The ground trembled beneath their feet.
From kilometer to kilometer, the team had endured trial after trial—disguised traps rigged into nature, elemental hazards cloaked in illusion, and monsters either summoned or native. But none of that compared to what awaited them at the 27-kilometer mark. Here, the race turned ugly. Other teams no longer saw this as a marathon; it had become open war.
At first, Team Blanche tried to avoid it.
They kept their heads low, weaving through the chaos, hoping not to get caught up in the madness. But the more they ran, the clearer it became—this wasn't just random aggression. This was coordinated. They were being hunted.
Because everyone knew.
Blanche Van Equinox was a threat. And a big one.
"Shit, they're gunning for us now."
Yuxin spat the words through gritted teeth, scanning the swarm of opponents closing in.
"No choice. We can't outrun this anymore," Blanche said coolly, her hair whipping in the wind, eyes locked forward. "Defense formation. Now."
Blanche moved first—her arms lifted, golden symbols blazing through the air as she summoned Terranova without hesitation. The air thickened, earth rumbling as a barrier of stone burst from the ground behind them, halting the pursuit for a brief moment. Roots and vines interwove with the granite, shielding them from ranged attacks that pelted down like rain.
A wave of energy pulsed from Blanche's hand, activating Gaia's Shield. With her body rooted at the rear, Blanche played guardian—her stance firm, her Equinox martial discipline turned into a living wall. She didn't budge, every step precise, absorbing force through posture and redirecting pressure like a master of equilibrium.
"I'll hold the sky. You move."
Vila darted forward.
The golden-haired elf moved like the wind—no, with the wind. Her boots never cracked a twig, her blades unsheathed mid-stride. She activated Total Silence, and her figure blurred—no sounds, no scent, no weight. She became a ghost. A phantom clearing a path through the dense ambush.
Vines shot out from one enemy—a conjurer from Class Redspire. But Vila didn't even blink. Her eyes scanned the tangle in milliseconds, and Dancing Swan surged through her legs. She jumped once, flipped off a branch, and then appeared behind the caster.
One dagger across the throat. No words. No sound. The caster collapsed.
"Clear," Vila whispered, her voice barely reaching Blanche.
Meanwhile, Yuxin was done playing nice.
The shadow beneath her warped, extending like spilled ink. Erebus Tendrils burst out from the ground—jagged, serpentine, and fast. With Ruka clinging to her back, Yuxin ran full speed while her shadows fought for her. Tendrils wrapped around enemy ankles, smashing them aside like dolls. One student lunged forward with a halberd, but a black jaw clamped shut around it, twisting the weapon mid-air before snapping it in two.
"Fucking try me," Yuxin muttered, sweat dripping from her brow. "Come closer, I dare you."
Ruka, holding tight, wasn't just a passenger.
Her hands glowed faintly as Healing Bonds coursed into Yuxin's back, patching bruises and cuts mid-motion. Every few seconds, she tapped into Shield of Solace, summoning short bursts of protective barriers whenever incoming projectiles got too close.
"Behind—!" she warned, throwing up a barrier just in time to block a burst of explosive magic.
"Thanks," Yuxin grunted, then dropped low and Quick Stepped, teleporting them both a dozen meters forward in a flash of dissolving shadow.
They were outnumbered.
But not outclassed.
Together, the team advanced through sheer coordination. Blanche never let the formation break—her shield spells from Terranova rotated in tempo with her martial movements. Vila vanished and reappeared at will, flanking aggressors before they could even scream. Yuxin played offense and escape route at once—tendrils ripping through terrain, holding enemies at bay while her shadow warped across the field.
"Left cliff—reinforcements!" Vila called out, eyes gleaming with Night Vision. "At least three, caster types."
"Ignore them! They're baiting us!" Blanche shouted. "Focus on escape. Ruka, reinforce me!"
"On it!" Ruka's voice cracked, but her magic surged anyway, her barrier layering over Blanche's summoned stone wall like a second skin.
Every breath was heavy.
Every step was war.
But they pushed through, carving through the killzone not like prey—but as a storm.
Blanche kept the air covered. Vila slashed a tunnel through the chaos. Yuxin broke everything that dared follow. And Ruka—their quiet sentinel—ensured none of them fell.
For now, they survived.
But this wasn't the end.
Not even close.
They were still running.
Through underbrush, across shifting terrain, dodging elemental traps and snaring vines that slithered like living snakes. Team Blanche barely kept formation. Dust coated their boots. Blood trickled down arms. Energy flickered low.
But they had to keep going.
