True strength

The sound of the footsteps of the soldiers echoed throughout the corridors. The raid continued, and the battle was far from over. The pile of bodies was growing minute by minute. Soldiers and mercenaries lay dead on the ground; limbs had been cut and organs destroyed into bloody pulp. Broken swords and shields were all over the corridors, and hiding behind a secret passage, the nobles were running toward one of the underground exits.

They ran as fast as they could, but it was a slow race. These people were clearly unfit for any kind of physical activity. Fat or too skinny, too little muscle after spending years eating, playing, or just scheming with others. They laughed at the slaves' pain and abuse, but they will probably fare just as poorly if subjected to the same sick torture and games. The mercenaries running in front and back were bodyguards. They needed to make sure that the guests of their master could escape without problems.

After running for several minutes, the group stopped. Right in front, the two mercenaries leading the charge raised their hands as a signal to stop. The corridor had been destroyed; the exit had been sealed, it was covered in rocks and dirt. This was too convenient. They always sent patrols to make sure the tunnels were still intact, but now, in the moment of need, this exit was useless. Someone had entered from below the mountain and destroyed it.

The nobles got scared and impatient. Luckily, the mercenaries could calm them down. This was unexpected. The army probably sent someone to destroy this tunnel, but there was nothing to worry about. They had dozens of tunnels that led outside from many different points. One being destroyed was only a small inconvenience.

They began to run again, but the result was the same, another tunnel was demolished and buried in the stone. This repeated for a total of four exits, it was too much. The only ones that knew the location of the corridors were the mercenaries. This would mean two possibilities. One, the army had spent a considerable amount of time mapping the tunnels underground. This option was unrealistic; having soldiers scout so deep inside their territory without anyone noticing was impossible. The second option was probably the truth.

Some of their companions betrayed them. This was the only explanation. The group of four mercenaries escorting the nobles reached the same conclusion. There were traitors in the ranks, but how many? A single traitor who sold them to the army? Or maybe there were multiple rats in the group? Doubts began to form in the group. Could they even trust the companion at their side right now?

The paranoia plus the panic from the nobles made the situation too tense. When they reached the fifth blocked corridor, the group exploded, and nobles ran in different directions, accusing the mercenaries of being useless or even calling them traitors. One tried to calm them down, but the other insisted he was a traitor.

"You have been leading us in circles, damn it! You two are traitors." He raised his sword. "Stay behind me if you want to escape, these guys sold us to the army!"

Thanks to the panic and fear from the nobles and the destruction of the escape routes, the army and Thanatos group were a step closer to victory.

In another room full of cages, Neo, Eric, and Lia were unlocking the locks by force or with the keys they took from a couple of dead guards, releasing the slaves from the cages. Lia was in charge of the human prisoners. "Please, run toward the surface; the army is coming to help you all!" She moved quickly and pointed them in the direction, according to her map. Some of them cried and hugged her to express their thanks.

Neo was in charge of convincing the demi humans. She even knew some of them before they were captured in the forest. Unlike the humans, they didn't send them alone to escape with the army, but instead, with Eric's help, she reunited them all into a single group, explaining to them the plan to escape in wagons outside the mountain and take them back to the forest.

Most of them were suspicious of going with another human. The pain and torture were engraved in their hearts, but Neo promised them. "You can trust them. They are my friends. They would never cause you any pain…" She stopped for a moment, her eyes beginning to tear a little. Seeing the terrible state of some of the people made her heart sink. Fingers were cut, eyes pulled out, bones broken beyond recognition, and burn marks all over their bodies.

She took a moment to regain her composure and, still with tears rolling in her cheeks, she spoke. "I promise you, they will protect you. I'm going to make the one responsible for this suffer a hundred times for all of you. Ennis Elwin Damos, he will pay for everything!" Her voice was filled with anger and determination. After that, everyone agreed to believe in her.

No, not only for those here, but also for those that died before them too. I'll make him pay. She promised herself, before leading the demi humans, back toward the tunnel they left open.

"Beautiful…" Ennis was amazed, almost hypnotized by the battle he was seeing. The movement of Thanatos was almost like a dance, dodging the punches and kicks from Grul. He couldn't even perceive all the movements happening in front of him; they were too fast and beautiful. A dance that only happens when the ones involved fight between life and death. Ennis was the second-happiest person in the room at that very moment. The first one was Grul.

Grul was laughing and smiling through the fight as Thanatos continued to dodge and attack back in the brief window of opportunity. A good toy, a strong toy, was finally in his hands. For the first time in his life, Grul was fighting with everything he had. He finally met someone that could stand against his ridiculous power.

He broke the floor with a punch while Thanatos jumped out of the way. "HEHEHE. FUN, THIS IS SOOOO MUCH FUN. I CAN FIGHT WITH THIS TOY WITHOUT HAVING TO BE CAREFUL. HAHAHAHA." The small cut healed immediately, and he was unscathed. The Champion could take any attack and recover in a few seconds. The sight of the half-troll brushing away any damage would cause despair in any opponent. How could one remain hopeful in the battle against a being chosen by the heavens? A natural prodigy, the difference between the commoners and someone born special was obvious. A barrier of innate talent that a commoner could never surpass, but still…

"Shut up, you stupid oversized brute!" Grul stopped laughing. Thanatos continued. "You think strength and some healing capability is all you need to be strong? No wonder you're an idiot. I'm only fighting with a fraction of my real power and you still haven't killed me. That's because you are weak, a weak moron who doesn't even know how to fight."

