The Laughing Swordsman

Maya tugged hard on Apollo, but he wouldn't budge.

"Apollo! What are you doing?"

The three-horned demon got closer.

Apollo giggled.

"What do you mean? He is coming to greet us! It would be impolite to run away."

The three-horned demon was only a few steps away.

Maya furrowed her brows.

"The monster isn't trying to greet us! It's trying to kill us!"

Apollo shrugged his shoulder and raised one finger in the air.

"Hey! How do you know-"

Apollo was cut off by a massive mace that hit him straight in the chest.

He was sent flying and hit a couple of trees along the way. The rice Apollo was carrying spilled all over the snowy floor.

With a thud, his back slammed against a large tree.

The leaves above rustled and snow fell on his face.

Apollo's vision was blurry and he coughed up blood.

"Oh... no!... The rice!"

Maya had a hard time believing the words coming out of Apollo's mouth.

"Who cares about the rice! Just run away!"

Apollo forced out words between his coughs.

"I think... he just wants... a spar!"

Apollo laughed.

"But he... fights dirty!"

Maya furrowed her brows and rushed over to Apollo.

"Please, we have to run!"

Apollo nodded.

"Ok!"

Maya sighed in relief.

"Good..."

Apollo smiled.

"Just after... this spar!"

Maya stopped chasing after Apollo. Her mouth dried up.

The three-horned demon had reached Apollo and already had his mace raised.

Apollo's bokken slowly raised as well, but it was trembling.

Once the three-horned demon swung down with its mace, Maya reached her hand out to Apollo.

"No, Apollo!"

As the mace descended, Apollo's bokken stopped trembling and flashed.

A thundering rumble resounded across the forest.

The mace shifted trajectories and hit the ground to the right of Apollo. Snow flew high into the air and a crater was formed in the ground. The leaves of the surrounding trees rustled violently.

Maya's jaw dropped. The three-horned demon was much stronger than she expected.

Her heart clenched. She hoped Apollo somehow survived.

Creepy laughter echoed in the forest.

Maya didn't know if she should be scared or relieved, but one thing was certain.

Apollo survived.

The snow cleared to reveal Apollo. His eyes widened and a giggle seeped past his teeth.

The three-horned demon raised its mace once again. As it did so, Apollo's bokken flashed.

Blood sprayed from the three-horned demon's wrist, but it remained intact. Apollo's arm was shivering.

He slashed three times in an attempt to cut off the demon's wrist but was stopped each time he reached the bone.

Still, the three-horned demon was forced to drop its mace.

While the demon used its uninjured hand to pick up the mace, Apollo held his bokken with both hands.

His knuckles whitened and he swung at the demon's chest.

Apollo's bokken tore into the demon's flesh, but like his last strike, was stopped at the bone.

The three-horned demon did not even take a step back. Instead, it raised its mace once again.

Apollo cackled. As the massive mace loomed above him once again, he slowly raised his bokken.

The demon swung down his mace and Apollo's bokken flashed.

Another thundering rumble echoed.

The mace smashed to the left of Apollo. Dry soil scattered from the impact, nearly getting into Apollo's eyes.

The shockwave caused a nearby tree to fall over, completely uprooted from the ground. Even Maya was affected, nearly falling over despite being far away from the action.

As for Apollo, he was simply smiling. He appeared to be fine, but if one paid close attention, they would see his body trembling.

Even the shockwave emitted caused damage to Apollo's body. Not to mention, he got hit directly once before.

Despite taking so much damage, Apollo did not back down. Instead, he opted to slash at the demon's wrists.

He made sure to avoid the bone, thus his bokken cut through with little resistance.

The demon was forced to drop its mace once again. Letting it land with a thump on the soil.

Apollo took the opportunity to slash wherever he could, whether it was the arms or chest.

Gashes appeared one after another on the three-horned demon's skin. The three-horned demon took a step back but did not do anything else.

Apollo didn't understand why the demon just stopped, but he continued slashing, causing the demon's blood to spray everywhere.

The demon was not bothered by the fact it was bleeding all over. Its eyes were closed and the flesh around its wrists regrew unnaturally quickly.

As Apollo attempted to jab the three-horned demon's chest, it abruptly stopped.

The demon caught the bokken with one of its hands. Other than some blood that splattered from its palm, it was unharmed.

The demon was covered in countless wounds, bleeding rivers of blood, but hardly seemed affected.

Apollo tried to retract his bokken, but it would not budge.

"Hey! Give that back!"

The demon used its free hand to pick up its mace, raising it for the third time. Apollo looked up towards the mace.

Maya hugged the sack of rice tightly.

"Just let go of the wooden sword! What are you doing Apollo?"

Apollo let out a wild laugh.

"Killing... this fool."

The threat of death hung above him, yet he had no intention of moving from where he stood.

The red scars on Apollo's body grew. They snaked their way down Apollo's arms and chest.

Apollo's bokken twitched.

The hand that the demon used to hold the bokken became disfigured. The bones that made the hand were twisted in jarring angles and stuck out from its skin.

Yet, that was not enough to phase the demon. Like a guillotine, the mace descended towards Apollo's skull.

The edges of Apollo's lips were stained by his own blood, making his smile look even wider.

His bokken flashed.

A snap came from the demon's arm. Like it was given an extra joint, it twisted at an unsettling angle.

Shockingly, the demon was able to retain its grip on the mace but was no longer in a proper position to swing.

The demon took a few steps backward, then roared.

All the gashes and disfigurement rapidly disappeared. The demon's body and mace expanded. As it did so, red vein-like marks appeared across its body.

Apollo chuckled.

"Bring it on then."