They planned it behind Lunaria's back.
Not out of malice.
Not out of hatred.
But out of desperation.
"He said he can't enter berserk," Kael muttered, walking at the rear of the group. "Which means there has to be a way."
Ash's jaw was tight. "No… which means he refuses to."
Riven's eyes were cold. "Then we force refusal into failure."
No one liked the plan.
Every single one of them knew it was reckless, cruel even—but Lunaria had trained them to abandon comfort long ago. If they wanted to surpass him, they needed to understand everything about him.
Even the part he buried.
That was why they chose that place.
The former city.
Their former city.
Ruins rose from the ground like the bones of a dead god. Collapsed towers. Burnt streets. Cracked stone soaked in old blood and grief. The air itself felt heavy, saturated with regret and unfinished screams.
This was where Lunaria had once stood alone.
This was where everything had been taken from him.
Lunaria stopped the moment they crossed the broken gates.
"…Why here?" he asked calmly.
Ash forced himself to breathe. "Training."
Lunaria turned slightly. "You don't need this place."
Juno swallowed. "…You do."
Silence.
Then Lunaria continued walking.
That calm—
That unbearable, unshakable calm—
That was what they needed to break.
They reached the center plaza. The statue that once symbolized hope was now shattered, its head missing, its body split in half. Lunaria stood before it, hands behind his back.
"Speak," he said. "You didn't bring me here to admire ruins."
Ash felt his heart hammer.
He took the first step.
"You're useless."
The word echoed.
Lunaria didn't react.
Kael followed. "You stand above us like a god, but you never fight like one."
Nothing.
Riven's voice cut deeper. "Merciless. Not because you're strong—but because you're empty."
Still nothing.
Juno clenched his fists, voice shaking. "You let cities burn and call it necessity. You let people die and still smile. Do you even feel anything anymore?"
The air grew heavier.
Ash pushed harder, voice sharp with intent. "You call us weak, but you're worse. You hide behind control because you're afraid to lose it."
Lunaria slowly turned.
His silver eyes were still calm.
So they went further.
"Stupid," Kael said bitterly.
"A failure," Riven added.
"A relic pretending to be human," Juno whispered.
Words designed to shatter saints.
Words meant to make even a smiling executioner snap.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
B O O O O O O O O M
The world collapsed inward.
The ground detonated beneath Lunaria's feet, stone disintegrating into dust and void. A pressure like the bottom of the ocean slammed into their chests, forcing them to their knees instantly.
Ash couldn't breathe.
His vision blurred.
Something rose from Lunaria.
No—
Something was unleashed.
His aura exploded outward like a tearing abyss, blacker than night, edged with violent streaks of deep violet. It devoured light, sound, even thought. The sky above cracked, clouds spiraling as if dragged toward him.
Lunaria straightened.
His hair was no longer silver.
It had turned pitch black, strands bleeding with faint purple glow, floating wildly as if gravity no longer applied to him. His calm expression was gone—replaced by something far worse.
A smile.
Not a gentle one.
Not a cruel one.
A feral one.
"This…" his voice echoed from everywhere at once, layered and distorted, "…is what you wanted?"
Ash's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
This wasn't killing intent.
This wasn't berserk like theirs.
This was chaos given form.
An embodiment of annihilation and abyssal power, emotions no longer restrained but weaponized into pure destruction.
Kael felt tears stream down his face without realizing it. "M-Monster…"
Lunaria tilted his head slowly, eyes glowing with void-like depth.
"You spoke well," he said softly. "You chose the right place. You chose the right words."
He took a single step forward.
The city screamed.
Buildings collapsed. The earth fractured. The air howled like it was being torn apart molecule by molecule.
Lunaria looked at them—really looked at them.
"You started it," he said, smile widening.
"And you will be the ones to end it."
Ash forced himself to stand, legs shaking, heart screaming in terror and awe.
They had wanted to see Lunaria's berserk mode.
They had succeeded.
And now—
They weren't sure they would survive the lesson.