Heart. A powerful strike.
Dust thickens.
CKTHUUUUUUUUHMN!
Loki grits his teeth.
Stomach. Deep and fast.
"Aih—DON'T TAKE IT OUT ON ME!" he shouts.
Dust nearly blinds their vision.
CTHAAAAAAAAAHMN!!
Face. Nico's final strike in the sequence tears through the air—
—however.
Loki evades, throwing himself away—
—his foot already positioned at Nico's chest, unseen within the dust.
KCHAAAAAAAAAAHMN!
He kicks Nico's chest, launching himself away—out of range.
BRAAAAK!
His feet slam into the ground, halting his motion as wind surges past him.
"Huft…"
DUK!
Loki steps forward.
DAK!
"Not a chance!"
DUK!
"What do you think I am?!"
His steps quicken.
"I DEFEATED MERPECHO WITH THIS ADVANTAGE, YOU KNOW!!"
SHKWAAHMN!
"I'm getting bored."
He leaps.
"Because you—"
He draws his leg back.
WHAM!
"—ARE NO LONGER MY EQUAL!" he shouts.
CTHAAAAAAAAAAHMN!
A full strike to Nico's face.
CTHUUUUUUUUUHMN!
A crushing blow to the spleen.
"…you are the government's genius fighter who reached that man before me."
A heavy landing.
His eyebrows lift slightly, his expression flattening further.
"I understand now…"
CKTHAAAAAAAAAHMN!
A kick to the side of Nico's knee.
"…why you fell—and were even said to have died at the hands of the Mad Fighter!"
No enthusiasm remains on his face.
Nico staggers, gritting his teeth, his expression tightening.
Loki lowers his stance.
Nico sways—his arms loose, his body slumped, his gaze fixed downward—only his trembling legs keep him standing.
One of Loki's legs rises to chest level.
HAAAH—
Power gathers.
"You cannot even handle someone beneath him—how could you handle the man himself?!"
Right before him—
—CKTHUUUUUUUHMN!
A direct kick to Nico's heart.
"My words match my ability!"
A devastating impact.
Nico is sent flying far away.
"Therefore, it is pointless for me to prolong this fight."
But Loki is not finished.
SKHWAAAAAAHMN!
He charges again.
"With that…"
Nico is still airborne.
Loki leaps briefly.
A straight kick descends toward Nico's heart—
"…I WILL END THIS!"
—however.
"HMP?!"
At the very moment Loki is about to land the fatal blow—
Nico's body collapses heavily onto the ground first.
BHAAAAAAHMN!
It crashes down.
Dust explodes.
The earth cracks.
Nico lies defeated before him.
DAK—
DUK—
Loki lands.
"This is what it means to lose to yourself," he mutters.
He stands before Nico's body, partially sunk into the shattered ground.
"NOT TO ME!" he shouts.
He stares at him deeply, pauses, then draws a long breath.
"Huft." He exhales heavily. "An ending like this… it reminds me of that ending…" he continues.
A brief silence.
"…he died by his own hand," he adds.
Then he smirks.
"Will you be the same?!"
---
Johan lowers his face slightly, raising both eyebrows.
"As far as I know, one out of the three surpasses the others and obtains his advantage—adrenaline gained after exceeding the limits of his body," Johan replies.
Light shakes his head slowly.
"What is that supposed to mean? Would that not make your initial wave of envoys nothing but a waste against that individual?! What exactly are you planning?!" Light asks.
Johan opens his eyes again.
"Of course not!" Johan replies, staring at him intently. "That is merely a diversion—to exhaust them and benefit the second wave of envoys," he explains.
"Hahaha." Light lets out a soft laugh.
"That is enough. I had not considered that possibility," he replies.
"So, all of that is simply to ensure they are no longer in prime condition, and you leave no room for those you send directly in the second wave, is that it?!" he says.
"Correct," Johan answers briefly.
"From your expression, I can already see the outcome clearly—between the chosen one and the second wave you deploy. What advantage do they possess, other than facing opponents who are no longer in prime condition, even with their gifts?!" Light asks.
"Psychological," Johan answers shortly, once again.
---
Within a forest filled with towering trees.
SKRAHSH—SKHWAHMN!
Dust scatters as a jet-black carriage, adorned with golden patterns along its sides, comes to an abrupt halt.
BRAK!
One foot steps onto the ground, followed by the other.
DUK!
A figure wearing a sweater that covers up to the neck…
DAK!
…continues walking forward.
DUK!
"Hadeh," Loki hisses, standing before the fallen Nico.
The figure stops behind Loki.
"Hmm?!" Loki murmurs, rubbing his shoulder.
He senses an unpleasant presence from behind.
His expression remains flat, his eyebrows slightly raised…
…he inhales, then exhales slowly.
Loki turns his head—
"HMPH—"
He freezes, his face tightening.
"What is that… is that you…" Leon says.
He grits his teeth.
"…LEON?!"