Rifaru couldn't help but feel stirred, and she involuntarily compared them, sighing inwardly.
While she struggled amid tension and panic, Kitasan Black displayed the composed bearing of a true commander.
They were both Horse Girls in their Classic Year, yet Kitasan Black... had already become this formidable?
Feeling the extraordinary calm of the peer beside her, who was also her opponent, Rifaru was both astonished and deeply impressed, unable to stop a sense of admiration from rising within her.
She realized that no matter what others said, no matter how the race had been analyzed beforehand, no matter what she herself had originally thought—
There truly was... a considerable gap between herself and Kitasan Black.
Yet it was precisely at that moment of realization that a glimmer of fighting spirit appeared in her once-panicked eyes.
Of course... I can't compare to Kita.
But this Arima Kinen... isn't over yet!
I have to keep up with her. I... haven't reached the point of admitting defeat yet!
Naturally, the shifting winds of the race did not escape anyone's notice.
In the stands, the already boiling atmosphere became even more feverish amid the sudden upheaval.
Everyone stood up, their eyes wide as they stared fixedly at the track, afraid of missing even a single thrilling moment.
The commentator's voice had already turned hoarse with excitement, yet he still shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Gold Ship is coming up!
"Like a streak of golden lightning, Gold Ship is sprinting like mad!
"Wherever she goes, the runners are thrown into disarray by the impact! The situation is in chaos!
"She has already charged into the middle of the pack... and is closing in on the frontrunners!
"But!"
The commentator suddenly changed his tone:
"Kitasan Black is still in the lead!