Apollo landed a few meters away from the Mayor, striking a superhero pose as he raised a small dust cloud with his hands on his hips.
"I, your friendly neighborhood beggar, have arrived to stop this madness!" Apollo shouted, his voice reverberating across the floor. But his declaration only drowned out the whispers coming from the black-robed men before their voices overtook the scene.
Meanwhile, the red lines and symbols on the floor, with the Mayor at their center, began to shine brightly. It seemed they knew he was here to stop them, as they fueled the symbols to their full strength.
"If you’re not going to stop," Apollo said, raising his hand and pointing it to his side. A Fire Blast materialized, the intense heat instantly increasing the room’s temperature.
After killing one of them earlier, he already knew they were as defenseless as chickens. Although he was curious about what would happen if they succeeded, it would mean failing the mission. As he’d seen in countless movies, if a ritual succeeded and the antagonist was at its center, they’d either receive a power-up or die, allowing a demon to take over.
What Apollo was witnessing now was a very cliché scene, but this was reality, and he had to stop them before something went wrong.
With that thought, he fired his technique. The Fire Blast landed and incinerated dozens of black-robed men into charcoal. Having mastered this technique, his attack power was nothing to laugh at. Compared to when he first learned it, it was like a matchstick facing a burning house.
The fire spread, killing even more of the black-robed men. But even as their bodies burned and unimaginable pain overwhelmed them, they didn’t dare lower their hands. They continued channeling red energy into the center.
Furthermore, when they truly died, a mass of red smoke rose from their corpses and was immediately absorbed by the Mayor.
"So if I kill them, they become a source of energy," Apollo muttered as he conjured another Fire Blast but refrained from firing it. Glancing around, he spread his senses. While he couldn’t see the red energy, he could feel the cold, threatening aura emanating from the black-robed men.
Apollo realized it was more efficient for the Mayor if the black-robed men fueled the symbols and him while alive, rather than dying. The red mass they produced after death was only half as potent as the energy they provided while living.
A smart move, but it ends here, Apollo thought. With a demonic smile, he gathered the surrounding Qi to enhance the Fire Blast’s power.
Without wasting another second, he fired the technique. The Fire Blast exploded, killing another dozen and shattering the wall.
Chunks of stone collapsed, exposing the outside. Fighting echoed from the sky, with continuous impacts sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Yet, despite all this, the fifth floor remained unaffected.
"Ha," Apollo sighed, glancing at the Mayor, whose eyes remained closed. "I wish you could see this."
Masses of red smoke rose from the bodies of the fallen black-robed men, even those who had died outside weren’t spared.
Apollo could feel the cold, threatening aura lessening, though hundreds of black-robed men still remained.
The beggar conjured another Fire Blast, but this time, he aimed it at Klown.
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"What will happen if this thing lands on you?" Apollo muttered as the Fire Blast materialized, accompanied by a Wind Blast.
He fired the techniques, wind tearing and flames scorching as they hurtled toward the Mayor.
Klown, who still had his eyes closed, finally opened them. A red light glinted within.
"Holst, come here," he said. As his words fell, red smoke materialized before him, forming into a person who, sensing the two elements, blocked them with a single punch.
The Fire Blast and Wind Blast scattered everywhere, throwing the wind in the area into disarray.
As flames obscured the butler’s vision, he glanced at the Mayor and sent his Thought Transfer.
How long?
A little more. Just keep him away from me and don’t let him kill more.
Holst nodded, spreading his senses to locate the beggar. But his eyes widened as he took out a sword from his space ring. A white light materialized, forming into a black sword. Holding it in his right hand, he slashed in front of him!
The powerful impact created a shockwave in the air, the force sending some of the black-robed men off their feet, though they hurriedly returned to their positions. Continue reading stories on Freewebnovel
The beggar had appeared in front of the butler, a wooden training sword in hand, clashing against the black sword.
They pushed against each other, but neither gained the upper hand.
"Oh? You’ve gotten stronger," Holst said, his surprise evident. His eyes locked onto the sword covered in chaotic wind. This alone shouldn’t have added strength, just sharpness. He tried to push forward but to no avail. "What did you do?"
"It’s a trade secret. You can trade your life if you want." Apollo smiled coldly. In truth, it was simple. He had used True Hardening on the sword instead of his body. Essentially, he combined the Simple Wind Sword Technique with True Hardening, a new revision of the Simple Sword Technique.
He realized he didn’t have the strength to match the butler, so he compensated with techniques.
"If that’s the case…" Holst opened his squinted eyes, revealing dark pupils. But that wasn’t all. After being sent flying by a tail earlier, his anger had reached its peak, and he decided to let loose. A vertical eye appeared on his forehead, and at the same time, his sclera turned black.
Red smoke emerged from his body, followed by a sudden burst of strength!
Apollo was immediately overpowered, his hands thrown to the side. Taking advantage of the momentum, he spun and jumped. A Fire Blast materialized as he seized the opportunity to kill more of the black-robed men.
However, the butler appeared in front of the flames, slicing them in half with his black sword. The fire diminished, though some flames managed to land on the black-robed men, who immediately burst into flames. They didn’t attempt to extinguish the fire; they couldn’t, as they had to focus on the ritual. With grim determination, they perished, red masses rising from their bodies.
Holst, having sliced through the technique, became a blur, instantly appearing in front of the beggar just as he landed on his feet.
The wooden sword and the black sword clashed. Normally, this wooden training sword would have broken easily, but in the beggar’s hands, it remained unscathed. Still, Apollo was pushed back, and of course, another Fire Blast appeared, killing more black-robed men.
Like a cat and mouse, the two kept changing places, fire and wind scattering. Explosions reverberated through the room, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air.
Holst did his best to block the attacks, but a few slipped past his speed as the beggar adapted to his powered-up form.
He’s good, the butler couldn’t help but think.