Chapter 33 - Loki vs Dhira/ it's getting heated.
All four of them attacked and Dhira was forced onto the defensive. The four Lokis moved like they had shared the same mind yet different priorities. Every opening he created was immediately covered by another. The warrior Loki attacked up close, forcing him into constant movement. The runic Loki filled the battlefield with glowing symbols that exploded, chained, and redirected his path. The fire Loki controlled space itself, turning entire sections of the forest into burning traps. And somewhere among them moved the original Loki, switching roles whenever she pleased.
He knew the truth. One clean hit. That was all he needed. The problem was landing it.
The warrior Loki lunged again. This time Dhira saw a flaw. Just a small one that neither of her forms fixed. Her right shoulder dipped before the strike. He moved. His hand shot out and caught her wrist. He didn't waste time, Dhira's fist crashed into her cheek. The impact should have launched her through half the forest. Instead she exploded into purple fire. The blast forced him back. "Cheap," Dhira muttered.
The moment he turned, a runic bolt struck him square in the side. He crashed through several trees before digging his heels into the ground. Dirt flew behind him as he grabbed a trunk to stop himself. A shadow rushed toward him. Another Loki. Without thinking, Dhira ripped the tree from the ground and swung it like a club. The trunk collided with her. Purple flames erupted. Gone again. He barely had time to react. The warrior Loki had already returned. The original Loki appeared beside her.
For several seconds the fight became a blur of fists, elbows, knees, and dodges. Dhira blocked one strike, took another, and managed to land a shoulder check that forced the original Loki back a step. Then the other two joined in. A stream of fire struck his back. Runes detonated beneath his feet. The combination launched him through a boulder. Rock shattered and dust exploded. Dhira rolled out of the crater and rose slowly. Breathing heavier now.
Across the battlefield, all four Lokis watched him. The original sat comfortably on a branch, twirling the familiar strand of hair around her finger. The warrior Loki leaned against the tree beneath her. The fire Loki sat cross-legged on a scorched rock, flames dancing around her shoulders. The runic Loki floated silently above them, symbols orbiting her like moons.
"Tired already, mortal?" Loki asked. Her Swedish accent carried a mocking warmth.
"Looks like those years of sickness weakened your spirit more than your body."
Dhira said nothing. For a moment he remembered. The fever, the weakness, those months spent unable to move properly. The frustration he felt. The feeling he had of watching life pass by. Then the memory faded.
He nodded once to himself. Not in agreement. In acceptance. His eyes wandered to a nearby tree. He walked over and snapped off a crooked branch. It wasn't shaped like a mace. It wasn't even a good weapon. Just a stick. The four Lokis exchanged amused looks. Dhira rolled the branch in his hand. A small grin appeared. "Why don't we find out?"
The moment he moved, all four Lokis moved too. The forest erupted into chaos again. This time, however, something had changed. Dhira stopped chasing individual attacks. Instead he attacked their formation. The stick wasn't powerful, but it was fast. Every swing disrupted their timing. Every block forced them apart. Every step ruined the rhythm they had spent the entire battle creating. The fire Loki tried to trap him. He shoved the warrior Loki into the flames. The runic Loki tried to pin him. He used the burning clone as cover. For the first time since the battle began, the four were reacting instead of controlling.
The branch eventually caught fire. Dhira looked at it once. Then smashed it directly into the face of the fire Loki. Purple flames exploded outward. The burning clone vanished. Three remained. Dhira tossed away the charred stick. His eyes moved across the battlefield. Past the warrior. Past the runic caster. Past the distractions. And finally stopped on the original. A small smile appeared on Loki's face.
To defeat them he needed to defeat her first.
" You are quite fun to play with mortal. But I'm getting a little bored why -" She couldn't finish it, at some point he had exploded forward. The ground shattered beneath his feet. She was careless thinking the mortal had no other tricks and the clones she had were strong enough, a moment of carelessness cost her.
Dhira's hand closed around her throat. The real one. He knew it. Loki's eyes widened for the first time in the battle. Then Dhira kept moving. He didn't stop to celebrate. He dragged her with him through the forest. Trees snapped apart as they crashed through them. Boulders shattered. The earth split beneath their path.
Dhira slammed her into the ground once. Twice. Three times. Each impact left a crater. Loki's face tightened in pain as dirt and broken roots flew everywhere.
Still gripping her neck, Dhira drove her through another fallen tree before finally stopping near a small pond hidden deep within the jungle.
Silence fell. For a moment. Dhira was kneeling over her his feet tucking her hand down. One hand around her throat. The other pressed into the ground beside her. Loki lay beneath him, pinned completely. Her face is slightly red. Ash blonde hair scattered across the grass.
She couldn't speak, Dhira tightened her grip on her neck and leaned closer. Wanting to say something when he froze.
A crunch. A bite. They both turned. Well Dhira did, Loki just looked. Nearby, sitting on a fallen log, Dia was eating something from a wooden bowl. She froze mid-bite. The spoon stopped halfway to her mouth. The scene before her was... questionable. Very questionable. A man and woman in such a position in the middle of jungle. For several long seconds nobody moved. Dia blinked once. Twice. Then immediately turned around. "I saw nothing."
Another bite.
"I absolutely saw nothing." Another bite. And before leaving she bowed.
"Continue." and left.
Dhira stared. Loki stared. Dia kept facing the opposite direction walking away. Whistling.
The silence somehow became even more awkward. Loki's face darkened. A pulse of purple power erupted from her body. BOOM.
Dhira was blasted backward. He skipped across the pond, crashed through a group of trees, and landed in a clearing. He rolled once and stood up immediately. Across from him, Loki landed gracefully. She brushed dirt from her sleeve. Adjusted a loose strand of hair. Then glared. Actually glared. A rare thing for someone who usually laughed through everything.
The forest around them was a disaster. Broken trees. Burning patches of earth. Cracked stone. Scorch marks everywhere. For several seconds neither moved. Dhira stretched one shoulder. Then the other. His expression was calm. Almost bored. Loki pointed a finger at him.
"You cannot defeat me, mortal. I am a Go- "
"Yeah, yeah." Dhira cut her off. He rolled his neck.
"I'm a God. Ancient power. Endless wisdom. Something, something." He waved his hand dismissively.
"I really don't care." The corner of Loki's eye twitched.
Dhira continued. "Let's just finish this." For a moment there was only silence. Then something unexpected happened. Loki smiled. Not her mocking smile. Not her playful smile. A different one. The kind of smile that appeared right before something terrible happened.
"Okay then." Her Swedish accent sounded unusually soft.
And then she just vanished. Disappeared, gone form the place.