Ash charged forward, instantly closing the distance between himself and Kelvin in a matter of seconds.
Taken aback by Ash's sudden speed, Kelvin immediately took a defensive stance.
He held his blade up front, preparing to strike his foe as quickly as possible.
However…
Before he could even attempt to raise his blade, Ash had already arrived beside him, his fist clenched and coated in raw demonic energy.
"What the—"
Not even a full second after Ash made it there, he landed a critical punch, aimed right at Kelvin's ribs.
The powerful impact sent Kelvin flying, causing him to tumble violently to the ground.
Echidna, who was still watching from the sidelines, seemed rather impressed by what she was witnessing.
She kept her arms behind her back as she smiled carefully, making sure her amusement was not too obvious.
As for Aisha, she didn't even try to hide her excitement, not even for a little bit.
With both fists closed and positioned excitedly in front of her, her eyes sparkled with pure adoration as she fought the overwhelming urge to start cheering for her master.
Meanwhile, Ash had stood up perfectly straight and was calmly watching as Kelvin slowly rose back to his feet.
'Looks like I have gotten faster, too. It's been a while since I had to put my skills to the test. Good. I can use this fool as a testing bag.'
His cape flared out behind him, moving as though it had a life of its own.
Now slowly getting to his knees, Kelvin stared at the ground for a long moment, blood dripping from the side of his mouth.
He could still feel the sharp, agonizing pain from the side of his ribs where Ash had punched him.
For the most part, he figured he had broken at least one rib, but as a warrior class, his endurance was quite high.
"A direct hit, huh... You're quite faster than I thought you'd be." Kelvin turned to look at Ash, his face wincing with pain. "Tell me, what class are you? A warrior as well? Or perhaps you are a knight, seeing how fast you can move."
"…"
"No answer, huh? No matter. I'll get it out of you myself."
Somehow, Kelvin managed to stand completely to his feet. He was now gripping his sword tightly at his side, his eyes fully focused on Ash.
The last time, Ash had gotten the upper hand because Kelvin underestimated him and his speed.
But this time, now that he knew where Ash excelled, he believed he could counter with a decisive attack of his own.
As a fighter class, and a gold rank at that, he had also awakened a job: Sword Master. This meant his mastery of blades was supposed to be second to none.
For someone as seemingly weak as Ash, he could end it all with one swift, decisive move.
Grrll!
He flickered from his spot, and in the very next second, he was positioned right above Ash. His feet were in the air, and his blade was aimed directly at Ash's head.
Lightning danced around his form, coating his body like a crackling shield while also following the movement of his blade, almost like an extension of himself.
"It's over!" he announced his victory. He pulled the blade even closer, already turning to the dull side of his sword in order not to slice off Ash's head.
Or so he thought.
Shock glued itself to his face when he suddenly noticed Ash had merely moved his eyes up towards his position, while his body remained perfectly still.
Then Ash spoke with a chilling voice: "Got you."
Before the blade could even touch Ash, his body dispersed into black mist and instantly reconstructed right behind Kelvin.
As soon as he arrived there, Ash grabbed Kelvin by the face just as he tried to turn mid-air and then proceeded to slam his face straight into the ground.
Baam!
Baam!
Baam!
After Ash had gotten the immediate violence out of his system, he crushed Kelvin's wrist with his grip.
This caused the warrior to scream out in pure, agonizing pain. He had no other choice but to drop the blade in his hand, unless he wanted his bones to get even more damaged than they already were.
With the blade clattering to the ground, Ash uttered with a calm voice, "I believe I won this duel, no?"
He waited for a moment to see if he would get a response from Kelvin.
Nothing was heard, but he could still feel Kelvin's angered breath hot against his palm.
Once he was satisfied that the young man was still alive and conscious, Ash lifted his hold from Kelvin's face and slowly stood to his full height.
Kelvin, in question, was still lying helplessly on the floor, his face covered in blood and sheer anger etched onto his features.
Echidna was still watching, but not once did her attention shift to her fallen partner.
Throughout the entire battle, she found herself getting more and more interested in Ash.
"Master!!~~" Aisha didn't miss the opportunity to dote on her master.
She quickly sprinted towards Ash and stood proudly by his side, her entire being practically glowing with adoration.
"You were so amazing right there! That loud-mouthed man didn't even manage to lay a single finger on you," she spoke excitedly.
Kelvin was struck verbally by the comment, and foam slowly began to grow at the corners of his mouth while he remained paralyzed on the ground.
Ash, however, didn't care for any of the surrounding drama.
With a single, simple pat on Aisha's shoulder, he said before walking away,
"Let's go. We've wasted more time here than needed."
Although, before he could get very far, Echidna quickly positioned herself directly in front of him and strategically blocked his path.
Thinking she wanted to challenge him to a duel as well, Ash frowned deeply.
"I am not fighting you, if that's what you are here for."
"Goodness no, I am not dumb enough to do that. Anyone that can beat Kelvin that easily is certainly worthy of my respect." Echidna leaned forward, clasping her arms right behind her back.
Ash stared at her for a long moment, that strange, unsettling feeling surging right back within him.
"Good. Then we have no more business talking. You have places to be, and so do I."
Just as Ash wanted to take a simple turn to the right, Echidna swiftly blocked him again.
"You're heading to the north, right? We are also heading there as well! Why don't we all go together? That way, we'll have a high chance of surviving when monsters inevitably attack." She was a bit out of breath but still managed to get all the words out.
Ash frowned even more deeply. "I don't need your help. I already made this clear. You can handle yourselves."
Ash scooted to the left and decisively walked away. Aisha followed right behind him, giving Echidna one final, uncertain glance before she walked away as well.