NEAR THE END OF THE RACE

Grace skillfully maneuvers the motorcycle, drifting around every tight corner on the city tracks. Rune, holding on behind her, glances ahead and spots the zombie on the hoverboard, still too far away.

"We're going to need shortcuts if we want to catch up," Grace says, her eyes narrowing with focus. Without hesitation, she veers off a ramp, leaving the main track.

Mai's voice comes through their earpieces, calm but urgent. "Thirty seconds before Ewan's rule comes into affect" she begins, counting down as Grace speeds through a tight alley, cutting many corners. "Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

Just as Mai reaches the final countdown, Grace swerves back onto the main track, now much closer to the hoverboard zombie. The gap is closing.

The zombie, sensing the threat, drops a dozen magic grenades in their path. Rune, quick to react, deflects the incoming grenades with his blade, clearing the way.

Meanwhile, Adam is nearby, sprinting hard on the city tracks. But suddenly, he veers off course and crashes into a building. His mind shifts once more, pulling him back to the ruined castle.

Standing before him is the woman with the wolf mask, her tears dripping from behind the mask. She steps closer and asks, "Do you still remember me, Adam?"

Adam shakes his head in frustration. "I don't have time for this," he mutters, pushing the vision aside.

He snaps back to reality, breaking through the building's walls just in time to avoid breaking the 30-second rule. Stumbling, he makes his way back onto the city track. However, his vision blurs, and his body falters. He can't run at full speed—his mind keeps swapping in and out of different places, making it harder for him to focus.

Meanwhile, at the start of the city tracks, the battle reaches its conclusion. A dozen destroyed zombie cars litter the area, with Vesper and Mr. Direct collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted. Nearby, the Beast Zombie slams Panda into the ground, then leaves him behind as it sprints forward onto the city track. Two security-hat zombie cars roar past them, racing into the distance.

Breathing heavily, Mr. Direct activates his body microphone. "Rune, is Adam with you yet?" he asks urgently.

Rune's voice crackles through the earpiece, filled with strain. "I don't see Adam at all," he replies, just as the sound of explosions echoes in the background. "It'd be great if Adam helped us out... this zombie's tough to handle!"

Frowning, Mr. Direct switches to a different voice channel and asks, "Mai, what's going on with Adam?"

Mai's voice comes through, tense but composed. "I'm not sure. It looks like Adam's struggling mentally, which is causing him to fall behind. He's having trouble keeping up with the others."

Mai adds, "Adam's earpiece is broken, so we can't communicate with him. I'm watching him through my drones above the city."

Through the drone's feed, she sees Adam stumbling into the middle of an intersection, gripping his head in pain as his eyes glow a bright green. He lets out a scream as his mind is pulled back to the ruined castle. The woman with the wolf mask steps forward, wrapping her arms around him.

"I've been waiting so long for you," she says softly.

Adam pushes her away, trying to summon his weapon, but his magic flickers weakly around his hands. He clutches his head in pain, struggling to maintain control.

"You've changed," the woman says, her voice heavy with sorrow. "You're not the same Adam I knew."

"Back off!" Adam snaps. "I've got other things to do."

Tears continue to fall from the woman's mask. "There's nothing more important than reuniting with you," she says gently, reaching for him.

She removes her mask, and Adam's eyes widen in shock. His body reacts as though he's seen her before, but his mind is still unsure. Memories flood his mind—he recalls the time when he almost fell into darkness, and Barbra, along with this wolf-masked woman, helped him reclaim his emotions. Another memory flashes from Rune's perspective, during the battle with Fen, when Rune stared into Alice's eyes and saw this woman's face reflected in them.

"Eve?" Adam says, the realization hitting him.

Eve smiles and embraces him once more. "Yes," she whispers.

"I remember you," Adam admits, "you saved me once... and I saw you from Rune's memories, too."

Eve gazes into his eyes, hope flickering within her. "Is that all you remember about me?" she asks.

Adam nods, his voice tense. "Look, I'm busy right now. It's best if you don't mess with my mind and let me go."

Eve's expression falls, sadness overtaking her once again. "You've already forgotten our promise," she says quietly.

Adam stares at her, confused. "I have no clue who you are, beyond that."

