Apollo’s Beautifully Orchestrated Strategy

Bitter.

Disgustingly bitter

....was what he tasted in his divine tongue.

He can't believe he had to taste this repugnant taste again in the span of a few minutes - even if it was less extreme this time. But nevertheless it still made his skin crawl, wriggle with disgust and unease.

The taste of defeat.

Not only once but hundreds of times in a single moment. Of course a brilliant God such as him wasn't affected negatively. But to think he would taste that much defeat - even with his lovely twin sister, mind you - the idea itself seemed preposterous. There were only a handful of battles he could remember that he was on the receiving end of defeat. In fact, there was only a single battle he has felt this amount of pressure from seeing the amount of defeats in a single moment.

Apollo held back an exasperated sigh as held his drawing posture strong.

'All this just because I can see better...'

The only thing he could do was fight.

Well technically he could have tried all kinds of methods - ranging sweet talks and bartering. But their pursuer did not seem like someone who could be reasoned with in their current state. It never mattered anyways. As in the end, Apollo would have the cold steel of daggers touching his ever-so delicate neck. His hands were tied towards the ground by chains that spawned from Apollo's own shadow. Artemis was also not faring any better in the vision, as she also was bound to the same chain.

The thought of it even made him frown inwardly.

A consolation of this whole charade would be perhaps how their pursuer was seemingly one of the most beautiful Gods he has ever laid eyes upon. His beauty seemed to even match Aphrodite herself - and Apollo knows how big of a trouble he would ensue to himself to never use that compliment lightly. If there is one word to truly describe him, it would be:

Dangerous.

A man with obsidian black hair, a pale complexion completed with amethyst purple eyes. His eyes were solid with battle-hardened experience, something that warriors would have, but something flashed in his eyes as he looked at him. Longing? Guilt? Doubt? Apollo couldn't tell as he looked away the moment he tried to decipher it. His figure, while not intimidating, had a lean figure but somehow still muscular enough to hold Apollo down in his vision.

He gripped bow tightly, as he steadied his aim back at head level. Concentration is of the utmost importance and even then he could replay that memory back when need be. Being the God of Knowledge does come with its perks of having a great memory.

His plan to defeat the unknown God was simple really.

Live.

Live as long as possible.

It took all of his willpower not to show any reaction to his own funny, albeit twisted, conclusion. The gist of it was time. They needed to buy time - both the twins, drag out the fight as long as possible. The vision only showed a minute into the future and beyond that was a mystery. So Apollo is betting on the unknown. It was ironic actually, beating the unknown with something else unknown. It wasn't hard in theory, but the visions showed otherwise. It was grim - plus it was the least flattering way to fight - but it was the best chance they have. Artemis would no doubt understand what he is going to do when she reads his movements.

Before he could clear his own doubts, Apollo felt it.

A flicker of godly essence brewing in the spot that he is aiming at.

Without a single second to spare, as a figure formed out of nothingness and 2 arrows were already flying side-by-side towards it. One is a simple wooden arrow with an arrowhead made from silver that is shining brightly even without much light reflecting off it. The other is also eerily very similar, with the only difference being the arrowhead being made from gold with a similar divine shine shining from it. The 2 lights seemed to be simultaneously fighting for control of which would outshine the room. It created a beautiful and yet blinding atmosphere, cleansing the once darkened room. The pair of arrows also moved through the air at a ridiculous speed and with perfect sync.

The figure did not move, until the very last second. The figure - now identified to have manly features - tilted his head to his right, dodging the golden arrow. The golden arrow did not fully miss however, as it grazed the cheek of the unknown god. He simultaneously caught the silver arrowhead with his left hand, perfectly catching it as it was just a fingernail away from his eyes. His amethyst-like eyes glared.

Apollo did not linger for another second to be surprised by their pursuer's ability. That was the last thing he needed to do.

The timer starts now.

He swiftly pulled back the string of bow and as he did another golden arrow manifested out of thin air. The golden and warm shine returned to the room once again. He then let the arrow fly, aiming once again for the unknown god's head.

The twin arrows that had landed previously disappeared in shimmer sparks of light. The god did not act surprised - in fact he looked like he had suspected it. At the same moment the silver arrow that was directly caught by his left hand disappeared, the same black dagger he saw in the vision appeared in his left hand.