"EH, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT?"

"Yes, you're merely throwing punches and kicks without any consideration. Sure, you have good instincts, but instincts can only carry you so far. Against someone who knows how to fight, you could not even touch that person. I know because I used to be an idiot too."

Thanatos remembered all the fights so far in his new life. It is true that power alone was enough to deal with weaklings; he encountered many before he dealt with them with little trouble, but someone strong is another matter completely. The assassin Sebastian, the chief of security of the Sleeping Bird Sebir, and the Elemental Lion, all of them couldn't be defeated by strength alone. If he fought those people solely on his strength, he would be killed by all of them.

Strategy. A strong fighter uses strategy. That is the reason he could defeat Sebastian and the Elemental Lion. That's the reason Sebir spared his life, because he saw potential in this young and stupid kid.

"So. I'm going to find out if I have the potential to be like them or not. I'm really strong, or I'm still just a kid waving power without a clue. You will be my answer, Grul after I kill you!" He pointed his finger at Ennis. "And don't think I forgot about you. After I'm done with your pet, I'm taking your ass back to my base. You will pay for the things you did with interest, but if you surrender now, I would grant you a bit of mercy. This is your last chance, bastard."

"AHAHAHA is too funny, hahahaha this worm still thinks he can order anything to the master. What an idiot, a buffoon, a moron, stupid, ignorant, ugly, disgusting, larva trying to crawl out of the ground. You have crossed the line too many times, PIECE OF SHIT!" Alice's face contorted for a moment, and anger appeared in her voice.

Thanatos's insults finally passed the point of her patience. "Shut up Alice." Ennis didn't have to raise his voice to make her quiet. "You think that I would take your offer? Stop wasting time. I want to see it. I want to see if you really can kill Grul. Stop holding back both of you and kill the other already!" He stood from his seat with his hands grabbing the edge of the balcony. "LET ME SEE WHICH ONE OF YOU HAS MORE QUALITY!"

"HEHE YES BOSS…"

"Fucking crazy bastard." Both smiled before continuing the fight.

Thanatos dodged the giant hand closing in on top of him. He began to cut with his claws at maximum speed. Blood and skin flew everywhere, but Grul just recovered again. His feet took a different posture, back and forth. He never asked him to teach him, but after seeing Eric fight a couple of times, he picked it up. Since he also fought with his hands, this was probably the best posture for him.

BAM, BAM, BAM. Three quick punches in the arm of Grul sent it away. The other hand was open, ready to crush his bones once again. With minimal movement, his feet moved just enough to pass down the hand. He punched four times and sent the arm up into the air.

Suddenly, the flow of the battle began to change. Thanatos was no longer jumping or dodging, trying to retreat; he was moving between the punches and kicks with only a few steps. It was almost like he wasn't moving at all. Grul started to become irritated. His arms were swept away, and his legs missed Thanatos by only a few centimeters.

"…?!"

Left punch, right hook, swept kick, a kick to the head, everything was failing. This is not the change in posture he took from Eric. The images of Sebastian, Sebir, and the Elemental Lion flashed in Thanatos's mind. The experience of those fights made him a better fighter. No, those memories were still making him a better fighter right now. Like a boxer that had only had practice matches up to this point, this was Thanatos's debut. He was growing by the second. He finally found his battle style.

"STOP MOVING! AAAAHHHHH!" Grul screamed like a child throwing a tantrum. He also began to fight with even more speed, trying to catch the annoying toy.

Thanatos was growing, but he was still behind Grul in terms of speed. Only his instincts and experience allowed him to see the simple hits of Grul. He managed to dodge and block those movements before they were made, but he couldn't keep this up forever.

A punch hit him in the foot, and it twisted 180 degrees. Thanatos jumped toward the half-troll, preparing an attack with his left hand.

"TOO SLOW!" Grul grinned and grabbed it with his right arm. He twisted, and the small arm snapped like a twig, breaking into a mess.

"[Retribution]" Grul's left arm twisted over a dozen times into itself.

"HUH?" He was too busy trying to identify the pain in his arm. What just happened? He wondered. WAIT, WHY IT TAKING SO LONG TO HEAL? Sadly, Grul didn't have the mental capacity to discern that he had caused that damage to himself, thanks to Thanatos' special ability.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Thanatos was still falling toward him. He looked at his hand, he was still holding the broken arm. Thanatos had cut his own arm while Grul was shocked. DEFEND, HE´S GOIN TO ATTACK… UGH! He didn't have his left arm anymore to defend himself. Grul fell for the trap. This was the difference between a strong fighter and him.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He yelled, putting everything on his remaining fist and crushing Grul's head into the ground, exploding into a mix of blood and brain matter.

Not even a troll could regenerate his destroyed brain. Grul, the half-Troll champion of slave battles, lay headless in his own blood.