The air at Nakayama Racecourse crackled with anticipation, the kind that made your skin prickle and your heart hammer against your ribs. The stands were a roaring sea of colors, banners fluttering like war standards as the crowd's fervor pushed back the winter chill. The announcer's voice cut through the din, sharp with exhilaration.

"It's that time again! The G1 Arima Kinen—where legends are made, and dreams are decided by the will of the people!"

"No race carries the weight of the year's end like this one," the co-announcer replied, smooth yet thrumming with barely contained energy. "And with this lineup? The track itself might catch fire!"

A spectator in the crowd exhaled, breath misting in the cold. "There's something about this race... It's like the whole year crescendos right here."

"Then let's make it a finale worthy of the history books!" The announcer declared. "The horsegirls are now taking their positions!"

Minutes later, the turf trembled under the synchronized steps of the competitors. Each horsegirl strode forward, eyes alight with the fire of ambition—some steely, some trembling, but all burning with the same hunger. The crowd's roar was deafening, a tidal wave of sound that could shake the stars from the sky.

Then—a hush.

Opera, draped in her regal cape, stepped forward like a conqueror surveying her domain. The others turned, sensing the shift in the air. The announcers held their breath.

"Oh? Opera O is gathering them... Is this a speech? A challenge?"

With a flourish, Opera raised her arms, the wind howling around her as if summoned by her presence. Her voice rang out, clear and commanding—a queen addressing her rivals.

"Hear me, fellow knights!" Her words sliced through the silence. "Young werthers who seek to shatter my golden reign... Stand proud!"

Her eyes snapped open, violet irises gleaming with unshakable confidence. A smirk curled her lips—not of arrogance, but of absolute certainty.

"For today, you earn the privilege of falling before me... and becoming yet another verse in the epic of my legacy!"

A heartbeat of silence.

Then—the crowd erupted.

The stands exploded in a frenzy, voices crashing together in a cacophony of cheers and gasps. The other horsegirls? Their fists clenched. Their jaws set. If Opera's words were meant to intimidate, they had the opposite effect—the fire in their eyes burned brighter than ever.

Opera threw her head back and laughed, the sound rich and unburdened. "Anyways! Let's give it our all and show them a race they'll never forget! Ha-ha-ha!"

The starting gates loomed ahead.

The final gallop of the year had begun.