79. Harding vs Tyler IX: 10 Seconds

With that, the time left before Harding could activate her EP on Tyler again dropped to…

…10 seconds…

Tyler took a brief survey of his surroundings, then charged for his opponent.

“Inaugural Address!” Tyler screeched, shooting a blast of sound.

Harding jumped away as the sonic wave struck the ground below.

…9 seconds…

Tyler reached Harding as she landed and let loose a furry of desperate blows. Harding stepped away, easily avoiding his wild strikes.

…8 seconds…

Harding swung her morning star, but Tyler rolled forward, sneaking under the attack. Tyler continued to roll behind Harding, then threw a kick back in her direction.

…7 seconds…

Harding leapt forward, dodging the attack. She started to land…

…6 seconds…

…only for her to fall straight through the floor.

“What the—?”

“My apologies, madam,” Tyler bellowed, his hand lunging for Harding’s neck, “but it appears you’re out of time!”

…5 seconds…

Harding gritted her teeth.

“I might be out of time for you!” she screamed, “But not for me!”

She tapped her chest.

“Executive Power: Return to Normalcy!”

Harding’s body turned gray and shot back, slamming into Tyler as she retraced her steps across the arena.

…4 seconds…

Tyler regained his balance, shaking his injured hand as he watched Harding rewind towards her earlier position.

“I doubt you’ll rewind yourself long enough for me to have the chance to reach you…”

…3 seconds…

“…which means your ultimate destination is easy to predict!”

Tyler took a deep breathe in.

…2 seconds…

“Executive Power: Inaugural Address!”

Tyler shot off a volley of sonic blasts striking the ground besides Harding’s feet.

Harding stopped rewinding just after this. She looked out, smiling as she spotted Tyler standing some distance away. She continued to smile as she put her full weight back onto her feet…

…1 seconds…

…only for her to again fall through the ground.

“…huh?” Harding spoke, dumbstruck as her body tumbled forward.

“Inaugural Address!”

Harding looked out as Tyler’s sonic blast hurtled towards her.

She hastily swung with her morning star, striking the blast and dissipating its sonic waves. She shifted her body back, managing to regain her footing just as Tyler reached her position.

“I hope this doesn’t come off as rude,” Tyler screamed, his nails drawn back, “but I’m going to ask you to die now!”

Tyler rocketed forward, his nails piercing into Harding’s forehead just as the counter reached…

…0 second…

“Executive Power!” Harding screamed with everything she had. “Return to Normalcy!”