"Apollo, have you really grown this old?"
"Even with Hebe's help, you can't evade my attacks anymore?"
"You're both utterly useless."
"Sleeping endlessly won't speed up your recovery. On the contrary, it gives me a tremendous opportunity."
Above the endless void.
Thanatos's attacks on Apollo and Hebe came without pause, keeping the upper hand as he battered them both.
Apollo's expression was grim.
He had recovered only about thirty percent of his strength.
But Thanatos, the Death God, had already recovered around sixty percent of his.
Now, even with Hebe fighting alongside him, Apollo remained at a disadvantage against the Death God. Both of them had already suffered repeated injuries.
"Thanatos, your ambitions will never come to fruition."
"When this world's divine order collapses, the world itself will collapse with it."
Apollo swung his sword of light, blocking the Death God's scythe as he shouted with difficulty.
At those words, Thanatos laughed and pressed his attack. "Collapse?"
The Death God tugged on his scythe, flinging Apollo away, and said disdainfully, "Thanatos, you all think far too highly of yourselves."
"I'll kill you and take your powers."
"Once you've all died by my hand, I'll possess all your power. The entire divine order will be embodied in me alone."
"And I will rule this world."
Thanatos's terrifying evil energy surged out relentlessly, bearing down on Apollo and Hebe.
His overwhelming presence utterly suppressed them both.
Yet Thanatos did not kill them immediately.
At present, doing so did not seem particularly easy or troublesome for him.
"Apollo, if you don't want to die, you can have them come save you."
Thanatos blocked the arrow Hebe fired at him, then smiled sinisterly.
Apollo sneered at his words. "Thanatos, keep dreaming."
"I will never tell you where they're hiding."
"They will never come here,