Heimdall was now fighting for survival, fighting to destroy his own friend. There was nothing he could do but defend and attack, just like he had done with Loki years before. Heimdall fought methodically and precisely; he knew that to survive this battle, he would have to be very careful. Loki was just as good a warrior as Heimdall was. As Loki sliced and stabbed in a frenzy, Heimdall blocked and stepped carefully, slowly retreating backwards all the time. At the same time, their minds wove together, chasing each other in a thousand different streams of mental energy, engaging and disengaging. Heimdall stayed on the defensive.
And yet, in the midst of the fight, Heimdall knew something was amiss. This is not how Loki fights, thought Heimdall. Heimdall knew Loki to be a deadly warrior because of his surprise strikes and intricately planned sneak attacks. However, Loki was engaging Heimdall with full force, never once planning ahead. Nevertheless, Heimdall was driven back. With every stab, Heimdall had to leap backward; with every slice, Heimdall had to shuffle around. Eventually, he was only a few feet from the shore of the island.
Heimdall did not panic, staying on the defensive, blocking every one of Loki's blows. He grew frustrated. "Stay still, damnit!" cried Loki. Loki spun around and leapt upwards, kicking Heimdall in the side of the head. Immediately afterwards, Loki sent thousands of mental needles streaming into Heimdall's mind, and he screamed in pain, driving the attacks away. Right after that, Loki stepped forth and slashed Heimdall across the chest.
Heimdall gasped in pain and fell off the island into the welcoming water. He sank as low as he possibly could, letting the water soothe his wounds. Who was this enemy who he was fighting? This is not Loki - this is some phantom, some demon that fights with the frenzy of a berserker.
Heimdall heard a noise above him and glanced upwards. He immediately dodged to the right as Loki shot past him, a torpedo shooting through the water. Loki landed on the sandy floor and turned to face Heimdall.
"You are not Loki!" cried Heimdall, floating in front of Loki.
Then, Loki smiled. "Or... perhaps it is you... who does not know Loki," said the Ulitharid, his lips curving in a tight smile. Then, his eyes were afire again. With shocking speed, Loki shot towards Heimdall, who swam to the left to dodge the tackle. Heimdall harnessed the mental energy within him, tossing a clump of sand into Loki's eyes. As Loki stumbled backwards in confusion, Heimdall sliced at his right arm. Loki let loose a scream of pain that seemed to cause the entire sea to reverberate with sound.
"You are right," gasped Loki, stepping backwards. "I am not Loki. I am more." And with that, Loki closed his eyes and smashed Heimdall's mind so powerfully, Heimdall was teetering on the edge of consciousness.