Chapter 13 – Part 4: Diva vs Leo, the Leopard of Hope

Speed is not just power it’s a dance a heartbeat and in this race, Diva didn’t just win she found a rival and a friend.

The morning stretched like a ribbon of rose fire above the plains of soft breath.
The melting clouds rippled through the vanilla sky, and every breeze left behind a trail of suspended sugar here, at the center of the realm of Hope, the crowd had gathered from slime children to celestial titans, everyone held their breath even the gods had come Kael, in his storm coat, watched in silence Destiny, arms crossed, calculated each millisecond in his mind Pink, gentle, had forged a stopwatch out of enchanted sugar Morpheus had barely woken up for the occasion Zeus, already overexcited, buzzed with electricity Saphira, seated calmly on a blue rock, held Élya close because today, Diva would run, not to escape not to conquer she would run to prove she was born for this a smooth roar split the air he arrived, through a stellar portal, muscles made of waves a feline of cosmic fire, with living spots dancing on his skin.

Leo — the Scarlet Leopard.
Absolute champion of the Hope realm a creature of pure speed a symbol of animal grace and divine confidence he landed without a sound his eyes met Diva she smiled, a red headband across her brow, arms already loose, as if the whole world was just another playground.

— "Ready to melt the multiverse beneath our feet, red princess?" Leo asked.
Diva shrugged.
— "I was born to run. Aren’t you scared of losing that big ego, handsome cat?"the challenge was set.

Objective: cross seven major universes, then race through one hundred random dimensions each with its own chaos, rhythm, and traps.
Final destination: the temple of Sun Wukong, suspended on the last floating star.
Reward: the divine fruit of endless speed.

The dice were cast.

START — MULTIVERSES 1 TO 7
Diva burst forward, a flaming red trail blazing through the void.
Leo leapt behind her, his roar vibrating into a trail of starlight.

They shot through Universe 3, realm of liquid nebulae,then Universe 6, where mountains floated upside down. they split the air in Universe 1 two divine arrows in Universe 9, meditating disciples looked up awestruck time was no longer a line it was a breath through the desert of explosive bubbles,the labyrinth of living sugar, the river of inverted shadow, the forest where every tree changed form with each step, the dimension of pure music, where every step played a note they flew, they danced, they fused with the moment at every turn, they brushed past each other they laughed without slowing down they were alive.

DIMENSION 98 — THE BREAKING POINT
Leo slowed for the first time, his breath becoming ragged he panted the space around him shimmered his paws slipped Diva saw it she didn’t mock him she didn’t stop but she spoke.

— "You ran like a god but I… I ran with the fire of my whole family."

And she leapt a red lightning bolt she pierced Dimension 99 tore through the 100th with a single cry the celestial temple apillar of infinite gold at the top, Sun Wukong, the celestial monkey, the eternal trickster, floated midair eating a bunch of star-fruits.

— "Ohhh… here comes the lightning."

Diva landed she didn’t scream, she didn’t celebrate she simply raised her arms, she had won.

Leo arrived a few seconds later, breathless, but proud he smiled.
— "You’re the queen."

The Reward
Sun Wukong descended he observed Diva.

— "You didn’t run to escape you ran to embrace all worlds."

He handed her a glowing fruit made of pure light, eternity sugar, and an unwritten future.

— "This fruit contains your future It’s up to you whether you’ll keep running after it."

Diva stared at it then… she cut it in two she kept half and offered the other half to Leo.

— "Next time… we run together."

End of Chapter 13 — Diva vs Leo, The Race of the Multiverses.