Nick wasn’t the strongest person that he knew by any means. Sophia and Devin had him beat hands down in that regard. But he was still far stronger than he’d been back in his old life.

This growth had a host of implications that weren’t particularly relevant at this moment, along with one that was. Thanks to the changes that his body had undergone since the System entered his life, Nick could now throw a mean left hook, and he’d put everything that he had into his punch.

As a result, knuckles met nostrils with considerable force, hard enough to fracture the bone behind. The swordsman’s head rocked back as blood shot out his nose, lowering his guard for a fraction of a second.

Nick followed up with a flowing combination of slashes and thrusts, trying to end the fight while the other man was unbalanced. But Ken was a tough bastard, and he recovered faster than Nick expected, fighting through the pain as their battle continued.

Their swords met time and time again, bright sparks raining from Ken’s blade each time their weapons collided. Nick’s sword had a longer reach, but the balance was unwieldy. Ken was both faster and stronger than he was, and was heavily armored to boot.

By now, it was obvious that the other man had more experience in wielding his weapon, although their skills felt more evenly matched than Nick had originally assumed. On top of that, it clearly wasn’t Ken’s first time engaging in a swordfight against another person.

While the situation was still manageable, if barely so, he suspected that Ken had an ability that he hadn’t revealed yet. That the man was saving it for when it would kill Nick on the spot. It was true for both of them, since Nick had yet to unveil piercing ray. But it wasn’t likely that he would get a chance to cast it, given the uninterrupted concentration it took to fire the spell off.

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In short, although Nick had done well to hold his own up to this point, if he didn’t find a way to end the fight soon, he was going to lose. He could try using his wand or conjuring another dart, but he doubted that he could land a direct hit against his agile opponent with either, now that Ken knew what Nick could do.

He couldn’t hold his wand and use his sword with both hands, and Ken was already learning how to take advantage of that fact. Nick compromised by retrieving his wand and gripping it between his teeth, where he could grab it faster than usual. Sweating in the light of an alien sun, each man did their best to kill the other.

Over the course of their next exchange, Nick wound up taking a few minor cuts despite his best efforts. They were trivial wounds, but still deeply frightening to receive. One good slice would end his life, and each of the cuts had come close. He still couldn’t believe that Ken was trying to murder him, but Nick didn’t have time to focus on anything other than keeping his blood inside his body.

Although it was the last thing that he wanted, he couldn’t afford to hold back any longer. Ken was simply too good for Nick to disarm or disable him. The only way that he would survive the assault was to cut the other man down, the consequences be damned.

At this point, Nick admitted to himself that he hadn’t been giving the fight his all. That despite his best efforts to abandon his outdated morals, he was still reluctant to kill another person. That holding onto them any longer would lead him to an early grave.

In that moment, it all became clear. Nick was going to have to sacrifice a part of himself here and now if he wanted to save his friends, let alone his planet. He took a deep breath as he ducked beneath a powerful swing, ready to face the truth head on.

His anger and his fear, his hesitancy to end the life of another, were all deadly distractions. Faulty instincts that could well mean the difference between life and death.

He had to take Ken down now and then make it back to his team, before more of Jim’s people attacked them. After driving the man back with a wild thrust, Nick bid farewell to a part of himself as he summoned his arctic clarity, prepared to throw everything that he had into putting the other man down for good.

Subzero focus washed away the electric adrenaline coursing through his veins, burying his humanity in an avalanche of chill concentration. At last, Nick was ready. It was time to take Ken out.