The Laughing Swordsman

The way Apollo and Layla killed these giant reformed beings was very thorough, evidenced by the corpses dispersing into small black pieces of dust.

Because of that, the flesh could no longer recombine. That meant as long as Apollo and Layla dealt with all the giant reformed beings, they would be unable to combine into anything stronger.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Willow and Hex were recklessly tearing apart numerous giant reformed beings. Although they were relatively through, they still left behind a lot of black flesh.

In the end, enough flesh began gathering to create something... new.

The black flesh seemed to become more energetic and lively. Almost like children rushing over to candy.

The giant reformed being already had rather strange proportions in comparison to the human body, with thicker limbs and arms that reached the ground.

However, this one was even more grotesque.

This being grew to over twenty meters tall. It had grown overly large feet that curved to become a set of claws. As for its head, it was essentially just a huge set of teeth, forming an overbearing maw.

However, the most prominent feature was what had become of its arms. They were two giant bat wings. Overall, it spanned thirty meters, even longer than the being's height.

It became a winged reformed being.

This winged reformed being nearly immediately locked onto the pair flying high in the air, Apollo and Layla.

It let out a thundering bellow, clearly announcing its presence.

Then, launched up from the ground. It flapped its wings, all the while tearing through the air like a bullet.

Apollo and Layla turned their heads to the side to look at the winged reformed being. It seemed like their old strategy was no longer going to work.

Nonetheless, Apollo had a wide smile on his face.

"HAHAHA."

And Layla excitedly raised her arms in the air.

"New friend!"

With that, Apollo bolted towards the winged reformed being, leaving trails of lightning in his wake.

It only took a few moments before they appeared right in front of each other.

Apollo widened his eyes, and the being roared.

Neither had the intention of backing down.

Apollo's bokken flashed, splitting apart the winged reformed being's head. It let out a loud screech, but was not helpless.

Without warning, a pair of jaws shot out from its shoulders.

Apollo seemed to have predicted this, as he already had his palm tracing the flat side of his bokken.

Then snapped out.

The two jaws were mauled, thrown back a few meters or so. This gave Apollo a tiny window of opportunity, which he fully intended to capitalize on.

Apollo bolted down towards the winged reformed being's underbelly. He swung his bokken, but his strike couldn't connect.

The winged reformed being had a surprising amount of agility, jerking out of the way easily. Although it had only been recently formed, it was no stranger to flying.

In just a few seconds, the winged reformed being's jaws had all regenerated. It roared before lunging towards Apollo.

As for Apollo, he dashed downwards. The winged reformed being just barely passed over him, jaws gliding right by his face.

Apollo's bokken shot upwards, digging into its flesh. The winged reformed being immediately pulled back.

But before it could get far...

"Nyah!"

...Layla threw her claw forward.

A thundering slam echoed throughout the empire.

The winged reformed being was blasted backwards like a rag doll. Despite being over twenty meters long, that attack left an injury that took away most of its flesh. It looked as though a crater had formed on the winged reformed being.

As for Apollo, he was similarly thrown back, several bones cracking under the recoil force.

The winged reformed being let out a roar of anguish.

It began regenerating, but it simply lost too much flesh from Layla's strike. As such, the process was much slower than usual.

In fact, the winged reformed being directly flew in the opposite direction, trying to buy itself some time.

Naturally, Apollo had no plans of letting it go. He bolted after the winged reformed being, leaving trails of lighting in his wake.

The winger reformed being's speed was initially faster than Apollo's. However, Apollo was accelerating far faster than it. As such, he was bound to catch up at some point.

They were twenty meters apart...

Then fifteen meters...

Five meters...

Then Apollo had caught up to the winged reformed being, who had yet to heal even half of its injuries.

Apollo raised his bokken high. As he slammed it downwards, the winged reformed being jerked to the side.

However, Apollo caught that movement from the corner of his eye and shifted his trajectory.

A clear ripping sound filled the air.

The winged reformed being's leg was cut off, prompting it to roar out in pain. The being turned around. It desperately tried to scare Apollo off by lunging forth with its jaws.

But Apollo did not even spare it a second glance. Instead, he ducked down, while Layla popped up.

Her tail swayed enthusiastically as the jaws approached.

As for the winged reformed being, it felt as though it made a mistake.

But it was too late now.

A booming thud reverberated throughout the empire, seemingly shaking the air itself.

The winged reformed being shot back once more, this time with a newly formed crater instead of its head.

Apollo suffered recoil once more, but recovered from it quickly. The moment he could move forward, he chased down the winged reformed being.

However, he suddenly jerked backwards.

Layla cried out.

"Wah!"

Another winged reformed being had appeared. It latched its claw onto Layla, pulling her back, and in turn, Apollo.

Layla curiously looked up at the winged reformed being before swinging at its leg. Yet, before her strike could land, it let go, just barely evading the strike.

It seemed like the winged reformed being was saving its companion.

And now, three other beings soared to the sky, staring down Apollo and Layla.