Chapter 463: The countdown had begun: three months

Chapter 463: The countdown had begun: three months



"Whoa, hold on a sec." Mike walked to the fridge, grabbed an ice-cold cola, and chugged it down.

"Okay, let me get this straight." He pulled out a whiteboard, writing 'Apollo' on one side and 'Butterfly' on the other.

"Apollo's existential crisis is like a tug-of-war. Leaning towards Apollo makes him weaker. Leaning towards Butterfly makes him stronger?"

Foreskin nodded. "That's a decent analogy."

"So, as long as he's still on the fence, he's okay?"

"Correct." Foreskin walked to the whiteboard and added another word: "Unstable."

"If he leans too much towards Apollo, his power weakens... that's how his talent works, and it's also tied to his... well, his *being*."

If Apollo became too weak, the Supreme Demon God, always lurking in the shadows, would seize the opportunity to strike.

And without a Supreme Being to protect them, humanity would be toast.

"If he leans too much towards Butterfly," Foreskin continued, "he could also become unstable. Not in terms of power, but... he might lose his desire to protect humanity."

Mike understood.

If Apollo fully embraced his identity as a butterfly, a being of pure world source, then humans and demons would be equally insignificant, not worth favoring one over the other.

That's why Foreskin had asked Mike to chat with Apollo regularly, to keep him grounded.

Talk therapy, Supreme Being edition.

Foreskin hadn't anticipated that Thor's talk therapy would be *too* effective, pushing Apollo in the 'wrong' direction!

Before, they had worried about Apollo leaning too much towards Butterfly.

Now, they were worried about him leaning too much towards Apollo!

Mike nodded, studying the whiteboard. "Only by maintaining balance can Apollo protect humanity *and* remain powerful enough to do so."

"That's the theory. And it's a real pickle." Foreskin sighed. "My boss assured me that this wasn't something to worry about."

"Why?"

"Because before he figures out the answer, he has to throw down with the Supreme Demon God..." Foreskin trailed off, but Mike got the gist.

Apollo's showdown with the Supreme Demon God had only two possible outcomes.

"So, that means..."

Both of them were smart, and they both knew Apollo well.

Three months was the timeframe Apollo had given.

Shadow Nine, safe within the Supreme Abyssal, could stay as long as he wanted.

Why three months?

Because Apollo believed he would have his answer by then!

And once he had his answer, he could retrieve his instructor and face the Supreme Demon

God...

The countdown had begun: three months.

"Look on the bright side, we have three months," Mike said. "I'll reach level 999 within three

months, and then I can help Apollo. No problem!"

Foreskin sighed.

It was too early to be making such bold claims.

He knew better than Mike what had happened to the previous Supreme Beings.

And without a complete Supreme Mark, Thor wouldn't be much help in the final showdown.

Mike tapped the whiteboard. "There has to be *something* we can do."

"There is." Foreskin nodded. "We wait for news from Shadow Nine, then we talk to Ares. And

if all else fails, we bring in Master Fool..."

They would gather as many people as possible and find a way to help Apollo.

"By the way, where did you get all this historical information?" Mike asked suddenly. "Not that I don't trust you, but you know Shadow Nine and his... creative history. What if, hypothetically speaking, your information is also fabricated?"

Foreskin chuckled, dispelling Mike's concerns. "Easy. I have firsthand sources. Guaranteed

authentic!"

"How authentic?"

"Let's just say..." Foreskin paused, searching for the right words. "I fully funded the first expedition to the Tower of Truth. Does that answer your question?"