Thanatos was happy to see them again, but he was wondering what they were doing here. "I said one week. Why are you guys wandering so close to the border? What if they noticed you or-"

Neo punched him in the back of the head.

"Forget it. I'll just punch you now."

"What the hell?"

"Um, Thanatos Neo has been worried, so she has been patrolling the border the last three days."

"I saw the handkerchief that Lia made you go crazy and fly, so I followed it. I didn’t expect to find you in the middle of a fight." She looked around at the wounded people and the tiger that almost killed Thanatos. She gave him a look of contempt.

"Is that the enemy?" She cracked her knuckles and sharpened her claws.

"Yes, the others are my allies. We can’t defeat him. We fight to wound him enough and then use the opportunity to escape. Is that clear?"

"Yes!"

"Understood."

"More traitors! I was thinking of letting you live in the coliseum to repay for your sins, but since you’re so buddy-buddy with the humans then. YOU CAN ALL ROT IN HELL! [Boost]" Sertus yelled, and went toward Thanatos.

He was like lightning; his speed was nothing like before. He was fighting seriously now. He was about to show them why he was called "thousand kicks."

Kit ran forward. "[Wolf hunt]"

Shadows emerge from the fox demi human and surround Serturs. He couldn’t see very far. "Petty tricks [Mental fortress]!" an ability that nullifies magic or other effects that affect the mind. The darkness vanished and he saw Kit jumping at him.

"Tch, he brushed off my mental ability. [Claw of Fox]" he descended with his other ability. His claws grew and he slashed the boot.

This was Kit's strongest attack, and yet Sertus blocked it like it was nothing special. At the same time, Robert came from behind.

"[Boost] [Slithering attack]!" He was wounded and at his limit, but he used every ounce of power he had. The swords moved in all directions and finally slashed the leg. No, they were blocked again with a kick.

"AAAAAGGGHHHH! Thanatos leaped into the fray and forced Sertus to block with his other leg.

SLASH. Something tried to cut off his head, but he used his arm as a shield. For the first time in the battle, Sertus was wounded.

"Dammit I was aiming for his head. His reflexes are insane!" Neo was the one who passed at his side.

"YOU BASTARDS!" Sertus began to spin and use his hands as support. A tornado of kicks sent everyone away except Thanatos.

He was using the orange handkerchief to increase his speed. With that, he could dodge and block some of the kicks, but it wasn’t enough. Sertus’s attacks still managed to hit him in the side and the legs. He had to keep him busy or he would target everyone else.

I’m the only one who can take his kicks. It took four of us to wound him once. I need to create an opportunity, or we are doomed.

He was almost out of mana and the handkerchief could only do so much. POW!

"OH!" That kick broke some ribs. Defeating Sertus was a herculean task, but he didn’t have to defeat him. He only needed to wound him enough for them to escape. That’s when he remembered his other hidden ace.

Oh, I haven’t used it in so long I forgot I could do it. It was proof of his growth; he had corrected his bad habits as a fighter.

"Everyone, don’t hold back. This is my last attack!" He yelled to his companions.

An obvious trap. You think I’ll fall for that provocation? Sertus saw right through it.

"I can just kill you first! [Great kick]" His legs began to glow, and his power had exponential growth. [Boost] was still in effect, and he combined the two abilities into a destructive attack. A two-hit combo.

"[Rock shield]" "[Barrier of thorns]"

Gro and Hilrun raised a defense in front of Thanatos using the rest of their mana, but it wasn’t enough. The blue shield appeared again and crumbled from the impact. The three combined managed to stop the momentum of the first kick.

Sertus turned and raised his other leg. Here comes the second hit.

"Spirit of the scorpion, grant me your power!" Neo's hand turned into a giant pincer and she caught the leg.

"TOO WEAK!"

"AAAHHHHH!"

"[Claw of Fox]!"

Kit and Robert jumped in front to block as well. They tried, but Sertus sent them away, breaking the sword and the giant pincer. He lost the momentum and Thanatos used that chance to dash forward.

"…!" Sertus was shocked. He wasn’t seeing the human anymore. He was seeing himself.

"[Transformation]" Thanatos cloned Sertus’s appearance and was doing the same pose.

Is he trying to use my special ability? Was he saving that for the last moment? Impossible, impossible!

"A MERE HUMAN CAN'T DEFEAT ME! [Earthquake kick]!" his most powerful ability.

The kicks crashed against each other, and the ground below broke into dozens of fissures. Thanatos's leg exploded from the inside, and his bones shattered. Not only that, the impact traveled across his body and broke several other bones. The shock wave sent everyone away.

Thanatos couldn’t maintain concentration, and his [Transformation] ended. He went flying toward a rock. He was done. There was nothing he could do now and yet he smiled.

