Nico exhales heavily.
Very heavily.
He has already lost control.
Blood drips from his nose.
His chest rises and falls without pause.
Nico is already exhausted from continuously exceeding his limits, while Loki has toyed with him this far.
"Huft… Your wild experience makes it impossible for me to bring you down before that…"
Nico remains lowered, both elbows on his thighs, breathing fiercely, burning, yet his face stays raised, eyes locked on Loki.
And yet—
Loki lowers half his body as well, both hands swinging loosely between his legs…
And yet—
…he keeps his head raised, returning Nico's locked stare.
Mentioning Merpecho and speaking of him is making Nico exhaust himself faster.
And with that—
Loki smiles broadly at him.
"Yes, that man was a formidable opponent, and now I understand why you could not defeat him…" he says.
Loki gives him a cynical smile, continuously provoking his anger.
"After all, you possess nothing beyond his techniques," he adds.
Nico steps forward.
DUK!
DAK!
"Hmm?" Loki mutters.
DUK!
SHWAAAAHM—
He charges.
Fast.
Loki grins.
"Angry, are you?" Loki calls out.
Very fast.
Too fast.
In a single blink—
"HUH?!" Loki freezes.
Nico is already in front of him.
SPKHAAAAAAAAHMN!
Stomach.
"DAMN!" Loki shouts.
SKWHAAAAAAAHMN!
Side.
"I—" Loki hisses.
RTKHAAAAAAAHMN!
Ribs.
"UKH—I wanted to play around—" he hisses again.
PKTHAAAAAAAAHMN!
"EKH—With you!" he hisses again and again.
Heart.
"HUH?!" Loki stiffens.
The tip of Nico's foot is already before his face.
He cannot evade—
CPKHAAAAAAHMN!
Face.
Without openings.
Without pause.
"—AAAAAKH!" he hisses again and again.
CTHAAAAM—
The final kick sends Loki flying.
SLSHHSHH—
His footing drags.
SLSH!
Stops.
His body leans backward, both feet braced, hands clawing at the ground before him.
---
"In essence, you do not distribute your magic evenly among them, do you?!" Light says to him, resting his cheek against his palm.
"Is that solely to adjust to the envoys in each wave? Where did the rest of your excess magic go?" Light asks.
Johan folds his arms.
"Huft." He exhales briefly. "Of course, I place more upon the figures who stand at the peak—those who represent the height of humanity. That is the special conclusion prepared for both them and us. After all, the combined force of the early and middle waves… still will not equal the magic I have placed, nor the capability of that individual," Johan explains.
WRAK!
Light runs his hand through his long, straight hair that falls to his back.
"Aish," he mutters softly to himself.
WRUT!
He tidies it again.
"That is too far ahead—far too far. I will return to something happening now."
Johan leans back into his chair.
"Hm?!" he murmurs, slightly raising both eyebrows as he looks at him intently.
"What do you mean?" he asks.
"My mind keeps echoing your words about experience never lying… does that not imply they are invincible?" Light asks, lifting both eyebrows, meeting his gaze with equal intensity.
"Hmhm…" Johan lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head slightly as he closes his eyes.
"It depends on how far their experience truly extends," he explains, opening his eyes and looking back at Light.
"And yes, it means nothing for those who are considered invincible—even if their experience surpasses what is sufficient—because they will still be incomparable to those who are gifted… such as yourself, for example," Johan adds.
Light falls silent for a moment, his enthusiasm fading slightly after hearing the explanation.
"You have answered my deepest question. Damn, I thought they would become formidable opponents, so you would not need to trouble yourself by deploying that so-called peak human," Light replies.
Johan does not respond. He closes his eyes again, tilting his head upward toward the ceiling.
Light furrows his brow, staring at him intently.
"My interest has shifted from them to those who are gifted… what exactly are they gifted with?!" he asks.
---
"You bastard—" Loki says.
WRAK.
Bones crack.
He pulls his body forward from the rearward strain.
—BLUARH!
Blood spills from Loki's mouth.
"Huft..." he hisses.
Nico presses both of his feet into the ground.
"Let me make this clear!" Loki declares, still bent forward, his gaze fixed on the ground.
CTHAHM!
The earth cracks instantly.
BOOOM!
Nico charges at once.
Behind his lowered posture—
"Hmnhmm."
—a wide grin spreads clearly across Loki's face.
"You are actually equal to me—" he says—
—raising his head, his eyes wide, staring sharply at Nico before him.
The grin widens further, his teeth parting—
"—NOT AFTER MY ADRENALINE!" he shouts.
WHOOM—
The air blasts forward—Nico's knee is already before him.
WHAM!
The strike is avoided—
—Nico immediately twists his attack.
His leg draws back—Loki is at his side.
BRAK—Nico plants one foot; Loki freezes, his brow tightening.
"Eeh," he mutters, as Nico's leg pulls back—an attack he cannot evade—
—PKRHAAAAAAHMN!
A strike to the stomach.
"Aih—" he hisses.
PRKHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
Chest.
"—Wadukhh."
CKTHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
Ribs.
CTKHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
"Tck!"
KCTHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
Spleen.
"Hash—"
TCKHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
Heart.
"—Ahs!"
PKCHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
Head—
—Nico's final kick sends Loki flying away.
A relentless barrage crashes into him.
PCKHAHMN!
Both of Loki's feet dig into the ground, stopping his momentum instantly.
"That barrage…" he mutters.
One hand forward, the other behind, fingers relaxed—his stance—
Loki's smile fades.
"It keeps escalating to this point. You keep using that technique—are you underestimating me or what?!" he says.
—without him realizing it.
Nico frowns, gritting his teeth; the energy within Loki shifts rapidly into something he recognizes—something he fears—just like before, with Merpecho.
Loki's face turns flat, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"As if you think…" he says,
lifting his head, staring deeply at Nico.
SCKHWHAAAAAAHMN!
—Loki charges.
"…that I do not possess that technique, that I have never faced it!" he continues.
SCTKHWHAAAAAHMN!
Stomach.
CTKHWHAAAAAAHMN! KHAM!
Heart.
Nico grimaces, teeth clenched, a lump of blood spilling from his mouth—
"Hmn?!" Loki murmurs, noticing—
—but he manages to draw one leg back—
Not in time.
TCKWHAAAAAAAHMN!
"—Ekh!" he hisses.
A strike lands on Loki's ribs.
Loki prepares to retaliate harder.
However—
Nico fully draws one leg back again—another barrage—
CTKHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
"Akh—"
Stomach. A heavy, full impact.
Dust begins to rise.
CTKHUUUUUUUUHMN!
"—Uhk."
Spleen. A devastating blow.
CKTHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
"—Know your place!" he shouts.