Outside the bracket- Nier stood up and drank a pain reducing potion. The internal pain was something that was felt in his inner domain and he could feel full blunt of the pain unlike his body.
Wiping sweat off his face, Nier dashed forward, his hands in cloak. Suddenly he took out the chains and whipped them randomly- obviously not an expert. He did wish to learn it though.
Loy parried them easily but he was getting uneasy and suddenly realized- 'He is buying time?'
Staying away from his opponent- drinking healing potions and attacking from a distance. A well known tactic.
'I must use my trump card'
Deciding to go in, just as Loy moved- so did Nier who took out a card. A joke card- the last he had. It was a gift from someone he knew.
Crushing the card- black smoke errupted. Blocking Loy's enhanced view- Nier swung his smoke covered hands.
Cautious, Loy extended his baton and smashed down but- what came out of the smoke shocked him. But he couldn't stop.
In Nier's hand was a bottle filled half with water. The bottle met the baton and was smashed- it's water splashing over Loy who had already realized what it was- but he was unable to dodge all of it.
Nier immediately backed down and then- the water exploded. Nier thought back to his conversation
...
"Eww..."
Looking at Nier's disgusted expression.
Ria made a hopeless expression.
"It's not something I can control...Techniques are random- unless they are inherited, besides- why does that bother you"
"You are right- Techniques are awakened from desires and emotions. I should have expected such ability from you."
"What's your ability?"
"Why...should I tell you?"
"You!..We are in a life and death situation snd you have time to joke" Said Reya
"I-- am in a life and death situation because of you" Nier retorted
"You shouldn't have taken on an escort mission then"
"You shouldn't have hidden the true level of the mission"
"So you agree to being incompetent"
"So you agree to being a devious clown who needs the help of competent people "
"Tch... This will take us nowhere. I-I am sorry...but I thought it would be a good way to escape. I found that my fellow mercenaries might be betraying us so I couldn't send a message. In an attempt to escape- I lost my baggage.I wanted to rise-"
"Shut the f*ck up. Don't start your sed monologue now. Not interested. My technique is a healing technique but I can't use it because it causes tremendous pain. More than hitting your leg pinky finger."
"!!!" The last sentence shook her.
"Does your...spit- work when dissolved?" Nier asked raising the water bottle he bought, now half empty.
"It does but it also increases my mana consumption- and the damage itself doesn't increase. What does increase is the chance of getting hit"
"Do these attackers know your technique?
"Yes, most likely"
"Perfect" Nier said as he looked at his hands.
...
Loy was flung back, bloody and burnt and fell to the ground. A painful expression on his face- suddenly turned into a grin.
"Hahahaha, we've won! Nai, Do It-!" Professor Loy screamed in joy as he extended he hands towards the bracket behind Nier- a magic circle conjured in his hands lighting the darkness when-
Nier brought his right hand up and pulled opened his mask. Beautiful silver eyes uncovered and shone in the darkness like two beautiful moons lighting the nightsky.
Nier simply eyed the magic circle that Loy activated in that moment- activating his unnamed technique.
The magic circle suddenly broke into thousands of pieces like a mirror shocking Professor Loy.
"Although it's not complete- this should be enough" Nier muttered as he pointed his left hand- which were in the gesture of a gun- towards Loy.
"Bang"
A shining silver beam of light left his fingers with a loud noice and hit Loy in above his right chest- separating his right hand.
"AAAAAAAAH
Nier looked at his left hand. His fingers were bleeeding profusely after the attack even though it wasn't completely filled. One of the reasons why this nail was a rather low ranked weapon. Remembering Loy's words, he turned towards the bracket fill with fog.
'I should improve my aim. We've won? Oh right, they were likely after something that clown has. How will I get 100x reward if she dies?'
Just then- Reya jumped out of the hole- and a booming explosion took place right after.
Core detonation.
Mana was something that worked in tandem to desires, in some cases- desires that one didn't know they have. But the opposite works as well.
Core detonation was detonating one's core which can cause some effect related to the law of that person's element, their abilities and even break those laws in cases.
It was a self explanatory concept in a way but what made it shocking in this case was that it was done purely to take down someone.
One of the reasons why big organizations didn't just order 'useless' workers, disciples or any one of such category to just detonate in their enemy's residence and harm their assets was because they couldn't detonate just on a thought and order. They can keep trying but won't be able to because they deep down don't want to do so in most cases.
One of the reasons why Janmini assassins were feared because they could do so at will.
Reya looked towards the bracket which was no longer there. The place was completely covered in a giant glacier like structure. It was something Nai couldn't do without detonation.
'That would no doubt have killed me but I luckily escaped after hearing that four-eye's signal'
Reya turned to look and was shocked seeing Nier's face, but quickly her eyes went past him to Loy whose face was covered in tears and grief.
'How!? I didn't even sense him collecting mana, That aside, the damage it caused was so high! Was that his technique? Was he buying time to accumulate mana? That was fast! What happened! Why did my spell break? AAAAA! I completed my bracket. It was all set. She would have been unable to break out and the detonation would have got her. Nai, I failed you...your death was all for naught'
Tears flooded in Professor Loy's eyes mourning for his student's death. However- his body shone with light. Read to detonate when-
"Unfortunately. I cannot kill you for interrogation purposes but I'll close off your mana link so you cannot detonate" Reya said still shocked on how much dedicated he was on killing her. She stabbed in his chest with several pins and quickly- without waiting tied a rope around Loy who found himself unable to get in touch with his mana.
"AAAAAAAARgh AAAaA" Loy let out blood curdling screams as he felt the pain of being stabbed from the pins and Reya was merciless with the force she used.
Not just that- she punched him in the face brutally knocking him out. Off course- the pines were made of mana repellent stones which simply didn't allow some one to use mana. So it wouldn't have changed much but still...
"Tch-" Reya looked down frustrated- her last conversation with him was just denying a question.
It wasn't like some sort of actual discord between them yet-
"So- I'll take 100x reward for this. My backpack got wrecked...surely" Nier said calmly looking at the ice.
He turned back to look at Reya- her clothes seemingly fine even after being lit up in flames- likely because of them being mana attuned clothes. She was crouching down near the unconscious Loy. Her face down in sadness still contemplating about the man who died after remembering his aspirations.
"Weak" Saying that, Nier moved towards the unconscious man when-
"!!!" Loy's eyes jolted open and his hands touched Reya who was caught off-guard and then what happened was completely something unexpected.
A black aura surrounded the hand and touched Reya.
Thump*
A loud heartbeat entered Nier's ears as he saw blood leak out of Reya's mouth and nose.
Her body fell limp on the ground.