The Laughing Swordsman

Even though Apollo focused his attention on Rhys and Rhea, he couldn't help but notice the beams of light. They were simply too glaring to miss.

After he killed the dragon made of wind, there was no longer any pressure bearing down on him. However, the sheer volume and threat of the beams of light had their own set of pressure.

Yet, Apollo wasn't afraid. In fact, he felt like he could easily deal with this precarious situation.

...because he had a strange feeling.

It was almost like an instinct, but not quite.

It felt like a reflex, but that wasn't right.

Apollo felt like he could resist the feeling and try his own method. But for some reason, he trusted it.

Rhys and Rhea noticed the beams of light. The fearful expression left Rhea's face. She clicked her tongue as though the situation was always under control.

"Of course Oddryl has to wait until the last second."

Rhys sighed and shook his head.

"Don't calm down just yet. He will stop in order to dodge Oddryl's magic. We must make use of that opportunity to run."

Rhea nodded, though she still felt rather calm.

But Apollo did not stop.

The blue arcs of lightning on Apollo danced in a frenzy before growing in intensity. They rapidly gathered towards his bokken, almost like a horde of zombies frantically chasing a human.

Suddenly, Apollo found himself surrounded by blinding lights. It was as though he was in the center of the sun itself.

Rhys narrowed his eyes.

"What is he doing?"

Rhea frowned.

"I suppose he is more foolish than we thought."

The corner of Apollo's lip turned up.

His bokken weaved through the air leisurely, as though it was a canoe slowly moving along with the tender waves of a calm river.

Yet, while Apollo's bokken traveled gently, the arcs of lightning raged violently. It was a storm in the making.

The lightning wrapped around his bokken, covering it entirely. It looked like Apollo was wielding a bright blue thunderbolt rather than a sword.

The arcs of lightning continued to snake down, covering Apollo's hand and partially covering his arm.

Apollo could no longer see anything other than the blinding light, but he didn't need to see in the first place.

The arcs of lightning surged, then exploded.

A deafening bang resounded throughout the empire, blowing away the snowflakes that fell from the air.

A wave of blue lightning violently burgeoned from Apollo, swallowing up all the beams of light. It continued to expand rapidly, seemingly fueled by the beams of light.

Rhea's mouth was agape.

"What?"

Rhys' eyelid twitched.

"Shi-"

The two of them were swallowed up in the lightning. 

After one second, their bodies charred black.

After two seconds, their bodies split into countless tiny black fragments.

After three seconds... there was nothing left.

The wave of lightning swallowed up numerous houses before gradually slowing down. However, it did not disappear. 

The blue wave slowly morphed into a couple massive arcs of lightning. One end was attached to Apollo's bokken while the other was planted in random places around the city.

Layla stopped chasing after the person Oddryl was controlling. Her head flipped around, causing her long purple hair to twirl with it.

Layla's beady green eyes stared at Apollo in awe.

"Wow, friend looks sooo cool!~"

Hex was in the middle of eating a crystal, but his head snapped to the side. There were still tiny yellow fragments around his mouth, like food stains.

Hex's head tilted to the side before gasping.

"Big lightning!"

Willow just shredded a house into pieces with her eyes closed. However, her eyelids suddenly fluttered open. Her head slowly pivoted towards the commotion.

Willow's pupils dilated and her lips parted ever so slightly.

"Apollo?"

Within the watchtower, Oddryl slammed his fist on the wooden table in front of him. A fierce frown was plastered on his face.

"Who the hell is that kid? He was essentially harmless just moments ago."

Oddryl clicked his tongue.

"Why was he suddenly struck by a lightning bolt, anyway?"

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes. Not that it actually changed the effect of his vision.

"...Wait."

Oddryl caught onto a faint shimmer above Apollo's head. For a moment, he was speechless. Then, his mouth slowly moved.

"The lightning bolt was an indication..."

Oddryl's breathing became heavy.

"...of the birth of a crowned."

He clearly knew what it meant to have a crown and the power it represented.

...But Oddryl was not afraid. Instead, he uncontrollably became excited.

Oddryl clenched his fist. He shot up from the wooden chair he was sitting on.

"To think that there were two hidden gems within that group."

Oddryl paced around the room while rubbing his chin with his forefinger. Despite how refined he looked previously, he resembled an overly excited child.

"If we can kill that boy... we can take the crown for ourselves."

At that moment, Talon ran back into the room with his scissors on his back. He placed his hands on his knees and panted.

"Hah... Hah... I notified a couple people. Rhea and Rhys should be out there now."

Oddryl waved his hand dismissively. He did not even bother to look at Talon.

"Rhea and Rhys are dead. They were killed earlier by one of the intruders."

Talon's face twitched. His mind repeated what Oddryl said so casually. Only after a few seconds, did Talon process the words.

"...What?"

Oddryl shook his head. A small smile emerged on his face.

"That is not what matters now. One of the intruders is a newborn crowned."

Talon's pupils dilated while his heart hammered in his chest. The excitement from Oddryl seemed to bleed into Talon.

Talon's fingers twitched. Just as excited as Oddryl.

"...How new?"

Oddryl chuckled. He clasped his hands together and clenched them tightly.

"He was born just now."

Talon gasped while his blue veins bulged from his skin.

"No way! That's practically a miracle!"

Oddryl laughed freely.

"It is...."