But now the Solar Furnace that had trapped the Fire God had become his best refuge.
Though Apollo was the Sun God, even he could not simply enter the Solar Furnace. He could only threaten and plead from outside. The Fire God, meanwhile, seemed certain of victory and continued stealing Apollo's essence. At this rate, Apollo would lose all his Sun God essence within half an hour.
Then he would no longer be the Sun God he once was. He would become a mere mortal.
Apollo struggled frantically. He had never imagined that his foolproof plan would take such a turn. The God of Death had turned his own scheme against him, leaving him on the defensive.
Inside the Solar Furnace, flames engulfed the Fire God. As the furnace burned, it heated him further, and his power climbed steadily.
"Hahaha! Hahaha!"
At last, the Fire God could no longer contain his excitement and burst into wild laughter.
Apollo had grown terribly weak, and Gaia and the others appeared helpless.
They could only watch as the Fire God drained Apollo's essence.
"Stop! Stop it!" Apollo cried weakly, but it was no use. His power had already fallen to Legendary Rank.
"Accept your fate, Apollo! Your fate was sealed the moment you betrayed the Titan Race. Struggle all you want, plot all you want—none of it can change a thing." Certain of victory, the Fire God no longer bothered to hide his triumph.
But as soon as he finished speaking, his expression changed drastically. A voice sounded beside his ear. "What can't be changed?"
"Who's there?" Startled, the Fire God whipped his head toward the voice, but saw nothing.
What's going on? He was stunned. Who could have entered the Solar Furnace without a sound?
"Looking for me?" The voice came again.