Behind them, another squad had picked up the chase. Screams and clashes rang out in the distance—teams turning on teams, every alliance collapsing in the madness of this survival gauntlet.
Yuxin leapt across a crumbled tree root, carrying Ruka piggyback-style, her shadows flickering madly like a second cape.
"Still behind us," she growled. "They're not quitting."
"I know." Blanche narrowed her eyes, breath short. "We're drawing too much attention."
And that's when she appeared.
From the trees above—without warning—a pair of silver-blue twintails dropped in a lazy arc, bouncing as their owner landed perfectly upright, already mid-sentence.
"Heeeey! Wow, you all look like you got hit by a regret sandwich. What happened—run into a bear made of shadows again or just bad breakup energy?"
"Oh no," Yuxin muttered under her breath, soul visibly leaving her body. "Not now."
Rea Caelumotris, spinning mid-skip, matched their pace effortlessly.
Still running. Still smiling.
Her eyes danced around, tracking everything and nothing at once.
"So like—hi. You running from that team? Or that team?" She pointed to two flanks simultaneously, not even turning her head. "Or is it the one with the guy that smells like burnt carrots?"
"Rea." Blanche said it sharply—the kind of sharp that meant strategy, not scolding. "We need your help."
Rea blinked. Then grinned wider.
"Aww. You're asking for my help? You must be really desperate."
"Focus. Too many on our tail. We can't fight them all."
"Mmm... okay okay okay…" Rea tapped her own head three times while still running. "Fine. I'll play."
She suddenly turned mid-run, spinning on her heel like a ballerina.
"One sec."
She raised a single finger high.
And then—
time bent.
A golden shimmer rippled behind them, like water folding inward across the air. From the distortion, Silas stepped out.
No portal. No sound.
Just presence.
His eyes locked on Blanche first—just a single glance. That was all they needed.
Blanche gave the faintest nod.
"They're yours."
Silas stepped forward. Judicara, the sword of verdicts, manifested across his shoulder in a flash of light and spinning tarot sigils.
"Understood."
Rea clapped her hands once—loud. Then turned to Yuxin.
"Okay, spooky girl, carry your girlfriend and run that way. Clockface and I got this."
"She's not my—"
"—Don't care. Go."
Yuxin didn't argue.
She turned, shadows exploding at her feet as she vanished with Ruka in tow. Vila followed with a final glance, vanishing into mist.
And Rea?
Rea stopped smiling.
The enemy team burst into the clearing—eight strong, three with Invocation-based Astraga, a few wielding brute force, and one armed with rapid-fire channeling orbs.
They didn't even hesitate.
"It's just two of them!"
"Take the girl, stall the guy—GO!"
That was their first mistake.
Rea moved first.
She raised one finger, spun it three times, and whispered:
"Stasis Cage."
The leading attacker suddenly froze mid-swing—his body caught in a prism of warped time, eyes moving, but the rest of him suspended like a statue mid-panic. His blade hovered inches from her face.
She blew on it gently.
"Nope."
Behind her, Silas stepped forward.
The air shifted again.
A tarot seal spun around him as he calmly drew a card from Judicara's arcane loop.
🜂 [XI] – Justice.
He exhaled.
"Verdict Cleave."
With one motion, his sword flashed downward.
A blast of white-blue light cut through illusions, barriers, and mana cloaks—striking true. One of the spellcasters screamed, armor-shield shattered in a second. He collapsed without ever touching Silas.
Another card rotated into place.
🜂 [VII] – The Chariot.
"Drive Breaker."
Silas vanished in a blur—reappearing mid-charge, his shoulder crashing into two opponents at once, sending them flying like ragdolls.
"What the hell—he's too fast!"
One tried to teleport.
Too late.
🜂 [XV] – The Devil.
"Sinbind Claw."
Chains of guilt wrapped around the boy's legs, dragging him into the dirt, forcing flashes of his worst failures into his mind.
He dropped to his knees screaming.
"Stop… STOP!"
Rea, meanwhile, just stood in the middle of the chaos.
No movement. Just soft steps.
She twirled a lollipop between her fingers and muttered softly:
"Slipfield Locus."
Dozens of miniature golden clock-eyes opened in the air above them—floating surveillance bubbles, capturing every move, calculating reactions.
"Don't try anything fancy," she whispered to the last standing student. "I've seen this moment before."
And that's when Silas moved one final time.
🜂 [XIII] – Death.
"Ruin Slash."
His sword shone dark violet as he cleaved downward—not fatal, but final. The last attacker dropped unconscious, their Astraga force-dissipated by sheer authority.
