Time begins to skip once more.
At Adam's command, the world fractures—motion severed from continuity, everything else bound to its predetermined course.
Only he remains conscious within the void, standing still, watching, calculating.
As he expected, Charlie advances.
But then—something shifts.
Her movement falters… no, not falters—deviates. Her trajectory breaks in a way that shouldn't be possible, as though a fragment of time itself had slipped out of place. One instant she is before him, the next—slightly displaced, her position altered without transition.
Adam laughs, low and manic.
Adam: So, you really were just follow your predetermined move right before I skipped time. You fooled me back there, I can't let my guard down. But, doing something like that only prolong your inevitable fate. Now, die!
He moves.
A skull-crushing punch tears through the space between them—fast, precise, meant to end it instantly.
But the moment his hand reaches her—
She isn't there.
No step. No visible dodge. Just absence.
Then—
Charlie reappears within striking range and drives a sharp uppercut into Adam's jaw, snapping his head back and staggering him.
She doesn't stop.
She throws a barrage, relentless and precise, each punch landing cleanly against him, forcing him back under the pressure.
But it didn't last long.
Her punches pass through him moments later—like striking a ghost again.
The split-second before time returns to normal, Charlie landed clean hits, driving Adam backward with violent force. His body is launched across the street, crashing onto the hood of a moving car.
Time resumes.
The driver, caught in sudden chaos, jerks the wheel and slams into a nearby mailbox with a metallic crunch.
Charlie:(Panting) That… that was hard to pull off. But… I moved, for a second, but I moved. It's still early to rest, I have to find a way to kill him.
From the wreckage, Adam rises.
He steps out of the crushed vehicle, one hand gripping the driver by the throat.
Without hesitation, he drains him—blood siphoned away as his own wounds knit shut, flesh restoring, bone mending, as if damage had never existed.
Charlie: Bastard, you already healed yourself? Guess I'm gonna have to bash your head.
Adam skips time again.
Not to attack—this time, he observes.
Moments vanish, continuity severed as reality lurches forward without warning.
Actions complete themselves without being witnessed, cause and effect stitched together with missing pieces.
Within that fractured flow, Adam moves freely—unbound by the skipped interval, watching closely.
Time resumes.
Charlie lifts her head—and there he is.
Standing on the balcony of a distant building, already repositioned, as if he had always been there.
Adam smirks.
Adam: Your eyes followed me during the—segment of skipped time. Which means that you really have the same ability as your mother.
Charlie: ...It seems so.
Adam: Now that we know, the remaining question is—how long can you move? Three seconds? Four seconds? Or maybe… you can move for eight seconds consciously, like me, but you don't want to. How's that sound?(Giggles)
Charlie:(Thought) Shit, I could've moved longer if I had more practice. But for now, I've got one or two seconds… and I'll use those seconds to bash his head. I have to try and take as little damage as possible.
Adam skips time again.
The world lurches forward—moments erased, continuity fractured—while he alone moves within the missing interval.
During that segment, he closes the distance.
By the time time resumes, he is already before Charlie, a broken metal bar gripped tightly in his hand—ripped from the balcony above.
Adam: But for now, I assume you can only move a second or two. And I've got eight seconds to deal with you. How will you react to my attacks?!
Adam splits the metal bar into two and hurls them at Charlie in rapid succession.
With four seconds left, Charlie moves.
Within her brief window, she catches one of the bars, pivots, and deflects the second. Without hesitation, she twists her body and throws the first back at Adam—
It drives straight into his shoulder.
Time resumes.
Charlie rushes forward instantly, closing the distance as Adam rips the bar out of his flesh. She swings a right hook, forcing him downward to the ground. She follows with another punch—but Adam slips past it and counters, his fist snapping toward her face.
He rises.
They circle each other, breaths heavy, tension thick between them.
Charlie snatches a nearby light pole and swings it with full force.
Adam skips time again.
The moment fractures—continuity severed—and when it resumes, he has already passed through the arc of the spinning pole, untouched, as if it had never threatened him at all.
Charlie knows.
She doesn't have enough time to deal decisive damage.
So she runs.
Time resumes again as Adam gives chase.
He trails several meters behind her—and then, without warning—
He skips time again.
Charlie:(Thought) He wouldn't just skip time to catch up. He's onto something. But what is he planning?
And then—
Adam suddenly strikes.
He appears at Charlie's left flank and delivers a crushing blow, sending her flying through the air and crashing straight into a garment store, glass and metal bursting outward on impact.
Time resumes.
Charlie rises from the wreckage—only to see it.
Bodies.
Multiple lifeless bodies scattered across the street.
Charlie: Asshole, killing innocent people just to get to me? This is why I fucking hate people like you, caring no one but yourself.
Adam: (ManiacalGiggle)And what do you intend to do?
Charlie: This!
She vanishes—
No, she bursts forward.
In an instant, she closes the distance and drives a devastating uppercut into Adam's jaw. The impact detonates through the air, shattering nearby windows, glass erupting outward as the shockwave ripples across the street.
Even her bracers tear apart under the sheer force.
Adam is launched backward—
But before he can recover—
She's already there.
Charlie catches up mid-flight, her fists crashing into him again and again, each strike heavier than the last, her strongest blows chaining together without pause, forcing him further back, keeping him staggered, denying him even a moment to stabilize.
