What?

　Nick rushed forward with a speed that was incomparable to the previous one.
　Fast as a beast.
　If I hadn't been paying attention, I might have lost sight of him.

''Phew!　Ha!
Huh.

　A right, a left, and then a series of straight blows.
　The first blow was avoided.
　The second blow didn't come in time, and I guarded my arm as a shield.

　An impact that seemed to resonate to the bone.
　Tingling, irritation and pain.

　Even though I guarded, this much damage.
　Originally, I thought he was an opponent to be reckoned with, but.......
　The use of the drug made him even more of a threat.
　If he hadn't signed a contract with Kanade, this blow would have brought him down.
　That's how strong this man is.
　It seems that the story of him being comparable to a B-ranked adventurer isn't a lie.

''Ola-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, we're just getting started!

　Nick laughs and strikes a series of fists.
　Each blow is fast and heavy.
　So far, he's avoided a direct hit, but....
　Forced to focus on evasion and defense, he was unable to move to counterattack.
　As if he understood this, Nick unleashed his fists here and there.
　He weaves in and out of feints, trying to get past our defenses and take a bite.

　It's like a snake.
　Once the prey is targeted, it never lets go.
　You can even feel the vindictiveness.

　But.........

Don't you dare get carried away!
"Whoa?

　He was concentrating on defense, but now he was ready to fight back.

'You're gonna do it!'
"I'm not going to let a man who knows nothing but fighting for fun and who has no respect for others lose to me!

　Nick's attacks were as brilliant as the water flowing and seemingly seamless.
　However, there were certain patterns that were present.
　For example, when launching a straight right hand, he would unleash a few light fist blows before connecting with the real blow.
　For example, when launching an elbow strike, he would deliberately throw a large swinging blow to catch you off guard.

　Just like that, a certain pattern.......Nick's rhythm was confirmed to exist.
　Even when he fought Arios, he identified an attack pattern.
　A Beast Tamer needs to observe its target carefully and deeply.
　Perhaps it was a skill he had learned while training for it.

''Ha!''
I...

　A turning kick.
　He'll guard me with his arm, but I don't care, I'll spin on the spot and take another hit.
　I cleave as hard as I can, intending to break his entire arm.

　Unable to withstand it, Nick's arm pops and his guard is released.
　Chance.
　I slam my fist into Nick's empty side...

What?

　A moment later, I felt a chill.
　I pull my fist.
　I brake even harder and take a step backwards.

　The next moment.....

　Gosh!　And then Nick's kicks rushed past in front of him, cutting through the wind.

'Hey, hey, let's avoid that one,'
You've been luring him in...?
Good point. Most of them fall for it if you make a mistake on purpose, but you're a lot of fun.
I don't appreciate the compliment.
Don't be so sure... let's have some fun.

　Nick rushes in.
　A fist swings at me in a bullshit way.
　It's like he's beastly and instinctual, hitting me gingerly.
　It's too outrageous...
　Because of that, he can't read the movement.

　He is barely able to guard himself.
　However, Nick's arm strength, enhanced by drugs, could not be underestimated.
　Even from the top of the guard, the damage was steadily accumulating.

　The longer it lingered, the more disadvantageous it would be.
　If I can, I want to take it down all at once.
　What's the best way to do that?

　It's suicidal to go toe-to-toe with a fist fighter ... and a drug-enhanced one at that.
　So what I'm going to do is I'm going to take...

　Calmly analyzing the war situation.
　Come up with a few ways to beat Nick...
　I simulated it in my head to see if it was feasible.

　And then ... there was one answer.

'Ha!'

　He kicks Nick.
　It feels like a kick to the thick rubber.
　It wouldn't have done much damage.
　But that's okay.

　He jumps up into the air with the recoil of the kick, and once he does, he takes his distance.
　On top of that, I release a magic.

''Fireball!''
What?

　
　I shoot my magic at half strength and aim at Nick.

　It's a fireball that's about half the size of my body.
　As expected, it seems that he doesn't intend to take it seriously, and Nick jumped to the side to avoid it.

　Immediately after, the fireball landed.
　A blast of wind blows up and blows Nick's huge body away.

''Goooo!
Fireball Multi-Shot!

　I'm not going to end it with a single shot.
　In rapid succession, he shot out multiple fireballs.

　I'm not going to let him get away this time.
　Surrounding Nick, I controlled the fireballs and let them bite me from all sides.

　Gosh!

　This time it was a direct hit.
　As expected of Nick, he didn't seem to have any way to avoid the multiple fireballs.
　The explosive flames enveloped Nick.

　However, I don't think he could be defeated by this.
　It's enhanced by the drug, and there's a good chance he's enduring it.
　So I immediately move on to the next action.

　Activate the Narkami.
　He ejected the needle and broke the window of the pavilion.

''Here it comes!

　Like a wave of magic power, it flew across the city.
　I heard a rustling of wings.
　Countless birds obeyed my orders and flew into the mansion through the broken windows.

'd*mn........magic is what they do.......'

　When the smoke cleared, a wobbly Nick was revealed.
　He had taken damage, but he hadn't yet reached the decisive blow.

　I had read about that.
　So.........this is the end.

Go!

　He made a tentative agreement with the birds and flew his orders.
　Following the order, countless birds flocked to Nick.

''Gu........What the hell is this thing?
'At a time like this do you know how a normal bee defeats a wasp?
What the...?

　Nick looks dubious, but he doesn't care and continues talking.

'Crowd your opponent's body so tightly that there's no room between them. The heat created by doing so will rob them of their consciousness.
f*ck you!
I think you get my point. So it's over.

　He flies in with more orders and makes the birds flock to Nick.
　Nick swings his huge body around and tries to separate the birds from the flock.
　However, they are unable to completely separate from each other.
　In the meantime, Nick's figure is buried among the birds.

　From the side, it's an extraordinary sight to see countless birds flocking in one place.
　It's a bit creepy, even though I've done it myself.

''Gu........ah.......''

　Soon after, with a groan, Nick collapsed, still flocked by the birds.

'Scatter!'

　He took the birds back out of the building and cancelled the temporary contract.
　All that was left was a collapsed Nick, knocked unconscious by the extreme heat.

'I'm sorry, but I'm a Beast Tamer. I'm not going to get into a fistfight with a Battlemaniac fist fighter.