The Laughing Swordsman

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"But could you tell me how to hide a body first?"

The guard narrowed his eyes.

"Attack!"

The ten guards charged forward with their spears raised.

Apollo sighed.

"I guess that's a no..."

Apollo swung horizontally, pressing his thumb against the hilt as he did so.

Every guard suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The leader's eyes widened.

"What?"

Then, the top half of his body slid off. The other guards followed his example moments later.

Apollo furrowed his brows.

"Now I have to hide these ones too..."

He sighed.

"Maybe the next people will know?"

Apollo continued forward, asking any guards he came across. However, none of the guards were crazy enough to actually explain it to him. As such, he ended up killing every single guard along the way.

Apollo furrowed his brows as he dashed down the corridor.

"If only someone would be kind enough to tell me how to hide a body..."

That was when Willow appeared in front of him. She seemed a little distressed.

"Ah, Apollo. Since I'm seeing you here... it appears that we traversed through the entirety of the wall's interior."

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"Ah, I guess. Anyways, do you know how to hide a body? I wasn't able to hide any of the people I came across."

The corner of Willow's lip twitched.

"Ah yes, there is no easy way to hide so many bodies."

She sighed.

"Initially, we were only supposed to kill the guards who had woken up, but for some reason, there were many loud sounds. Especially screaming."

Willow rubbed her forehead with frustration.

"It would've been elementary to hide a couple of bodies, but since nearly every guard woke up..."

She shook her head.

"Never mind. I will retrace your steps and take care of the corpses, don't worry."

Apollo blinked a few times.

"Ok!"

Although Willow said that, she remained still.

She smiled nervously.

"Um... before that. Do you mind talking a little?"

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"Um-"

He was interrupted by a thundering slam. A gigantic metal mace hit the floor.

"It appears some insolent children are running about."

A man appeared, completely covered in metal armor. He was somehow four meters high, defying the limits of human growth. His bright blue eyes peeked out of the tiny slit in his helmet. He also had a mace casually laid on the floor next to him.

Apollo looked at the man.

"Oh, hello there."

Willow sighed.

"Why was I called an insolent child?"

The man responded by dashing towards them, raising his mace in the air.

Although his appearance gave one the impression he would move slowly and awkwardly, this was not the case. The man's steps were quick and agile, while the mace seemed to be a feather in his hands.

Willow swung her sword, sending out a shockwave. The man suddenly stopped, taking a few steps backward.

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"You are quite sturdy."

The man laughed.

"Yeah, every time you attack me, my body gets tougher! If you know what's good for you, don't try to fight me!"

He proceeded to lunge forward once more, raising his mace high in the air.

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"You get tougher with each hit? That sounds interesting!"

He swung his bokken, pushing his thumb against the hilt.

An ear-piercing screech of metal rang out.

The man had monstrous reflexes, able to block the majority of the wind blade with his mace. What was left of the wind blade could only nick his armor.

As for his mace, there was only a small white mark. It appeared to be made of an unbelievably sturdy metal.

The man continued onward, smashing his mace down on Willow.

A thundering boom resounded throughout the halls.

Before the mace landed, Willow's figure disappeared, reappearing a meter or so away. The man's eyes shifted towards Willow. He dragged his mace across the floor, sending it towards Willow.

Willow's figure disappeared for a brief moment, just enough to dodge the mace.

As for Apollo, he had jumped into the air, raising his bokken with both hands on the hilt. He slammed it down on the man's back.

A dull rumbled throughout the halls.

A small dent formed on the man's armor, and the man hunched over. He coughed up blood, which splashed out of the small slit in his helmet.

The man simply laughed.

"You are fairly strong, but that is far from enough! My armor is made of a metal worth its weight in gold! The craftsman had to use the lava of a volcano just to forge it!"

Willow sighed.

"You talk too much."

Her sword traced an arc towards the sky.

A crack rang out.

A thin line appeared across the man's armor, splitting it in half. The man groaned in pain.

Apollo followed Willow's example, letting his bokken flash.

There was another crack.

The man stumbled a few steps forward. A few moments later, his armor split in two, falling off his body.

Yet, instead of celebrating, Willow frowned.

"What are you?..."

The man slowly stood up. He was wearing a cloth to cover the majority of his body. However, the cloth did not cover several bulging spots. These bulges beat as though they were a heart and had a deep black color.

The man had no hair, however, he had three black stumps on his head. They were horns that had been broken off.

The man resembled a three-horned demon. Yet, the majority of his skin was a pale white. He was some strange abomination that combined human and demon features.

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"Demon? Or human? Maybe both?"

He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. Serosh's words came back to him.

'While you are human... you have evolved like a demon.'

"Confusing, like me!"

The man looked at his armor and laughed.

"Well, that was short-lived.. However, the armor was not meant to protect me."