----

As soon as the teasing entered his ear, Valac became incensed! It had been countless years since anyone belittled or provoked him to such an extent. As a result, he was immediately reminded of the days that he had forgotten. 'Damnable demons. Is it my fate to constantly receive this type of teasing,' Valac scoffed while looking at Apollo with a piercing gaze.

Of course, with his demeanor, Apollo didn't shy away from this contest. He returned that exact gaze to Valac, "Is there an issue? If so, I believe it's within our destiny to clash," Apollo said nonchalantly. Due to his attitude, Valac reassessed the power Apollo emanated.

'My eyes don't fool me; this twerp is indeed only a Lesser Demon! It's baffling to see him hold such immense confidence. It almost borders on the edge of idiocy. Not to mention, THIS IDIOT STOLE MY SUBORDINATE!' Valac internally seethed.

Meanwhile, Fuhrer transmitted another message to Apollo, "Be on guard. I can't help you in the slightest. Unless you admit defeat, I am forbidden from coming between you two. As you know, the control of the pieces is your destiny and yours alone."

"I understand. Does that mean I can't request hints as to his weaknesses?" Apollo questioned. Although Fuhrer said he couldn't administer help, information could be seen as something vital.

Alas, his fate wasn't so easy. Fuhrer shook his head, "That is up to your senses. You need to be able to pinpoint such things at a moment's notice by experiencing your opponent's behavior," Fuhrer answered.

Upon hearing this response, Apollo nodded. He stepped forward while cracking his neck. Furthermore, he clenched his fist causing the gauntlet covering his hand to emit sparks.

"Tch, that fearless look in your eyes; I don't know whether to commend you or call you foolish. With numbers, it may be possible, however, by your lonesome, it is impossible to defeat a Greater Demon," Valac voiced with a cold gaze. His frosty gaze caused an icy blue fire to appear around his body.

Despite this display of power, Apollo merely shrugged it aside, "Until we clash, such an outcome isn't set in stone. Also, for someone angry over losing their subordinate, you're rather talkative."

Due to Apollo's mocking comments, a thick vein appeared on Valac's temple as he tried his darnedest to contain his fury. However, Apollo tipped the scale completely with his next set of words, "Ah, you must be one of those. The type who is all bark and no bite. In other words, a toothless dog."

At the end of his words, Apollo added a sneer.

"DAMMNNN YOUUU!!!!" Valac bellowed uncontrollably. Finally, he unleashed his power without restraints. Two dark yet ravishing wings possessing vibrant black feathers unfurled behind his back. Furthermore, a spear appeared in his hand as he took the skies with obscene speed.

As Apollo noticed this, his expression changed instantly, 'Wait a minute, this isn't the slightest bit fair. This fool can fly?!' Unfortunately, Apollo didn't have the luxury of marveling at the sight before his eyes.

After ascending, Valac's body changed direction and sped directly towards Apollo. The look in his eyes could only be described by a single sentence; this demon was out for blood.

All of a sudden, Valac accelerated once again. An alert rang in Apollo's mind repeatedly as he tried to react as soon as possible. Sadly, Valac's speed outclassed him on another level. Additionally, he was airborne and his wings allowed him to change his trajectory on a whim.

As Valac whizzed past Apollo, a cut opened on his cheek which produced a searing pain. Soundlessly, Valac stood behind Apollo, "I will make you experience hell. For you to add insult to injury despite your lacking strength is laughable."

Although Apollo wanted to retort, Valac didn't allow him to. With a swift swipe, he used the opposite end of his spear to knock Apollo away. As he flew, he slammed into a large stone and shattered it to pieces.

"Ugh.." Apollo groaned, shaking his head to get rid of the grogginess resulting from the aftershock of the strike. While he did so, Fuhrer and the rest merely spectated the fight. In their eyes, it was going to be one-sided.

"Do you believe we have brought him here too early? Although Valac is one of the weakest due to his minuscule age, he is still a comparatively strong fighter. Also, it seems he has forgotten who we are," Fuhrer muttered to Furcas. Once he allowed the two to fight, he returned to his earlier position.

For a while, Furcas was silent. He tilted his head upward and muttered some undecipherable words. Only after he finished did he reveal his answer, "The destiny following this boy is his own. We are just assisting hands. Whether or not we are early or late is determined by him."

"I see," Fuhrer nodded, before adding, "Just say that you can't tell. No reason to be mysterious."

"Tch...can't you just let me seem wise for once? Damn, I really hate you old bastards with your mental acuity," Furcas scoffed.

On the other hand, Valac didn't allow Apollo any time to recover his senses. He arrived before him and slashed his spear downward. Luckily, Apollo was able to raise a guard, albeit partially useless. The strike landed on the gauntlets and caused Apollo's body to sink into the ground.

Immediately after, Valac unleashed a terrible combination of pummeling slashes. By the time he backed off, Apollo's body was nowhere to be seen. A large hole was left in place of where he once laid.historical

"Weak! Truly weak! The only reason you stole my subordinate is due to the hateful old demon. Once I am done with you, I will teach him a lesson as well," Valac exclaimed. A moment later, he took to the skies once again.

However, compared to before, his ascent was slow. Different from before, he was generating energy as he flapped his wings. An orb of icy blue flames appeared before him as he lined himself up directly above the pit that held Apollo's body.

When Fuhrer and Furcas saw this, both their eyes narrowed. Only one thought ran through their minds, 'If we don't help him, will he survive this blow?' The strike Valac was preparing to perform was one that was truly destructive. Not to mention, it seemed as if he was using an extremely large amount of energy!

It wasn't long before the sphere of flames grew to the size of Valac's torso. Right before he released it, his expression changed momentarily. He was sure of it, he could feel a faint rumbling that spread from the ground into the air.

'This fluctuation, it's odd,' Valac thought. Nevertheless, he didn't take any chances and merely fired the ball of flames directly into the pit. The moment it made contact with the ground, a large explosion ensued. A burst of scorching winds spread into the distance.

And, Valac watched this scene with a proud smirk, "If you live after that, you'll learn to control your silly mouth and refrain from offending those you can't contend agains-..." Out of nowhere, Valac suddenly stopped talking.

His eyes widened as he watched an oddity take place. The rumbling from before reappeared and stronger than ever before. Additionally, another dumbfounding event took place, the scorching winds reversed and we sucked into the pit!

As they witnessed this, all of the demons under Apollo's control gazed at the crater. But, Fuhrer noticed something as he recalled a presence, 'That energy is being greedily devoured. This is no longer a one against one fight, the numbers have increased!'

From within the crater, a small figure escaped and floated in the air before Valac. Their little eyes were filled with unbridled rage as they gazed at Valac, "Bad! Bad! BAD!! Horrible!"

The voice was small, but its presence wasn't. It made Valac tilt his head, 'A snake? An infant at that?' Rather than spare it any more attention, Valac extended his hand and flicked it. A wave of energy rushed toward Ouroboros' body but the expected result didn't happen.

Ouroboros opened his maw and absorb every last bit of the energy. "You, you! You have hurt Master! I will swallow you."

Finally, Apollo managed to climb out of the pit, but most of his body was singed. As he looked up, he realized Ouroboros' body growing larger and larger, 'Boros, why have you come out?'

"To help Master. You are hurt badly, this is no good!" Ouroboros answered. After a few seconds, his body finished growing. Instead of confronting Valac, he returned to Apollo's side and opened his maw.