Chapter 291: Crushing ants

Chapter 291: Crushing antsHe didn’t leave; he calmly moved forward in the direction from which he felt quite a large number of auras coming in his direction. And after a minute, the group of people became visible.

A group of twenty—no, at least thirty people—stood there, their eyes filled with a mixture of greed, curiosity, and caution. They were clearly explorers from the corners of the universe that came after the realm’s opening, judging by their varying attires and weapons.

They weren’t weak, as the entire group was made up of void gods, and three among them seemed to have reached the peak void god realm. It can be considered to be an elite group in any part of the universe.

But sadly, it was now nothing to him; even without using his rules, he could still defeat them.

Their leader, a middle-aged man with silver hair and piercing violet eyes, stepped forward. His aura was steady—a peak Void God.

But when his gaze landed on Apollo, a flicker of hesitation crossed his face. He couldn’t see through Apollo’s strength.

And that was enough to make him wary. He knew that anybody who dared to enter this dangerous realm alone wasn’t an ordinary person.

The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken tension.

The few among the group of explorers exchanged glances, their initial greed and curiosity slowly giving way to unease. The oppressive air around Apollo wasn’t just due to his aura—it was the way he stood, the way he looked at them as if they weren’t even worth his attention.

The red-haired leader’s gaze sharpened. He wasn’t reckless—he had seen countless prodigies in his long life. But this young man before him? He felt wrong.

Too calm. Too indifferent.

It was the kind of confidence that came not from arrogance but from absolute power.

Before he could speak, one of his subordinates, a younger Void God with a spear strapped to his back, stepped forward. A sneer curled his lips.

"Oi, kid—"

CRACK.

Before he could finish his words, the ground beneath Apollo’s foot shattered, spiderweb fractures racing outward like a beast waking from slumber.

The Void Gods felt it. A shift in the air.

A suffocating force pressed down on them—not from any overt attack, not from a surge of power, but simply from Apollo existing in their presence.

The young void god, under the most pressure, acted on him as he seemed to be crushed by unimaginable power. He choked on his words as the pressure was too much, making it even more difficult to stand.

The expression of everyone changed, and they felt horror as how could this young boy be this strong? Just his presence alone made it difficult to breathe.

All of them quickly forgot about their greed for treasure as they understood the grave situation they were in.

The only good thing right now was that they hadn’t done anything, so there was still a chance for them to survive, and the middle-aged leader knew what he needed to do.

"We are very sorry, young lord. Please forgive us.’ He instantly stopped trying to overcome the overwhelming pressure and fell onto his knees and begged for their life.

This sudden change caught Apollo off guard, as it was the first time seeing someone this quickly understand the situation and not hesitate to beg directly.

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. ’Smart.’

Most would try to fight back, struggle, or at least feign bravado. This man, however, instantly abandoned all pride to preserve his life. Not to mention he was a peak void god and certainly a high-ranking person anywhere in the universe, yet he didn’t hesitate to do this.

It wasn’t cowardice—it was survival instinct at its finest.

The rest of the group followed their leader’s example, dropping to their knees without hesitation. Even the spear-wielding Void God, who had been the most arrogant just moments ago, was now trembling, unable to meet Apollo’s gaze.

"Interesting." His voice was calm, but in the dead silence, it rang out like a divine decree.

The kneeling Void Gods flinched.

He stepped forward, each movement sending an unseen ripple through space. The closer he got, the more suffocating his presence became, as if an unseen abyss was yawning open beneath them.

"You are lucky and smart. I am in a good mood, so you can save your lives."

"Leave within three breaths; otherwise, I might change my mind." He said as he calmly glanced at the kneeling peak void god leader, and the terrifying pressure on them disappeared.

"Yes... Thank you. Thank you for not killing us." The red-haired leader quickly thanked them, and then immediately the group ran in the opposite direction from where they came with all their might.

None of them wanted to stay here for any second, as they didn’t know when Apollo might change his mind.