Adam: What's with her? It's like she's a completely different person. Her rage—was she holding back this whole time? If she's this strong, then I'll have to—
Charlie: Enough with your yapping and fight back! Isn't this what you wanted?!
She grabs his leg—
And slams him into the ground with brutal force.
The impact cracks the surface beneath him, and as his body rebounds, she pivots and drives a vicious kick straight into his jaw—launching him across multiple buildings, his body tearing through concrete and glass alike.
Charlie pants, drawing in a sharp breath—
But her eyes widen.
Adam walks out from the destruction.
Calm. Unbothered.
A man hangs limply in his grasp as Adam drains him, blood siphoned away to mend his wounds, flesh knitting itself whole once more.
Adam: Child, it'll take more than you to defeat me.
The next instant—
Charlie is sent flying.
Her body crashes near the Burj Khalifa, skidding across the ground, new bruises blooming across her face. She spits blood to the side and lifts her head, a low growl escaping her as she locks eyes on Adam—
Who is already sprinting toward her.
He strikes first—
A sharp kick cuts through the air.
Charlie slips past it and fires back with a punch—
Adam counters—grabbing her wrist mid-strike. With a swift twist, he spins her off balance and hurls her to the side.
Charlie recovers almost instantly and charges back in.
She brings her hand down in a vertical chop—Adam slips past it and counters with a punch aimed at her face—
But at the same moment, Charlie drives a kick into his abdomen.
Both attacks land.
The force sends them recoiling from one another.
Charlie crouches, drawing a breath, wiping the blood from her jaw.
And then—
She sees it.
Adam has already moved.
With overwhelming force, he tears through the structural pillars of the Burj Khalifa—rupturing its foundation—and with a terrifying heave, he flips the colossal structure toward her.
Charlie grins.
Not in fear—
But in defiance.
The skyscraper collapses over her, burying her beneath hundreds of thousands of tons of steel and concrete.
Adam: (Laughsboastfully) I thought you said something about being pissed off. But, looks like your fury achieve nothing at all. Hahahaha...
But his laughter dies.
The fallen Burj Khalifa trembles—
Then begins to rise.
Adam: Impossible! She's this strong?
Beneath the wreckage—
Charlie was, indeed, lifting it.
The skyscraper trembled in her grasp—hundreds of thousands of tons held aloft.
Her clothes tore under the strain, muscles tightening to their limit, rage blazing across her face. And then she hurled it—straight at Adam.
Adam: She's nuts… I must take her power.
He drove his fist forward, striking the very core of the structure and splitting the Burj Khalifa clean in two. But he miscalculated.
Charlie had already sprinted through the collapsing interior, and the instant the skyscraper split apart, she appeared right in front of him.
Adam:(Thought) Shit! I have to defend myself.
He began skipping time to evade, but within her two seconds, she moved. A single punch landed square against his chest—its force crushing his ribs and shattering his spine in an instant. She did not stop.
Following through, she unleashed a relentless barrage upon his face.
And then she delivers a punch, sending him crashing into the ocean behind him.
Charlie pants, spitting out blood.
Charlie: Damn… I overworked myself. I have to get back to Mom.
She forces herself forward despite the strain, each step heavier than the last. Her body ached—she had never fought at full strength before—but she pushed through, ignoring the pain, ignoring the creeping weight of regret threatening to drag her back.
Charlie: Mom, I'm sorry… I didn't realize it sooner. You always loved me, and yet... I pushed you away. I'll fix everything… I...
Suddenly, Michael was sent flying near her, crashing into the roadside wall before collapsing onto the ground. The gaping wound across his body had been hastily stitched with his thread, barely holding back the bleeding, and his left arm hung useless.
Charlie rushed to his side, her breath uneven as she dropped beside him.
Charlie: What happened?
Michael, still staggered, slowly pointed towards where he came from—
Where Susan once stood, Charlie now looked—her mother's corpse gone, leaving behind only Adam, fully restored and grinning.
Adam: You have heard that—what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Well, here I am, back on my feet. Susan's blood… truly exquisite.
Adam dips his fingers into the body and slowly draws it into himself.
Charlie could hardly bear the sight. The sight of her mother—drained, discarded—filled her with a volatile mixture of rage and hatred. Yet Adam stood still, waiting for Charlie to make her first move.
Then—
Something shifted.
The world seemed to drag, time itself slowing to a crawl. And Charlie felt a sensation behind her shoulders, as if something that could not be seen embraces her.
Susan: Charlie, no matter what happens, don't let him get to you. Control your anger—don't do anything rash. You have about four seconds to move consciously during the erased time. Use those seconds wisely, or you'll be in trouble. I wish we could be together… but my time is up. Farewell, my little star.
Time flows normally once more, and the sensation left Charlie's shoulder. Confusion flickers across her face as she glances back.
Charlie:(Thought) Was that… Mom's soul?
Adam: Hey, where's your mind at? I'm right here, Astra.
Adam crushes Susan's skull into fragments, the sound sharp and final.
That was enough.
Rage ignites within Charlie as she launches forward, sprinting straight at him.
Charlie:(Thought) Mom told me not to lose control… but right now, who can maintain their composure? I can't keep myself steady after I see what he did.
She surges toward him at full speed, shattering through the sound barrier, the surrounding glass exploding into pieces from the force.
Adam: This will be the last round.
He moves at the same instant, charging toward her.
They collide.