13 Chapter 13: Comeback is real!

Sword clashing sounds was ringing inside the Jelsinco Forest as Suro and Ardiel was trading slashes and thrust of their swords. It was almost 10 minutes since they started fighting. Suro was even surprised that a mere trainee soldier can blocked his attacks. The trainee soldier even counterattack sometimes!

As the fight's duration prolongs, the wounds of both the battlers' body increases. Due to Suro's rank being higher than Ardiel, Suro sustained less damage compared to Ardiel. If you put it on HP, Suro would have 85 HP while Ardiel has only 80 HP. It was a pretty good trading of slashes as Suro was an expert swordsman with two hearts while Ardiel is only a trainee soldier with 2 hearts.

Then suddenly, Ardiel threw his hidden short sword towards Suro to wound him but it was not effective and Suro just deflected the short sword when Suro suddenly felt pain in his left thigh. Ardiel threw the short sword for distraction while Ardiel used Flashy Steps subtlety as he slashed Suro's left thigh, slowing down Suro's movements.

Suro then jumped backwards to widen the distance between him and Ardiel as Suro rested for a moment to think of a strategy to efficiently kill the man in front of him.

But Ardiel didn't give Suro any moment to think as Ardiel threw his last weapon, the hunting knife, towards Suro. But now, Suro knew that it was just a distraction so Suro didn't deflect the knife. He rolled to the side to avoid the knife but Suro suddenly felt pain again in his right thigh.

Both of Suro's thigh was now wounded, greatly slowing Suro down. Suro still didn't know how does Ardiel wounded him. And Ardiel wounded him two times.

'Does he have a skill? A trainee soldier couldn't acquire one so it's probably unlikely. He is probably agility based soldier that's why he can burst at high speeds,' Suro thought as he stared at the person standing in the distance in front of him.

'He still doesn't know that I used a skill. He's probably thinking that a trainee soldier couldn't have absorbed a skill book so I'm gonna use it again him. He's probably thinking that I'm all in on offense but mo defense but that's where his wrong and that lack of information will be his demise,' Ardiel thought as the man in front of him also stared at him.

Then the Suro suddenly dashed towards Ardiel, surprising him but Ardiel managed to put Beastslayer up to defend. Suro then slashed and slashed on Ardiel like a madman, not giving Ardiel any chance to retaliate.

As Ardiel was being pushed into a corner, Ardiel thought that it was too dangerous so he imbued Beastslayer with his thunder powers. Ardiel then dodged the slash of Suro with Flashy Steps and returned a slash imbued with the thunder element, paralyzing the arms of Suro for a brief moment, giving Ardiel another chance to attack but Suro reacted with extraordinary reflexes as Suro used his wounded legs to jump backwards. Suro managed to widen the distance between himself and Ardiel, making his paralyzed arms recover.

'Why did my arms became paralyzed as he struck me? Did he really have a skill? No, I still cannot believe it. I have no choice then, I'm waiting for the perfect moment to release my true powers but it can't be helped. This guy is strong. It's probably the best to kill the tiger cub early to prevent it from growing into a tiger,' Suro said as he unleashed his true powers, making his perspective of time slow down.

Suro was an agility based swordsman so agility and speed is his specialty. When he unleashes his true powers, he can use his skills like the E-rank skill Haste, making his movements and attacks faster. He also have the E-rank skill Speed Boost, which boosts his speed, both movement and attack. Suro used both of speed related skills, Haste and Speed Boost that's why his perspective is like slow motion because he moves at extraordinary speed. Suro then rushed towards Ardiel who was standing like a statue still staring at Suro's afterimage.

Suro's skills duration then ended, greatly exhausting Suro as his body couldn't still endure the pain when he surpassed his limits. Even with his two hearts, his body couldn't endure it. Suro has low defensive stats. But it was a good trade for Suro. Suro slashed Ardiel many times for a sure kill so Suro is confident that he killed his target. Suro then slowly walked towards the man lying in his own pool of blood while limping.

***

Terun fled away as soon as Suro and Ardiel's fight started because he was afraid that he might die of stray slashes from the swordsmen fighting. A man then shouted at the distance, surprising Terun and almost making him piss his pants. But Terun recognized the voice of the shout.

As soon as Terun heard Suro's shout, he immediately ran towards where the sound came from, smiling and hopping.

Terun then arrived at the battlefield. Countless trees was cut down and remains of sword slashes are can be seen in some of the trees that was not cut down. Suro was sitting down nearby. While another person was laying in a pool of blood.

Terun immediately laughed as he saw Ardiel's situation.

"That's what you get for opposing me!" Terun said as he spat near Ardiel's body.

Terun then went to Suro's side and asked Suro, "Are you okay mister? Can you still fight? I still need someone to protect me from this dangerous forest full of beasts and other scary things. Are you sure that you can still fight mister?"

"Of course. Don't worry about me and worry about your-" Suro said but he was interrupted when someone slashed his throat, making blood gush out like a fountain, raining over Terun, covering him.

10 minutes ago...

Ardiel was staring at Suro when Suro suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind his back, surprising him. But that was still not the surprising part. Ardiel tried to move his body but he suddenly fell to the ground, blood flowing out of his wounds.

Ardiel then tried to stop the bleeding but he failed,making it worse. Ardiel's hearts was now beating slowly until it stopped As Ardiel's life flashed through his vision, his second heart suddenly pounded. And it pounded faster and faster as time goes by, giving back Ardiel his lost energy. Ardiel then slowly felt his fingers and then his legs until he felt all his body, the man name Suro shouted. Ardiel then tried to forcefully stopped his heart, which he succeeded, making Ardiel smile inside.

'Now this is what I call a trump card. Just you wait! Let's see who gets the last laugh! " Ardiel inwardly thought as he waited for the perfect moment to strike.

After a few minutes of waiting, the opportunity appeared.

***

Sound of someone falling to the ground was made. Terun fell to his butt while still covered by the warm blood of Suro. Suro was now a lifeless corpse lying in ground

" Ho-how are you still alive? I literally saw your dead body. I also didn't hear your being heart with my demon senses. How did you survive!?" Terun said while crawling backwards, panicking and afraid of the man in front of him who has many sword wounds on his body.

" How am I still alive? Why don't you ask the Demon God above with your lackey when you die ! " Ardiel screamed as he separated Terun's head from his body.

After killing the two demons that tried to kill him, Ardiel tidied up the battlefield and scavenged anything he can use from Terun and Suro's body, only to find coins and weapons. Ardiel left them and he tended himself first.

Ardiel took off his now broken leather armor and tatters clothes and he changed into his spare clothes, a tunic.

Afted Ardiel was done changing, he went back to Terun and Suro's body to pillage everything they had that can be bought. He will just make a lie that Terun and Suro sacrificed themselves to save him, gloryfying them while Ardiel got out of suspicions. It was a win win scenario so Ardiel decided to use thay lie to deceive the expedition team.

Ardiel then went back to their camping grounds, only to see the rhifallo sleeping on the grass. Ardiel's mind gave Ardiel an idea and Ardiel liked it.

Ardiel woke up the rhifallo and slowly led it to the area where Terun and Suro both died, disguising his killings and blaming the rhifallo.

'I'm a genius!' Ardiel, thought as he searched for the rest of the expedition team when he finished luring the rhifallo on his killing grounds.