"But if he was truly someone that strong, why would he still be here on the two hundredth step?"
Another swordsman questioned, his voice laced with suspicion. "Maybe it's an illusion, or perhaps… he already came from the upper steps and descended for some reason?"
"No, that's impossible. Once you ascend a step, you can never descend back—it's the unchangeable rule of the Celestial Sword Monolith. If he is here, it means he just climbed."
"But his sword rule… it's not something anyone below the three hundredth or four hundredth step could possibly comprehend…"
A chilling silence spread among the swordsmen as they exchanged uneasy glances.
They had already climbed over two hundred steps and prided themselves on their remarkable achievements and were famous outside, but now, seeing Apollo calmly walking past them with that unfathomable pressure, they couldn't help but feel like ants beneath his gaze.
