549: Chapter 538: Apollo 549: Chapter 538: Apollo Night silently descended, stars sprinkled across the sky, resembling the Milky Way.
In Europe, many countries still practice constitutional monarchy, with the most famous being the former British Empire, and the Queen of England is still alive.
Kings, Queens, and Grand Dukes aren’t unfamiliar to Europeans.
In a Duchy palace in Europe, with its antique architectural style and Medieval statues and castles, stepping into this place felt like stepping back into ancient times, giving one a sense of time travel.
A figure quietly infiltrated the palace under the cover of night.
In the deepest, most splendid parts of the palace, there were still many guards patrolling at night.
It must be said that, befitting a spiritual symbol of a Duchy, even just a study room in this palace was comparable to a small house.
In the study, a young Caucasian with blond hair and blue eyes was quietly savoring a book.
He was dressed in a Gothic long coat and wearing a monocle, his handsome face coupled with an elegant demeanor, one might think he was a prince of this place.
However, this refined young man was merely staying here temporarily, but the Grand Duke held him in high esteem, and neither the guards nor the servants in the palace dared to slight this young man.
This man was Apollo, but his demeanor didn’t resemble that of the bloodstained members of the Fang Guild, nor would anyone guess he was actually the ruler controlling the Fang Guild.
“Each and every book here is a gem, yielding new insights with each read…” Apollo caressed the yellowed pages, voicing his appreciation.
He seemed not to be speaking to himself, but rather to someone else.
Apollo gently placed the book on the shelf, resting his chin on one hand.
He seemed to sense something, the corners of his mouth curving slightly, wearing an inscrutable smile.
“Since you’ve come, why not show yourself and have a chat?”
Apollo turned his head towards a dark corner in the distance, where nothing could be seen.
Yet, Ning Fan’s eyes widened with wariness.
Indeed, Apollo was no simple character; Ning Fan had concealed his presence to the extreme, yet he was still detected.
Considering that Apollo’s strength might rival his own, Ning Fan squinted his eyes and decided to leave first and plan ahead later.
Acting against Apollo alone now seemed somewhat irrational, and Ning Fan couldn’t guarantee his chances of winning.
“It’s quite rude of you to act like this.
I am quite pleased to have a visitor.
Why not come out for a chat?”
Apollo spoke with a light laugh, his smile possessing a peculiar charm that was very captivating.
His elegant posture didn’t resemble the king of the night, but more like a charming noble, the prince on a white horse of many a girl’s dreams.
Ning Fan paid no heed to Apollo’s words, and instead turned around and left immediately without any hesitation.
“How rude of you, I didn’t say you could leave!”
Apollo’s eyes turned cold, and a dagger appeared in his hand.
The dagger flew out, tracing a cold light through the air towards the back of Ning Fan’s head.
Ding Ling!
A Silver Needle collided with the dagger, knocking it off course, but Ning Fan was now completely exposed.
“Oh, since you’re already here, why not reveal your true face?” Apollo smiled mischievously, eyeing the masked Ning Fan, who was clad in black, with great interest.
Ning Fan had Silver Needles ready between his fingers.
He remained silent, merely watching Apollo coldly, showing no intention of responding.
Seeing no answer from Ning Fan, Apollo’s expression promptly lost its amusement.
At that moment, Apollo suddenly made his move.
He grabbed a rapier from the wall, held one hand behind his back, and charged toward Ning Fan.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The rapier drew several phantom traces in the air, piercing several shocking holes in Ning Fan’s coat.
Ning Fan bent down, releasing two Silver Needles from his hand.
Twisting his ankle, he performed a 180-degree spin and dodged Apollo’s strike.
Ding ding!
Two crisp sounds echoed across the room as Apollo grew serious, shelving his previous underestimation and scrutinizing the masked man before him.
“Who sent you to assassinate me?” Apollo asked with a chilling tone, his voice laced with a terrifying murderous intent.
“You misunderstand me.
I merely heard some rumors and was curious about you.
I wanted to see for myself the Apollo who has turned the Fang Guild upside down!”
A hoarse voice drifted through the mask, causing Apollo’s expression to darken a degree.
“Cowardly enough not to show your face, though I’m not sure how you found your way here.
This isn’t a place you can simply come and go freely from, prepare to die!”
Apollo raised his rapier, its speed ghostly.
Its elongated blade reflected a cold light onto Ning Fan’s mask.
Crash—
A bookshelf split in half from top to bottom, its clean cut proving just how terrifying the seemingly ordinary rapier became in Apollo’s hands.
The dim light lingered; Ning Fan’s figure stealthily appeared behind Apollo.
His coat billowed without wind, and his raised palm seemed to generate a vortex.
Apollo’s eyes widened.
He had no time to raise his sword, instead swiftly turning to strike with his left palm.
Bang!
Their palms met, creating an explosive sound.
After a stalemate at a two-meter distance, both men separated and staggered back five steps before barely stabilizing themselves.
Ning Fan watched Apollo with increasing wariness.
Though he had not used his full strength, the trial move had proven that Apollo’s abilities were not inferior to his.
Similarly, Apollo had been holding back.
But the surprise Ning Fan brought him was anything but small.
It had been a long time since he had faced an opponent like Ning Fan, who had so effortlessly decapitated the leader of the Fang Guild, akin to slaughtering a dog.
But Ning Fan was different.
His strength was clearly not limited to what had been shown, and apart from wariness in Apollo’s eyes, there was an undeniable thrill.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the face behind your mask!” At this moment, Apollo was very curious about Ning Fan’s real identity.
With such strength, he was surely no obscure figure and might even be someone he knew.
“Let’s see if you can manage it,” Ning Fan retorted, his mouth curling into a taunting smirk.
Apollo’s gaze turned icy, he scoffed, “Hmph, courting death!”
With that, he instantly appeared in front of Ning Fan, his hand flashing like lightning, aiming straight for the face!