The god's eyes travelled towards the 2nd flying golden arrow and lifted his dagger, perfectly blocking the arrow as he blocked with the blunt side of the dagger. The arrow once again disappeared in shimmering sparks right before it could hit the ground. The god must have realised that he was fighting 2 archers as he wasted no time to lunge directly towards Apollo.

Apollo, who foresaw that his arrow would not strike true and the instantaneous reaction, manifested his sword. On the usual occasion, his sword is one of his pride and joy and he would enjoy every second of wielding it - of course second to his trusted bow and arrow. The sword is a simple double-edged sword that seemed to both reflect any light and become its own lightsource using its blade.

But there was no time to truly enjoy the sight of his sword.

Apollo perfectly blocked the unknown god's dagger swing. It did not take long for the unknown god to use the smaller size of the dagger as an advantage to throw more swings. The 2 armaments clashing with one another, producing a melody of steel and spectacle of sparks between each other. A deadly play. One thing that Apollo noticed is that each swing was not only fast but deadly in its own right. His aggressor not only aimed for his precise weak spots, he also randomly switched his target towards Apollo's guarded parts with greater power and the same amount of deadly speed. A strange swordsmanship that seemed both incorporating the key components of a berserker and assassin. Power, precision, speed. All in one.

The worst part of all this is that Apollo knew this and there is nothing he could do.

There is only so much he could do with his sword at such a disadvantage of speed and his archery skill would be of no help in such a close range. Perfectly as he saw in the vision. He gritted his teeth.

It was his complete counter.

But he could not care. For he was not the main pivot of this assault.

It is his sister.

As if on queue, her silver arrows' glow emanated from behind him filling up the room. This time, however, the glow is brighter. As the vision suggested, Artemis did not just want to shoot 1 arrow but she wanted to shoot 3. The god - for a moment - distracted by the sudden silver glow, missed his attack and Apollo managed to block. He looked directly into his enemy, a cheeky smirk plastered across his face.

"It's our turn."

The silver arrows travelled through the air, its glow travelling with it and silently travelled through the air. Each of the arrows synced up in the air and yet they did not cross each other's paths. The arrows target was the aggressor.

As the arrow was about to land on the aggressor's back - all targeting weak organs from different angles - with terrifying speed, shadow hands leapt out from the ground itself and caught it. The shadow hands crushed the arrows, disappearing with silver sparks, and started to morph into chains. The chains' length grew and flew across the room, attempting to shackle Artemis.

Before that could happen, Apollo parried the god's dagger strike - putting an extra push behind it. This caused him to lose his footing, staggering back and forcing the chain to stop in its flight path and fall on the ground. As the chains fell on the ground, sound was not made. Instead the chains seemed to assimilate with the flooring itself, until no signs of it were left on the ground.

The god, who seemed to keel over, regained his composure after his chains disappeared. The empty right hand now filled with the other pair of the obsidian steel dagger, adjusting his posture fit for a dual-wielder. The god's expression did not - expectedly - change. It still has the cold and hardened calculating look, trying to analyse the situation around him. Artemis, who was behind Apollo, walked forward slowly towards him. She had dismissed her bow and now she was readily holding her twin pair of silver hunting daggers. She turned to face him, some beads of sweat had started to form on her forehead. Looking at her face, her expression had hardened while her moonlit-silver eyes had a mixed frustration and curiosity.

Apollo sighed, adjusting his stance.

The ever-competitive sibling.

He grinned.

"So is your plan just doing this?" Her tone was cold but tactical.

"Unless you have a better one?" An eyebrow was raised. She knew the answer as well as him - that is the reason why he was the strategist of the two.

"I do not like relying on Lady Fortuna." She scoffed.

Apollo clicked his tongue.

Half of the time has been eaten.

"Just follow my lead." It wasn't a request nor an order. It was a statement, like thousands he said before on the battlefield. One of the responsibilities he had shouldered after gaining these prophetic powers.

He ruffled his already-messy blonde hair.

'Sometimes I do regret having these powers….' He readied himself, changing his defensive stance into an attacking one. This is one of the routes that did buy them a lot of time. Artemis also changed her stance in reply, covering any opening that Apollo's stance had.

The twins lunged at the god, almost in perfect sync. Apollo charged up an overhead strike from the left while oppositely Artemis was in the motion of speedy slash from the right. They were not only a perfect attack combo of power and speed, but also strategic. They cannot be idly standing by to receive strikes, with the unknown god's masterful swordsmanship and power, they had to be one who's attacking. The god received the overhead strike from the left with one of his daggers, with just enough power to hold it for a couple of seconds. Simultaneously, the swift slash from the right was blocked better with his daggers compared to the strike from the left.

