<What—>

Bala instinctively stepped back, not even sure what he was looking at. Someone who should’ve been dead... was staring right at him, following his gaze as he retreated. It wasn’t just that Adam was alive—it was that he was aware, present, watching.

The plan had been simple. Antagonize the outsiders, push them just enough to force a full-scale attack on the city. The chief showing up had been a bonus—something he could twist, escalate, and use.

What he hadn’t expected... was Adam.

The man was more than capable of stopping him. Subduing him, imprisoning him, dragging him out of the city, and killing him quietly—any of that would’ve ruined everything.

So Bala needed to kill this... anomaly.

But right now, none of that made sense. Why was he standing? How was he standing with a blade clearly run through his body?

"Wh—"

Bala flinched as Adam suddenly raised his hand, taking another step back out of instinct. But Adam didn’t attack. Instead, he reached up and removed his earpiece, letting it drop from his fingers before his attention returned to the blade lodged in him.

Then he grabbed it. Barehanded.

His grip tightened until his palm split open, blood immediately spilling over the steel and dripping down the length of it.

"What... are you doing?" Bala whispered.

Adam answered—but the words meant nothing to Bala. Still, he heard the tremble in it, and that was enough.

"Heh..."

Bala took it as a weakness. He flicked his finger, directing the blade to slice Adam clean in half—

But it didn’t.

Instead, the force only dragged Adam back a few feet, his heels scraping across the cobblestone. Bala frowned and pushed harder, pouring more force into his telekinesis.

But now, nothing at all.

The blade didn’t move. Adam didn’t move. It was as if both had been locked in place, completely unyielding.

He was still... Completely still. Until he wasn’t.

Bala’s eyes widened as Adam’s hand shifted against the hilt. Slowly. Not pulling the blade out the way anyone should—but forcing it sideways. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Adam was cutting himself open.

The steel tore across his torso, dragging through flesh as blood burst out in thick, heavy streams. It splattered across the ground, reaching farther than it should—even touching Bala despite the distance between them. Behind him, people screamed, some turning away, others frozen where they stood.

But Bala saw it clearly.

There was no pain on Adam’s face. Not even a trace of it.

The trembling from before was gone. His lips were still, fixed in place, while his eyes remained steady. Focused. Only his hand moved—guiding the blade through his own body.

And the sound... the sound was horrendously wet.

The blade forced its way through muscle and bone, stretching with every inch it carved as Adam’s skin and flesh were too strong. It made Bala’s stomach churn, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.

And then, finally—

It came free.

Adam pulled the blade out in one clean motion and swung it once, the movement sending a spray of blood into the air and cleaning the weapon.

Bala tensed, bracing himself for the death that was to come to him.

But Adam didn’t move to kill him.

Instead, he turned the blade and threw it straight down. The weapon pierced through the ground completely, sinking deep until only the handle remained above the surface.

Bala was confused. From everything he had seen so far, this champion in front of him was... forgiving. Too forgiving. What he didn’t expect was that Adam would be stupid enough to just let him walk away.

Well, whether that was Adam’s intention or not didn’t matter. Bala wasn’t about to waste the opportunity. He turned on his heel and ran.

He didn’t even make it three steps, however, before his vision flipped. The world spun, and the next thing he knew, his face slammed straight into the road. Stone. Dirt. Then blood—flooding into his mouth as his teeth shattered on impact.

For a moment, there was nothing. Just confusion.

He didn’t even know how he ended up on the ground. He hadn’t seen Adam move. Didn’t feel anything hit him. There wasn’t even pain—just the sickening awareness that most of his teeth were gone.

It should’ve stayed that way.

But the moment he felt himself being lifted, everything came rushing in at once.

Pain exploded through his skull. The few teeth that remained in front were ripped out, stuck into the stone as Adam pulled him up by the back of his head.

"Uagh..."

The sound that escaped him barely counted as a word. The pain shot through his entire body, down to his toes, forcing them to curl. His thoughts scattered—until Adam gave his head a small shake.

"Gah!"

Bala thrashed violently, trying to break free. He pushed, twisted, even tried to throw his body upward—but his head didn’t move an inch. It was like being pinned in place by something immovable.

Desperate, he kicked. His heel slammed into Adam’s shin—

It felt like kicking a mountain made of steel.

And then he was dragged. Pulled across the ground like a limp, soaked rag, his body leaving streaks behind him. He couldn’t tell where they were going, not until Adam stopped.

