The Laughing Swordsman

The three-horned demon and its mace enlarged by roughly fifty percent. The reach it had was quite unfair at this point.

Apollo's neck twisted and twitched.

"You're a big boy now, huh?"

The demon swung his mace horizontally, sweeping the area and stirring up snow.

The mace collided with trees but passed through them like butter.

The trees flew up into the air and Apollo joined them. He jumped up while lifting his legs. He appeared as though he was doing an overly pretentious jump, his body resembling a plank.

Apollo's hair and clothes wildly flapped from the gales stirred up by the mace that swung past.

As he fell, he stabbed his bokken in the ground and used it to reposition his body. The moment his foot touched the ground, he bolted towards the oversized demon.

By the time the demon finished its swing, Apollo got next to it and swung his bokken.

The bokken tore open the demon's flesh, forming a gash from the top of its right knee to the top of its left shoulder.

It was as though Apollo's bokken magically extended to slash farther.

However, the demon's vitality was quite frightening. Right after Apollo slashed it, the flesh began to wriggle and regrow. In just a few seconds, the demon's body was essentially brand new.

Apollo laughed at the demon's regenerative power.

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"You're only making this harder for yourself! I will only enjoy your pain!"

The demon was not affected by Apollo's taunts. It raised its mace once again and brought it down on Apollo.

Apollo sidestepped, but the mace remained above his head. The demon followed Apollo's moments rather than swinging straight down.

Apollo's pupil's shook.

The red scars on him deepened. Apollo wrapped both hands around the bokken's hilt.

Then, his bokken flashed.

A rumble echoed throughout the forest.

The trees leaned away from the shockwave.

The ground below Apollo cracked.

And the mace was pushed aside.

The demon stumbled backward, while Apollo faintly quivered.

His body became as gentle as a feather. He pushed his body a little too far after blocking that strike.

Unfortunately, in contrast to his fragile state, the demon was perfectly fine. For the demon, the only thing it did was swing its mace.

The demon raised its mace once more.

The world began crashing down towards Apollo.

His entire body felt light, like he could be blown away by the wind.

So that's what he did.

Like a feather picked up by the gales of nature, Apollo elusively avoided the mace.

While the mace slammed into the ground, causing another shockwave, Apollo slashed.

His slashes contained little power, only digging partway into the demon's flesh. However, they were relentless.

The demon continued trying to bash Apollo, but he always seemed to slip by and land another hit on the demon.

The cuts Apollo made quickly faded as the demon healed. It appeared like this battle was going to last even longer than anybody expected.

Shockwaves reverberated one after another while Apollo danced around the demon like he was part of the wind.

Such a chaotic scene was somehow a stalemate between the two. If nothing changed, it was going to be a battle of stamina.

Maya knew that Apollo was strong to a certain extent, but seeing him stand toe to toe against the three-horned demon was an eye opener.

To her, it looked like Apollo was challenging the insurmountable. Yet, no matter how impossible it seemed, he kept moving.

While Apollo's smile remained as wide as ever, his eyes were shut. It was as though he was sleeping, yet moving anyway.

The demon decided to try something new. With both hands on the mace, he held it out horizontally and spun like a top.

Apollo jumped like he was a fish flying out of the water.

The mace brushed by him, blowing wind past his body again.

The mace passed by Apollo harmlessly. However, the demon wasn't done.

Instead of stopping, it continued to spin. Its mace reached Apollo before his feet could even touch the ground.

While he was still in the air, Apollo swung his bokken.

The tip of his bokken landed on the demon's mace as it was swinging. Apollo's hand clenched on the hilt and forced himself in the air for another second.

But Apollo was planning on more than just surviving.

Before his bokken left the mace, it twitched.

The demon stumbled backward and its mace was flying towards its own body.

A thud coincided with a loud crunch.

The demon hit himself in the side, cracking some bones. Apollo laughed mockingly.

"You have to hit me! Not yourself!"

The fell to one knee and used its hand to prop itself up. Although it was healing, the demon still took considerable damage.

Apollo's foot landed on the snow and he bolted towards the demon's chest. He slashed through the demon's flesh freely.

Like an unending fountain, blood continued pouring out of the demon's body. It let out more blood than its body could contain.

The shattered bones were starting to regrow. Apollo was still having a hard time damaging the bones that were intact.

Then, he realized it was best to kick a man while he was down.

He jabbed at the broken bones of the demon, further aggravating its injuries.

For the first time, the demon showed a genuine reaction. Its eyes narrowed and the inner corner of its eyebrows were lowered.

The demon let out a booming roar. Gales were stirred up around the demon, causing a small scale snowstorm.

Apollo laughed and twisted his neck.

"Idiot! Do you think I'll let you?"

Apollo's bokken twitched, sending the demon's shattered rib cage into further disarray. The flesh parted, and a faint glow was emanating from the demon's chest.

The faint glow suddenly flashed, becoming a bright white. The demon began splitting by the red vein-like marks in its skin.

In just the next second, the demon exploded, discharging vast quantities of mana.

All that remained was a large translucent gemstone.