"Eh, we got you… [Retribution]"

"OOOAHHHH! WHAT!" Sertus felt his leg breaking and a bunch of bones across his entire body. Some of his organs were pierced too. He looked at the human and understood. "A power to share damage? You bastard!"

"Damnit man, even after all that, you still refuse to fall down. Standing on one leg, you’re a beast."

"You think you can kill me with this? I only need one leg to kill you all!"

"Yeah, I don’t doubt that, but this is the end. Even if we managed to kill you, it is going to cost some lives, and there are probably soldiers coming this way. Goodbye, I hope we won’t ever see each other again."

Neo grabbed Thanatos and Hilrun and Kit went to help Gro. They ran toward the forest without looking back.

"Wait! You cowards, come here…" He tried to run, but his leg was useless. The pain was indescribable. "How dare you!" Come back here! You dirty rats! AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Sertus cried at the moon that was rising. Not a defeat, but a tie. He had tasted the shame of defeat, but that was a long time ago. But before this, he had never known the disgusting feeling of a draw.

One of the most shameful days in the history of the Demi Human Council ended.

***

Two days had passed since the fugitives escaped from the coliseum. The council learned about the slaves first hand since one of their members fought them. It was a national shame. How could something like this happen? They tried to contain the news, but rumors had already spread. The legend of 44, the human rebel who escaped from a council member.

Some demi humans were angry with Sertus because of his failure to capture the four fugitives and challenged him to fight for his position, as he was deemed to be too weak.

28 demi humans of all races challenged him and all were killed. Sertus didn’t even take breaks during the fights. In less than a day, 28 powerful warriors, soldiers, and even some private guards were massacred. With that, Sertus was allowed to remain as a member of the council and to help find a new owner for the coliseum.

They also sent guard patrols into the forest outside of their territory to find the slaves, but they hadn’t found anything yet.

By this time, the slaves had crossed the mountain to the Draconic Empire. They were sitting on the outskirts of a village. They huddled around a small campfire, eating and bandaging their wounds.

"[Heal]" [Healing plant]"

Thanatos and Hirlun finished curing the last wounds of the group. All six of them were back to full health.

They didn’t have drinks to celebrate, but they were happy. The escape was a success.

"Yahoo!, we did it. We left that infernal coliseum." Robert pretended the water was some kind of alcoholic beverage and invited everyone to a toast. "For all of us who made it out, and for the one that made it possible, Thanatos!"

"Cheers!" Thanks to Neo yelling his name out loud, they learned it. He didn’t have any power or magic to change memories, so he had to accept it.

"You guys should just forget about me then go back to your normal lives."

"I didn’t expect you to make friends. I guess you aren’t as much of a weirdo as I thought."

"Mmm... whatever."

Neo teased Thanatos and ate the boar meat with delight. After so many fights, he earned a rest.

"By the way, Thanatos, are we still going to the east?" Kit sat beside him and asked.

"Of course, I wasted too much time on this detour. We’re going to have to move from this side since the Demi Human Council is looking for us."

"I apologize. I should have done more to help you. You basically have to do all the work alone."

"Don’t worry. I was the one who told you to wait for me. But if it wasn’t for these guys, I wouldn’t have made it." He looked at his three companions. A part of him wanted to have them in Underworld.

They had a chance to have a normal life after being prisoners for years. There was no way for them to join a shady and hated syndicate.

Is for the best. He drank the cold water and accepted that he wouldn’t see them again. They finished eating and took their stuff. Thanatos, Neo, and Kit to the east. Robert, Hilrun, and Gro to the west.

They were ready to depart and say their goodbyes.

"Thank you for helping this dumb guy escape."

"You don’t have to say that."

Robert walked to Thanatos and grabbed his hand in a firm handshake.

"I don’t care what they said about the crimes you committed. If you ever need help, you can ask me anytime." Hilrun and Gro bowed their heads in respect.

"Forget it... One last thing: where are you guys going to live now?" Thanatos asked while scratching his cheek and looking at the horizon.

"I think maybe here in the Draconic Empire. Perhaps find work as a bodyguard."

"My old village was destroyed, but I think I can find a job as a doctor in the Draconic Empire too."

"My tribe wanders in the northern mountains. I’m going to take the long route and go back and find them."

"So, none of you are going to the Republic of Selus or the Kingdom of Axes, good."

"Why?"

"Because I’m planning to attack both countries in the future. You should avoid those places. Take it as my warning."

They were silent. After seeing Thanatos' power first hand, they believed him.

"Thank you for the warning!" They bowed one more time and went on their way.

"Is it okay to tell them that? What if they snitched on us and Underworld?"

"Yeah... they don’t care about politics or other countries. They were all satisfied to have a new chance to live free. Besides, they know if they betray me, I will kill them. Living with fear for the rest of their lives is not worth it."

With that, the journey to the east resumed.