The Laughing Swordsman

The giant reformed being's head was several times larger than Apollo, and so was the gaping void when it opened its jaws.

Several sets of teeth lined its mouth, like a shark's.

The giant reformed being's neck extended out and twisted as though it was a sentient plant that could forcefully grow itself.

It did not even take a second for the giant reformed being's jaws to appear in front of Apollo.

Yet, it was still too slow.

Apollo's bokken flashed.

The giant reformed being was decapitated. Its head shot up into the air along with some black blood.

But that didn't mean it was powerless.

The giant reformed being opened its jaws even wider, while one of the sets of teeth began to wriggle.

Then, a mass of black flesh with teeth burst out. It resembled a giant worm with a set of teeth.

By the time it was a few meters away, Apollo swung his bokken and pressed his thumb against the hilt.

The sound of crackling thunder filled the air.

The worm-like black flesh was ripped in two, spraying black blood into the air.

But it was still alive.

The two halves continued moving on their own, pouncing forward like vipers as blood spilled out of their wounds.

Yet, before they could move any further... a thunderclap rang out.

An unrelenting shockwave shot forth, smashing the black flesh into paste, and exploding the head into a bloody mist.

"Hehe."

As for the person responsible, it was Layla. She had pulled her claw back preemptively and gradually brought it forward.

Layla's furry ears twitched.

"So much fun!"

After that, Apollo bolted towards the base of the giant reformed being's neck. However, while its head was cut off, that didn't mean its neck would sit still.

From where the giant reformed being was decapitated, a new jaw emerged. The neck twisted grotesquely to intercept Apollo.

Yet, Apollo didn't even spare a second glance. He simply ducked down with a mocking laugh.

As someone else took his place.

Layla looked up curiously before smiling brightly.

"Hi, there!"

The giant reformed being's jaws responded by continuing forth. In less than a second, it was right in front of Apollo.

Then, Layla threw her palm forward.

A booming thud reverberated.

The jaws were smashed into paste, while the giant reformed being's neck ripped off its torso, leaving a giant wound that resembled a small crater.

It was a little ironic.

Such a large abomination with such speed, power, and regenerative capabilities...

Was smacked around as though it was only a small child.

Not to mention, the people responsible were small children themselves.

The giant reformed being could not even roar in frustration, as it longer had a mouth to speak with. It couldn't even flail its arms around, as there were only two messy stumps left over.

...But despite not having eyes, it could still see what was coming next.

Apollo was over five meters above the giant reformed being, and began to raise his bokken with both hands.

Arcs of lightning wildly danced across Apollo's body, prompting Layla to try and touch them out of curiosity.

These arcs of lightning rapidly gathered towards his bokken, almost like sharks that smelled blood.

It did not take long for Apollo's bokken to be covered entirely with dense blue lightning that crackled violently.

It looked like Apollo was holding onto a blue lightning bolt. Some of the dense lighting snaked on his hands, almost like it was bleeding.

Layla's eyes widened when she looked at the bokken covered with blue lightning. She quickly realized what Apollo was trying to do.

Layla purred.

"Let me help, friend!"

She grabbed onto Apollo's hands, holding onto the hilt of his bokken with him. The lightning snaked onto Layla's hands as well, shining with a bright blue.

Apollo bolted downwards and swung his bokken as though he wanted to tear apart the fabric of space.

Halfway through his swing, he suddenly felt an oppressive weight push him down, almost like a mountain was on his back.

It made him accelerate many times over.

Apollo's bokken shined brightly, making everything else look dark in comparison. It was as though night suddenly descended upon the world.

Apollo and Layla became a blur, but the glaring light from the bokken made their positions clear.

And so, a shooting star streaked through the dark night.

A thundering boom reverberated throughout the empire.

Apollo slammed down on the ground, forming a massive crater. As for the giant reformed being, it was torn in half, entirely charred.

The two halves began to fall, but before they could hit the ground, they dispersed into small dry flakes.

Apollo laughed wildly, but crumpled to the ground. The bones in his legs shattered from hitting the ground with the force from the landing.

Layla had been giggling with excitement, but was taken by surprise when Apollo fell to the ground.

"Wah!"

Once they fell to the ground with a thud, Layla curiously stuck her head forward to look at Apollo's face.

"Is friend ok?"

A few frighting cracking sounds came from Apollo's back.

As of now, Layla was extremely heavy, to the point Apollo could've mistaken her for a blue whale. She was essentially crushing him.

Yet, Layla didn't seem to notice this fact.

Apollo tried to laugh, but they quickly trailed off as he couldn't even breathe.

Apollo began to wonder...

...was this really how he was going to die?

Apollo's rib cage waned, about to be crushed along with his organs.

But before it got any worse, Layla's weight gradually disappeared, almost like it was just a dream.

Apollo began doing a strange mix of gasping for air and exasperated laughing.

As for Layla, she simply tilted her head to the side and giggled.

"Friend is so weird!"

Apollo and Layla dealt with one giant reformed being unscathed.

...Well, unscathed from the monster itself.

However, several other giant reformed beings rose.

It was only the beginning.

A warning, of sorts.