Help arrive

As the exchange progressed, Ryu kept accumulating damage, the leather armor did a great job protecting his body from cuts, but it couldn't protect him from the impact at that rate, he would end up dying from internal bleeding.

If Ryu could outrun his enemies, he would have done it, at least he earned enough time for Cahya to run ahead, unfortunately not enough time for her to reach the sect and bring help. According to Ryu estimates, Cahya would still need another 20 minutes to reach the sect - it would take another 5 minutes to find an elder and explain the situation-, but he wasn't sure he could hold out for that long.

In the same way, Ryu stopped running and made a 180º turn to face Drunk one, just like he had done a dozen times already, but he used this strategy for too long, and his opponent was already expecting it. He turned around to face a knee flying towards him much closer and faster than expected, and therefore impossible to dodge.

Ryu spat a mouthful of blood while falling on his back and using the impulse to roll over his back to get up and face the two men, the hit and run strategy had reached its limit.

Just when Ryu was about to get panic, a voice came from his back, bringing a light of hope, but he was not in a position to turn around to celebrate, as Drunk one could still make a last attempt to take his life.

He didn't know how Cahya managed to get to the sect so quickly, but he would praise her forever for putting so much effort into it.

Drunk one and Big one looked at each other with fear written on their faces, they looked back thinking to run, but they knew it was a useless effort the elder would catch than before the second step, and, depending on the elder, he would punish than even harder for trying to flee.

Ryu and his two opponents were looking at each other, waiting for the arrival of an elder, but as the voices come closer, an ominous feeling arose in Ryu's mind. His two opponents relaxed their faces and sighed in relief, a sensation that something was wrong because he recognized the person's voice getting closer.

"You started a party and forgot to invite your best friend?"

These words entered Ryu's ears, washing away all the color on his face, making his skin pale white like a ghost, while his vision started to rotate as he felt dizzy, almost passing out.

He sent Cahya ahead to bring an elder, someone capable of ending the fight and save his life, but she fetched Nura instead.

Time was not on his side when Cahya went ahead, he knew from the very beginning his chances were slim, but Ryu could not accept to see a rape scene happening right on his front and stay cross arm passionately watching. However, he believed from every fiber of his very person that he would manage to resist long enough to the woman arrive with someone strong to save him.

But, in the end, she brought Nura, another person from the new batch of disciples. After trading blow for so long, Ryu knew the power of these two and knew he survived this long exclusively because he had an immortal grade martial art style, otherwise, he would have died on the very first exchange.

"Are you fine? Looks like someone extracted all the blood from you body." Nura said, positioning next to Ryu.

"Finally fack from your travel? I am fine enough, but we a bigger problem ahead." Ryu said while recomposing from the shock he received to realized his aid was his friend.

"Let me finish this, I have strife with these guys and it is about time to settle it." Nura said, extracting a club to his hands. A round piece of wood about 1 meter long with a rope wrapped around one end to serve as a handle, this improvised handmade club is his new weapon since his weapons were in the stolen ring that these same guys stole on the first day.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Just because I was fighting with him alone doesn't means he is weak, even if we fight together we might still not necessarily be able to put a fight." Ryu said, getting angry with Nura's arrogancy.

Just as he finished his passionate speech, a small hand grabbed Ryu from the back and pulled him back.

"Let him be, you made a great job exhausting these two guys, now it's time for you to rest, look at you, you are only standing on your feet because of adrenaline." Luise said, dragging Ryu. He didn't even notice her presence until she put a hand on his collar.

While Ryu was about to protest, Nura burst forward holding the club above his head and reaching Drunk one in no time, descending the wood stick against his head. With a confidant smile on his face, Drunk one raised his sword horizontally to block the incoming blow.

*Boom*

The blow landed with such force that Drunk one went to his knees, and Nura retrieved the stick, preparing to strike again the man kneeling on his front.

However, before he could crush Drunk one head, Big one jumped in, sending a punch against Nura, his interference at the last second saved Drunk one life, a moment of delay, and it would be late to save his friend.

Nura dodged to the side to avoid the punch while picking the opportunity to land hit Big one since this man had one arm wasted from Ryu's flaming thrust and had no means to defend from Nura's attack. The club landed on Big one ribs, a hollow sound from wood hitting meat and the cracking sound of bones breaking revealed the force of the impact, while Big one went to the floor, arching aside.

Meanwhile, Ryu was sitting in a clump of grass, shocked to see Nura fighting head-on against those guys, as the outcome of this fight was simply unbelievable.

And Cahya was embracing him from the back while examining if he had a broken rib after removing his leather armor to pass an ointment on the many red bruises on his body. She was purposely hugging him tightly, pressing his torso against hers and sniffing the aroma from his sweat body, her red face delivering her inner thought. This scene was so obscene that Luise turned away, trying to ignore it.

When Luise tried to give Ryu a healing pill, he woke up from the shock, and he took one pill from his own ring and swallowed it fast, afraid to lose a single moment of the fight, he was so focused that he didn't even notice the woman taking advantage of him.

That was how unbelievable the fighting happening in his front really was, an opponent he was struggling to face using his immortal grade skill Nura was overcoming with raw strength, if he had acquired a skill to fight too, it would be comprehensible, but it was not the case, Nura was moving as fast as drunk one and had the advantage in strength too.

Somehow, Nura covered the level gap in a short span of time.