With a blinding flash of light, the battlefield descended into chaos.
Apollo rushed in, recalling Serpent back to its weapon form. He only had a second to attack before the Centurion would recover.
Activating his aspect, he enhanced his blades lethality before delivering a swift strike towards its arm joint. The attack was the strongest he could muster and even still, it simply bounced off of the carapace, leaving behind only a tiny scratch.
The Centurion shrieked, its shrill voice like tearing metal. It turned with terrifying speed, one massive scythe arcing toward Apollo in a vicious downwards sweep. Dodging with a roll to the side, Apollo just barely missed being split in two. The scythe struck the ground with such force that the whole bluff seemed to shake. Shards of rock flew in every direction, one almost hitting the injured sleeper.
Just as fast as the first attack, came a second, this time a piercing attack aimed straight for Apollo's chest. The beast was much stronger and much faster than Apollo.
Having just dodged he was now in a weak position, a prime target. His mind processed everything however his body could not keep up with his commands.
The scythe inched closer as Apollo's back hit the side of the mountain, trapping him in place.
Just then a memory surfaced.
It was a dark night, a young Apollo struggling for breath, bleeding in many places. In front of him, none other than the Carapace Centurion. He had just managed to successfully dodge its attack but it was already attacking again. He tried to dodge but he wasn't fast enough. He watched in horror as the scythe plunged straight through his chest.
Coughing up blood he looked up as the terrifying eyes burning with frenzy bared down on him. This was how he died in a previous life. However, if there was anything about Apollo, it was that he always learned from his mistakes.
Seeing the scythe inch towards him, it was much faster than a creature of that size should ever be by normal logic. Instead of trying to dodge, he brought his blade upwards in a defensive position.
The golden sword met the azure scythe in a whirlwind of sparks. The familiar noise of metal on metal springing forth. He twisted with the momentum, guiding the scythe past his side. The blade screeched against the stone behind him, carving deep into the wall.
The tremendous impact caused a large crack to form, shooting up the cliff and eventually reaching the top.
Apollo looked up—just in time to see a cascade of boulders, fractured loose by the impact, begin to fall.
He didn't hesitate.
He kicked the back of the Centurion's leg, just hard enough to shift its stance. The creature stumbled. That was all he needed.
He dove away, rolling out from under the cliff face as a cluster of boulders crashed down with deafening force. The Centurion screeched, raising its scythes to shield itself from the sky.
It was exactly as Apollo had planned.
He had baited the creature, purposefully trapping himself on the wall. It worked, as the creature attacked near the weakened cliff, he timed his parry to draw its weapon wide—and now, it was buried under tons of stone.
Looking over, Apollo saw the sleeper, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. Thankfully he wasn't too injured, standing only a few meters away.
"It's trapped for now," Apollo said, walking toward him, "but it won't stay that way for long. That thing's far too strong to be crushed by mundane rock."
As if to prove his point, a sharp explosion rang out from beneath the rubble. The boulders shuddered—then flew outward in all directions, one crashing into a nearby ridge, crumbling upon impact.
The Centurion emerged, wounded but alive.
Cracks spiderwebbed across its armored limbs. One of its legs was crushed, and a deep gash marred its shoulder. Blue ichor spilled in rivulets, steaming where it touched the ground.
Before the creature could recover the two would need to work together to kill it.
"Get ready, we're going to kill this thing!" Apollo yelled as he ran in the opposite direction. He did this so that the creature would be unable to attack both of them at the same time.
The boy, though stunned, gave a shaky nod. His hands clenched, and in a shimmer of essence, a massive greatsword appeared in his grip.
Just as the sword shimmered into existence, the Centurion had recovered. With a hefty swipe of its arm it sent a large boulder flying through the air straight towards the sleeper.
With a fierce yell, the sleeper surged forward, his essence flaring as his aspect ignited. Raising the greatsword high above his head, he brought it crashing down with bone-shaking force. The impact struck the center of the boulder like a falling star—stone shuddered, then split cleanly in two under the sheer weight of the blow. Shards of pulverized rock exploded outward, scattering across the bluff.
At the same time Apollo was rushing forward. Reaching the creature which had momentarily focused on the 'weaker' prey. He activated his aspect—but instead of channeling light across the entire blade, he focused it to a singular point. A razor-thin bead of brilliance gathered at the tip, condensing the energy into a devastating thrust.
The blade flashed through the air and found its mark.
Apollo drove it forward with precision, targeting a small fracture in the Centurion's left chestplate—one formed earlier by the falling boulders. The point of his sword pierced through the weakened carapace and sank deep into muscle and sinew.
The creature shrieked as a blinding explosion of light burst from the wound, illuminating the battlefield in a searing flash.
Roaring in pain, the Centurion lashed out with a savage counterattack. Its scythe swept toward Apollo in a blinding arc.
He had no time to evade.
Wrenching Serpent free, Apollo raised the blade to block. Metal screamed against metal as the scythe collided with his guard. The impact sent a jolt of agony through his arms, the sheer force buckling his stance.
He was launched backward, airborne before he even realized.
His body slammed into the stone behind the sleeper, rolling across the bluff like a ragdoll. Jagged rocks tore into his skin as he tumbled, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. It was only by slamming Serpent into the ground that he managed to slow his momentum, carving a deep groove through the stone before skidding to a stop near the cliff's edge.
But Apollo didn't stay down.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself upright, muscles burning, blood streaking down his arms. Across the battlefield, the sleeper was locked in a tense standoff with the Centurion—both circling, wounded, but far from finished.
Apollo's grip tightened around Serpent's hilt.
It was time to end this.
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. We're approaching the end of the college semester, and I've been completely swamped with work. Between a final project, multiple papers, exams, and all the regular homework, it's been a lot to juggle.
Because of that, I probably won't be able to keep up with the "one chapter a day" schedule for now. That said, I'll still do my best to get chapters out to you as quickly as I can!
On another note, I wanted to ask you all a quick question:How are you feeling about the pacing so far?
My original plan was to write this fanfic like a full-length, detailed novel—exploring every arc with depth and care. But I also understand that fanfics often lean toward faster pacing to keep things exciting. So I'd love to hear your thoughts:
Would you prefer I keep the current pace, or speed things up a bit?Let me know what you think in the comments—I really value your feedback!
Thanks again for reading and supporting this story. You guys are the best!