The Laughing Swordsman

Within all the chaos, a faint giggle echoed.

A small smile appeared on Apollo's face, while his hair covered his eyes.

His body was mangled, nearly beyond recognition.

...But Apollo didn't seem to notice that.

It was as though Apollo was walking through flames. Flames that charred his skin, roasted his body, and melted his insides.

Yet, instead of dying, it was only now that he felt like he was truly living.

Like an artist.

Experiencing pain not to overcome, but because that was the only way to create a masterpiece.

Apollo's limbs were twisted in the wrong direction.

So he forced them back.

Eerie, yet brutal, cracking sounds rang through the air. His limbs twitched awkwardly as they fit into place while his fingers jolted as though they were experiencing a shock. It made one wonder what kind of will was needed to do something so excruciatingly painful.

Apollo's body released waves of blistering heat. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead, but would evaporate moments later.

The flesh on his body squirmed violently, replacing his lost muscles and mending his skin. While his body had healed, his fresh blood still covered him, giving him quite the creepy appearance.

Apollo's eyes widened.

Then, he cackled.

Apollo spun his body while it was in the air. A nearby two-legged house charged towards him before attempting to smash him with its 'head' by bowing violently.

Apollo responded by raising his bokken.

He had little maneuverability in the air, so it was going to be hard for him to dodge.

Yet, Apollo wasn't worried.

The house rapidly descended. In just a moment, it was less than a meter away from him. Apollo could see the fine textures of the house, from the indents to the splinters.

Then, Apollo's bokken flashed.

His bokken ripped into the wooden wall, propelling him towards the house's legs.

Apollo shifted his body so that his feet were pointing forward like a spearhead. He retracted his legs, with his knees touching his chest.

Apollo embraced the wind wildly blowing past him.

In just a second, he reached the house's knee, close enough to see the disturbing hairs clearly.

His feet shot out in a blur, almost looking like a needle.

A satisfying crack rang through the air, both from bones and snapped tendons.

The house's knee bent backward violently before twisting nauseatingly. The knee itself had shattered, splattering into a pile of mush.

The house stumbled, unable to maintain its balance. After just a few seconds, it crashed to the ground.

As for Apollo, he shot like a bullet towards another house.

That house noticed this early, sweeping with its 'head' in an attempt to batter Apollo.

A laugh that spoke of insanity filled the air. Apollo swung while the house was still five meters away.

Then, his thumb pressed against the hilt.

The red tassel of his bokken snapped to the side while the crackle of thunder resounded.

The house continued moving, but abruptly split in two.

The two halves brushed by Apollo, one above and one below.

The bright light shone right in Apollo's eyes, but he did not squint or blink. If anything, his eyes widened.

While Apollo's eyes were burning, they laid on a strange floating crystal. It was shaped like a rhombus and was letting out a bright yellow light. It wasn't easy to tell due to the glaring illumination, but it was transparent.

Apollo's vision was red. He was hardly thinking. His only priority was to destroy.

And so, his bokken flashed, splitting the crystal in two.

The house that Apollo had just slashed buckled its legs. It fell to one knee before collapsing to the floor lifelessly.

In the faraway watchtower, Oddryl clicked his tongue.

"I was careless."

The houses around Apollo suddenly shifted their gazes towards him. The yellow light they emitted rapidly began to brighten.

Apollo was still in midair, without anything to push off against.

As such, he wouldn't be able to dodge this.

Apollo laughed louder, quickly becoming raucous.

His body had been battered so badly just from residual effects from the light beams.

So what would happen if they struck him directly?

Apollo's pupils violently shook.

Then, the light from the houses suddenly dimmed.

In the end, Apollo could only wait for the approaching ruin.

Beams of light shot out, rapidly approaching him from every angle.

Apollo raised his bokken towards the sky, as though he wanted to defy the will of the world itself.

Then, the beams of light reached Apollo.

A massive explosion reverberated throughout the empire.

Apollo's body was mutilated.

His bones twisted and cracked. His blood evaporated in the air. And his tendons snapped.

...Yet, he was still holding his bokken.

Raising it high into the sky.

The explosion lit his body on fire, burning him alive. It was as though he was thrown in the pits of hell itself. The flames raged, trying to consume Apollo whole.

But they couldn't.

After all, he had always been ablaze. His fire within came from below, raging on at every moment.

Frankly, this was nothing new to him.

Apollo refused to bow.

It wasn't in his soul.

All the hate that rampaged in his bones had turned him into something new.

His skin had charred and flaked off while his flesh rapidly disappeared. What was left, rapidly hardened and blackened.

But everything that hurt, only pushed him further to see the truths of this world.

Apollo's bones shattered, jumbled up into pieces.

But he could feel... something.

Apollo's heartbeat slowed, nearly stopping.

It was as though he was a grain of sand, slipping down the hourglass. But when it was his turn to fall, he remained stubbornly.

What remained of Apollo was pitiful. A thin layer of charred flesh coated his bones while he no longer had eyes in his sockets. He was one step away from becoming a skeleton.

However, Apollo wouldn't break.

His bony hand continued to hold his bokken tightly, pointing it to the sky obstinately.

....Apollo was going to make this world wonder.