Chapter 188: Meeting(Part-1)

Chapter 188: Meeting(Part-1)Apollo clenched his fist, and the energy in the room fluctuated with his rising anger. "You should’ve told me sooner. We’ll deal with this, Sol. You’re not alone in this mess."

With that said, he couldn’t help but think about the situation at hand. While they couldn’t directly attack within Sky City, the group could still harass weaker trialists. With many of them targeting vulnerable individuals, it would be like living in hell—like the bullies from his previous life, only more dangerous.

His mind raced for a solution, and he seemed to think something as he spread his spiritual sense beyond the room. Suddenly, he sensed something outside, a presence that made his eyes glow with fierce light.

"Found a rat."

Apollo said nothing more and disappeared in front of Sol, leaving him startled. One moment he was there, and the next, he was gone. Sol’s eyes widened in surprise.

When Apollo reappeared, he was already hovering in the air, silently observing from the shadows near his small mountain. His sharp gaze locked onto two figures below, hiding in the corner. They were trying to be discreet, but Apollo had already sensed them.

The two men were spying on his place, unaware that they had just drawn the attention of someone far beyond their comprehension.

Both of them were hiding, had marginal strength of third rank, and were nothing special. They can be said to belong to the lowest level among the trialists, and they whispered to each other, not knowing that someone was watching and listening to them.

"Hmm, why is the bastard here? Didn’t this area belong to strong trialists who have become two star-marked trialists or higher?"

"Didn’t they say he didn’t have any contacts and is just a poor, weak guy? Won’t it be a problem if we target someone with connections to a strong trialist?" One of the men whispered, his voice tinged with anxiety.

His partner, trying to sound more confident, replied, "Relax. They checked him out. No one important has come near him. He’s just lucky to have made it this far. Maybe he somehow made some connections, but without enough benefits, the strong trialists wouldn’t risk helping him. No one’s going to make enemies with our salvation society over a guy like him."

Apollo’s eyes narrowed as he listened from above, his expression growing colder but with an evil grin. These fools were truly seeking trouble, and while normally he found gathering points through tasks tedious, this situation presented a more direct solution. Not only could he help Sol, but he could also make the Salvation Society taste their own medicine.

After his recent breakthrough, Apollo’s confidence soared. He wasn’t afraid of even the top ten trialists on the points list, some of whom had the strength of half-gods. He knew he could handle them, so what were a few members of a "Salvation Society" full of nothing but trash?

A dangerous smirk tugged at his lips as his mind raced with possibilities. These people had no idea what they had just provoked. The time for mercy had long passed.

He didn’t kill them or alert them, as he wasn’t to deal with them as they were some scrubs; he was going to catch the big shots of the salvation society.

"Hmm, there’s more?" Apollo muttered, his senses sharp as ever. He detected a very weak yet extraordinarily well-hidden aura, one that he had almost overlooked earlier due to the distance. It was faint, like a whisper in the wind, but distinct enough now that his focus had shifted.

This wasn’t just any ordinary trialist. For someone to hide so well, even saints might have missed their presence. But to Apollo, this was a fairly extraordinary person, one that piqued his curiosity.

"Not good!" The person hidden in the far who was watching Apollo something and his hair stood up in danger as Apollo, who was still standing in the sky, seemed to have disappeared.

The moment Apollo appeared next to the hidden shadowy figure, the man’s eyes covered in a dark veil-like aura widened in terror. His heart pounded violently in his chest, realizing how outclassed he was.

Apollo’s sudden arrival, without any sign of movement, clearly indicated the use of teleportation—an ability that only half-gods or those far above could achieve. As even without mastering the Law of Space, beings at that level could tear through space with sheer strength, achieving a similar effect.

The hidden figure, no longer able to maintain his composure, trembled slightly under the pressure. Apollo’s mere presence was suffocating. He hadn’t expected to be discovered, let alone by someone who could move with such power and ease.

He couldn’t believe Apollo was this powerful. He himself might not be the strongest, but he wasn’t weak, as he was a very rare fourth-rank shadow mage. Even if he mainly focused on hiding, invisibility, and running away, his strength wasn’t weak among the fourth rank.

