A friendly combat

In the main base of Underworld Thanatos and Eric were resting. After dealing with the Red executioner, Toss, they returned to their base. The aftermath of the fight was a bunch of dead bodies destroyed. Eric was mostly unharmed and so did Thanatos.

They had to leave the bodies of their members in the pit since the undead were the ones that made the tunnel by digging all the way from a base of Underworld. The entrance was too small, so Thanatos destroyed it along with the hole on top of the butcher shop. The pit became their grave. Only the top members of Underworld would know of their sacrifice. Thanatos left the cape of the Red Dragon for the guards and as a warning to everyone else.

The only thing they took back was the body of Toss. This man caused so much damage to Underworld, but now he was going to be a weapon for them. Thanatos couldn't wait for the next attack of the Red Dragon to unleash their own member against them.

After a couple of days, Eric and Thanatos were back in good health. The abundance of health potions was perfect for situations like this one. The first thing Thanatos did was resurrect Toss.

"[Raise the dead]" The broken neck twisted itself back to the correct position. The eyes glowed red, and the smell of decomposition stopped. Another servant was created.

"What are you planning to do with him, Master?" Adel asked.

"For now, he's as strong as the Elemental Lion. I'm going to keep him on standby in case of an emergency." Of the undead he was currently controlling, the Elemental Lion and Toss were the strongest without a doubt. The other undead were animals from the forest. Along with the lion, they were in charge of patrolling and protecting the new tribes in the forest as part of their agreement for ingredients and information. Having Toss be ready for any problem in the city was reassuring.

"Makes sense, you can't just have a zombie wandering in the city. I heard the guards already found the missing persons that the executioner killed. They are speculating it was a battle for territory between the Red Dragon and Underworld. They still don't have a clear picture of what happened between both syndicates."

"By the way, Adel, why is your face swollen?" Adel looked like he had received a beating.

"Oh, this is just a result of the training with Eric. Don't worry, I'm going to beat him right now. In fact, Master, you can go see, so you don't have any doubts about who is stronger."

"What?" Adel explained to Thanatos that yesterday he sparred with Eric. It was Eric who wanted to try his new special ability. Adel agreed, and...

"Ok, I'm ready. Come and show me." Adel took a battle stance. Even if it was Eric, a special ability is still dangerous.

"UUFF..." Eric breathed in and out, calming his heartbeat. Trying to reproduce the same feeling as during the battle with Toss, he narrowed his eyes, imagining the face of his hated foe, making a fist with his right hand. He focused completely to hit his target, this time with a bit more restraint. He obviously didn't want to harm Adel.

With a swift jump, Eric moved at a tremendous speed. It was too fast; Adel's eyes couldn't follow Eric's movements. He saw him standing several meters away, but the next thing he saw was Eric's fist punching him in the face. Adel tried to defend and counter attack with his wooden sword, but the force of the impact sent him flying into the wall. As Adel smashed his body against the wood, he felt blood inside his mouth and his cheek began to swell.

"I'm sorry. I tried to restrain myself, but I still caused harm. My bad."

"What?" Adel couldn't believe it. This was Eric holding back. "Don't try to sound like you're holding back that much against me. We both know that if there was a serious fight, you couldn't even touch me before I cut your head."

"Mmm, I'm not sure of that anymore."

"What? I know you're dumb, but even you can tell when you're outmatched."

"Yes, if this was a couple of days ago, you would have been correct, but now I feel different. Maybe it is because of the fight against that bastard of the Red Dragon, but now I can read your movements better." Eric definitely became stronger after the fight. He pushed past his normal limits, broke the ceiling holding him back and gained a new determination to improve. "Eh, tell me, you want to find out which of us is stronger now, right?"

That was the story. After leaving the undead Toss hiding in a backroom, Adel and Thanatos went to the training room. There were a few people waiting for the fight to begin. Neo and Lia were sitting down in the front.

"I didn't think you were interested in seeing fights?" Thanatos asked Lia while sitting beside her.

"You are correct. I don't care for fighting. In fact, even just seeing the training sessions makes me nervous, but I need to get over that. If I want to make clothes and armor that can withstand battles and attacks, then I need to learn what things happen during battles. That way, I can prepare better defenses." Lia was determined to learn how to make enchanted cloth. She was going on a trip to the Capital to learn directly from a master.

"I'm going to miss you. When did you say you were going to leave?"

"Don't worry. I'm leaving next month. I'm still going to hang around a bit longer." Lia grabbed Thanatos' hand. She didn't want to leave him behind, but she couldn't ask him to accompany her everywhere.

"You know, maybe I should go on a little journey while you're away." Thanatos was thinking of visiting the Nation of Los to help expand Underworld business.

"I can only hope you don't get into trouble while I'm gone."

"AH, stop with the sappy romance. The fight is about to begin." Neo interrupted them. She couldn't stand it when the two of them got so close and lovey-dovey in front of her.

