"I've always remained true to myself. Helping others in need, fighting bad guys wherever I went. Part of it was probably because Ada decided to play her mind game with me, which only made me stronger in the process along the rest of my journey. I got more durable in regards of taking hits too, despite taking plenty of beatings as I defeated many foes. If there's anything I felt during that, it was will power. The will to do what is right." Jenso declared, clenching his fists. "There's also the fact that I've been killed twice. First by Prisma, and later by your hand back in Feraldia." He added.

"If it wasn't for all those that helped me to get this far, including Lark and Luke, I never would have gotten this strong."

"Fairy tale nonsense," Yzeira grunted, "I asked you a very specific question. I don't care about your experiences as an adult. I already know about all of that. So I'll ask it again, slower this time." He leaned forward slightly, glaring into Jenso's eyes. "Did anything special happen to you, prior to your powers awakening?" He waited only a moment before goading him on more.

"I know it must be hard, but please, use that brain of yours to the fullest of your ability. It's working perfectly fine."

Jenso stared lazily at Yzeira, seeming unaffected by his goading. "In my 'youth' is still a pretty loose word, buddy. I've helped people and taken plenty of beatings and whatnot before I became an adult, too. I've told you about things that I've been constantly subjected too. Try using your brain to be more specific next time." Jenso retorted with a smirk. "I don't remember anything special happening before my powers awakened, no. Not that I can think of right now." He added, stretching himself out. "Keep trying to taunt me if you must, it may actually work at some point." He mocked.

Yzeira looked at Jenso silently for a moment and sighed. "Right. This is going nowhere. Sit still for a moment..." Several small orbs of red energy emerged from thin air around Jenso's skull and began to rotate slowly. "I'm just going to search your memories manually. This will hurt quite a bit."

Jenso glared at Yzeira as the small orbs appeared around his head. Part of him wanted to resist, but he decided against it. "Alright...I have to admit, you've gotten me curious now, too." He said, allowing Yzeira to do what he claimed he would attempt to do. It was a huge risk, but it wasn't as if Yzeira needed to lie. Jenso did not pose a threat to him right now.

"That's nice," Yzeira whispered, "I told you to sit still."

Nexus stared Bruce down hesitantly, donning a new set of armour, one plate at a time. The sullen blue onyx plates climbed his torso one after another as he took a sword-wielder's stance, summoning a mystical blue two handed sword. His eyes flashed with a brilliant blue flare. "Defeating me is not impossible," He announced with a heavy voice, "But you will not succeed." He rushed forwards, moving into a sprint. Each step shook his armour, but it clung tightly enough to his body that no immediate openings were obvious along his chest, lower body or upper arms. There was a faint determination in his eyes despite all he'd said in the past. His final will to live and do things his way. To see all of his mistakes, the result of his arrogance, undone by his own hand. Nobody would stop him, unless they were worthy to take his place.

Bruce waited. He listened.

'He'll be least likely to have armored his feet,' Bruce thought, eyes still shut as he reached in his soul for his Ki to manifest again. His blade, concentrated and singing such that the air shook from sheer decibels- Bruce aimed for that.

Bruce reached into his bag for another handful of sand, anticipating Nexus' approach. Without a weapon, he would be on the defensive, but he had no doubt that the music raging to be heard in his soul would find a way free.

Nexus stopped five feet short of Bruce, slightly out of slashing range. His weapon shifted into a much longer form, rounding itself and padding both ends in some kind of blue cloth. He bent his right knee fluidly as he stopped, and placed one end of the large pole behind his back, while turning the opposite side to attack with all the force in his lower body, aiming to strike at the swordsman's core. Nexus' stance was methodical, and aimed to place as much weight as he could into his strike without losing balance or control. Despite his supposed power, his speed and strength seemed only slightly beyond human. Perhaps with Bruce's own stats lowered, this was Nexus' preferred style of combat? Was he truly weak, depending on weakening his opponents just as much?

Compared to Zelriane, anyone who wasn't Jeff would have seemed slow. Still, Bruce knew from Nexus' tread that he was still too far away to roll past him. Taking the pace Nexus appeared to be setting for granted would be unwise.

Bruce leapt up and overhead, peeking briefly to hurl down a cloud of dust onto Nexus' head before rolling clear on his opposite side.

'Hands, feet, eyes.' Bruce recounted the three places, fortunately all with plenty of nerve endings to exploit, that Nexus' armor either didn't reach or was significantly thinner.

Bruce's hand right hand buzzed, an unrefined, single-wave blade taking form. It was even weaker than before the training he'd done with Ross and Mikey.

'At least it's a weapon.'

Nexus pulled his pole backwards, thrusting it behind him moments after it slid through his fingers to immediately follow Bruce. He moved his foot back again to put force into the strike, and turned his head towards Bruce, ignoring the dust above him as it gently cascaded down his armour and past his eyes. "I've trained with every type of weapon I've seen in the past 9000 years."

Nexus did blink a few times, but bent his head at an angle as to prevent a serious amount of dirt getting anywhere near them. Regardless of whether he hit Bruce or not, Nexus spun around on his right foot and spun the pole around quickly in his right hand. The ends shrunk down and it changed shape until it took the form of a short bow. "Without your power," Nexus gasped, steadying his breath as he pulled a blue arrow out of thin air and lined up a shot, "You've merely your skill to depend on." He released the drawstring and fired an arrow at Bruce. "And it is clear who's experiences hold more merit."

Bruce strafed left to avoid the oncoming arrow- eye contact was clearly not going to make or break Nexus' suppression of his power, so he abandoned that avenue.

