This mother*fcking Devil is afraid… afraid of confrontation?

"No," the Devil said firmly. "I didn't lie. The Contract is real. The Challenge is real. This is what Devils do. So either you do your best to survive… or fail and die. Me? I'm just going to get something before I come back. This is my Challenge, and these are my rules. There's nothing you can do about it."

"Enough with your bullsh*t!" Apollo shouted, and before the Devil could get another word out, his body vanished—reappearing right in front of the bastard. Then, he punched that smug face.

This time, Apollo used his Refined Qi to enhance his senses.

Time slowed down—and in this slowed-down world, the Beggar focused on the Devil's next move.

Something shone. A small piece of equipment on the Devil's hand.

A ring? Apollo narrowed his eyes just as the ring let out a black light. It behaved like the black water from before—covering the Devil from head to toe.

His fist was just inches away when a barrier formed. Apollo's punch slammed into it.

When time resumed, a thunderous shockwave erupted in the sky, sending violent ripples through the air.

Apollo and the Devil were blown apart, flung away from each other. The Beggar's hand dripped with blood.

But instead of grimacing, Apollo chuckled. A faint, speechless smile formed on his lips.

"If you don't stop, I swear you'll die!" the Devil warned as the barrier retracted back into the ring—vanishing as if it never appeared.

"Now I get it," Apollo said, wiping the blood off his ragged robe.

"Get what?" the Devil asked, raising an eyebrow—though their voice wavered, slightly different than before.

"You're a fake," Apollo said confidently.

The moment those words left his mouth, the 'Devil' visibly flinched. "F-Fake? Me? I'm a Devil!"

Apollo smirked. He didn't buy it for a second. "My guess? A Devil in disguise."

"It's just a guess. Keep talking—you're still going to die," the 'Devil' said after a deep breath, voice changing with each reply.

"Let's see if it's just a guess then," Apollo said. "I'm not afraid of the Boiling Death Water Poison you put in my heart!"

Hearing that, the 'Devil's' heart dropped. Shock surged through them. They didn't expect the human to know the name of the poison.

Only now did the 'Devil' realize—playing dumb wouldn't work anymore. Sticking to the lie? Useless.

There was only one option left: run.

Throwing away all remaining dignity, the 'Devil' spun around—and used every bit of its so-called 'abilities' to fly! The ring lit up again with black light.

"Not on my watch!" Apollo roared, using the Wind Blast Flying Technique to launch himself forward. The world blurred—then he was right behind the 'Devil'. "Take this, you fake!"

Another black, water-like barrier materialized—but this time, Apollo didn't punch.

Instead, he used the Water Blade Disintegration Technique alongside the Simple Sword Technique.

He slashed his hand in the air—and in the next second, countless blades rained down on the flying Devil.

The Devil kept flying, even with water blades slamming into him—but he hadn't expected the sheer force behind each strike.

"This is bad," the Devil muttered, frowning as the blades started chipping away at the barrier.

The relentless barrage threw the Devil in every direction, completely ruining his chance to escape.

Apollo halted midair, watching the Devil get tossed around by his Water Blades."They got stronger," he muttered in mild surprise, noting the light blue aura glowing around the blades.

So my Water Techniques get stronger when I use them with the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation? Apollo thought, eyes glinting with realization.

The strength behind the Water Blades was far more intense than before. Though he couldn't tell exactly how much, thanks to the black water barrier surrounding the Devil—which was still a tough defense—he was confident. If he were to fight that kid from the Middle Continent again, he'd win using just this Technique. Hell, if he really wanted to, killing that kid would be as easy as wringing a chicken's neck.

Apollo observed for a moment longer, then came to a conclusion—the Devil couldn't do a damn thing against his Water Blade Disintegration Technique.

"So that ring of his… it's only a defensive item?" Apollo muttered.

Done watching the 'Devil' get rag-dolled, his body blurred and reappeared right in front of the target.

By now, the barrier—dark and watery like before—was covered in cracks.

Apollo punched.

His fist shattered the barrier, breaking it into black particles. The punch didn't stop there—it slammed into the Devil's face just as the ring tried to summon another shield.

But the Beggar's attack was faster.

With a resounding bang, the Devil was sent crashing back into the Wadis!

A cloud of dust exploded as the 'Devil' hit the ground, blanketing the desert in a thick haze of sand.

Hidden in the dust, Apollo deactivated his Water Blade Disintegration Technique and the Great Serpent Ascendant Transformation. He figured there was no need for either anymore.

He dropped from the sky like a stone—only using his flying abilities at the last second to soften the landing.

As his feet touched down in the middle of the dust cloud, Apollo heard hurried footsteps… retreating.

"This guy's persistent," Apollo muttered, shaking his head.

He waved his hand, sending a blast of wind that swept the dust away.

And there he saw it—the Devil, limping and running for his life. A far cry from the smug, intimidating presence he first presented.

Amused, the Beggar instantly appeared in front of him.

The Devil stumbled back, falling onto his ass.

"You call that a Devil? You look more like a—" Apollo grinned, cutting himself off. His smile widened. "So… a Devil, huh? Or just a man pretending to be one?"

The illusion was gone.

The once beautiful, androgynous being had transformed into a scrawny man with a hook nose and a giant mole on his cheek.

Sparse hair. Rotten, black teeth. The guy looked like a damn witch.

He stared up at the small human with terror in his eyes.

Swallowing hard, the man stammered, "Y-You're making a grave mistake… you don't know who you're up against."

"Oh, I know," Apollo said with a nod. "Isn't it obvious? A 'Devil'? Sent here to play pretend and attack Belthias City—using the Monster Stampede as cover. Am I right?"

The scrawny man gritted his teeth and spat on the ground. "Act smart all you want. That poison will still kill you."

"What poison?" Apollo smirked, eyes narrowing at the witch-looking man.