Apollo ran with all his might as the mountain behind him shook intensely from the ongoing battle. Rocks fell like meteors. He maneuvered, dodging them with his nimble body.
In the distance, he spotted a group of Cultivators watching, and Apollo decided to head there—it seemed like a safe area where the falling rocks couldn't reach.
As he neared them, a whistling sound echoed from behind. Already having an idea of what was coming, Apollo gritted his teeth and quickly gathered the surrounding Qi, pushing his body to its limits.
With a deafening explosion, the ground behind him erupted, propelling his body forward! Apollo flipped through the air. Feeling the heat on his back, he shook his head, stabilized himself, and landed on his feet in front of the shocked Cultivators.
Turning around, he saw the upturned ground, dark smoke, and lingering flames.
"That guy is still determined to kill me," Apollo muttered, staring at the wolf in the distance. Even though the monster was fighting against the three Headmasters, it still had time to send one of its Dark Orbs after him. Fortunately, he dodged it.
"Can Deez!" someone called his made-up name, drawing his attention. Hearing it, he was getting more used to the alias.
Apollo recognized the speaker as the restaurant owner, Filly, along with her assistant, Gail.
"Oh, hi," Apollo greeted halfheartedly, turning back to watch the fight.
Seeing him act nonchalant, Filly wasn't offended. She looked him over with concern. "Are you okay? I thought you were badly injured from your previous fight."
Apollo lowered one arm, holding it with the other, gritting his teeth as if in pain from a great 'injury.' He replied, "I'm okay… I just need some rest."
"Oh, that's good," Filly sighed in relief. Although they hadn't known each other for long, she felt like she knew him far longer than their brief encounters suggested.
"We thought you were in grave danger," Gail added, also relieved.
"Me too, me too," Apollo said, his eyes never leaving the battlefield.
Come on, kill that wolf, Apollo thought, squinting at the Alphadusk in the distance. The mark on his back ached, and he had the unsettling feeling that he was being watched, making him very uncomfortable. He knew that if the monster managed to defeat or escape the Headmasters, it would come for him next—and that was something he desperately wanted to avoid.
Having fought the monster, he knew he was no match for it. Their strength was as different as Heaven and Earth. He had only dealt with two of its tails, and they had almost taken his life!
It was a wonder how he had survived at all.
Seeing that Can Deez was focused on the fight, Filly and Gail didn't try to talk to him. The battle was magnificent, so they decided to watch as well. It wasn't every day they got to witness a fight between the Headmasters, and there was much to learn.
The Great Serpent opened its mouth wide and unleashed a torrent of water powerful enough to raze a street to the ground.
But the monster blocked it by creating a shadow barrier in front of itself, then countered with its tails. However, the Fire Shrine anticipated this and lashed out with a fiery whip, catching some of the tails. Still, others evaded the attack, dodging like they had minds of their own.
Alas, the Alphadusk was up against three Headmasters, who had plenty of experience and excellent teamwork. The Titan appeared beside the tails that dodged the whip, grabbing hold of them.
The wolf howled into the air as its tails were restrained. It twisted and turned but couldn't break free.
The Great Serpent seized the opportunity, tightening its coils around the monster before positioning its head directly in front of it. Its jaws opened wide, and a glaring light began to form!
The watching Cultivators gasped, their eyes shining with excitement. They knew the battle was nearing its end.
"This… this is amazing!" Filly exclaimed, clenching her fists. "So this is the strength of 3rd-Step Qi Condensation and 4th-Step Qi Condensation stages!"
Hearing this, Apollo glanced at her in confusion. The Headmasters are only at the Qi Condensation stage, and they're displaying all these otherworldly effects? he thought. Then what about cultivators at the Core Creation stage and beyond?!
The thought sent his imagination into overdrive. He couldn't fathom the strength and power of those higher stages.
"It's because of their Techniques," Gail explained, staring intently at the Headmasters.
Apollo's ears perked up.
Not being deeply involved in cultivation, Filly didn't fully understand. "What do you mean?"
"Battle Techniques. Even if someone doesn't have high cultivation, if they've mastered a strong Battle Technique, they can fight cultivators with a higher cultivation than them. Some Techniques even ignore cultivation differences altogether. There's a story of a cultivator who only trained in Battle Techniques but was strong enough to stand toe to toe with Core Creation cultivators.
Though it's just a story, no one's proven it."
"That sounds amazing," Filly said, eyes wide. "Maybe… I could do that too?"
Gail chuckled. "It's much harder than straight cultivation."
Suddenly, a deafening howl pierced the night sky.
Apollo saw the glaring light from the Great Serpent engulfing the head of the ten-tailed Alphadusk Shadowtail! The mountaintop lit up like a bright star against the darkness.
After a few moments, the light faded, and the three projections stepped back from the monster. The wolf collapsed, rolling down the steep mountainside before crashing to the ground, raising a cloud of dust that covered its entire body.
The Martial Students watching erupted into cheers. It was a clear victory for the Headmasters!
"Finally," Apollo muttered, sighing in relief and smiling as he saw the monster had fallen. The pressure on his shoulders lifted, and he saw the world in a slightly brighter light, though that was more of a figurative statement given the darkness of the night. Shaking his head, he turned to the two women beside him. "Seems like the show has ended."
"Yeah," Gail nodded. "Against the Headmasters, I'm not surprised."