Although both strikes were held, the effect of the twin strikes did not go unnoticed. The god shifted his footing Artemis, while loosening his block towards the young sun god's strike. The momentum of the strike, still fresh, easily breaking down the block. Right before his strike hits the god's cloaked shoulder, a shadow hand has swiftly formed, blocking the double-edged blade perfectly.

Seeing the shadow up close, it was strange. It was not exactly made from darkness, or else it would not have stood a chance against his sun-blessed blade, but it was not physical. At least not entirely. Nevertheless, the shadow held and as his blocked dagger released, he turned his focus to his second dagger towards the blocked strike of Artemis.

His second dagger added more power that was unexpected by his twin as she - even just for a moment - lost her footing. He took the chance nonetheless, as he added more power, pushing her off from her strike. There was now a gaping hole in the strategy.

Apollo's double-edged sword is still held in place, but not both of his hands were still on the blade. His left hand is still firmly planted on the grip while his right hand free from the burden. As one of the versions of vision foretold, their pursuer's attention switched towards him, bringing his twin dagger swing towards his now seemingly under-defended abdomen. Since there was no way to block both daggers, he had to risk something.

The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

His right palm and his abdomen was cleanly pierced, ichor spilled from both injuries. With some effort, he gripped the blade of the dagger that pierced his palm, locking it in place. Ichor is now dripping from his palm at an alarming rate. The abdomen that pierced his side was lodged deep inside, being gripped from the inside by his muscles.

He grinned.

His plan is working, as expected.

It did not take long for the pursuer to realize that he needed to struggle his way out of the young sun God's grip. But it was too late. Artemis has regained her stance and saw the opening given.

Her strike was not only fast but powerful, yet her strike was not blindly aiming for any opening. She was precisely aiming for the openings left by the natural movement of the pursuer's swing. Like a calculating, hungry beast.

Though it would not work.

His visions had shown the results.

As if clockwork, the strike was blocked by a dark cloak - seemingly made from the same material that the shadow hand had been made of. It clashed silently, making no noise - as if there was a strike that was absorbed instead of blocked. She did not back down however. Instead she repeated her strikes. Strikes that repeatedly hit the same spots with the same intensity and speed.

However it did not stop a hint of surprise creeping on his twin's face.

'Priceless…..'

By now the room was almost deathly silent, completely contrasting on what is actually happening in the room. The twins were resilient, at least in their own way. Artemis was striking with her twin daggers into the shadow cloak, her strikes still very much silent, but his twin knew that she could not hold these persistent and precise strikes for long. Apollo himself was not faring much better, dividing his attention between two facets does not do him any favors. His left hand's strength has already been reduced to about half, and every second it decreases. His right side of his body has become slowly numb, this was the side effect he saw in the vision.

Their pursuer, however, did not seem fazed.

On the contrary, it seemed like his eyes seemed to be calculating. It was the eyes of an experienced warrior, one forged from many battles. Analyzing the flow of battle. Trying to find ways to break out of the deadlock.

It did not take long.

The shadow hand that gripped the blade of the double-edged blade, suddenly tightened. With enough might, the hand pushed back the sword, making Apollo's footing loose. An opening created from nothing.

As his footing loosened, their pursuer kicked the young sun god's stomach. So much force was generated from the kick that it managed to dislodge both daggers from the injuries, leaving the two injuries spurt and drench in golden ichor. His sword, now on the ground as he let go from the kick, was dissolving slowly into shimmering golden sparks. Apollo staggered backwards as he tried to regain his balance, but to no avail. He fell on his back, supporting himself with his uninjured right hand, making sure to not fall completely on his back.

The shadow hand now morphed into black steel chains, clamped onto both of his legs, restricting Apollo's movement entirely. This made it so that he could turn his focus onto his twin sister, shifting his whole stance to face her.

Their pursuer dismissed his dark cloak, finding the correct gap in between her strikes, he used his whole body to generate a swift precise strike for her neck. However, Artemis instinctively blocked his strike, inches before it could reach its target. Both of their bodies shook as they battled for control. For control of her life. For a brief moment, her sister glanced into the young sun god's sky-blue eyes.

He smugly grinned.

Time is up.

Artemis' block faltered, letting the dagger go through its natural pathway towards her neck.

'Our win.'