This petite Umamusume who always appeared somewhat timid and shy in front of outsiders suddenly unleashed an unprecedentedly loud shout while cheering for Mihono Bourbon.
"Bourbon, you promised Rice! You've set Rice as your goal, so don't lose!"
Rice Shower's eyes were already misty, and her voice was slightly hoarse as she shouted for the second time.
Clearly, for someone who doesn't often speak in a high-pitched voice, shouting like this was quite strenuous.
Mihono's expression finally changed; after a brief moment of surprise, the corners of her mouth curved upwards slightly.
"Yes, Rice, I promised you."
"After you broke my goal of winning the triple crown, my goal is to surpass you."
"Now that Rice has already lost to Mejiro McQueen, the only way for me to prove myself better than Rice is to beat Mejiro McQueen!"
"Not for Master, not for Rice, but to prove myself."
Spiderweb-like cracks began to appear in the world before Mihono Bourbon's eyes.
The cracks multiplied, gradually filling her entire field of vision.
Mihono Bourbon felt the noise of the surrounding audience and the footsteps of the Umamusumes running across the grass vanish in an instant.
Her senses became incredibly clear, and she felt as if she were instantly isolated from the real world. The flow of the surrounding scenery slowed down, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat and breathing.
The next second, a tangible sound of shattering glass echoed in Mihono Bourbon's mind.
Blue flames began to ignite in her eyes, which were as clear and blue as the sky.
Mihono took a heavy step forward.
Her foot stomping so hard that the grass and ground sank in like a sponge.
For the first time, a clear emotional fluctuation appeared on her unusually beautiful face, an expression filled with determination and resolve.
In an instant, Mihono Bourbon burst forth with even greater speed than at the start, sprinting off with lightning speed.
"With the last 400 Meter, Biwa Hayahide, Narita Taishin, and Nice Nature still have a chance to surpass the leader..."
The commentator's voice was cut short as if someone had pressed the pause button.
Then, she shouted again, her voice more than twice as loud as before.
"What?! What am I seeing?! Mihono Bourbon has accelerated again!!"
"She surpassed Narita Taishin and Nice Nature, even Biwa Hayahide...she surpassed her!!"
"What happened? What just happened? Mihono Bourbon had dropped from the lead to fifth place, how come she still has this much stamina after a year-long break and a two-thousand-meter lead?!"
"With two hundred meter left, Mihono Bourbon and Mejiro McQueen are only one length apart. The distance is still shrinking!"
"I've never seen anything like it before. After leading by more than two thousand meter, the Umamusume who dropped to fifth place then caught up to the top two, or even first place!"
"A miracle, could a miracle happen?! Will Mihono Bourbon break Mejiro McQueen's four-peat?"
As the commentator yelled, Rice Shower covered her mouth with trembling hands, tears welling in her eyes, ready to spill over at any moment.
Mihono Bourbon actually managed to climb from fifth to second place thanks to her encouraging shout!
She's now almost on par with Mejiro McQueen, and it's not impossible for her to surpass her and take first place.
Rice Shower was the only Umamusume present who could clearly sense the changes in Mihono Bourbon's body.
Because she was the only one present who entered the "Zone".
Only those who have activated and become aware of the existence of a Zone can perceive the Zones of others.
Rice Shower has personally experienced the Zone so she knows how difficult it is to open a Zone and how much strain it places on the body.
"Miss Bourbon...actually, because of me, she also broke through..."
Rice Shower felt a mix of emotion and heartache. Tears streamed down her delicate cheeks and onto her tightly clasped hands, seeping between her fingers.
Sakura Baimu, who had been leisurely watching the battle, suddenly opened her azure eyes wide and looked at Mihono Bourbon with shock in her eyes.
"Has Mihono Bourbon... entered the Zone as well?" Sakura Baimu murmured something in a voice only she could hear.
She couldn't sense Mihono Bourbon's Zone, but Mihono Bourbon had been leading by more than two thousand meters previously and had fallen to fifth place suddenly burst into speed and surged to second place. There was no other possibility than that she had activated her Zone.
Mejiro McQueen had already heard the commentator's voice, but it wasn't until Mihono Bourbon truly began to close the gap between them from second place that she felt the overwhelming pressure coming from her right rear.
Like a volcano that has been dormant for a long time erupting in an instant, the immense pressure transformed into a substantial heat wave that swept over Mejiro McQueen's entire body.
It was more powerful and more terrifying than Rice Shower was a year ago.
Mejiro McQueen thought her mind was strong enough, but even she had the urge to reach behind her and grab her tail to escape after feeling the immense pressure now on her side.
This was a fear born of biological instinct; Mejiro McQueen was currently facing immense pressure from Mihono Bourbon, who had activated her Zone.
Mejiro McQueen clenched her teeth, the feedback from her gums dispelling a trace of fear in her heart, and enduring the pressure in her lungs, she further increased her speed.
A white stream of air flowed around Mejiro McQueen, tracing a graceful arc before converging on her pale purple ponytail.
The same phenomenon occurred on Mihono Bourbon, with the white aura surrounding her being no less intense than that of Mejiro McQueen.
But the blue flame burning in her eyes was something Mejiro McQueen did not possess.
"Half a length...she's caught up! Mihono Bourbon has caught up with Mejiro McQueen! Mihono Bourbon is now neck and neck with Mejiro McQueen!"
"Mihono Bourbon did what Rice Shower couldn't do! They're breaking records!"
A year ago at Tenno Sho Spring, Rice Shower and Mejiro McQueen both crossed the finish line, breaking the Tenno Sho record.
"After falling four places behind from the lead, Mihono Bourbon unleashed incredible speed again, managing to catch up with Mejiro McQueen whose known as the strongest long-distance Umamusume."
"Whether she can break Mejiro McQueen's four-peat remains to be seen!"
"Both Umamusume crossed the finish line at the same time!"