Kharlile of the Mangs

'I'm not bothered. I had a feeling you were hiding. If I detected any murderous intent from you, you should be dead by now. But it is beside the point. I can murder you whenever I choose.', replied the young man casually.

Cane was taken aback by how nice but threatening the young man with fox ears sounded. Even though the latter did not appear to want to hurt him, he remained on high alert.

'I understand. Thank you very much. My name is Cane, by the way. I was trying to get to a nearby city because I was unfamiliar with the area. I've been living in a bunker with my uncle for the past 20 years. I had to leave after he died because I was the only one left.' Cane tried to justify his presence.

'My name is Kharlile.' -Swoosh!

The young man who had just introduced himself sprinted in his direction without warning. Three long crimson claws sprouted from his right fist and went to stab Cane's liver.

He was startled, but because he had been alert, he was able to repel the attack by swinging his Eartheum Sword vertically in front of him.

Clang!

A metallic bang boomed after their attacks collided. Cane got solemn when his right hand went numb as a result of the exchange. He even took three steps back, but Kharlile remained where the collision occurred.

'What are you doing?' I swear I won't tell anyone about your encounter with that Failure. And even if I tell someone, they won't believe me.' Cane attempted to be diplomatic in his haste. He sincerely intended to remain silent about what he witnessed.

Kharlile sneered at his adversary's attempt at peace. "Humans are nasty creatures; you can even betray your own family at any time," Kharlile raged. "No one should know my secret; I have so much to accomplish to get my family out of terror."

Cane was at a loss for what to do in the current situation. Despite his need to survive, he was still a doctor at heart. Liz even referred to him as "Doc" to remind him of his true character. As a result, he was conflicted about whether he should fight the young man to the death or not.

Kharlile, crouched like a tiger set to attack, gave him no choice but to retaliate. Cane suspected the young man was planning to kill him, so he took 5 steps back and then used one of the void swordsmanship stances—Quickdraw.

They both did not say anymore and just concentrated all their attention on their opponents. He was sweating profusely as this was the first time he would use his skills to fight an actual person.

Shooossshhh! Kharlile stabbed forward quickly, almost as if blending in with the wind. Cane was astonished, since he couldn't see his opponent any longer.

A sense of crisis dawned on him. He didn't even have the opportunity to seek Liz's help. With his life on the line, he could only utilize whatever weapons he had at his disposal.

'Slug! ', Cane said inside, his right eye gleaming with a faint white light. Cane created the term "slug" to better subconsciously organize and express his time powers in order to employ them more effectively.

Kharlile found his body suddenly stopped 50 centimeters away from his opponent. "What is this... Time power? This guy is dangerous!"

His unassuming opponent finally terrified him. Realizing this now, however, would not save him from his predicament because Cane had already determined that it was best to prioritize his own life. The Eartheum blade was reflected in his fiery eyes as it rushed up to his neck. He was well aware that he had made a grave error in underestimating the opponent, but he also attempted to use every ounce of strength he possessed in order to survive.

Kharlile's fox ears suddenly glowed brilliant red, and the wind element circling his body warped, affecting the area around him. But how can his newly manifested power compete with Cane's maximum use of his temporal power?

Shingggg! Cane's Eartheum sword pierced into Kharlile's throat, releasing time power. But, thanks to his unexpected power-up, Kharlile was able to evade death and merely had his shoulder hit. Even so, Cane's strong blade fractured his shoulder bones and hurled him 20 meters away.

'How come you didn't kill me?', Kharlile asked his Cane, puzzled, while sweating profusely.

Cane was high on adrenaline after their exchange. He now understood why MMA fighters and boxers were so vicious during their fights. He forced himself to calm down, knowing that his right eye had already been bleeding from using his temporal powers.

'I told you I'm not a bad person. I have the impression that you are not evil either. You may not believe me, but I dislike fighting and killing.' Cane explained, 'We can stop here and go to each other's destinations.'

Liz's voice suddenly rang in his ears, 'Doc. You are too soft. The superhumans from your father's research even vied for supremacy. Now that this fox-eared superhuman tried to kill you, you should have returned the favor by killing him as well.'

Before Cane could respond, it appeared that Kharlile had heard what Liz had said. It must be due to his ears.

'I appreciate you saving my life. I apologize for trying to kill you. I only want to conceal my identity till I am much stronger. But I know now I was too arrogant. On the first day I walked outside our hideout, I was defeated. Could you please tell me what happened? I was too focused on harnessing my second element.' This time, Kharlile was polite and had no intention of killing anymore.

Cane was shocked when the young man became cordial and honest, as if they hadn't just been at each other's throats. Nonetheless, he explained that he employed Quickdraw, a method that relies on speed, reflexes, and focus. The only reason Kharlile was not decapitated was that he used the blunt edge of the Eartheum sword at the last moment.

'I see. I owe you my very life. I've been arrogant. No one my age back in the hideout could compete with me, so I thought I was plenty strong. And it is customary for us to follow the person who defeated us. Please take Kharlile Mang of the Mang tribe as your subordinate.' Kharlile knelt down immediately.

The young man appeared to be extremely powerful; he was able to recover in a short period of time. Cane had not anticipated the current circumstance. He merely saved the young man so that they could go their separate ways, but he suddenly had an opportunity to obtain a lackey.

'I don't require a slave. What do you think? I can tell you're powerful. Let us be friends and grow together in power. We all have different motivations for striving for strength, and I believe it would be simpler to have company.' Cane responded.

Why he proposed friendship with Kharlile was actually carefully considered. He, like him, was a dual-element wielder. If he wanted to have a better chance of achieving his goals, he needed powerful allies and networks. Hence, starting with people like Kharlile would give him ample time to see if they really were trustworthy.

'This... I'm only going to cause you problems. Society despises superhumans with flaws like mine.', the young man lamented.

'You say that, but why did you leave your hideout? You must have a method of concealing your ears. And, since you may know more about the outside world than I do, I'd like to befriend you if at all possible. Finally, I'm curious about how failures like the one you mentioned can communicate. But don't worry, I have no ill will against other beings as long as they don't want to take my life,' Cane replied.