Eric and Adel were standing in front of each other. Everyone else was observing from the sidelines.

"Let's review the rules one more time, shall we?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"We will fight until one of us is knocked out or surrenders. Special abilities are forbidden. I won't be able to ignite my sword on fire, and you won't be able to use your three-hit combo. Is that clear?"

"Yes, relax. I'm also not going to use [Speed]"

"Is that how you call it?"

"Yes, since I got to use it a little more. I can tell it is making me faster. A simple name is the best, right boys." The crowd made noise in support of Eric's boast. They wanted to see which of their bosses was stronger.

Adel felt annoyed by Eric's sudden cockiness. This man was just an average fighter. He had a couple of good abilities, but that wasn't enough to declare himself the better fighter. He was going to prove why he was the second in command of Underworld, the right hand of Thanatos.

"Then let's begin."

Adel jumped toward Eric in a second. He was going to end this fight quickly. He swung his sword right at Eric's body. It wasn't a fight to the death, but they had plenty of healing potions, so they could fight seriously.

Adel's strike missed as Eric dodged by going backwards. This was all going according to plan. In a beautiful display of swordsmanship, Adel moved his hands and aimed at Eric's arm.

He was going to cut his right arm and end the fight. BANG... Adel's face went back as Eric punched and threw him away. With a single punch, Eric saved his arm and began his counterattack.

A rush of punches came at Adel. He tried to block them with his sword, but Eric was faster than him. A few punches and kicks got to him. Adel tried to cut the limbs as they attacked, but Eric didn't overextend. When did he become so cautious? His defense and speed improved too. I can't find an opening...

To reverse the position he was in, Adel tried to lure Eric into a trap. He began to leave an opening, little by little, to not cause suspicion. A part below the waist without defense, it looked like the perfect opportunity to deliver a devastating attack and take him down.

Eric noticed and launched his attack without delay. A punch with his right hand aimed with precision. Adel changed his movements right on cue as an actor in a play. He grabbed his sword with both hands and stabbed Eric's arm right into the ground. The blood splattered everywhere. As Eric's right arm got pinned down, his left arm grabbed Adel's hands.

"Got you!"

Eric kicked Adel in the face with everything he had. The blood went flying as Adel fell backwards, but that wasn't the end. Eric was still holding his hands. He brought him closer and, with another kick, he sent Adel into the floor.

Even after being kicked in the face, Adel kept holding his sword, but he didn't move. He just lay still on the floor.

"AHAHAHA! I knew you were trying to bait me. You thought I wasn't going to let you take my arm. Idiot, if I had to sacrifice my arm to defeat my opponent, then of course I would do it!"

The crowd roared with excitement. Thanatos was impressed. He didn't expect Eric to defeat Adel-

"WAIT..." Adel stood back up. He spit blood as his face contorted in anger. "I'm not down yet!" The expression of fury on Adel's face made everyone tense. This wasn't a simple sparring match anymore.

Lia got worried. Eric and Neo could feel the murderous intent beginning to appear. Before anyone else could do anything, Adel felt someone touching his shoulder.

"That's enough, Adel. You lost. Look at your sword." Thanatos's voice brought him back.

"…!" Adel saw his weapon burning in flames. He activated [Flame] without even realizing it. He lost composure and let his rage take control.

"I'm so sorry, Master. Eric, please forgive my rudeness." Adel bowed his head while apologizing. He only felt shame, letting his anger out like a child. What was he thinking?

The mood was still a bit tense until Thanatos spoke. "Well is too bad. It seems you need to train harder. Why don't we go right now?"

"Right now?"

"Yes, since Eric won, that means he's going to be the start of tonight's party. As Lia and Neo already know, they are in charge of making the food."

"Wait, you never told us that!" Neo demanded an explanation, but Lia stopped her.

"Yes, it was going to be a surprise, but having more people participate is better. Everyone, please help us prepare for the party." Lia understood Thanatos's plan.

The rest of the members of Underworld relaxed after hearing about the party, and Eric got involved too. Meanwhile, Thanatos and Adel left the building and walked into the town.

After a few minutes, they stopped in a small park. Thanatos was the first one to speak. "I don't have the right to lecture anyone on how to control their emotions, but I can tell you got way too involved in that fight."

"I'm sorry, Master, but I promise you this will never happen again."

"How can you promise me that?

"Well, I..."

"The only way that is true is because you know why you got so upset in the first place. Can you tell me the reason?"

"Master, what do you mean?"

"Stop pretending, Adel. You know exactly why you got so emotional. Tell me. I don't have the patience to entertain you. I don't need my right hand man to be keeping secrets from me. Why do you want to be strong?"

Adel saw Thanatos' eyes. If he lied now, he would never be able to regain his trust. With a heavy sensation in his chest, he chose to reveal his reason, his guilt, and his revenge.

"I want to destroy the Kingdom."