Nefrim vs Hikaru

As the clap echoes in the silent air Hikaru and Nefrim's mana concentrated fists strike each other leaving out shockwaves and a blast at point of interaction. They both backed off and waited for the dust to settle down.

When they were again visible to each other hand combat started. No one was using magic, both were testing their pure strengths. Taking blows, counter attacking, defending, backing off to regain footing, predicting their next move, steadily breathing.

When no one took any fatal blows Hikaru started using mana as a layer of extra damage on his attack. Nefrim didn't change his way as he stood on his pride until he did not feel any fatalness. When Hikaru started using more mana in his attacks the Nefrim had no choice to do the same.

Other fights also grabbed their attention as the screams of dragons and whips of the kanna caught their eyes.

“They are holding well against my comrades,” Nefrim commented.

“All your comrades will be dead along with you in a few minutes.” Hikaru punched him in his guts.

“cough…cough…Well who knows? Maybe your friends will be captured by them, then I can make them work for me…. Oh wait, they can't, I have to kill every old person here.” Nefrim caught his hand and slammed him in the ground.

“They are old? You were taught the wrong definition." Hikaru locked his hand with legs and slammed him back into the ground.

“I was never taught by someone.” Nefrim states as he kicked Hikaru away and stood back.

“...what is your aim?” asked Hikaru as he stood up.

“ It's a long story.” said Nefrim as he heated up the ground when he touched it.

The solid ground becomes hot molten lava in the range of 1 kilometre, except under his feets. Hikaru tried to get out of that range but an invisible wall covered the outer radius of the lava ground, he jumped to get out but an invisible roof hit his head.

“...look like I have no other choice but to listen.” Hikaru was constantly covering his bottom of feet with an ice layer.

“ Then ... .Do you know the reason for the war 900 years ago?” said Nefrim when he took a stance as he radiated out his mana.

“ No, I did try to find out about it in books but it was just mentioned as an event and no details were given.” Hikaru puts his hands on the ground while covering them with ice and takes the position of crouch start.

“Right!..that was because they wanted to silence that matter.” Nefrim fired some water shots at Hikaru.

Hikaru dodges them and jumps while chanting “VULCAN VURTULA”.The ground swirls and turns into lava.The figure of woman without head comes out and grabs Nefrim. His skin burns away while he screams. Nefrim freezes the whole thing and breaks it apart. Slowly his body heals back.

‘Why?Why did it not have any effect?’

Hikaru creates some stone shards and heats them until they turn into molten lava and shoots them. Nefrim didn't even try to dodge them and intentionally let them hit him. No effect. Not even a single drop of blood came out nor any traces of them hitting him as it absorbed all of them.

“Looks like my body is starting to adapt to the powers.Nefrim clenched his fist and continues “Be my first guest to taste the new powers.”

With the extreme leakage of mana from Nefrim's body the atmosphere feels heavy. He cancels his previous spell and starts the hand to hand combat again.

While the punches and kicks were striking one after another Hikaru's body started to respond weirdly. Sometimes the actions were too slow to hit and dodge other times they were too fast. It was all an effect of Nefrim’s power.

Landing continuous hits on Hikaru Nefrim continued his story.

“....The war started because of a woman, who was awakened with Joker's power.A power to change the cells and constitution of the body of others , herself and any other thing whether it was living or non living. Any normal person will either use that for himself and his loved ones or will try to hide it, but that woman was too kind for her own good. She was the first person ever to tell the world about Joker's powers. No one knew about them before her and even if someone did they didn't disclose it.

She traveled with her husband and child to help those with illness, those who were disabled, turning barren land into a cultivation field. She was even kind towards animals and didn't harbour any ill feelings towards anyone.

But not all humans are satisfied with what they are given. When words of power started to travel further and further people who lusted over power and greed started to seek for the one who had that power. Even the higher ups ordered to find that person and research on her body in the name of “FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS WORLD”

One day the woman and her husband and child were kidnapped. Both the child and her husband were locked in a room and the woman was tortured daily to see up to what level her powers can work.

