On the track, two utterly different yet equally dazzling lights tore through the air at unprecedented speed.
Kitasan Black's lightning-fast figure was like a streak of black, every push-off carrying the desperate resolve of staking everything on one throw;
Senior T.M. Opera O's pink figure, meanwhile, was like a grand finale, her stride frequency still maintaining that uniquely rhythmic quality.
The two were almost neck and neck, turf flying beneath their feet and forming two parallel green waves.
This sudden, utterly untelegraphed burst of extreme acceleration instantly seized every eye and every voice in the stadium.
The cheers that had once been scattered throughout the stands seemed to be clenched by an invisible hand, then suddenly released for this abrupt, nearly mad clash at the summit.
"Waaaaah!!"
"It's Kitasan Black! And Senior T.M. Opera O!"
"That speed is terrifying!"
"Are those two going to settle it right here?!"
The spectators in the stands erupted completely. Many wildly waved their arms, their voices already hoarse from shouting.
What had originally been nothing more than a training camp practice race instantly possessed tension and excitement no less intense than a G1 Race, all because of the two girls' outburst and the uproar it caused.
At the Commentary Booth, Mejiro McQueen's grip around the microphone tightened slightly, her voice filled with undisguised amazement:
"Unbelievable! Kitasan Black actually chose to accelerate only after exiting the turn—and it's such an aggressive acceleration!
"By doing this, she has practically abandoned the long-distance pace control she excels at, choosing instead to compete with T.M. Opera O in short-distance explosive power!"
She had not offered much commentary before, but before Mejiro McQueen's words had even faded, Deep Impact beside her furrowed her brow unusually and said in a low voice:
"This... is too risky.
"The 2,000-meter distance was