A tree. The same tree where he pinned the severed head of Adam’s companion.

Bala couldn’t fully see what Adam was doing, his vision blurred and tilted, but from the shifting shadows, he could make out the movement—Adam reaching up, carefully removing the head...

"What is going on here?!"

And finally, Bala could hear the words of his people. He recognized who the voice belonged to immediately—Bagani. He could hear him rushing toward them, boots pounding against the ground.

"Isn’t that... Harvey? Bala... what have you done?!"

Bagani’s voice cracked, and Bala heard the sharp sound of steel leaving its sheath.

"You... you’ve doomed us all! Adam, I apologize... but I will not go down without fighting for my people!"

Bagani charged.

He must’ve thought Adam would kill Bala—that it would trigger the catastrophic explosion that would wipe them all out. So he rushed in, desperate, choosing to fight anyway.

It didn’t matter.

The difference between them was too obvious. Adam caught the weapon with his bare hand, stopping it cold.

Bagani raised his palm, summoning a sphere of water to drown him—but Adam caught his wrist and shoved him back. It was done casually, almost absentmindedly, all while his other hand remained locked on the back of Bala’s head.

Bagani staggered, ready to throw himself forward again out of pure desperation—But then he froze as Adam gently placed Harvey’s head against his chest.

Adam said something, but Bagani couldn’t understand a single word. He didn’t need to. The expression on Adam’s face was enough. Whatever this was... he wasn’t here to destroy them.

Bagani’s grip loosened. His weapon slipped from his hand as he instinctively cradled Harvey’s head, holding it close.

Adam pointed just beneath it, and Bagani instantly understood what he wanted.

"Men!" Bagani roared, turning to the soldiers rushing toward them. "Find Harvey’s body! Now!"

They didn’t hesitate. The soldiers sprinted toward the forest.

Adam, meanwhile, turned and began dragging Bala across the street. Bagani watched for a moment, unsure—then gestured sharply for the remaining civilians to disperse.

"Go. All of you."

Only when they began to move did he follow Adam.

They reached the smithy not long after. Bagani frowned, confusion creeping in, but he said nothing as he stepped inside behind Adam.

Adam didn’t explain. He didn’t even look at him.

Instead, he grabbed one of the awa metal bars with a single hand, still holding Bala, and bent it. The metal groaned under the pressure, warping unnaturally before snapping into a U-shape.

Bagani’s confusion deepened, but before he could question it—

Adam forced Bala down onto the ground and drove the sharpened end of the bar straight through the back of his shoulder, pinning him to the stone.

"Grah!" Bala screamed.

Adam didn’t stop. He grabbed another bar and bent it, and this time, drove it through Bala’s palms, sealing his hands in place.

Then another—through the feet.

There was no rush in it, no anger. It was just... cold. The complete opposite of the screams escaping Bala’s throat.

And when it was done, when Bala could no longer move at all, Adam simply stepped away.

He sat down on a chair to the side, silent, as if nothing had happened.

Bagani opened his mouth, trying to speak, to ask something—but Adam didn’t respond. He didn’t even acknowledge him.

Minutes passed. Only when footsteps approached from outside did Adam finally move.

Adam stood immediately and walked past Bagani without a word, heading outside. Bagani hesitated for a brief moment, glancing back at Bala, at what had been done to him, before following.

Outside... Adam was already holding the rest of Harvey’s body.

He glanced at Bagani, then tilted his head slightly, signaling him to follow. Bagani swallowed hard, tightening his grip on the head in his arms. He didn’t argue. He couldn’t.

So he followed.

All the way back to the magical gate.

Adam slowed as they reached it, stopping just short of stepping through. For a moment, he hesitated—standing there as if something unseen was holding him back.

"I’m sorry..." he exhaled, then gave a small nod to himself, and stepped forward.

The other side was busy. Was. The moment he appeared, everything stopped.

Every voice, every moment ceased as all eyes went to him. Or rather—to the headless corpse in his arms.

Adam glanced back. Bagani stepped through behind him, still carrying Harvey’s head. The gasps that followed rippled through the space.

Adam’s chest tightened. For a moment, he wanted to disappear.

But then—

"No..."

The voice cut through everything.

Adam’s head snapped forward... and there she was.

Beatrice stood there, weakly leaning against Katherine, one hand gripping an IV pole for support.