

At those words, Wilm murmured, a little unexpectedly, "Oh…"

And then she let out a small chuckle—somehow childlike.

"…Hehe. Oh, that’s all?

I was never worried about that to begin with. Nature and Teio already taught me that."

Wilm runs with joy because it’s fun to race strong rivals—and to surpass them.

Her passion still shows no sign of drying up; if anything, it only keeps growing stronger.

Honestly, as her trainer, it’s half delight and half screaming panic… but personally, there’s nothing that makes me happier.

Hearing Wilm’s cheerful confession, Rudolf’s eyes widened in surprise…

Then she smiled—gentle, yet tinged with a hint of frustration.

"I see. You were blessed with good friends… and good rivals.

…Ah. That truly is a wonderful thing."