The Golden Apple (4)
Aster took a neutral stance again.
He would continue to fight while matching his opponent's pace, but he couldn't drag it out forever.
The best outcome would be to defeat Apollo without harming Ludovic.
“Well then, let's continue.”
Clang!
All of his aura focused on a single point, his attack arriving in the blink of an eye.
The trajectory of the sword, slashing from top to bottom, became a single line.
Flash.
[Keugh!]
Apollo twisted his body to avoid the Flash.
This was partly due to Apollo's excellent dynamic vision and reflexes, but also because Aster was deliberately controlling his strength.
Now, Aster could even adjust his Flash to match his opponent.
Thud!
Apollo leaped back, trying to distance himself from Aster.
“……?”
Aster still didn't understand, but he chased after Apollo anyway.
‘Don't tell me he's running away?’
A God running away from a human?
He didn't think that lofty pride would allow it, but it seemed Apollo really didn't want to fight Aster.
‘His strength weakened after our exchange earlier. Could it be related?’
It was clear that Apollo's goal had been to hold Aster back, but it seemed like his objective had changed mid-fight.
Fighting Aster was disadvantageous. Apollo had come to that conclusion.
‘I don't know why.’
Aster's role was clear.
Ludovic was undoubtedly strong. Among the Zodiacs, he was the type most similar to Aster. An all-rounder swordsman with no particular weaknesses. The perfect target to wield the power of a God.
‘This time, I'll be the one chasing.’
Clang! Ca-clang!
Twice, their swords clashed in midair.
Apollo defended while retreating, pushed back by the impact.
Thud!
Aster pursued Apollo, stepping lightly on branches one after another.
And as he leaped towards Apollo once more,
Swoosh!
“……Huh.”
Had Apollo truly decided to flee? He soared into the sky.
Originally, Ludovic couldn't fly, but it seemed Apollo could.
Apollo completely turned his back on Aster and ascended high into the sky.
‘Aster hasn't learned flight magic either. Let's retreat for now.’
Apollo swallowed his humiliation and made a cold judgment.
If he continued to fall for Aster's fighting style, he would be in even greater danger.
Even Apollo hadn't anticipated this phenomenon, but Aster was dangerous to him. No, if a God possessed a human, Aster was the natural enemy of them all.
[Aster, one day, I will personally end you with my own two hands,]
Apollo's words sounded like the typical, empty threats of a loser.
Swoosh!
Even those words were cut short by the sound of the wind.
‘What?’
He heard something flying towards him. Close enough for Apollo's ears to pick it up.
Apollo looked back nonchalantly.
‘……A scabbard?’
His eyes confirmed the object,
And in that instant.
──Flash.
[What!]
Aster arrived at the spot where the scabbard had been.
In the air, directly below Apollo.
‘Flash, in midair! What is Aster thinking?!’
Due to the nature of the technique, Flash could also be used as a movement skill. It allowed him to go anywhere, from any location. However, it had a maximum range, and Apollo was outside that range. That's why he had turned his back with confidence.
Flash couldn't be used consecutively. Whether used in the air or on the ground, once activated, it placed an extreme burden on the body, requiring time to catch one's breath. Just like when he couldn't kill the Minotaurs in succession.
‘He needs to regain his posture and control his breathing after using Flash. Aster has to land on the ground after using it. Even if he reaches me here, his sword won't reach!’
Just as Apollo thought that,
“One.”
Aster muttered between breaths, and
Swoosh─
His foot landed on the scabbard he had thrown earlier.
“Two.”
Both feet landed on the scabbard, Aster facing Apollo head-on in a neutral stance.
He had landed.
[……No way,]
“Three.”
Flash.
Kwaaang!!
[Keugh!!]
Apollo was sent plummeting from the sky.
It had been a close call dodging it on the ground, but evading in midair was out of the question. In the end, he barely managed to protect himself by forming a shield with all his aura.
Thump! Boom!
Apollo crashed onto the ground, bouncing twice before coming to a stop. He couldn't afford to stay down.
Aster descended from the sky.
Swoosh, one foot touched the ground, almost silently.
And that one foot,
Kwang!
became a springboard, propelling him forward,
Thud! Thud!
With just three steps, he reached Apollo's vicinity.
‘……Beautiful.’
Apollo thought as he watched Aster charging towards him.
So this was the hope of humanity, Aster Evans.
Aster pulled back his sword. Condensed aura gathered on the blade,
‘Right!’
Apollo made a split-second judgment, and
Thump!
‘?!’
He was thrown off balance.
Aster’s sword was right at his neck.
[His gaze, the movement of his aura, even his muscles, everything pointed towards a right slash, how!]
Apollo had been tripped by Aster’s foot, which he had subtly swiveled downwards. It was a clean move.
“It seems my practice paid off if I managed to deceive even the eyes of a God.”
Or rather, it was only natural since he had even fooled Frondier. Aster muttered to himself.
Apollo stared at the sword touching his neck. Surely Aster wouldn't actually stab him in Ludovic's body. But even the pressure at the tip of the blade was enough to keep Apollo from moving.
However, having come this far, Aster realized something.
‘……This is just unpleasant.’
Aster had almost completely overwhelmed Apollo. The fight was over.
But even after the victory, he couldn't decide what to do next.
‘Should I strike Ludovic's body now and knock Apollo unconscious?’
Of course, he didn't know the answer. He had no way of knowing the state of a possessing God.
But if there was no way to knock out a God like that, then how could he force a God to leave?
Did he really have to kill Ludovic? Was that the only way?
‘……No. Then why did Apollo run away?’
Apollo knew Aster wouldn't kill Ludovic.
That's why he was still guaranteed absolute safety even though the situation had turned like this.
Then why did Apollo avoid the fight in the first place?
If the fight continued, if he lost, there was nothing for a God to lose. He would achieve his original goal just by holding Aster back.
…No, wait.
Read ahead by supporting me on Ko-fi. Tiers starting at 10$ per month and you can access upto 40 advance chapters! Choose your tier by clicking the 'Support me' button! Join our discord server for latest release updates and novel discussions. Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones. Happy reading!