The word of her being captured got out and reached the Holy continent. Where a person named Venec ordered his people to free them and bring them to the Holy continent. The place was burned to crisps and the woman and her husband and child were freed.

On the way to take them to the holy continent while they were on the island, the one below us while they were resting the husband overheard their conversation about how they were going to study her when brought to the Holy continent. Back then the island was just a plain ground of trees and grass filling the vacant space with no humans in sight.

At night they ran away and when they reached the coast of the island they saw ships filled with soldiers coming towards the island. Trusting them that they were not going to harm them was the worst mistake they could have made. They ran back and hid somewhere in the forest.

Ships from the other side also came as soon as they were informed that the woman fled and soldiers from the other continent were sent. The three of them hid under the ground by making a hole around 500 metres underneath the ground level.

The battle began for the search of the woman and to stop the opposite sides. It lasted for a week. The three of them were in a constant state of terror. Starving, weakened, trembling,scared and holding each other were how the weeks went by for them. The sound of the explosion felt nearer and nearer every other day.

And one day the roof of dirt above them opened by an explosion. They were out in the open, they couldn't go any deeper than that because of the hard rocks and fear of being drawn in water from the ocean.green forest covered land was now nothing more than a blood stained barren land.

As the eye fell upon them the flames of battle fired up even more. Running and trying to escape from being captured they used every last bit of strength they had remained. One of the elves captured them. Someone throwed boulder at them to at least take them out rather than hand them to the other. The husband died protecting his family. Without giving them any time to shed tears the human side dashed to capture the woman. His child put up a fight but couldn't do anything. The mother killed herself as she saw her child beaten up in the hope that the war stops.

….You know she said some last words to the child…….to me…….and they were “Sorry because of me….”................ ” finished Nefrim as the tears filled his eyes.

The fight was still on. Nefrim had an upper hand during the whole talk, with the attacks weighing more heavily as the talk continued. Blood stained Hikaru was still giving his all with his heat sinked in a deep emptiness. Nefrim blasted some shards of stones in Hikaru’s gut. Hikaru was sent flying by the force of impact.

He stood up and with his watery eyes he asked “...how are you still alive after that many years?” as he wiped the blood off his mouth.

Nefrim replied “i am a elf”

Hikaru looks at his ears. Nefrim pulled back his ears and showed him the normal ears.

“Oh..about them I cut them in this shape. It was pretty painful. After the war ended I had to stay hidden.”

Nefrim felt a shock wave run throughout his body.

‘Looks like our talk ends here.”

He appears in front of Hikaru in a blink and puts his hand on Hiakrus chest.

“ I will make his world a better place by educating the children what's right and wrong.”

The hand slips through his outer skin and muscles. Nefrim holds the heart of Hikaru and rips it apart. As he takes out his bloody hands Hikaru's chest squirts out blood.

:Thud:

Hikaru’s body falls on the ground. The blood slowly flows out and only noises from others fight fills the air.

“Sorry.”

He turns around and looks at others. His eyes fall upon the throne. No one was sitting on it.

:Grip:

A tight grip on Nefrim's shoulders shatters his bones.Nefrim screams in pain and turns around as his bones recover slowly.

Hikaru standing on his two feet. Blood is still dripping down his body which was turning black. He was giving away a creepy smile. A smile the same as that black figure. He turns Nefrim's body towards him with force and puts his index finger close to his chest.

Wind swirls at the end of his finger. Flames concentrate turning the red colour of fire to blue, from blue to black, blue to a colour seemingly showing the picture of the universe itself. A small marble-like galaxy forms at the end of his finger.

Hikaru touches it to his chest.

:Boooooom:

Nefrim flies back as his feet drag on the ground trying to stop it. His spine breaks and tilts back. He slowly gets back in his posture as he shows his blasted chest. Slowly the body heals itself back. Remaking the skin back on the chest.