Eve walks toward the edge of the ruined castle, her gaze distant as she says, "Maybe it was wrong for me to save you back then. You're not the same anymore. After all this time, I held onto a little hope when I felt your magic resurface in the living world... but maybe our time has passed. Maybe it's time to accept that things aren't the same."

Adam watches her in silence before speaking. "I'm curious, though. Why did you help me when I was at my lowest? Show me the Adam you knew."

Eve turns back toward him, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and longing. She approaches him and kisses him gently. The touch triggers something deep in Adam's mind—a memory. He suddenly sees himself and Eve, standing beside a large tree in a vibrant, grassy field. They're laughing, full of joy, as they kiss. The scene shifts, and they run hand in hand toward a distant house, their faces lit with happiness.

But just as quickly, the memory shatters. The vision cracks like glass, and a burst of green magic swirls around both Eve and Adam. As they lock eyes, tears spill from Eve's eyes again.

"Even after seeing that," she whispers, "it seems you truly don't know who you once were. And that's fine. You should live the life you want now, without the burden of the past. You can forget about me."

As Eve finishes speaking, the green magic between them surges, separating them. Adam glances up and sees a massive green aura forming the shape of a wolf in the distance. The wolf charges at him, its massive paw slamming into Adam with overwhelming force, knocking him violently back into reality.

He wakes up on the city track, gasping, and looking at his hand as if all that just happened, seem so real. 

As Adam regains his focus, he spots the Beast Zombie leaping off the track, taking a daring shortcut across the rooftops of the city buildings to get ahead of the race. With his mind now clear and free from distractions, Adam gathers his strength and makes his own leap off the track, chasing after the Beast Zombie, determined to get ahead.

Meanwhile, further ahead on the city track, Grace maneuvers the motorcycle skillfully, dodging the relentless barrage of energy explosions that fill the air. Rune, seated behind her, deflects incoming energy grenades with precise swings of his weapon. In a swift motion, he unleashes an energy wave that slices through the air toward the hoverboard-riding zombie. The zombie expertly cuts the attack in half with his magic-infused hoverboard.

Rune suddenly appears beside the zombie, his weapon poised to strike. The zombie reacts quickly, catching Rune's weapon with a magical grip. Rune roars with determination, releasing his hold on the weapon and delivering a powerful right cross to the zombie's head, sending it staggering.

But before either can capitalize on the moment, an energy blast shoots out from the distance, striking both Rune and the zombie. The explosion engulfs them, sending them crashing and rolling across the city streets. Smoke and debris fill the air as Grace speeds past the chaos on her motorcycle.

As the smoke clears, the Beast Zombie emerges from the wreckage, now directly behind Grace, relentlessly closing in on her position. 

Grace skillfully drifts and weaves her motorcycle through the streets, barely managing to dodge the vicious claw strikes of the Beast Zombie chasing her. However, the zombie riding on the Beast's back cracks his whip, slicing across Grace's back, causing her to lose control of the motorcycle. She tumbles off, rolling painfully onto the city streets. The zombie celebrates his victory, confident that he now leads the race.

But his celebration is short-lived. Sensing a sudden threat, the zombie turns around, only to be met with the full force of Adam's bat. The powerful swing smashes into the zombie's head, sending him flying far off course and out of the race.

With its rider gone and free from it's control, the Beast Zombie shakes its massive body, coming to a halt and roaring fiercely. The wild, uncontrolled magic aura surrounding it intensifies, and Adam is thrown off its back. The beast's eyes glow with raw power, and Adam takes a deep breath, recognizing the immense power before him. "This thing's just as strong as Jean when he's at full power," Adam mutters to himself, steeling his resolve.

The Beast Zombie charges forward, swinging its massive claws with wild ferocity. Each strike carries the force of a hurricane, and Adam is struck a few times, blood splattering from his wounds. But he presses on, walking through the pain as if his body refuses to acknowledge the damage.

Adam calmly, counterattacks with precision. He thrusts his bat forward, its impact like a cannon blast, sending the Beast Zombie reeling. The creature crashes into the city streets, causing buildings and rubble to collapse around it. 

The Beast Zombie roars furiously, charging up a colossal energy ball above the city, its size dwarfing the skyline. The energy pulses with destructive power, casting a dark shadow over Ribbon City, and Adam's eyes widen in shock. He realizes that if this attack lands, it will obliterate the entire city along with everyone in it.