'Strange,' Bruce mused as he sprinted forward, zig zagging to avoid giving Nexus a target. 'He only manifests one weapon at a time.'

"9000 years of weapons you've seen up against my imagination," Bruce said. "Could be interesting."

Nexus pulled back on the string again, readying another blue arrow, and twisted his wrists forwards. The energy converged and turned into a spear almost immediately. The fluid transition occurred in a second, and he thrust towards Bruce with a step forwards.

'Just the one, then.' Bruce thought, theory more or less confirmed.

He ducked forward and rolled once beneath Nexus' spear, springing to his feet in one motion. As he came up, he swiveled the sword in his hand to aim for Nexus' hand and stabbing toward it.

The blue pole disappeared into a mist, and Nexus armoured hand face Bruce's blade, palm flat. The resounding clank rustled his forearm, but as the initial force of the impact was absorbed, he took another step towards Bruce and grabbed the tip of his energy-blade with the hand that was struck, while summoning a dagger in his opposite hand, and stabbing downwards, aiming for his collarbone. His armour was tough, or perhaps, it was just the weakness of Bruce's ki in its current state that made it so effective?

Bruce drew back his blade, sidestepping the dagger to circle around Nexus.

'If this can't even hurt his body, the direct clash of weapons would...' Bruce paused mid-thought, puzzling over the fact that Nexus had deviated from expectation by not trying to just destroy Bruce's blade.

'Granted, a killing blow would be more efficient,' he conceded. Nonetheless, Bruce pivoted his foot such that he could thrust his blade toward Nexus' dagger from behind and above his armored shoulder, looking to see how a meeting of their weapons would actually play out.

"No," He bellowed with a methodical breath. The blade wouldn't move upon Bruce's first attempt to pull it away from Nexus' grip. He clung tightly and pulled it in the opposite direction of the swordsman's sidestep, keeping him from taking his back, while also preventing a followup. Those sparkling baby blue eyes of his followed Bruce carefully while he exercised exceptional finesse. The dagger flipped and moved, almost as if it was guiding Nexus' hand, towards his target's gullet. The motion was heavy and precise, like he was scooping the air beneath Bruce, moving in with his blade to knock him right into the ceiling. His knees were braced and he moved his right foot to keep both feet perpendicular, at a clear 90 degree angle that shot outwards and moved with his facing. With his left gauntlet, the one that clung to Bruce's blade and pulled him rightwards slightly, he guarded his face and upper body, using his armoured forearm as a barrier that protected him from the bottom half of the Ki-blade, assuming Bruce sought to use his weapon as a downward facing lever. The hand he used to scoop towards his torso moved under this barrier, and quickly enough to evade the aforementioned motioned. At this point, retreat might have resulted in injury or immediate death for Bruce with his dampened abilities, and a direct counter was unfeasible. Nexus may have not had the strength to break cities, or flashy abilities that defied reality. But on an even battlefield where raw power and bombastic magic meant nothing, he held the distinct advantage of a superior armoury, paired with millennia of sheer experience. And despite Bruce's efforts, Nexus had taken the initiative.

As long as he held the pace, victory would be impossible.

Bruce didn't get the chance to wonder why Nexus was so insistent on preventing a clash of weapons- that, or having his back taken. Nexus hardly had the physical strength Jenso did, so no one could say he was being manhandled. Still, the experience he boasted wasn't an empty claim either.

Instead of attempting retreat or outright grappling, Bruce crouched slightly and shifted his weight to the right, as he had been pulled anyway, to let the dagger narrowly cut his face. Rather than backward, he surged closer, keeping one leg behind him to use as leverage should the next moment require it. He snaked his left arm past Nexus' right, thumb erect. Bruce shot his hand toward Nexus' face, his blunt digit on a path for Nexus' right eye.

Bruce didn't get the chance to wonder why Nexus was so insistent on preventing a clash of weapons- that, or having his back taken. Nexus hardly had the physical strength Jenso did, so no one could say he was being manhandled. Still, the experience he boasted wasn't an empty claim either.

Instead of attempting retreat or outright grappling, Bruce crouched slightly and shifted his weight to the right, as he had been pulled anyway, to let the dagger narrowly cut his face. Rather than backward, he surged closer, keeping one leg behind him to use as leverage should the next moment require it. He snaked his left arm past Nexus' right, thumb erect. Bruce shot his hand toward Nexus' face, his blunt digit on a path for Nexus' right eye.

Nexus didn't waver, sliding his face past Bruce's strike while pulling his sword downwards to upset the angle of the attack, even if only slightly. Bruce's thumb glided across his left cheek, pressing against the mask uncomfortably as Nexus bared down on Bruce with his superior height and bulk. But what followed was far from elegant as a response. With his head leaning forwards, Nexus brought their first flurry of exchanges to an end, crashing his forehead against the center of Bruce's face. He followed through, barely dazed by the collision, and dispelled his dagger, grabbing tightly onto Bruce's left arm with his right. Then, with a mighty heave, he bent his body to the right, shifting his weight carefully before releasing all his holds, and tossing Bruce several feet across the room. It wasn't the most stupendous throw around. It felt more grounded, human even, despite the slight abnormality in his strength. Nexus rubbed his cheek slowly, and then stretched his neck, before summoning a two-handed Katana between both his hands, and taking a new stance. "Gather yourself," Nexus grunted, waiting patiently for Bruce to reorient himself. "If you're to rest my weary soul, show me resolve, one potent enough to aid in tackling a god from his throne." Nexus narrowed his left eye. "Show me something to believe in."