Nefrim breathes in and asks “How are you still alive?..Wait, you look like the person who was sitting on the throne now…..You are mak–”

Hikaru’s body teleports behind Nefrim and with his kick he slammed Nefrim in the ground, widened his grin and walked back. Nefrim's face was distorted. He stood back up as the face was restored.

“..Cough…..looks like you don't want to talk any more.”

Nefrim started absorbing the surrounding mana. When he absorbed a good amount of it he covered his full body with it without any leakage or abnormalities. The fight started again when Nefrim threw a punch at Hikaru's body. Hikaru's body stops it with one hand, the ground below and behind him breaks as all the force transfers in the form of sound and waves. Hikaru's body grins and starts the combat.

While the surrounding around them broke apart from their strength Hikaru's heart was slowly regenerating itself. Hikaru's body was not able to keep up with all those powerups by that figure on his body and started to break from inside little by little.

When the heart was able to function again Hikaru screamed “Get out of my body!!” And forced out the black figure. It came out through his mouth and went back to sit on his thrones with the smile turned upside down.

Hikaru was panting and so was Nefrim. All the pain caught up to Hikaru, he held in his screams . Nerim's body was still unharmed.

“So you are finally back to sense to stop me huh?” sent Nefrim as he caught up to lack of air in his lunch gas.

“Yes….I don't deny what happened to you wasn't wrong nor I would say to stop that wrath and hatred towards others. But I can't let you kill my sister.”

“I will leave her. What do you say..join forces with me.”

“Nah..huge burden to live with the guilt of letting others be killed and my sister will hate me if I did.”

“Why do you want to save this rotten world?”

“I don't care about the world.”

“Hahha..” Nefrim laughed and continued “you know even if you manage to defeat me the war will or at least people with the power of jokers will be killed, tortured and turned into a body they can experiment on when the truth about these powers will be known. Just think about what will happen to those innocent people who acquired this power with their own will.There are many kids, old people who had already shown their joker power to others during this attack by mine soldiers and monsters. Of course not all of them are kind and good natured but those who are will live as they hide from others after this battle is over and you win. What will you do about them?”

Hikaru couldn't answer back, he just listened to him quietly.

‘...He is correct. I can't protect everyone nor do I want to.But if i dont kill him here he will surely kill Yuki and others. Yuki….killed… I don't want her to suffer any pain.she finally got the normal life she wanted. I have to kill Nefrim…..ahhh…but if we do win, the aftermath which he told will surely take place and the world can become a living hell.And no attack i do works against him.Think.,think….think..,think a way out.’

Nefrim looked at his tense face and said “So you also agree with what I said. You can't change anything. It's not as simple as snapping a finger.”

Hikaru's brain cells work and he finds a way out though it does take away something from him in return.

“Let's put an end to it.” Nefrim dashes towards Hikaru with the intent to punch him.

Hikaru mumbled “Aki listen to my 2nd wish.”

Hikaru and Aki got teleported to the white room. Aki had a face like he was just about to get cut down into pieces. After a moment of silence he realized where he was and with biggest smile he could give he said

“I was never this overjoyed before when you called meeeeeee…Ehya!!!? You look worse than me.” While he turned towards Hikaru.

Torn clothes, blood painted chest and veins pumped out like about to burst open. He was slowly healing his body back.

“Aki, how long can we stay here?”

“eh?....I don't know…..maybe there is a time limit or maybe not. You want to rest here for sometime?”

“Yes that's also there but I thought it wouldn't work if I didn't have a wish to ask for.”

“Hmm….guessing from the last time we came here we only went back when I fulfilled your wish so maybe we can't leave this place until the wish is fulfilled.”

“That's good then…..now listen…..we will not be kicked out before you fulfill it even if i told you right?”

“Yes, I assume.”

“Good good. Now listen, my last wish is that you erase the memory of every Human and its other races like the elf,seasie,dwarf,quivon, anima etc about me and the existence of the power of jokers.”

“..wait, why?”

Hikaru explained the reason for earning the memory about the power of jokers.

