"It's time to finish this."
Xuanyu smirked, closing his eyes as he took a deep, steadying breath. Deep within his soul, the World Origin Rune pulsed with an ancient, boundless force. He reached for it—not in reckless abandon, but with careful control. For a fleeting moment, the entire world seemed to freeze, reality itself holding its breath. And then—he disappeared.
An instant later, he reappeared at the finish line.
The Stadium Falls Silent
For several seconds, there was only silence. No cheers, no gasps—just sheer, stunned disbelief. The entire stadium had witnessed something that defied logic. Xuanyu hadn't run, hadn't teleported in any recognizable manner. He had simply been there, and then, suddenly, he was here.
The silence shattered as Present Mic's voice exploded through the speakers.
"…WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"
The crowd erupted into chaos. Some screamed in excitement, others murmured in confusion, trying to rationalize what they had seen. But among those watching, a few weren't just reacting—they were analyzing.
Class 1-A's Shock
Bakugo, still mid-air, looked as if he was about to combust on the spot. With a blast from his palms, he rocketed toward the finish line, landing in a skidding stop before whipping around with fire in his eyes. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" he bellowed. "YOU CHEATING BASTARD!" His hands crackled with explosions, frustration rolling off him in waves.
Todoroki, now at the minefield's edge, frowned as his sharp gaze fixed on Xuanyu. "That must be a spatial quirk… but how?" His mind raced through the implications. "He already showed super strength before. Does he have more than one quirk?"
Momo Yaoyorozu, in the middle of using a pole to swat an opportunistic pervert off her back, turned her analytical mind toward Xuanyu's condition. "He's exhausted," she noted, eyes narrowing. "That ability must have drained too much energy at once. But Todoroki makes a good point. If he already displayed super strength, then—"
Jiro, however, was less concerned about Xuanyu's abilities and more focused on the present situation. "We can figure it out later," she snapped, her earphone jacks flicking. "We're in the middle of a race, not a debate club."
Her words shook them out of their thoughts, and without another second wasted, the race continued.
Observers From the VIP Stands
Among the many powerful figures watching, some knew more than others. And among them, one frowned.
Bibi Dong, her presence regal yet unreadable, felt something few others could sense. That fleeting, majestic force. The Origin. The same energy that had lingered at the creation of the World Origin Runes. It was faint—so faint that had she not been meditating, attuning herself to the laws of the world, she might have missed it.
Her gaze met Ditian's, and in that instant, they both understood. No words were needed. They knew.
The Analysis Begins
Irene Belserion smirked, though her curiosity was unmistakable. "No. That was not teleportation," she mused, tapping a clawed finger against the armrest. "No magic surge. I felt no trace of spatial manipulation. Even the best spatial mages leave some kind of distortion behind, a ripple in space itself." Her smirk deepened. "But here? Nothing." She glanced at the others, eyes gleaming. "It was as if he was already at the finish line."
All Might, arms crossed, replaced his usual carefree grin with a more contemplative expression. "Xuanyu's movement… it wasn't raw speed. It wasn't teleportation, as Lady Irene pointed out." His gaze lingered on the young warrior, watching as Xuanyu subtly tried to steady himself. "It was something deeper—something fundamental."
Rias Gremory, eyes sharp with intrigue, rested her chin on her hand. "Indeed, the way he disappeared… there was no trace of magic, no distortion of space. It was as if…" She paused, searching for the right words. "Reality itself allowed him to be somewhere else."
Ditian, arms folded, let out a deep exhale. But inside, he smiled. His pride swelled, though he did not show it outwardly. That was their lord. The Lord of All Spirit Beasts. "Indeed, as Lady Rias and Lady Irene have pointed out—it wasn't a spatial movement. It was…" His golden eyes gleamed. "More like movement through reality itself."
A weighted silence hung over the VIP stands, the sheer implications of what they had just witnessed sinking in. Xuanyu hadn't simply moved—he had done something that defied conventional understanding.
Shisui's crimson Sharingan swirled as he tried to analyze the event, but even with his legendary perception, he struggled to grasp what had occurred. "Meaning?" he pressed, his gaze shifting between the others.
Bibi Dong exhaled softly, her expression unreadable, yet there was a trace of awe in her usually cold eyes. "What you just witnessed… was the application of a power far beyond quirks, magic, or even the laws of space." She tilted her head slightly, choosing her words carefully. "Xuanyu did not teleport, nor did he move with speed. Instead, he rewrote the very concept of movement itself."
A few of the observers visibly tensed.
Ditian, arms still crossed, continued where she left off. " As you all know that lord Xuanyu possess the RUNES, it may be one of those runes. In fact the rune he used maybe the strongest one in the reality… It is not something that can be classified as mere magic, qi, or spiritual energy. It is the foundation of reality and Origin itself."
Bibi Dong continued " Indeed, he did not 'travel' to the finish line. He simply ceased to exist at one point and was acknowledged as already being at the destination."
The weight of their words pressed down on the gathered elites.
Irene Belserion's lips curled upward, but her sharp eyes gleamed with something deeper than amusement. "Interesting," she murmured. "So instead of bending space, he manipulated perception and existence itself… as if the world itself accepted the fact that he should be there."
All Might's usual optimism was absent, replaced by the mind of a veteran hero processing what this meant. "If that's the case… does that mean there were no limitations? No range? No restrictions?" He frowned. "That kind of power… It's not something that should even be possible."
Nezu chuckled, his beady eyes twinkling with intrigue. "Oh, my dear All Might, possibility and reality are two different things." He took a small sip of tea. "And Xuanyu just proved that to us all."
Rias Gremory's fingers tapped against the armrest, deep in thought. "So that's why he looks drained," she noted. "If he used something so fundamental, something that rewrites existence itself, then the energy cost must have been…" She paused.
"…astronomical," Ditian finished. But with that universe as a power bank, it won't be a problem to the lord, probably.
The dragon's pride was evident, but he knew the cost of such power.
"That's why he's barely standing," Bibi Dong said softly, her gaze locked onto Xuanyu's trembling form. " That Rune may grant him the ability to ignore distance, but maybe it's too powerful and strength of Xuanyu is not enough to weild and control the said rune. So the price is overhelming energy Requirement, fatigue and maybe pain."
Acier, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Then this means his power is… unsustainable?"
Bibi Dong nodded. "For now, yes. At his current level, using this technique recklessly will lead to his own destruction."
Albedo ignored the awed discussion and instead lifted her head high, as it's her lord that is being praised.
----
Back at the finish line, Xuanyu exhaled heavily, sweat dripping down his forehead. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he fought to stay upright. The exhaustion was overwhelming—his limbs felt like lead, and his vision blurred slightly.
He had pushed himself to the brink.
But he did not fall.
He refused to fall.
Even as his body screamed for rest, his willpower kept him standing.
Xuanyu clenched his fists, steadying himself. He could feel the eyes of the world on him, some filled with admiration, others with fear. But he didn't care. He had won.
Yet deep down, he understood something very clearly.
That kind of move…
Couldn't be used so recklessly again. Fortunately Blue Silver Grass have started providing energy to sustain and heal him. Overwise he was surely going to faint. Which would have been embarassing.