Apollo fought a battle entirely different from the two Headmasters.
He continued firing techniques at the red cloud of smoke, each attack infused with his Lightning Attribute. The cloud shattered as the lightning ate away at it, but every time a chunk dissipated, it instantly reformed, sending its energy into the red line stretching across the city.
Apollo didn't know what would happen if the ritual succeeded, but he refused to dwell on it. His utmost priority was destroying the red cloud.
However, seeing his lack of progress, he realized he would only waste his Lightning Attribute if he kept going. He had to think of another way.
Apollo lowered his hands and looked toward the sky.
The clouds concealed the moon, preventing its brilliance from passing through.
A thought crossed his mind—one he didn't want to entertain but knew he had to act on.
With this in mind, he prepared to fly toward the clouds above when his senses suddenly heightened.
He glanced down and saw a black shadowy figure flying toward him, followed closely by a blue-armored Astral Projection.
Reacting instantly, Apollo used a Wind Blast, propelling himself backward to dodge the attack.
"Hey, just keep him on the ground!" Apollo shouted to Elmo, who was already engaged in another fight with the butler.
"This guy's too fast for me to keep up!" Elmo shouted back as his giant projection raised its shield, blocking the black shadow's sword.
Holst's body emerged from his Astral Projection and flew at the beggar with alarming speed.
"Sh*t! Watch out!" Elmo warned, but the butler had already reached the beggar.
Holst slashed with his sword, cutting "Apollo" in half—only for the figure to dissolve into a puddle of water that splashed to the ground.
Suddenly, a blast of fire cloaked in wind crashed into the butler's side, sending him tumbling through the air.
At the same time, Elmo became a blur, appearing behind Holst with his Astral Projection's sword raised high. With a resounding clang, the blade clashed against another sword as Holst barely summoned his shadow projection in time to protect himself. Despite this, his body was sent plummeting to the ground, raising a massive dust cloud.
"Nice one!" Elmo praised as the beggar emerged from his invisible state.
"That was close," Apollo muttered. Fortunately, the moment he sensed danger, he acted immediately, using his Hydra Mirage technique while the real him hid with the invisibility technique he had refined from the Hydra Mirage itself.
He glanced at the Headmasters battling their opponents before turning his gaze toward the clouds above. Determination glinted in his eyes. Using the Flying Wind Blast Technique, he flew toward the clouds.
Apollo hoped for it to work—and not work at the same time. He was afraid, likely a lingering trauma from being struck by the residue of a Lightning Tribulation after abandoning his Beggar Spot. He had done it to kill the Alphadusk, and now he was ready to take the risk again. Though this time, it wasn't the Lightning Tribulation. That would be overkill.
All he wanted was to summon ordinary lightning to destroy the red clouds fueling the ritual across the city.
Taking a deep breath, he plunged deep into the night nebulas.
The moment he entered, the sounds of explosions and fighting from the city below disappeared, replaced by an eerie tranquility.
Apollo looked around, feeling as if he were in a dream. For the first time, he felt so close to the heavens' creation. Reaching out, he touched the clouds, finding them moist and soft.
His eyes wandered to the moon, its ethereal glow bathing him. He couldn't help but smile—only for his expression to falter as the harsh reality below came crashing back into focus.
The smile vanished, replaced by an expression of intense focus.
"I just need normal lightning," Apollo muttered, raising his hands toward the clouds.
He released a small amount of his Lightning Attribute, but as soon as it emerged, like a child reuniting with its parents, it left his hands and leaped into the clouds.
Apollo waited, but nothing happened. Not enough, he thought, before releasing more Lightning Attribute. Once again, the energy jumped out from his hands and entered the nebulas, flashing briefly before going silent.
Confused, he continued this process until every hair on his body stood on end.
Suddenly, without him doing anything further, lightning began to flash. At first, there were only a few strikes, but as seconds passed, they erupted from the clouds, dancing wildly and shattering the stillness of the night.
Apollo was struck several times. Although it hurt, the pain was tolerable.
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"This is great. Just keep this momentum!" The beggar clenched his fists in excitement. Slowly, he let himself fall, the lightning following closely behind him. "Come! Follow me! Stronger if you can!"
He shouted but immediately regretted it when a deafening thunderclap echoed. Before he realized what was happening, his vision went white, and his body convulsed violently.
"Argh… not this strong…" he muttered through his shaking. Fortunately, he managed to somewhat control his descent. After a few seconds, the convulsions stopped, replaced by a sharp burnt smell. Glaring at the clouds, he shouted, "I said not that strong!"
A powerful lightning bolt flashed, narrowly missing him. It was even stronger than the previous strike, and when he looked at where it landed, he saw the roof of a building collapse.
"F*ck! Something is wrong!" Apollo exclaimed as another bolt, mightier than the last, came down.
Then he felt it—a suffocating, familiar threat.
His mind flashed back to the moment he first endured a Lightning Tribulation, and a shiver ran down his spine.
Without even glancing at the sky, he launched himself backward, propelled by a Wind Blast toward the red cloud.
Sht, did I mess up?!* he thought, fear gripping him.
He plunged into the red cloud and emerged below it in just a second or two.
Apollo's chest heaved as he breathed heavily, worry etched on his face. Gazing beyond the red smoke, he saw lightning brewing furiously in the night clouds, the booming thunder reverberating across the city.
"All I wanted was normal lightning! Not another punishment!" Apollo's voice echoed, tinged with frustration and fear.
Then, as the world turned white, a lightning bolt shot down straight at him.
The beggar gritted his teeth, preparing to use his Alm Points to survive. But the "punishment" he expected didn't strike him. Instead, the lightning crashed into the red cloud above, creating a massive hole in its center and exposing Apollo beneath it.
"It's working," he muttered as another bolt prepared to descend.
He braced himself, thinking it would be another Lightning Tribulation. However, when it struck, he realized it was merely a miniature version of the terrifying ordeal.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Apollo smiled confidently.