The Laughing Swordsman

The numerous black hands rapidly approached the group, swarming them. It was as though there were an endless amount of them coming from a void.

It did not take long for Hex, Layla, and Apollo to be surrounded, covered by their shadows.

At that moment, a wave of purple energy burst out of Hex. All of the black hands were blown back helplessly and crashed into the walls. It was as though they were autumn leaves blown aside by a strong gust of wind.

A bright light appeared above Oddryl's finger before dimming. At the same time, Layla had brought her claw forward, tensing her fingers.

A beam of light shot out from Oddryl, while a shockwave rippled from Layla.

The explosion reverberated throughout the empire.

The beam of light exploded upon contact with Layla's shockwave and was then blown back towards Oddryl. It was as though the beam of light was a baseball, thrown by the pitcher, Oddryl, before being hit back by the swinger, Layla.

A secondary explosion occurred on Oddryl, stirring up clouds of dust. The cracks within the watchtower expanded under the force.

Apollo leaped upwards, right into the dust, almost like he could see through the hazy air.

As for Oddryl, he was still standing on a ledge made of black flesh with a small translucent yellow barrier surrounding him. A crack or two formed on its surface, but he himself was unharmed.

Suddenly, Oddryl saw a black figure in the hazy air.

He raised an eyebrow.

The clouds of dust parted to reveal Apollo with his bokken raised high. There was a sinister smile on his face, while his eyes were widened in excitement. In a certain sense, it resembled a fish jumping out of the water.

Though more than a fish, Apollo would resemble a killer whale.

He slammed his bokken down on the yellow shield.

Like glass, it shattered into pieces, filling the air with sharp sounds.

Although Apollo's bokken slowed, it continued to fall down.

Oddryl's eyes narrowed. His hand shot out.

A dull thump resounded.

Oddryl caught Apollo's bokken. Although his hand was bleeding and he himself was forced back a few steps, the harm was negligible.

Oddryl smiled derisively.

"Did you really think I would be weak physically just because I was a mage?"

He threw a punch towards Apollo's stomach, while the person in question responded in kind.

A dull bang resounded.

Both of their fists collided. Apollo was forced off the ledge from the recoil, but that didn't mean Oddryl got off scot free. In fact, his wrist let out several cracking sounds from the impact, nearly snapping off.

Oddryl forced his wrist back in the correct position while his other hand pointed towards the group, coalescing another ball of light.

By now, the black hands had recovered from the shock. They dived towards the three of them once more.

Hex simply charged forward as he gathered dark green mist that formed into a claw above his sleeve.

A black hand shot forth, prompting Hex to step to the side. Another hand came from above, attempting to crush him. Hex directly slashed that hand, turning it into ribbons.

From there, he directly stepped onto one of the arms and began running on it.

Layla also ran forward with a cheery smile on her face.

"Wahaha!"

A black hand shot towards her, however, she batted it aside. With a bang, the black hand violently recoiled and slammed into the wall.

Countless more hands reached for Layla, yet she didn't seem to mind. It was as though this was a casual trip through her own backyard.

A black hand reached for her, but Layla jumped up and landed on it. As for the other black hands, she swatted them aside like they were files, violently knocking them aside.

As for Apollo, he was currently falling in the air. From below, numerous black hands came for him. It was as though the souls of the damned wanted to drag Apollo down into the abyss with them.

If that wasn't bad enough, from above, Oddryl was about to finish his spell. The ball of light at the tip of his finger rapidly dimmed.

In this less than favorable situation, Apollo laughed. Without warning, he bolted towards Oddryl, leaving trails of lighting in his wake. It was as though the thought of dodging never even crossed Apollo's mind.

The beam of light shot out, while Apollo held his bokken in front of him like a spear.

They collided, but instead of exploding, the beam of light sprayed out in all directions. It almost looked like a flower bud blooming.

Apollo continued forth, piercing through the beam of light while the black hands continued to hunt him down. It was as though they became a pack of rabid hounds.

The black hands closed in, but were not fast enough. The bright light surrounding Apollo made it seem like he was piercing through the sun itself.

Then, the bright light disappeared, revealing Oddryl. He was frowning as though he didn't expect this.

However, his composure remained.

An uncomfortable rending sound of flesh filled the air.

Oddryl had reached out with his hand, letting Apollo's bokken pierce through it. Now, the sword was lodged within his bloodied hand. To the average person, this would be quite the horrifying situation.

Yet... Oddryl smiled.

His fist tore through the air, landing squarely on Apollo's stomach.

Apollo recoiled back. As his bokken retracted, it split Oddryl's hand in half, but there was no time to celebrate such a fact.

After all, he was about to fall into the embrace of some less than friendly black hands. The hands surrounded him, almost like a beast trying to swallow him whole.

But Apollo wasn't the only person here.

A green wave exploded forth along with a shockwave, ripping all the hands into pieces. Hex and Layla shot up from the destruction they made, heading straight for Oddryl.

As for Oddryl, he clicked his tongue.

"I suppose there is no other choice."