The Laughing Swordsman

Rhea did not question Rhys. She distorted the water pillar below her to dash to the side as instructed.

At that moment, a girl with long purple hair and two furry cat ears tore through the air, right where the two were previously standing.

There was a blissful smile on the girl's face.

"Teach me how to fly toooo!~"

It was Layla.

She had noticed the fight going on between Apollo and the two mages. As such, she jumped in, reaching out her hands in an attempt to grab both Rhys and Rhea.

Unfortunately, Rhys was able to notice the distortion in the air caused by Layla. As such, he was able to give a warning, allowing him and his partner to dodge in time.

After a brief moment of floating in the air, Layla plummeted back down to the ground. Although she could jump really high, she couldn't fly, as much as she wanted to.

Once Layla slammed into the ground with a bang, a frown emerged on Rhys' face.

"That strange girl is frighteningly strong."

Rhea nodded. She retained her composure the entire time.

"However, it appears she cannot cast any spells. Not meaningful ones anyway."

Rhys sighed.

"In the end, strength is all that strange girl has. So long as we remain in the sky, we simply have to pay minimal attention to her."

Rhea spared a glance at Willow and Hex.

Willow had her eyes closed and was mindlessly flying towards the various houses, shredding them into pieces with her blade.

As for Hex, he was simply rampaging around on Blackie's head. He would occasionally munch on the yellow crystals Blackie gave him.

Rhea slowly turned the blue iris around with her fingers.

"Hmm... if we can distract that little girl, we should be able to deal with the little boy unimpeded."

Rhys nodded. He opened his paper fan just a tad before cutting the air with it.

"I've sent the message to Oddryl. He should know what to do."

Layla lifted her head from where she had fallen. She stood up in the miniature crater that formed underneath her and looked up into the sky.

"Why are friends not playing with me?"

Layla pouted and bent her knees, ready to jump once more.

"Wait, I can play with you!"

Out of nowhere, a little boy with glowing yellow eyes appeared next to Layla. He had a rigid smile on his face and waved both hands in an attempt to catch Layla's attention.

He succeeded.

Layla stopped herself from jumping and excitedly turned to the little boy.

"Friend?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. So much so, that a few snapping sounds came from his neck.

"Yeah, follow me!"

The little boy proceeded to dash away at speeds that were way too fast for a normal child. The boy's ligaments cracked, but that didn't seem to bother him.

Layla chased after him like a kitten that got distracted by a butterfly.

Although the little boy was moving fast, it was nowhere near Layla's speed. After just a few moments, Layla was right behind him.

A cheerful smile was on her face.

"I win!"

Layla casually shoved the little boy with one palm. With a crash, the little boy hit the ground. He had been mangled and twisted into pieces.

Layla curiously looked at what was left of the little boy's corpse. She put a finger on her chin.

"Friend is sleeping?"

Layla shifted her gaze back towards Rhys and Rhea. A bright smile appeared on her face.

"I'm coming, friends!"

Layla bent her knees once more, ready to take off.

"Wait, I can play with you too!"

This time, a little girl appeared out of nowhere. Just like the little boy, her eyes were yellow and glowing brightly. The little girl waved enthusiastically, letting out a few cracking sounds.

Once again, Layla stopped herself. She turned to look at the little girl.

"Ah, a new friend!"

The girl giggled.

"Yes, yes! Now follow me!"

Like that, Layla was led around by these strange children with glowing yellow eyes. This was the work of Oddryl. He controlled the villagers with his magic, but it wasn't the most precise. That much could be seen from the snapping sounds that came just from the children waving.

In the watchtower, Oddryl let out a sigh of relief.

"Thankfully this one isn't too bright."

Rhea watched Layla being led around by the villagers Oddryl was controlling. She raised an eyebrow.

"Oddryl is using the peasants as a lure. That is commendable, finding use in the worthless."

Rhys leisurely waved around the shut paper fan in his hand. He laughed.

"He was always a man that made the most of the little things. I wouldn't be surprised if his middle name was efficiency."

Rhea nodded approvingly. She looked at the blue iris in her hand. It began to glow ever so slightly. It almost looked like a baby that was waking up.

"Anyways, Oddryl did his job. Now it's time to do ours."

Wind wildly whipped around Rhys once again. His clothes whipped by as though he was a flag raised high in the mountains.

The snow around Rhys scattered, afraid of the consequences of getting closer.

As for Rhea, the flower in her hand began to glow even more brightly, until it became blinding.

The two were clearly preparing for a violent attack.

However, Apollo wasn't aware of this. He was hovering in the air, as though he was in space. He let out faint giggles every now and then. If one looked closely, one would see steam rising from his body.

Although Apollo broke out of the tidal wave, it truly cost him. His body violently heated up while his mind was in a daze. He was unable to process the situation, or even see for that matter.

As such, Rhea and Rhys were able to prepare their next spell without interruption.

Apollo slowly raised his head, giggling like a maniac.

He blinked a few times.

Then, he saw something terrifying.