Apollo lowered his hand as the rain of water blades fell on his opponent. Lily hastily created a water barrier and tried to move out of the way, but the sheer number of water blades far exceeded her expectations.
"What the hell?!" Lily shouted as the relentless attack continued. The Personal Disciple was displaying an Intermediate Stage Water Blade Disintegration technique—the same stage as hers, but the power and volume of his water blades were beyond anything she could produce!
In the end, Lily couldn't keep up with the onslaught, and her defense shattered. "Ahh!" Her scream echoed as water mist and dust swirled around her. With a thud, she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Just as the beggar had promised, he finished the fight in a single move. The ground was upturned, shattered, and covered with countless cuts. They'd only exchanged one attack each, but the devastation they caused would have been enough to destroy any street.
The battle ended so quickly that Eli could only stare, wide-eyed.
After a moment, he shook his head, raised his hand, and announced the winner.
"Personal Disciple Yoma wins!"
"I warned you," Axton said, turning to the Elder beside him.
"That can't be…" Elder Yunan stared at her fallen disciple before her gaze shifted to Yoma. "He changed it."
"Changed what?" Axton asked, confused by her surprise.
"The technique!" Elder Yunan said, turning to the Headmaster. "At the Intermediate Stage of that technique, once it's used, the practitioner has to wait for the attack to end before they can use it again… but he… the water blades kept pouring down. If one landed, another would appear."
Axton turned to the Personal Disciple, surprised. "That would require an enormous reserve of Refined Qi."
"Yes, but even with his 2nd-Step Qi Condensation Stage, he shouldn't be able to achieve that—unless he has some special physique," Elder Yunan said, finally looking back at Axton. "We lost. I accept it."
Axton watched as the Elder jumped off the balcony to retrieve her disciple.
"He's already at the 2nd-Step?" Axton murmured, shaking his head as Yoma casually stepped onto the railing of the balcony where he stood.
"Hey, I should head back," Apollo said. "And let the other Seniors know not to challenge me if they can't even handle one of my attacks."
"Don't worry, I'll tell them not to bother you anymore," Axton replied, nodding. The difference in strength between the Seniors and this Personal Disciple was clear. Yoma might even be able to defeat all of them if they attacked him at once. "By the way, when did you reach the 2nd-Step Qi Condensation Stage?"
"Recently," Apollo replied with a grin before he whistled. Moments later, his mount arrived. Jumping onto it, he turned to the Headmaster. "Bye."
When the beggar arrived back at his usual spot, he immediately noticed his dinner waiting in the corner. It was around eight at night, and he'd been craving his food.
"Ah, finally," he muttered, opening his basket. The smell of meat cooked in coconut oil wafted up, filling his nose. Without wasting another second, he dug in.
The sound of his knife and fork clinking against the plate echoed as he quickly finished his meal.
"This is delicious," Apollo said with a smile. The meat came from Monsters—a kind he'd never tasted before. It was so high-quality it surpassed all the food he'd eaten in his past life, leaving him craving more. Coupled with coconut oil and other seasonings the Filly Restaurant had begun experimenting with, the flavor was even richer.
Downing his milk in one go, he let out a satisfied burp, then stood up and handed the basket to Ned, who happened to step outside.
"Here you go, thanks," Apollo said.
"You're always welcome," Ned replied, smiling. "But do you want more? Mr. Yoma, don't hesitate to ask. We'll always fulfill your requests."
"Hm." Apollo considered having a snack, but this world didn't seem to offer the types he had in mind. Unless… he shared another recipe with them. Maybe another time. "I'm full. Maybe next time; I need to be somewhere else."
"Yup. Okay, see you," Apollo said, waving as he began walking away.
His destination: the newly expanded wall, still under construction.
If there really is a ritual going on… I should be able to find something here, he thought. Already familiar with the city, it didn't take him long to reach the edge.
"So, this is how they're expanding it," Apollo murmured, finding a place to hide and observe the ongoing construction. Even though it was night, there were still many people working on the wall. Watching their movements, he noted, "They're in a rush. Why?"
Doubt crept in, though he quickly formulated an answer: they couldn't wait any longer.
But as he watched the workers, nothing seemed amiss. They were working around the clock but behaving normally.
"Is there really a ritual?" If his investigation was correct, and if the rumors of demons were true, the wall expansion might be linked to a ritual meant to summon them. It seemed obvious, especially after his conversations with the family heads and Headmaster Axton.
Apollo decided to wait.
Thirty minutes later, still nothing unusual. "Is Klown really just expanding the wall for safety?"
But he doesn't need to do that at all.
Just as he was about to give up, he noticed a figure holding a glass filled with red liquid. The person walked alongside the wall, pouring the liquid onto the ground.
Apollo narrowed his eyes as the liquid transformed into red particles upon touching the ground.
"Got you," he muttered, smiling but staying hidden. He continued watching the stranger until he was certain no other workers were paying attention, then made his move.
Activating his invisibility, he quietly approached, sneaking up on the man with the red liquid before grabbing him.
The man struggled to free himself, but Apollo held him firmly, keeping a hand over his mouth and dragging him to a secluded spot out of sight.
He threw the man to the ground, the glass shattering on impact, and the remaining red liquid dissolved into particles of light.
"W-who are you?" the man stammered, fear evident in his voice.
"Answer all my questions honestly if you want to live," Apollo said, his eyes coldly fixed on the stranger.