"...Maevrith."
Stepping out from the bunkerās heavy steel door, Maevrith VƶrtdƤmmerungās glanced at the woman in front of her "Itās been a while, Miss Charlotte."
A faint green glow passed through Charlotteās eyes "I thought it was one of your clones, but I am surprised you are really here."
With a smile, Maevrith shrugged "I know I canāt escape you, so I decided to face you."
Charlotteās team moved before the words fully settled.
The women from Charlotteās team stepped forward, closing the distance in seconds.
Two grabbed Maevrithās arms from behind, forcing them down and behind her back.
Another swept her legs, dropping her to her knees in the snow with a muffled thump.
A fourth operative pressed a knee to her back, keeping her bowed while the others secured her ankles.
Maevrith didnāt resist and simply knelt there, looking up at Charlotte.
Charlotte took a cigarette from her coat pocket, lit it with a flick of a lighter, and brought it to her lips.
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, the smoke curling upward before freezing mid-drift.
Brandon sighed faintly in his heart āWith this, everything will be over-ā
Huh?
However suddenly, his eyes widened as he felt a chill run up his spine āW-What is this creepy feeling?ā
āThis is the same feeling I got while fighting Selena in the tournament...ā
"Charlotte-"
As he turned to look at her, his eyes widened in horror.
The time around him has completely stopped as the snowflakes are hanging up in the air.
Even Charlotteās body is frozen in time, with the cigarette smoke frozen in a perfect plume and her body locked in place like a statue.
Her team were also frozen like statues in time, and even Maevrith.
"What is happening?"
He hurriedly looked around in confusion āI am the only one who is not affected?ā
"Urgh-"
But suddenly his body stopped moving, making him feel numb ā...What.ā
He slowly turned his eyeballs and looked at the shadow walking toward him.
Amidst the snow, a dark figure... it was a woman.
Her long black hair spilled down her shoulders, and she was utterly naked, exposing her beautiful breasts with red nipples.
He had a faint feeling he had seen her before.
āWho is this?ā
Her bare foot pressed into the snow as she made her way towards him.
"You are beautiful as ever..."
She stopped just before him, close enough for him to see the faint rise and fall of her breasts.
As she raised her hand, his pulse spiked.
Her fingers trailed lower, grazing the side of his face, staying just beneath his jaw.
He forced his voice through his throat "...You are?"
The woman looked heartbroken, placing her hand on her chest "Oh my, you already forgot about me even though we shared a very deep kiss that day?"
"Well... I did erase your memories."
Brandonās gaze quivered as he struggled to move his body āWhat day is she talking about?ā
āAlso... how powerful is she? Even Charlotte is time frozen.ā
Her gaze softened as she caressed his cheek with heartbreaking tenderness, then gently pinched his lower lip between thumb and forefinger.
"I am envious..."
She moved forward and her lips parted as she was about to kiss him...
...when suddenly a punch landed on her face.
*THUD* Her head snapped to the side, her hair whipping to her face, as she staggered a few steps back in surprise.
The woman then turned her head and saw Charlotte, who stood with an extended fist "Donāt you dare touch my little brother..."
The cigarette had fallen from her lips and is staying mid-air frozen in time.
Azyrth De Tiamareth was shocked to see that Charlotte could move in her time-stopped world.
"I didnāt expect your understanding of ātimeā could even comprehend the divine..."
Charlotteās eyes narrowed, looking at the naked woman in front of her āWho is this... such a powerful aura around her. A being above the Empyrean level?ā
She glanced around and saw that the time was still frozen for others except Brandon āIt is already taking a toll on my mental strength to ābypassā her time ability and make myself move in this time-frozen world.ā
Azyrth saw the yellow and blue energies colliding in Charlotteās eyes "Ah, I see... so thatās how it is."
"Realizing your brother was in danger, your body instinctively overcame my ādivineā power and pushed past your limits to save him."
"You crazy and obsessive bro-con bitch."
Charlotte raised her hand, and a beam of pure green light condensed and shot forward at Azyrth "Thatās rude. This is pure love."
The beam fired, and a lance of pure ether energy shot straight toward Azyrthās heart.
Azyrth raised her hand, and the green light warped and twisted around her fingers, then slowly began to reverse, flowing back toward Charlotte like water sucked into a drain.
Charlotteās eyes condensed, and the beam shattered into blue fragments before dissolving into harmless sparks.
Looking at Charlotte, Azyrth spoke "...Youāre still just a child playing with toys you donāt understand."
Charlotte raised her hand and placed it on Brandonās shoulder, passing her ether into him.
He broke out of the time-frozen spell and staggered a step forward "Charlotte."
Turning to look at him, she smiled gently "Big Sister will take care of this."
*woosh*
In the next instant, she disappeared, and Charlotte reappeared in front of Azyrth in a burst of green light, gripping the goddessās throat.
Clenching her throat, Charlotte slammed Azyrth downward.
*THOOOOM*
The impact cratered the snow-covered ground, and the shockwave blasted outward in a perfect circle, sending snow and ice exploding in a blinding white ring.
Charlotte didnāt give her time to recover.
She drove her knee into Azyrthās stomach and then grabbed a fistful of long black hair and yanked her head back.
Azyrthās leg snapped up, and she slammed her foot into Charlotteās chest with force.
*THOOOM*
The impact launched Charlotte skyward, and her body tumbled through the air like a ragdoll before she twisted mid-flight, green ether flaring around her to stabilize.
She landed on her feet and then shot forward again.
Azyrth stood up and dashed upward, matching Charlotteās trajectory āThis avatar of mine is no fun... I am still limited by this āworldās consciosunessā so I canāt exert my full divine power in this mortal world.ā
āWell, I am already breaking the laws of the āDivine worldā by directly interfering in mortal affairs.ā
*BOOOM*
They collided in mid-air and exchanged blows, each blow shaking the sky with muted thunder.
Azyrth grabbed Charlotteās wrist mid-punch, twisting until bone creaked.
"You are just a one-trick pony who canāt do anything outside of time spells," Azyrth purred, her lips brushing Charlotteās ear even as they plummeted together. "Cute, but ultimately... limited."
Charlotteās free hand snapped up and pressed her palm flat against Azyrthās chest, right over her heart.
Green light exploded outward, and the beam shot through her at point-blank range.
*FFEENNN*
Charlotte twisted free, kicking off Azyrthās stomach and sending the goddess tumbling backward through the air.
Azyrth caught herself, and Charlotte was stunned to see that her ether beam didnāt hurt Azyrthās body.
āNot even a scratch?ā
Azyrth extended her hand, and the time on Charlotteās body froze again "There we go..."
But Charlotteās eyes burned brighter as yellow and blue energies clashed, pushing past the divine boundary Azyrth had set.
Azyrthās smile faltered "You... how...?"
Charlotte dashed forward "I will burn through every law of reality to keep him safe."
Azyrth stared in disbelief but smiled, showing something dangerously close to respect.
"Very well..."
She raised her hand and black mist coiled around her fingers "Letās see how far that āpure loveā can carry you."
The two women lunged.
*SHHHHRAAAKKKKKKK*
Time shattered around them as they clashed, and the snowflakes exploded into motion again as their powers collided.