"Hah... hah... hah...!"
Egos's breathing turned into a ragged wheeze. The smothering pressure of Lost's presence made him feel as though his opponent were ballooning into a giant, or perhaps as though he were shrinking into a helpless insect.
Panicked and desperate, he began to lash out blindly.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer! Stay away from me!"
He snatched up the nearest weapon—a massive Great Axe—and swung it with wild, frantic motions. There was no technique, no skill; he was simply thrashing the air to keep the monster at bay.
Lost watched him for a moment with detached interest. With a casual flick of his wrists, a pair of Red Twin Swords materialized in his hands.
"Good. Weapon Generation is working perfectly. I've never actually used swords before, but..."
"Hih—!? Aagh!?"
Lost took a single step forward and lashed out.
The first blade sheared the head of the axe clean off its handle. Without a pause, the second sword bit into Egos’s right wrist, opening a shallow but agonizing gash.
"Higyaah! Gwaaaaaah!"
Blood sprayed from the wound. The sudden, white-hot pain was more than he could bear. Lost watched with amusement as Egos clutched his arm, no longer able to muster the grip strength to hold even a simple handle.
"I appreciate you helping me test this out," Lost said playfully. "I’m starting to get the hang of this form. As a token of my gratitude, I’ll take my time breaking you. Do try to use the remaining minutes to reflect on your own stupidity."
"Ugh... uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Egos's spirit shattered. Faced with such a terrifying anomaly, he let out a pathetic wail and turned to flee, his hand clamped over his bleeding wrist.
"Don't run away now. Let’s enjoy this a little longer."
"Agah!? G-gabebebe...!?"
The moment he tried to bolt, Egos slammed into an Energy Wall of shimmering green and black. A violent numbness surged through his nervous system, locking his joints and leaving him paralyzed on the spot. Lost reached out a hand, and Egos’s body was caught in an invisible current, floating off the ground as it was dragged back toward his executioner.
"Hmph! Ha! Fuhaha!"
"Gyaah!? Gugeh! Gobah!!"
What followed was a one-sided slaughter.
Lost pounded Egos with a barrage of strikes, each blow sending the man flying back into the energy wall. The moment he struck the barrier, the energy would shock him into stillness, only for Lost to drag him back for another round. It was a brutal, rhythmic cycle.
Dull thuds echoed through the forest with every punch. Agonized shrieks erupted with every impact against the wall.
Lost knew the limits of Egos’s endurance better than the man did himself. He calculated every strike with cruel precision, dealing the maximum amount of pain while ensuring his victim remained conscious and alive.
He toyed with Egos, battering him until his very soul felt crushed. Only when the novelty finally began to wear off did Lost finally lower his hands.
"Well... I suppose it's time to wrap this up."
"W-wait... p-please! I... I don't want to d—gyaaaaah!"
Egos was slammed against the wall one last time, held upright by the energy even as his legs gave way.
Lost stood a few paces back. Malignant power began to coil around his legs, swirling in a vortex of dark green and shadowy light. As the pressure reached its peak, Lost rose into the air as if gravity no longer applied to him.
Hovering for a heartbeat, he launched himself forward. He drove both legs into Egos’s chest—straight through the man’s desperate pleas for mercy—with the force of a falling star.
"Lost Smash."
"A... gah...!?"
There was no grand scream. The air was knocked so violently from his lungs that only a faint, wet wheeze escaped.
The dual-legged Dropkick hit with an explosive surge of energy. Egos was propelled backward, shattering the wall behind him as he was blasted into the distance, his broken body tumbling across the dirt.
There was no need for the spectacular explosions or defiant roars that usually accompanied a Hero defeating a Kaijin. For a pathetic end like this, a quiet conclusion was far more appropriate.
With a satisfied smile at the cold efficiency of the act, Lost walked toward the heap of broken flesh that was once Kirio Egos to finish the job.