He also didn’t wait but moved the entrance, as he didn’t think there was anything else in there that could help him. There might be some treasure and inheritance remaining because of the last-minute evacuation of the realm that still remained after the destruction, but they weren’t important to him.

But he still is in doubt as to why he finds the system’s fragment here, as from what he seems to understand, the system’s abilities are beyond Black Flame Sovereign or even the Abyss Lord and the other entity.

He didn’t get the connection here; could it be placed after the realm was destroyed by the abyssal lord and the mysterious entity, and why go to such trouble to bring the Black Lotus Flame? All of this is still a mystery to him.

’Sigh.’ He could only sigh as countless thoughts came to his mind as he casually strolled through the realm filled with destruction.

But just as he moved some distance, he met with a second group of people who were attracted by his aura during his fusion process with the seed of destruction.

And they were from different forces and were quite a lot in numbers.

Apollo’s gaze swept over the newcomers. At least sixty people. Unlike the last group, these were divided into factions, each wearing distinct robes and insignias.

Some carried the emblems of renowned sects; others bore the markings of elite mercenary groups. A few individuals stood apart from any organization, lone wanderers who had come seeking their fortune.

But no matter their origins, they all had the same look in their eyes—greed.

They had clearly sensed the terrifying surge of power from earlier and rushed over, hoping to find a treasure left behind.

And this time among the people there were quite a few idiots who seemed to not understand the situation.

His gaze remained indifferent as the chaotic voices filled the air. These people... didn’t understand their place.

Different factions bickered amongst themselves, too consumed by greed to realize that the true danger wasn’t each other—it was him.

One particularly arrogant Void God, clad in golden robes embroidered with a dragon motif, stepped forward. His aura was powerful, a peak Void God, but in Apollo’s eyes, he was no different from an ant.

"Brat, I don’t know who you are, but since you came from that direction, you must’ve found something. Hand it over, and I might let you live."

Apollo exhaled softly. Another fool.

Before he could reply, another group leader—a burly man wielding a massive halberd—scoffed. "Who do you think you are? If there’s a treasure, it belongs to the strongest. Boy, just tell us where it is, and we might spare you some scraps."

A third voice, belonging to a veiled woman radiating a sinister aura, chuckled coldly. "Or we could just rip the answer from him. No need to waste time."

The bickering continued.

Apollo shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

How amusing.

Did they truly believe they could dictate terms to him?

"...Ah."

A sigh left his lips.

The next moment, the space around all of them froze.

Squash! Bang! Boom!

The three who had been the most provocative suddenly felt a terrifying force—space itself collapsing upon them. Before they had a chance to react, they were completely crushed into oblivion.

"Aahh!!!"

"What just happened?"

"How is this possible?"

Others were shocked and horrified as they didn’t even feel a hint of aura, yet they saw the three of the strongest people die instantly, like some insect.

The silence was deafening.

Blood, flesh, and shattered remnants of divine artifacts splattered onto the cracked ground. The once-proud Void Gods—reduced to nothingness in an instant.

The survivors staggered back, their faces drained of all colour. The weight of fear pressed against their souls, suffocating them.

"H-How...?" one of them stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What kind of power is this?"

Apollo stood unmoved, his expression calm, almost indifferent. He had not lifted a finger. Reality itself had obeyed his will.

That realization sent a shiver down their spines.

One of the older Void Gods, a seasoned warrior who had seen countless battles, suddenly fell to his knees.

"W-We were blind. We did not know we were standing before a supreme being." His voice trembled, drenched in terror. "Please... show mercy."

His plea snapped the others out of their frozen state. One by one, they collapsed to their knees, bowing their heads in submission.

"Please, mighty one! We meant no disrespect!"

"Forgive our ignorance!"

"Spare us!"

But will he let them leave? The answer was no, as for the first one he let them go, it was because he was in a good mood and their leader from the beginning didn’t show any killing intent and also was smart.

However, these guys were filled with killing intent, and he would not give them a chance.

"Boom."

Instantly the sky cracked open and swallowed them in a terrifying space storm that shredded every single one of them.