The Laughing Swordsman

Falk rushed over to three giant reformed beings. Despite his size and blob-like physique, he moved very fast. It looked rather unsettling, as one might expect.

Like a bloodied snail was somehow able to move faster than a car.

The three giant reformed beings almost immediately noticed Falk, but unlike the others, they did not turn to run.

They charged towards Falk, filled with hostility. After all, it wasn't hard to tell they were on opposing sides when he never paused in killing the surrounding beings for even just a moment.

It could be said these giant reformed beings were brave.

But there was a reason why living things felt fear.

Countless black tendrils shot out like laser beams, piercing the three giant reformed beings on nearly every inch of their skin. Their bodies would've looked like a sieve if the tendrils pulled back.

The giant reformed beings roared, still raging with the intent to fight.

However, the black tendrils prevented them from moving.

The three giant reformed beings struggled fiercely, but couldn't even take a step forward. At best, they were able to squirm around. By now, grotesque veins appeared across their bodies.

The toxins were taking their toll on them.

As time passed, the giant reformed beings were unable to struggle with nearly as much fervor.

...Until eventually, they couldn't bring themselves to struggle any longer.

The black tendrils began pulling their bodies in.

The three giant reformed beings began to struggle wildly once more. Except this time, they were not trying to fight against Falk.

But run away.

Unfortunately for them, it was too late.

Far too late.

Desperate roars reverberated throughout the empire, before slowly dying out.

Falk had grown once more, nearly reaching twenty meters in height.

And from there, he rampaged across the empire.

The beings ran.

Black beings, reformed black beings, secondary reformed beings, and even giant reformed beings.

But hardly any of them were able to escape Falk's tendrils.

It was almost like the black beings were the cells of a body, while Falk was an out-of-control virus, or cancer cell.

Though, from Falk's perspective, he was more of a white blood cell. Something that killed off the impurities.

Because only once these impurities were removed, could perfection be attained.

Falk continued growing.

From twenty meters, to thirty meters.

From thirty meters to fifty.

Willow had her eyes closed, but suddenly opened them. She felt a strong sense of fear from the thing that Falk became.

To the point her first instinct was to flee.

Willow looked at the mass of flesh that was Falk. A frown formed on her face.

"...What is that?"

With every passing moment, she felt the threat of death grow stronger. Before, Willow had the intention of seeing this fight through.

But not anymore.

Her eyes darted around until they eventually landed on Apollo. He was still fighting against a few winged reformed beings with Layla on his back.

Willow let out a soft sigh.

As much as she wanted to run, there would always be a pressing worry if she just left Apollo here.

...Though Apollo would probably attack Willow the moment she got near, meaning there was no easy way to get him out of the empire.

She frowned.

"It seems there is no other choice..."

Willow pulled out a strange black talisman with her free hand and held it close to her chest. The talisman was small, making it easy for Willow to hold. On top of the talisman were golden engravings. They formed a half-opened eye on top of a door.

Willow continued following after Hex as the path behind him was where the least amount of beings were. After all, they would be slashed apart.

If they were in a race, Willow would be taking advantage of Hex's slipstream.

However, her eyes continued to dart towards Apollo and Falk.

She came up with many plans, but also discarded them because of their lack of feasibility.

Like that, Willow continued to follow after Hex, slashing apart any beings that were left behind. 

And the entire time, she tossed several ideas around, hoping one would let her get closer to Apollo.

On Apollo and Layla's side, they had killed several winged reformed beings. From the original four, there were only two left.

Apollo was bolting after one of the winged reformed beings while the other chased after them.

Then, like he had done multiple times before, Apollo suddenly turned around.

The winged reformed being expected this and opened its jaws wide in response.

However, Apollo flew inside without hesitation.

Then, Layla acted.

A booming explosion resounded throughout the empire.

The winged reformed being directly exploded into pieces under the terrifying force of Layla's strike.

Apollo began coughing up blood, but still laughed in between.

The recoil force from Layla's strike crushed his bones and organs, but he remained alive and even regenerated that damage.

The winged reformed being they were chasing after turned around the moment it noticed Apollo and Layla were, but could only reach them after its companion had exploded into pieces.

The winged reformed being roared in anger, and swooped towards the two, prompting Apollo to glance at it.

Blue arcs of lightning rapidly gathered around his body, crackling noisily. In just a moment, they coalesced around his bokken, making it look like a lightning bolt.

The winged reformed being appeared in front of Apollo, opening its jaws wide.

But at that moment, his bokken flashed.

Countless crackles resounded together, combining to create a thundering roar. It was as though a lion bellowed.

A massive wave of lightning swept past the winged reformed being, stopping it in its tracks. Its entire body was charred, releasing smoke as though it was an overcooked steak.

And then... it fell from the sky powerlessly.

But while Apollo and Layla were focusing on their front, a winged reformed being streaked through the air towards them.

The one that they injured, but didn't kill.

It opened its jaws to roar, ready to avenge its fallen companions.

Then a massive black tendril pierced it.