Adrian lost patience.
His fire rose higher around both fists while the flames turned from orange to white-hot. The temperature spiked so fast that nearby car windows began cracking from thermal stress.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
People retreated farther down the street while still filming from behind whatever cover they could find.
The influencer's voice came through his livestream shaky and breathless. "He's—holy shit, the fire's getting hotter. Everyone move back!"
Adrian prepared an attack strong enough to cripple James or possibly kill him if it landed clean.
Even the crowd could feel this was different from the earlier punches because the air itself distorted from the heat while Adrian's flames condensed into a concentrated point around his right fist.
James was too hurt to dodge properly.
He tried to move, but his broken ribs made breathing painful and his burned shoulder wouldn't respond fast enough.