Silence.
Just trees.
Breath.
And the faint ticking of Rea's watch.
She turned to Silas.
"Wow. That was fun."
"You took too long to ask," he replied flatly.
"I wanted dramatic timing."
Silas turned away.
"Let's move."
Rea skipped behind him.
And chaos fell silent.
The woods had quieted.
Not in a natural way—but like the world itself had decided to give everyone ten seconds to breathe.
The broken branches and scorched leaves still littered the field where Silas and Rea had decimated an entire squad. The air still pulsed faintly with leftover Pacta resonance. But the sounds of combat had faded.
Soon, the rest of Team Blanche circled back through the trail—slowing only once they saw no more magic in the air.
Blanche approached first. Her posture was still sharp, but her breath was heavier now, boots dusted with fine dirt. Her gaze passed between Silas and Rea, lingering for a moment longer on Silas before she finally said—
"Thank you. For intervening."
Silas, still holding Judicara loosely in one hand, turned his head only slightly. His voice, as always, was cold steel: factual, unmoved, respectful without warmth.
"You don't need to thank us."
"Even so," Blanche replied evenly. "That wasn't a minor risk."
Silas returned Judicara to his Arc Loop in a shimmer of gold. His eyes locked with hers, and for a brief moment, the forest felt smaller—two tacticians in a pocket of shared tempo.
"Helping each other in a trial like this... it's not about gratitude. It's tradition. We compete, yes. But we don't let good people fall in chaos."
He folded his arms.
"And I'd rather face you in the bracket. Properly. No cheap victories."
Blanche's lips lifted—barely.
"Then we'll fight clean."
Behind them, the rest of the group… wasn't nearly as composed.
Yuxin had just dropped Ruka back on the ground like a tired sack of potatoes, still panting from the run. She was trying—and failing—to stretch the stiffness out of her back.
"My spine's a goddamn accordion now," she muttered, rubbing her shoulder. "And if Rea says one more word I'm going to choke on oxygen."
Which, of course, prompted Rea—who had been humming off-key—to lean closer.
"Hey, you okay, shadow girl? You look like someone stuffed your mood into a microwave."
Yuxin squinted at her. Dangerously.
"You've been yapping nonstop since you showed up."
"And you've been scowling nonstop. This is a balance. We're a team now. Yin and yang."
"We are not a team."
"Okay fine. Co-runners in emotional dysfunction."
"Rea—"
"Look, just chill, alright?" Rea grinned and raised both hands like she was holding up peace signs. "Run cool. Think cool. Be cool. Like Vila."
She pointed across the circle where Vila sat on a flat rock, already munching on a dried fruit bar without a care in the world. Legs crossed. Face blank. Very much not interested.
Yuxin turned to look at Vila. Then looked back at Rea.
"Vila doesn't count. She's a walking tree branch with snack addictions."
Vila paused her chewing.
Swallowed.
Looked up at Yuxin, deadpan.
"That's rude."
Yuxin rolled her eyes.
"It's also true."
"Still rude."
"Still true."
Rea burst out laughing.
"You're adorable when you're angry. Has anyone ever told you that? Like... you need a therapist, but you'd make such a fun patient."
"Excuse me?"
"No, seriously. Get one of those stern-faced, clipboard-holding types. You could trauma-dump for an hour and still come out grumpy. Peak mental health arc."
Yuxin's eyebrow twitched.
Dangerously.
Her hand started to rise.
"I swear—"
"Nope nope nope—!"
Ruka stepped in, holding her arms out protectively in front of Rea, who had zero sense of self-preservation and was now trying to poke Yuxin's cheek.
"Yuxin, please don't hit her—"
"Just once, I will punch her in the stomach."
"She's not a punching bag!"
Meanwhile, Vila also moved. Technically.
She stood up.
Walked over.
Placed one hand—gently, very gently—on Yuxin's shoulder.
"Calm down."
It wasn't exactly convincing.
More like she was doing it out of procedure, not emotional investment.
Yuxin scowled harder.
"You're not even trying."
"I am. I just don't care."
"You're the worst mediator."
"Still better than you."
Rea sighed dramatically and leaned into Ruka's shoulder like a tired cat.
"See? This is why I don't have many friends. You try to offer free therapy and people throw hands."
"You offer insults, not therapy," Ruka said quietly, patting her arm.
"Semantics."
The group finally slowed. Tension melted—not because the danger was over, but because they'd survived long enough to joke again.
And in a race where survival was the only thing not promised—that meant something.