They hadn't even caught their breath when Lunaria spoke again.
"Turn around," he said.
Ash lifted his head slowly, sweat dripping from his chin. "What?"
Lunaria was already walking past them, back toward the direction they had come from—the long, ruined stretch of land, the broken mountains, the erased forests.
"You don't rest," Lunaria continued calmly. "You don't stop. You don't slow down."
Kael stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "We just ran a full day."
Riven laughed weakly from the ground. "My legs are still vibrating."
Juno swallowed, chest rising and falling hard. "You're serious."
Lunaria stopped and looked back at them, eyes steady—no mockery, no cruelty.
"You chase me back," he said. "Until you can meet me again without resting. If you collapse, you fail. If you stop, you fail. If you fall behind far enough that you lose my trail—"
He smiled faintly.
"—you start over tomorrow."
Silence.
Ash straightened first.
"Fine," he said hoarsely.
Kael pushed himself up, grinning despite the pain. "You're not shaking us off that easily."
Riven rolled to his feet, wiping blood from his nose. "I want to see how far this body can go."
Juno cracked his neck slowly. "Let's break something."
Lunaria nodded once.
"Good."
He vanished.
No countdown.
No warning.
The ruined city behind them imploded as Lunaria accelerated, stone collapsing inward as if crushed by an invisible god's hand. The shockwave hit them a heartbeat later, throwing dust and debris into the sky.
They chased.
This time, the land didn't merely break—it gave way.
Ash ran first, every step more refined than before. His mana no longer roared wildly; it flowed, tight and precise, wrapped around muscle and bone like armor. Where he passed, the ground cracked—but did not explode. He was learning control.
Kael followed, laughter torn from his throat as he leapt across a ravine that hadn't existed moments earlier. His momentum carried him forward like a cannonball, each stride bending gravity just enough to cheat distance.
Riven pushed hardest.
Too hard.
He sprinted straight through a stone ridge, pulverizing it into dust, emerging on the other side with a feral grin and blood streaming down his arm. Pain no longer registered properly—only speed.
Juno faltered once.
His foot slipped on shattered stone, body tilting—
Then he corrected midair.
Mana surged inward instead of outward, condensing violently. When he landed, the impact cratered the earth—but his stride didn't break.
He laughed breathlessly. "I get it now."
Ahead of them, Lunaria was a streak of silver and wind.
Sometimes visible.
Sometimes gone.
They crossed plains that turned into glassed wastelands from friction heat alone. They skimmed lakes that evaporated into clouds as their passage boiled the surface. Forests vanished—not burned, not cut—erased.
Hours passed.
Their bodies screamed.
Ash felt his vision narrow, stars flickering at the edge of his sight. He adjusted his breathing again, slower, deeper, forcing oxygen and mana to circulate together.
Kael's muscles tore microscopically, healed, tore again—each cycle strengthening him further. He howled with laughter as his speed climbed another tier.
Riven hit a wall.
His mana spiked violently, control slipping. For a split second, he nearly lost consciousness—
Then Lunaria slowed.
Just slightly.
Enough for Riven to see him.
Enough to chase.
Riven roared, forcing his aura inward, compressing it brutally. Something inside him snapped into alignment. His speed surged, shockwaves tearing trenches behind him like claw marks.
Juno reached his limit next.
His legs shook violently, breath hitching. The world tilted.
He remembered Lunaria's words.
No rest.
He bit down hard enough to draw blood and ran.
Not faster—
Smarter.
He shifted his path, riding the wake of Ash's shockwaves, letting displaced air pull him forward. His speed stabilized, then climbed.
By nightfall, the sky burned red with dust and friction.
Mountains ahead didn't stand a chance.
Lunaria ran straight through them.
Not around.
Not over.
Through.
Stone compressed, shattered, and burst outward in cascading waves, turning entire peaks into drifting brick-sized fragments that rained down for miles.
The others followed.
Each impact reshaped the land.
Each stride left scars that would never heal.
Ash finally felt it.
The click.
The moment where his body, mana, and intent aligned perfectly.
His speed jumped—not explosively, but cleanly.
He closed the distance.
Kael noticed and laughed wildly. "Oh hell no—!"
He pushed harder.
Riven screamed—not in pain, but in exhilaration—as he matched Ash's surge.
Juno clenched his teeth and surged with them, refusing to be left behind.
At the far edge of the plateau where it had all begun, Lunaria slowed to a stop.
This time, they reached him together.
They collapsed around him, carving deep grooves into stone as they skidded to a halt. Steam rose from their bodies. The land around them looked like a battlefield between gods.
Lunaria looked down at them, hair fluttering gently, expression soft.
"You didn't stop," he said.
Ash laughed weakly. "You're… insane."
Kael rolled onto his back. "I hate you."
Riven stared at the sky, chest heaving. "Again."
Juno groaned. "After I can feel my legs."
Lunaria smiled—bright, genuine, almost boyish.
"Good," he said. "Tomorrow, we do it again."
The wind swept across the broken world.
And for the first time, the world felt like it was struggling to keep up with them.