The Laughing Swordsman

Hex boldly reversed the question onto the black dragon.

As for the black dragon, it was confused.

Where did this little kid's arrogance come from?

Did he not remember what just happened?

The black dragon scoffed in its mind, letting a disdainful smile spread across his face.

It guessed that Hex had some sort of short-term memory problem. After all, the events that just transpired clearly showed their difference in strength.

Obviously, it was Hex that should be afraid, not it.

Apollo and Willow had been swinging at each other wildly. Neither person held back, using their full strength. Nearly every strike was either towards the other's vitals or was used to set up for a future attack towards the vitals.

Apollo and Willow hardly bothered to defend themselves. They were essentially fighting a life or death battle. Their conviction could not be shaken at this point.

That's why when their swords went straight towards each other's necks, they did not flinch. There was no hesitation, no fear, and no mercy.

They no longer cared about death. The only thing left was to finish what they set out to do.

As for Layla, she rushed over to the two with a bright smile on her face.

Now that some people were finally back on the ground, she could finally 'play' again. When Willow's and Apollo's swords were just moments from beheading their targets, Layla pounced.

Hex let out an ethereal giggle.

Suddenly, everyone froze.

The black dragon, Willow, Apollo, and Layla could no longer move their bodies.

Faint streams of purple and dark green mist seeped into Hex's body. The sky around Hex seemed to get... darker.

The black dragon's disdainful smile disappeared in a flash. Its contempt washed away in the sea, leaving the dragon wet from the waves. Its jaw hung slightly agape, unbeknownst to the black dragon himself.

Willow's calm expression was disturbed, like water that suddenly began to boil. Her eyes widened in fear. It was almost like she was on a ship, looking over its edge into the ocean. Then, the ship suddenly swayed, throwing her into the ominous tides.

Apollo's maniacal expression left his face. His smile became a small frown, going from raging rivers to a frozen pond. His eyelids fell while his eyes glazed over. He was like a pioneer, bravely exploring the seven seas. Then he suddenly came to the realization he was completely lost.

Layla's bright smile became apprehensive. It was as though she was in a dream, but someone splashed cold water on her face. The fur on her ears and tail stuck up, as they would for goosebumps on human skin. There was a forlorn look in her eyes, like she lost something.

Hex let out an uncanny giggle.

"Oh no!"

The pressure from the black dragon had disappeared. However, something more sinister replaced it.

Although Hex was the smallest person here, he somehow appeared to be the largest.

Hex's giggles were not particularly loud, but they pierced through the air, reaching everyone's ears.

Hex slowly raised his head.

"Don't be too scared!"

The corners of Hex's blue smile turned upwards.

"Me won't bite..."

The black dragon began falling from the air. Before it fell too far, its claws caught onto the side of the wall.

The black dragon scampered upwards, like a puppy trying to keep its head afloat in the water.

As for Willow and Apollo, they were simply frozen.

Willow's sword was only a millimeter away from Apollo's neck, while Apollo's sword was only a millimeter away from Willow's neck.

If one looked closely, one would notice their swords were trembling ever so slightly.

As for Layla, she froze as well. However, this was while she was mid-pounce. As such, she flew right into the middle of the two swords.

She hit the swords with a tap. Like fragile glass, the swords fell out of Apollo's and Willow's hands. They clattered onto the ground.

Layla began falling onto these swords like she was a kamikaze.

There was a massive explosion.

The empire's walls were over fifty meters high, yet a massive section of it had directly collapsed.

It was the section where Layla had fallen.

Willow and Apollo fell like ragdolls taken in a storm. They rode down the walls like they were falling down a landslide.

As for Layla, she had essentially plummeted downwards, destroying the walls as she went.

In the end, Apollo, Willow, and Layla all fell onto the ground next to each other. They were covered in dust and debris. Both Willow's and Apollo's swords fell onto the ground next to them.

The top of Willow's sword had been chipped, ruining its otherwise flawless appearance. As for Apollo's bokken, it looked the exact same, save for some dust covering it.

The three of them remained there silently, still unable to move from fear.

As for the black dragon, it had lost its hold. The black dragon helplessly fell from the wall, traversing downwards. It was as though it fell from the ledge of a cliff.

Hex's figure vanished, before reappearing below the black dragon.

One of his hands had been pulled out from his sleeve. His hand was pitch black and terribly wrinkly. It was small, befitting the size of Hex, but the strange old look was jarring.

Instead of fingernails, the end of Hex's fingers curved and became a sharp point.

Like Blackie's claws.

A dense black mist coalesced on top, becoming a new claw. The claw itself was over ten meters long, so big that it matched the size of the black dragon.

There was a hint of despair in the black dragon's eyes. It could already tell something horrible was coming.

Hex's claw flashed.

The sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking filled the air.

Each of Hex's fingers acted like a separate sword, each splitting a different section of the black dragon apart.

It sliced through cleanly, like butter.

The black dragon's head was separated from the rest of its body.

And its eyes were filled with disbelief.