“ Okay i understand that but about the party of erasing your memories about you… why ?”

“Aaaa…about that…when I was travelling with Sana around the continent I made a spell and I was not going to use it but looking at the situation i….I have to. And the thing with the spell is that I could get killed.”

“What???”

“..when i first used it the spell was not complete so I somehow got away but while fighting with Nefrim i thought of a way to make it perfect and that's the only spell which can kill Nefrim before he can regenerate his cells.”

“ What about Yuki? How will I face her and I can't live with the guilt of erasing your existence.”

“That's why I also added the part of erasing memories about me. All of you will forget about me so no worries.”

“Are you for real?”

“Look, do you think I will risk my chance of living with my sister if I can live a peaceful life , no right. That's the only way I can provide a better life to my sister without regretting anything.”

“But still…”

“...it will be chaos whether we win or not and my one and only wish is to see my sister happy. I don't want to argue any more about this.”

“Ahhhh…..you and your sister complex. So what are you gonna do till we go back?”

“Let's see…” Hikaru sits on the floor.

Aki asks, remembering what situation he was in before he got teleported “if you move here….. In this white room then your position also changes in the real world right!!??”

“Does it? I don't know.”

Aki recalls his memory and says” yes it does. I remember the first time when you used it you were sitting on the floor whe. You came but before we went back you stood up and you got teleported back in the same position.”

Aki smiles.

“I can get away without any cuts now.”

“What cuts?

“It's about my situation in the real world.”

Aki explains his battle with Kanna and how he was trapped in her trick.

“That pops up many questions in my mind about this whole 3 wish spell.”

“What?” Aki sits down in front of him.

“Like you and sana both were the ones under the spell right?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“You chose me because of that I gained those 3 wishes. What I am curious about is Sana's choice.”

“We both chose you.”

“...Does that mean I can also get 3 wishes from sana?”

“Why don't you try it out?”

“Hmm…but I don't have a wish nor can I find a way out of this mess no matter how hard I think. A wish hmm………..oh! I remembered.”

Hikaru takes out the quill pen and the paper from his torn robes pocket.

“What are you doing?” Aki asked.

“Writing my last wishes.”

“Huh?” Aki stares at the quill pen."There is no ink to write with.”

“....My blood is enough. Better use it for sometime before my whole body vanishes.”

Hikaru fills the pen with his blood and writes 2 letters by tearing the page in half. Aki watches him as he writes. After he finishes he hands it to Aki.

“Put them in a pocket which you surely will check when things settle down.”

“I check my every pocket.” he put them in his pocket and asked "wasn't the 2nd one a bit too poetic? You could just have written what you feel in simple words.”

“I don't know how to write goodbye letters okay! I am only going to die this one time. I don't have experience in these things.”

“Okay okay Clam down” hikaru breathes in and out. Aki says “but that looks like a love letter”

Hikaru stares at him “Really?........well whatever she will not remember me anyways and there are no ideal right words to say before you die……...maybe it's better if you don't give that to her. ” Hikaru stood up and tried to take it back from his pocket. Aki doesn't give it back.

“Nah,I am not giving that back. I can imagine her keeping it safe even if she doesn't remember you.” Aki stands up and says “ Now let's go”

“Okay whatever. So, when I use my last spell you will fulfill my wish, got it?”

“Okay..”

Hikaru stares at Aki and says “My last talk before I die is with you…sighhhhh…..”

“Dont make me regret all the sympathy I have built up for you.”

“Let's go back now.”

Aki looks at his face one last time before he claps and they go back.

Nefrim was 3 hands away from Hikaru, coming at full speed with a punch. Hikaru opens his palm in front of him and says

“Let's die together…..” He breaths in and shouts out “Void”

A black ball hovers in hand and when Nefrim comes closer it engulfs both of them. Continuous slashes from overwhelming mana cut every single cell of Nefrim until he vanished in nothingness. Hikaru gave away every single drop of mana he had and collapsed in that void.