550: Chapter 539: The Mysterious Guest 550: Chapter 539: The Mysterious Guest Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
In the spacious bookroom, two figures danced a deadly ballet, their combat spinning a dizzying, relentless web.
The fight between Ning Fan and Apollo had lasted less than ten minutes thus far, but in this brief duration, Ning Fan had glimpsed but the tip of the iceberg of Apollo’s prowess.
Their battle grew increasingly fierce, yet neither combatant could guarantee victory over the other, their matched strength making it difficult to predict an outcome.
Although neither had unleashed their full potential, as the fight dragged on, both became more astonished by the other’s capabilities.
It must be said that Apollo’s control over the Fang Guild was not due to luck, but undeniably because of his strength.
With such power and a strategic mind, it seemed only natural for Apollo to have supplanted the previous leader of the Fang Guild.
Bookshelves toppled one after another, a casualty of their fight; the noise of their downfall reached far and wide.
Inside the palace, footsteps multiplied, the guards becoming aware of the commotion and sounding the alarm as they converged on the location.
“It seems our duel will have to wait until next time, heh heh…”
Ning Fan pushed Apollo away with a palm strike and leapt gracefully to the windowsill.
At that moment, Apollo too became aware of the noise from outside, the sound of many footsteps rushing towards them.
“Don’t even think about escaping!” Apollo hissed, raising his rapier and lunging forward in pursuit.
Ning Fan felt a chill in his heart, shattered the window with a crash, and then leapt into the darkness beyond.
Apollo stood by the window, frustration etched on his face as he gazed into the pitch-black abyss where his fingers could barely be seen.
Crack!
Apollo crushed the glass beneath his feet into dust.
Then, with a thunderous crash, a group of guards wielding weapons burst in, taking control of the bookroom.
“Lord Apollo, are you hurt?”
The Guard Commander, responsible for the palace’s security, knelt respectfully before Apollo, cold sweat beading on his brow, not daring to meet Apollo’s gaze.
Apollo was a guest of great importance to the Grand Duke.
Because of their negligence, an assassin had breached security; should Apollo blame them, it could mean not only the loss of the Commander’s position but of his life as well.
Moreover, the assassin had escaped, causing the Guard Commander great unease as he prayed for leniency in his punishment.
Apollo gazed at the Guard Commander with an expressionless face, seemingly preoccupied.
Ignoring the Guard Commander, Apollo walked to the center of the room, kicked aside a pile of books, and squatted down to pick up a Silver Needle with two fingers.
“Silver Needle…
a rare item.
Who exactly is he?” Apollo murmured to himself, holding the needle.
Then he noticed a dark stain at the tip of the needle, and motioned for the Guard Commander to approach.
The Guard Commander, not daring to delay, hurried to Apollo’s side.
“Hold out your hand.”
Apollo looked at the Guard Commander coldly, his tone leaving no room for disobedience.
A bead of sweat rolled down the Guard Commander’s forehead as he stared at the unrelenting Apollo, swallowing nervously, but not daring to refuse, he complied.
Seeing him extend his hand, Apollo did not hesitate and directly stabbed the Silver Needle into the palm of the Guard Commander, intending to conduct an experiment.
“Lord Apollo, what is this…” the Guard Commander asked, furrowing his brow in confusion, not understanding why the other party wanted to do this.
“Shut up, just watch quietly!” Apollo snapped coldly, and the Guard Commander closed his mouth in fear.
As the Silver Needle pierced into the Guard Commander’s palm, the poison on the needle quickly took effect, visibly darkening his palm and causing his veins to bulge.
Psychologically affected and feeling the sharp pain in his palm, the Guard Commander clenched his teeth to prevent himself from crying out, but his face had already turned deathly pale.
“Interesting, such a rare poison actually exists in this world!” Apollo laughed, his laughter sounding quite sinister.
“Lord Apollo!” the Guard Commander called out, his voice filled with a plea, as he realized he had been used as a guinea pig by Apollo.
Apollo looked at him coldly, then suddenly laughed: “Why be in such a hurry?
I’ll help you.”
“Thank you, thank you, Lord Apollo!”
The Guard Commander breathed a sigh of relief, and his complexion finally improved slightly.
Apollo sneered coldly, and the next second, the rapier in his hand plunged straight into the Guard Commander’s throat.
The Guard Commander covered his throat, looking at Apollo in despair and confusion, his eyes filled with questioning and resentment.
The surrounding guards were shockingly pale, each of them wearing expressions of surprise and fear.
Apollo smiled faintly, reached out his hand to push the Guard Commander down, and after struggling for a moment on the ground, he lost all signs of life, his eyes still open in death.
“Truly an ungrateful wretch, haven’t I helped you?” Apollo muttered disdainfully.
He had no antidote, and by the time he realized it, it was too late.
Even if he tried to draw the poison out from the Guard Commander’s body, it would be futile, unless the person poisoned was himself.
The only help Apollo could offer was to afford the Guard Commander a swift death, sparing him from the agony of the poison.
Better to die swiftly than to suffer the torment of poison.
“From now on, you are the Guard Commander here; clean this place up, I…
am going to rest now, make sure not to disturb me.”
“Yes…
As you command!”
Apollo casually appointed someone to take the Guard Commander’s place.
Ignoring the terrify expressions of the guards, he turned and walked out of the study, exerting a bit of force with his fingers, turning the Silver Needle taken from the Guard Commander’s hand into powder.
Apollo lifted his finger to his nose and sniffed it, a chilling smile slowly spreading across his face.
“Just smelling it has an effect; this person truly is no ordinary individual.
Such a poison is rare in this world, and this trip to Europe has brought an interesting tale ahead of schedule.
How amusing, truly amusing, an excellent appetizer indeed!”
Apollo mused to himself, growing more and more curious about the true identity of the man in black, Ning Fan.
At the same time, Apollo became cautious, not viewing tonight’s incident as an accident, and realizing it might affect his plans.
He was reminded by tonight’s events to consider that there was someone in Europe with strength comparable to his own, and for the success of his plans, he had to take this into account.
“Silver Needle…”
Apollo’s eyes flickered with a cold light, the “visitor” tonight giving him the only clue he had.