Without hesitation, Adam propels himself into the air, veering off the city track as he begins his transformation. His skin turns into gleaming white scales, his eyes shift into the sharp, serpentine gaze of a snake, and his power surges to its peak. With a mighty swing of his bat, Adam smashes the massive energy ball, sending it hurtling into the sky.

The impact is thunderous, and when the ball explodes in the upper atmosphere, it clears the sky of clouds, sending shockwaves that ripple across the city. The entire city shakes but is spared from total destruction.

Adam lands back on the city track, adrenaline surging through him. Without wasting any time, he charges at the Beast Zombie. His bat strikes with such overwhelming force that it obliterates the upper right half of the zombie's body in a single blow, sending a rain of blood splattering across the streets. The Beast Zombie howls in agony as its immense strength crumbles under Adam's power.

As Adam spots the hoverboard zombie trying to pass him , he wastes no time, charging at full speed. With a swift and powerful strike from his bat, he smashes the hoverboard to pieces, forcing the zombie to land on the city streets. In desperation, the zombie unleashes most of its magic, sending a relentless barrage of energy beams in Adam's direction. Explosions ripple throughout the city as Adam is momentarily caught in the chaos.

Just as he regains his footing, the Beast Zombie—now severely weakened—swings its remaining arm, attempting to crush Adam. But Adam, with perfect timing, counters with a devastating blow from his bat, causing the Beast Zombie's last arm to explode in a spray of blood and gore.

The hoverboard zombie seizes this moment of distraction to sprint ahead on the city track, while Adam continues to fend off the final assault from the Beast Zombie. With a final roar, the creature fires a massive energy blast from its mouth. Adam, determined, thrusts through the blast using his bat, his mind momentarily drifting to the strange memories of Eve. He wonders who she really is and why those images of them together felt so vivid and real.

With a powerful swing, Adam delivers a finishing blow, killing the Beast Zombie for good. He takes a deep breath, his transformation fading as he returns to his normal form. But just as he readies himself to pursue the hoverboard zombie, a security hat zombie car blindsides him, slamming him hard and sending him crashing near the edge of the city track.

Stunned but still resilient, Adam prepares to give chase. However, another security hat zombie car suddenly barrels into him, this time carrying him off course, dragging Adam along with it.

As the first Security Hat zombie car zooms past the hoverboard zombie, it spots Grace clinging to the back of the zombie car, determined to stay in the race despite her injuries. Sensing the impending threat, the hoverboard zombie uses magic to enhance its running speed, desperately trying to close the gap.

Up ahead, the female security guard zombie pops out from the hood of the car, her undead face animated with determination. She mutters to herself about how winning the race will allow them to return to their duties at the mall, seemingly oblivious to the chaos happening around her.

Meanwhile, off the course, Adam is pinned against a brick wall, still struggling with the other security hat zombie car that's relentlessly ramming him. With sheer force, he grabs the car's front and crushes it, opening the hood. The strong male security guard zombie emerges from the wreckage and pins Adam's neck with his baton, speaking in a sinister tone: "If I take care of you here, we'll secure our victory for sure!"

Back on the track, Rune shouts the countdown as the 30-second rule looms. "10... 9... 8..." Adam, refusing to give in, uses all his strength to break the zombie car into pieces. But before he can rush back to the race, the car regenerates, slamming into him once more.

As Rune's countdown hits zero, Ewan's magic suddenly manifests next to Adam and the zombie car. Without hesitation, it pierces through both Adam and the security guard zombie multiple times. Each time they die, their magic brings them back to life—only for them to be killed again by Ewan's relentless magic strikes. This gruesome loop continues, preventing both from returning to the race.

Rune, breathing heavily from the earlier battles, speaks into his body microphone, concerned. "Grace... how's Grace doing?"

Mai's voice crackles over the comms, "Grace is barely hanging on the zombie car ahead, but they're nearing the end of the race."

Grace clings to the back of the speeding zombie car, her fingers slipping as blood drips from her torn palms. The wind whips through her hair, and her vision blurs from exhaustion and pain, but her determination remains unbroken. Gritting her teeth, she whispers to herself, "I'll win this race... before this zombie car crosses the finish line."

As they approach the stadium, the finish line comes into view, with the crowd of undead racers and spectators roaring in anticipation. Grace's body feels like it's about to give out, but she forces herself to hold on just a little longer. Her eyes narrow in focus as she calculates her next move.