The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo braved the snowy forest. With the guidance of the red waves in the shadow world, he made his way to the target.

At the same time, Willow was practicing her swordplay.

...

Willow grunted.

With a flash, a giant boulder cracked in two. She was holding onto a jet-black sword.

After wiping the sweat off her head, she looked around.

She was in a plain filled with rocks. Eyes would peer at her from cracks between stones and far off in the horizon were towering walls.

She was banished for failing her request.

Within 'The Shadow' were leagues. These were sub-groups of the association that are only available to certain ranks.

Willow was in the 'White Viper' league. The basic rank one needed to join this league was quite high. But harder than joining, was rising in this league.

Especially for those that failed their request.

To stay within a league, one must conform to a certain weapon type and fighting style. This gave the league its reputation.

Reputation was important because people can directly request for a certain league to complete their mission. This came at an extra cost, of course.

The punishment for failing a mission in the 'White Viper' league was being tossed into the field of snakes.

If one wanted to atone, they would stay here for one month. Assuming they were still alive, they could keep their position within the league.

Three snakes shot out to Willow's back.

With a flash, all three of their heads came off.

Willow was hesitating.

In all honesty, she wasn't sure if she wanted to stay among the 'White Viper' league.

By being part of the league, she was able to learn many useful techniques. Her position also gave her a certain amount of rare resources.

Even just losing her luxurious housing would hurt her heart.

However, she wanted to take the path of swords. Part of it was because she missed Apollo, but it was also because she had talent in that area.

The only reason Willow gave it up was to join the league in the first place.

After watching Apollo swing his sword, she had countless insights that she was itching to try out.

Willow tested these insights while she was banished. After all, the snakes weren't any threat to her.

Every slash and slice made her more reluctant to return to the league.

Eventually, she gave up on returning altogether.

She turned around and walked away from the league's headquarters.

The surrounding snakes immediately got aggressive. They shot out in swarms, threatening to bury Willow with their volume alone.

Her jet black sword traced a strange arc. A ripple traveled across the snakes.

Starting from Willow's left, the snakes burst like balloons. It was as though she was using a paintbrush to create a stroke on the canvas.

The snakes were not discouraged and continued to swarm Willow. However, they could only become the ink for Willow's bloody painting.

Willow carved a path out of the field of snakes.

A beautiful path of bloody flowers.

Larger snakes made their presence known. They were roughly five meters long and were just as aggressive as the rest.

Willow twirled her sword around her.

The snakes split into ribbons the moment they got close to Willow.

It was as though she was in the middle of a celebration. Streamers were dancing in the air while red confetti fell from the sky.

Snakes that boasted a length of fifteen meters came to join in on the fun. The rocks underneath them would crack from their weight.

When these snakes lunged, a deep boom resounded in the air.

Willow stabbed her sword into the ground. A shockwave rippled from her, directly turning the snakes around her into a bloody mist.

The mist blotted out the sun, but she continued walking

She walked out from the mist to come face to face with a massive snake. It was fifty meters long.

Just the breathing of the snake was deep and booming.

The snake did not immediately charge at Willow, opting to observe her first.

As for Willow, she simply continued walking forward as though the massive snake was not in front of her.

She was fearless. Each step forward exuded a calmness and confidence that could not be broken.

The snake roared with all its might, stirring up gales of wind. Rocks and boulders were forced aside, but Willow continued walking forward.

The snake was mad.

It raised itself up and barreled down towards Willow.

Willow's sword was resting at her side when it suddenly flicked up to the sky.

A wave passed through the massive snake. The snake was split in two like it was being pulled apart.

The wave carried through the snake's head, all the way to the end of its tail.

Willow continued walking between the two halves of the massive snake. It was the road she cut open for herself. And the road she walked on.

Willow reached the edge. A wall towered above her.

She scaled up the wall effortlessly and took one last look back in the field of snakes. Then, she dove down into the snowy forest.

In the distance, a woman was standing on top of a stone pillar within the field of snakes. There was a smile on her face as she stood among the clouds.

It was Jaguar.

"Haha... It's a shame to lose her."

Jaguar turned around.

"Perhaps this was destined."

And hopped off the stone pillar.

...

Apollo had killed any eagle or wolf he found on his journey and directly ate their remains.

As for right now, he was currently staring at the scene in front of him.

In the distance was a swarm of eagles threatened to blot out the sky with their sheer numbers alone. They were fighting against an army of demons.

The eagles heavily outnumbered them.

The eagles would swoop down and pick up a demon, separating them from the group. This allowed them to kill the one-horned and two-horned demons fairly easily.

On the other hand, the demons had few opportunities to hit the eagles. In the end, they helplessly watched their brethren die before them.

At this rate, it seemed like the eagles would win by a landslide.

But something changed.

From within the demon army, countless icicles launched out.