CHAPTER 8 – SPEED AND STRATEGY
Groaning, Apolo spat out a few mouthfuls of blood. The air around his neck suddenly sharpened like a blade. Instinct took over — he pushed off the ground with one hand and launched himself upward just in time to dodge a wind blade slicing for his throat.
Landing about twenty meters away from the encirclement, Apolo clenched his fist in frustration.
"Even with these powers… I've been taking hits without landing even one."
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Apolo ducked, avoiding a knife that would've pierced straight into his chest.
But before he even lifted his head, the circle of men sealed around him again.
"I must land a hit," he thought. "No matter what. I need a chance to take out one of them… and it has to be a surprise attack."
His gaze scanned the hybrids — until his eyes locked onto the group leader.
"Then it shall be you."
Apolo charged forward. But this time, remembering what happened earlier, he moved with caution instead of blind desperation.
Just before reaching the leader, Apolo suddenly angled toward the bear hybrid — the closest one. He clenched his fist, as if preparing to punch the beast head-on.
The leader looked disgusted, already imagining Apolo's death.
The bear hybrid leaped with a thunderous roar, swiping his massive claws toward Apolo's skull.
Behind them, the other hybrids — now fully transformed — stopped their charge and watched. They expected to see Apolo's head split open.
At the same time, Derek's adventurer group finally arrived.
They froze, stunned by the destruction. The mountain they knew — a landmark — had been smashed apart like soft clay.
Then Derek spotted Apolo charging toward the bear hybrid.
"What a fool," he thought, almost shouting. "His arms are shorter than a bear's. Those paws will slice him in half before his fist even reaches."
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"Almost…"
"One… two… three…"
Apolo counted as the massive paw grew larger in his sight. Just before it connected—
He vanished.
With a burst of speed he had never shown before, he disappeared and reappeared right in front of the leader.
The leader's eyes widened.
Though momentarily stunned, he reacted quickly — crossing his arms before his chest.
The impact sounded like a thunderclap.
Apolo's fist smashed into him and sent him flying at a speed that made him vanish from sight.
CRACK… CRACK…
As he was launched through the air, something in the leader's arms and ribs snapped loudly. His vision blurred. His body went numb. Even the shouts of his men faded into a distant echo.
"Vice Chief!"
"Captain!"
No one had expected this — not the hybrids, not Derek's group hiding in the shadows.
The bear hybrid roared in fury and lunged at Apolo.
"Not your time yet!"
Apolo shouted in his mind and disappeared once more.
He reappeared thirty meters away, breathing heavily but excited.
"This is incredible! I was gambling… I didn't expect it to work."
Then realization hit him.
"I'm faster than them. If I hadn't panicked earlier… maybe none of them would've touched me."
The bear hybrid appeared again, swiping horizontally with enough force to slice a boulder in two.
But to Apolo now, the movement felt sluggish.
He slipped under the swipe, moved behind the beast, and pulled back his fist—
A massive shadow loomed behind him. A huge baton swung toward him.
Apolo abandoned his punch and leaped aside.
The baton hit the ground.
BAAANG!
The entire area trembled as if an earthquake had started.
Apolo reappeared — but before he could take a breath, green vines burst from the ground, twisting toward his legs. He dodged them with his speed.
But he didn't even get a chance to inhale.
A fireball the size of a volleyball crashed into his face.
The explosion hurled him dozens of meters away, crashing him through trees like brittle twigs.
"Arrgh…"
He groaned and forced himself to stand, clutching his waist.
"They still have the numbers… I can't beat them like this. Should I… just run?"
Another fireball exploded near him, tearing the ground apart and blowing off what remained of his trousers, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He dodged a massive boulder rolling toward him and dashed to a dog-like hybrid, punching it hard in the stomach.
The creature flew upward, but Apolo grabbed its legs mid-air, spun sharply, and smashed it into the charging bear hybrid.
Both hybrids were sent flying. The bear slammed into the already shattered mountain, collapsing it into rubble.
"These hybrids aren't like normal humans," Apolo thought as he put distance between them. "Even my full-power punches won't keep them down. They'll recover in minutes."
His eyes scanned the battlefield.
From the corner of his vision, something glinted.
Then he remembered.
"That spear… the one that almost took my life!"