The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo furrowed his brows.

"The armor was not meant to protect you? I think it did a pretty good job."

The man let out a wicked smile.

"The true reason for such sturdy armor is that 'those people' didn't want my body to be seen."

He raised his mace.

"Frankly, I don't need any protection. Just my new body can take on anything."

The man swung his mace at Apollo, with even more speed than before. As for Apollo, his bokken flashed at a strange angle, diverting the trajectory.

Another crash resounded throughout the halls.

Willow furrowed her brows.

"Why does it have to be so loud... Even more people are going to wake up."

Willow pointed her sword towards the man. It began to vibrate.

The man dragged his mace across the floor, sending it towards Apollo. As for Apollo, he jumped over it.

However, the mace suddenly stopped below Apollo and swung upwards. The muscles in Apollo's arms tightened.

His bokken flashed, hitting the side of the mace. The mace was sent flying into one wall while Apollo's body crashed into the opposite wall.

At that moment, Willow's sword abruptly stopped vibrating. A massive shockwave was sent towards the man, rippling through the air.

The man turned his head around. Then, it snapped forward.

A deep thud resounded.

The man's back exploded into pieces. It looked like a crater had formed on his body. Violent gales of wind blew in all directions while the man fell to the floor.

Apollo pulled himself out of the wall, scattering a few stones across the ground. He scratched the side of his head.

"Is he dead?"

Willow sighed.

"No..."

The man slowly stood up. The flesh on his back was gradually repairing itself. However, the parts of his body that originally contained pale white skin grew pitch black and bulged.

The man laughed.

"Do you see now? There is nothing you can do! Every time you injure me, I will just come back stronger!"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"Then why don't you just hit yourself? Won't you become the strongest that way?"

The corner of the man's lip twitched.

"...Well, it hurts a lot."

He shook his head.

"Anyways! That is not the point! You were doomed to lose once you decided to fight me!"

The man charged towards Apollo, swinging his mace at him. Apollo diverted the trajectory with his bokken once again, then dashed closer to the man.

However, that wasn't the best idea.

A large lance of ice condensed in the man's free hand before stabbing Apollo. It caught Apollo by surprise, thus skewering his body.

Willow frowned. Her sword slashed the man's back, drawing a circle.

The man's skin tore away and his flesh scattered across the ground. He lost about half of his torso from that one attack.

Yet, that didn't phase him.

The man held Apollo up with the spear while he raised his mace with the other hand.

As for Apollo, his expression was dull. His eyelid twitched.

Then... a small smile appeared on his face.

The man swung his mace down on Apollo's head. If this hit, he would be maimed pretty bad. However, Apollo didn't even try to defend himself.

His muscles tightened while red scars snaked across his arms. His bokken snapped forward, and his eyes widened.

A deafening explosion reverberated throughout the hallways.

The man was blasted backward, splitting into chunks of flesh. Willow's figure blurred, letting all the blood and pieces of flesh fly by her.

As for the mace, it was diverted from the violent impact. However, it still hit Apollo's shoulder, rather than his head.

Apollo's shoulder was smashed with a crunch. There was an outer layer of bone covering his shoulder, like shoulder pads. It shattered immediately. A few cracks formed in the actual bones of his shoulder, but it remained intact and usable.

The mace fell down to the ground, smashing into the floor. It did not even recoil upwards a single time, a testament to how heavy it really was.

The ice lance was still in Apollo's chest.

Apollo used his free hand to pry it out, throwing it to the side. Blood leaked out of his abdomen, but stopped shortly after. The wound healed in just a few moments.

Willow looked at Apollo with concern.

"I'm really sorry. I should've defended you."

She bowed.

Apollo replied by letting out an eerie giggle. His head slowly lifted, meeting eyes with Willow.

"Mother?"

Willow felt her heart sink. She had a feeling... something bad was going to happen.

"Wait, Apollo! I am not your mother. I am Willow, remember?"

Apollo's neck twisted uncomfortably to the side.

"I will... kill you."

The muscles in Apollo's legs tightened. He dashed forward like a lightning bolt, and his bokken flashed.

Willow's sword flashed as well, intercepting Apollo's strike.

Willow was frowning with frustration.

"Apollo! Please stop!"

Apollo paid no heed to her cries. He began to laugh and swung his bokken even faster.

"I will kill you!"

Willow was able to match his pace, blocking every strike.

The skin on Apollo's hand tore open while the shockwaves hit the walls, making them crack. This was because of the slight tremble Willow had while swinging her sword.

Willow's figure suddenly disappeared, leaving Apollo to strike the air. She reappeared a few meters away.

"Apollo, can we just talk for a moment? Let's just settle down for a few minutes!"

Apollo did not respond. He slowly walked towards Willow with shaking pupils. His laughter was growing in intensity.

The muscles in his arm tightened. He swung down his sword while pressing his thumb against the hilt.

Willow had a bad premonition. She preemptively traced an arc in the air with her sword, sending out a wave of black mist.

The crackle of thunder filled the air.

The black mist immediately vanished. Willow's figure blurred, but not on time.

A line of blood trickled down her face.

"Apollo..."

She sighed.

"Maybe.... if I defeat you, we can have a subdued talk."