The station remained frozen.
Not silent—
Frozen.
The Absolute unit stood at the center of the platform, its presence forcing reality itself into alignment.
Nothing escaped its control.
Not movement.
Not sound.
Not space.
Aarav steadied his breathing slowly.
The pain in his shoulder still lingered.
Wrong.
Deep.
Like part of him had almost been erased.
"…You okay?" Mira asked quietly.
"…No."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…But I'm still here."
The Absolute unit stepped forward again.
One step.
And the entire station trembled.
"…Correction priority increasing," it said.
"…Observer-linked variable exceeds acceptable range."
Noah clicked his tongue softly.
"…Yeah. That sounds bad."
Aarav glanced toward him briefly.
"…You fought one of these before?"
A pause.
Then Noah answered quietly—
"…I survived one."
Silence.
"…That's not the same thing."
"…Exactly."
The Absolute unit raised its hand.
Instantly—
The air compressed.
Mira gasped slightly as pressure crashed into the station from every direction.
"…It's trying to erase the entire area," Noah muttered.
"…Then stop it," Aarav replied.
Noah laughed softly.
"…You really overestimate people."
The Absolute unit moved.
Instantly.
Aarav reacted—
Barely.
The strike passed near him—
And reality cracked behind him.
Large sections of the platform vanished completely.
Not destroyed.
Corrected.
"…That thing is insane," Mira whispered.
Noah stepped forward for the first time.
The distortion around him intensified sharply.
Dark.
Unstable.
Alive.
"…Move aside," he said quietly.
Aarav raised an eyebrow.
"…You sure?"
"…Not really."
Then—
Noah vanished.
Not speed.
Not movement.
Absence.
For a split second—
Even the Absolute unit paused.
Noah reappeared directly in front of it.
His fist collided with the unit's chest.
BOOM.
The station shook violently.
A shockwave exploded outward as distorted space cracked across the platform.
The Absolute unit slid backward.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Mira's eyes widened.
"…He pushed it back."
"…Yeah," Aarav muttered.
"…Interesting."
The Absolute unit stabilized instantly.
Its body flickered once.
"…Ancient irregular identified," it said.
"…Correction history incomplete."
Noah smirked faintly.
"…Still mad about that?"
The unit attacked immediately.
Faster than before.
Noah barely dodged.
The edge of the strike touched his arm—
And part of the distortion around him vanished instantly.
Noah's expression sharpened.
"…Yeah. Still dangerous."
Aarav stepped forward immediately.
Now.
Together.
The Absolute unit turned toward him.
That tiny delay—
Was enough.
Aarav struck from the side.
Noah attacked from the front.
The unit blocked one—
Then the other—
But its movements slowed slightly.
"…It can't fully track both of us," Aarav realized.
Noah smirked.
"…Took you long enough."
The fight intensified instantly.
Strike.
Shift.
Correction.
Distortion.
The station shook continuously under the pressure.
Reality itself struggled to stay stable.
Mira watched carefully from behind, searching for patterns.
Then suddenly—
"…Aarav!"
He turned slightly.
"…Its corrections slow every time Noah distorts space!"
Silence.
Then—
A faint smile appeared on Aarav's face.
"…Because distortion interrupts alignment."
Noah laughed softly.
"…Exactly."
The Absolute unit's presence intensified violently.
[ MULTIPLE IRREGULAR INTERFERENCE DETECTED ]
[ STABILITY FALLING ]
"…Good," Aarav muttered.
The unit attacked again.
This time—
More aggressive.
Less controlled.
Noah dodged barely.
Aarav intercepted immediately.
Then countered.
For the first time—
The Absolute unit moved back twice in succession.
"…Impossible," Mira whispered.
Noah's distortion pulsed sharply.
The space around him cracked unnaturally.
"…Don't get excited yet," he warned.
"…It hasn't shown everything."
The Absolute unit suddenly stopped moving.
Completely.
Its body began glowing faintly.
White system symbols spreading across its surface.
Aarav's eyes narrowed instantly.
"…That's bad."
The station trembled violently.
System screens exploded into warnings.
[ ABSOLUTE OVERRIDE AUTHORIZED ]
[ LOCAL REALITY CORRECTION INITIATED ]
Mira stepped backward instinctively.
"…What does that mean?"
Noah's expression darkened for the first time.
"…It means…"
The air around him distorted sharply.
"…It's about to erase everything in this station."
Silence fell instantly.
Heavy.
Terrifying.
Then—
The Absolute unit raised its hand.
And reality itself—
Began to collapse.