The man’s mind raced as he stood frozen under Apollo’s overwhelming presence. His body trembled involuntarily, the weight of Apollo’s aura suffocating him. How could someone like this need protection? His thoughts spiralled into panic.

"Lady said Apollo was young... needing protection... but this? This strength is monstrous. He’s no ordinary trialist—he’s a supreme monster!"

Countless frantic thoughts swirled in his head, but no amount of reasoning could reconcile what he had been told with the terrifying reality before him. Both of them... his mind flashed back to the woman who had sent him. They’re monsters, beyond common sense.

Apollo, still calm and composed, observed the man with cold detachment.

"Who are you, why are you hiding here?" He asked.

The person knows he cannot hide; he immediately deactivates the weird shadow magic covering him and shows his true face. Which is surprisingly different from what he expected.

Contrary to the aura he’d sensed, the man appeared frail and sickly, his pale skin nearly translucent as if he could be swept away by a strong breeze. His body trembled as he coughed, the sound raspy and weak.

"Young lord," the man began, his voice barely above a whisper, "my name is Severus, and I was ordered by the lady to find you, monitor, and... cough! cough!... protect you." He struggled to maintain his composure under the weight of Apollo’s presence.

"Which lady?" Apollo asked.

"I cannot say that, but she definitely does not want to harm you. But I can ask for permission to arrange a meeting for you." Severus’s thin frame shivered slightly, his eyes downcast, as he awaited Apollo’s response.

"Hmm, weird—you can’t say, but you can arrange a meeting? Are you trying to mess with me?"

"Arrange a meeting, and then you can gang up on me!" His eyes became cold as he heard Severus’s idiotic words. Even though they cannot kill within the Sky City, they can still suppress him.

Severus shit his pants as Apollo burst angrily after hearing the words and couldn’t help but panic as the aura continued to press him more.

"I... I am not lying! It’s just that I cannot say anything more. I am not allowed to say; otherwise, I would have told you the name." He somehow managed to complete the sentence, struggling under the crushing force of Apollo’s aura.

"Hmm." Hearing this, Apollo finally eased up and murmured, "Not allowed to say?" He quickly recalled the existence of peculiar skills and contracts that could bind someone, preventing them from divulging certain information. This might be one of those situations.

Apollo’s cold gaze bore into Severus, his anger evident, though he managed to restrain himself after hearing the man’s explanation.

Severus, trembling under Apollo’s aura, seemed relieved as the pressure slowly lifted. His knees wobbled, and his face grew paler than before, but he remained composed enough to speak.

"I... truly mean no harm, young lord. I was ordered only to watch over you after finding you, nothing more. If you wish, I can arrange the meeting as soon as I get permission. Please, believe me."

Apollo stared at him for a moment, pondering the situation. If Severus was telling the truth, there was no immediate danger—at least not from him. Yet, Apollo couldn’t let his guard down.

"Fine," Apollo finally said, his tone measured but still icy. "Arrange the meeting. But if I sense any funny business... you won’t get a second chance."

Severus nodded frantically, bowing low despite his frail condition. "Understood, young Lord! I’ll make sure everything is done properly. You have my word."

He agreed to meet because, compared to some shitty society, he was more interested in the person who arranged for this guy to protect and watch him, as the only person that would ask that would be her, but how can she order such strong people around is a question, so he wasn’t sure until he met the person behind.

Hearing this, Severus quickly pulled out a small talisman-like device and began speaking quietly into it, asking something to the person on the other end. It resembled a cell phone, something that could be purchased here with points, as regular communication methods from the Eastern Continent didn’t work within Sky City.

Apollo’s master had also urged him to buy one of these devices for ease of communication, but like an introverted otaku too engrossed in his training, Apollo hadn’t found the time to do so.

While these thoughts passed through Apollo’s mind, Severus seemed to have made contact with his superior and finalized the arrangements.

"Young Lord, please follow me. I will lead you," Severus said, his voice now steadier, though he still looked a bit nervous.