The Laughing Swordsman

Talon felt a little proud as his scissors shot towards Apollo's abdomen.

He was able to create an opening and was about to capitalize it. Deflecting Apollo's bokken was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. The triangular handle was no accident.

After all, Talon designed them in that way purposely.

And thanks to that, he was able to shift the tides. 

It was as though Talon was piercing through the foggy mist.

The tip of his scissors penetrated Apollo's abdomen.

With a fierce expression, Talon mercilessly opened them.

A loud grating rang out.

Talon tore apart Apollo's organs.

...Or, at least, that's what he thought was going to happen.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

Apollo's stomach was cut open, revealing a layer of bone. There was a large horizontal gash spread out on top, what was left by Talon's strike.

However, other than that, Apollo was unharmed.

Talon couldn't help but freeze.

"...What?"

Under normal circumstances, Talon would've been able to heavily main his opponent with this kind of attack. After all, having all their organs torn up would be extremely painful, and could easily be fatal.

It was the kind of attack that took into consideration many factors.

Talon could've aimed for the heart, but if one was fast enough, they could shift their body, causing the blade to land on the ribcage.

As for the stomach, it didn't have to be precise, as any general place would do. But that didn't change the fact it was deadly.

Yet, despite taking these factors into consideration, it appeared that it wasn't enough.

He just... didn't consider that some people had bones covering their abdomen... for some reason.

Eerie laughter filled the air.

Apollo had raised his bokken as his stomach was torn open.

As for Talon, he looked up helplessly.

"I'm sorry, sister, but..."

A bitter smile formed on his face.

"...it looks like I won't be able to keep my promise."

Apollo mercilessly slammed his bokken down, while Talon closed his eyes.

But then...

"Nyah!"

A deep bang resounded.

Layla was still here, and she felt as though the others had forgotten about her. As such, she randomly lunged to the side, slamming Apollo into the wall with her.

Talon's eyes fluttered open with a bit of incredulity. He looked at Apollo, who was prying himself out of the newly formed hole in the wall.

Then, Talon ran.

Perhaps it could be considered cowardly, but he could care less about his pride right now. Only when his life was about to be taken, did he remember the reason he wanted to live in the first place.

To save his sister.

Even if Talon stood a high chance of winning, his first priority should be to run. It was no longer about surviving, but doing what he set out to do.

What he promised he would do.

As for Apollo, he didn't bother chasing after Talon. Frankly, he couldn't care less. Right now, his priority was finding a way to deal with Layla.

He slammed her against the wall, causing loud bangs to resound. Debris scattered into the air, but Layla remained on tightly.

In fact, she had both hands high in the air, along with a bright smile.

"Hehe, thank you for the massage, friend."

Apollo responded by shoving her towards the wall once more, all the while laughing.

Yet, before Layla hit the wall, she suddenly threw her hands backward, almost like she was doing a breaststroke.

"Wah!"

A deafening bang resounded.

Layla hit the wall hard, causing it to cave in. But more importantly, she launched herself along with Apollo towards the opposing wall.

Another bang rang out.

This time, the source was Apollo slamming his face against a new wall and bursting out the other side.

Apollo's laughs were interrupted by the occasional cough, because of the dust that was kicked up.

By the time it cleared up, he saw a black being that was five meters tall. It was a secondary reformed being, one that had consisted of black beings that had already been killed twice.

There were three prominent black horns on its head, but as for the rest of its body, it consisted of various heads and limbs.

Despite the strange amalgamation of parts, the secondary reformed being was able to move as though it was actually made of muscle and bone.

And it did just that, by swiping at Apollo with its claws.

The claw was fast, evident by the sharp whistling sound, as though it was tearing apart the air.

Apollo's bokken flashed.

A booming crash resounded.

The secondary reformed being's claw collided with Apollo's bokken. As a result, Apollo was thrown to the side by the brute force of the attack. A few bones in his wrist ended up breaking in the process.

As for the secondary reformed being, there was a long, deep gash that spread from the top of its hand and nearly reached the bottom of its forearm.

Apollo's attack wasn't weak by any means, but...

The secondary reformed being's wound healed rapidly. The black flesh twisted in strange ways and wrapped itself around the wound. It was as though a scar was being forcefully formed.

The healing process did not take long, and once it did, the secondary reformed being charged towards Apollo. Like its previous attack, it moved fast. Right from the start, it was already streaking through the air.

It was as though the secondary reformed being could forgo the need to accelerate altogether.

As the thundering steps rapidly approached, Apollo raised his bokken with both hands, clenching so hard, his knuckles turned white. As he was doing that, Layla tilted her head back so that she wouldn't be hit by Apollo's bokken and curiously stared at it.

Suddenly, the secondary reformed being hunched over and pounced forward like a four-legged animal. Its jaws opened wide.

Apollo dashed forward, while arcs of lightning danced on his body.

And slashed the being in two.

....However, it was not dead.