With the number of high-skilled Altered left, and with how much power and energy Ice had used, he had to be conservative while fighting. His body was resilient and had great healing capabilities.
The more power an elemental energy he would use, the weaker these aspects of his body would be though, and he had already used a large amount. So rather than trying to use his ice powers to target a large number of people, he was having to deal with them with just his ice club and shield alone. This was the safer option, as long as he didn't wear down before everyone was taken out.
This was a similar situation that Kanu and Elijah were in as well. Kanu had managed to reach Elijah before he got seriously hurt, already running out of all of his Anti-Altered equipment.
With both groups somewhat busy, it meant they could only rely on one person to free Xin now, the person who was closest and was tumbling with another one of the Zodiac's.
Both Apollo and Austin were in their fully transformed states. Given it his all, Austin was pushing Apollo back, whose feet were slipping, but gritting his teeth, Apollo swung his hands and broke from the grasp.
Immediately, he went and grabbed Austin by his waist.
"Don't you remember what happened the last time!" Apollo then picked up Austin's large body by the top of his legs in the air.
The motion was so fast that Austin had no idea what was happening. When he realized that he was on top of the shoulders of Apollo, it was too late. He was already seeing the ceiling.
Swinging with a mighty force, Apollo slammed Austin back onto the ground from a great height, making large cracks appear in the floor.
"Kek!" Austin coughed blood, but he hadn't passed out. He quickly rolled, seeing Apollo's fist hit the floor.
As he got up, steam continued out of his nose and he charged forward once more, swinging his arms to hit Apollo.
Casually though, Apollo lifted his large paws, blocking both of the hits, and then grabbed one of Austin's arms, pulling him forward. Before Austin knew it, Apollo was now behind him and had locked both of his arms.
Once again using the momentum of his mass, strength, and weight, he pulled Apollo from the ground up in the air, and then pushed on his chest, slamming him into the floor again.
Those that weren't too far away stumbled for a few moments from the power of the attack alone.
"Are you wondering why things are different this time, why it's so easy for me to take you out?" Apollo said. "It's because I was hesitant last time, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, but a trained fighter like me, who went through the AFA and the AFC, against a street fighter like you who just wildly throws his arms out, the two of us are no match."
Xin, not too far off, although frail and weak, was still conscious, her eyes were open and she was watching everything unfold in front of her.
'Everyone here getting hurt is all because of me.' Xin thought. 'I'm stupid… I'm really stupid. I didn't care if I got hurt, if I failed getting my revenge, as long as I could make things annoying for Harvor… I didn't think about the others.'
'Now Gary's fighting Harvor as well, and I'm just stuck here watching this.' Xin tugged on her arm, but it was useless; she couldn't even transform anymore due to the lack of food she had been given this entire time.
Austin was slowly getting up off the ground, he had been hurt but still had a lot of strength. Yet even for an Altered, it would take some time to recover, and in the middle of his wobbly get up, he felt something tight grabbing onto his waist.
Austin tried to pull down, tried to pry away the large paws that were holding onto him, but the grip was incredibly tight. The steam was weak coming out from his nose, and Austin's body was held up in the air again.
It smashed onto the ground just as hard as last time.
"I'm trying to give you a chance, to give up, but you just don't!" Apollo shouted. After already slamming him into the ground once, he lifted Austin's body again, not letting him catch a break and slammed him into the floor again at the exact same place.
The ground beneath broke even further, sinking the floor beneath even more. Then Apollo picked up Austin, and with both hands swung him into the floor for a third time.
"ARGHH!" Blood spewed out from his mouth into the air landing back on his chest.
Finally, as Apollo let go of Austin's body, his transformation was reverting. The bull-like features that had been covering his face were fading as Austin was turning back into his human form again.
His eyesight was blurry as he looked at the ceiling and with each breath, pain was felt.
'My fists were useless… I wasn't even able to get a single hit in on him… these fists that I'm so proud of, I can't even lift them right now.' Austin thought.
Apollo looked at Austin one more time lying on the ground, there was a part of him expecting him to get up again, but he didn't; he stayed there lying on the ground. Continuing to walk, he eventually stood right by where Xin was.
"I'm sorry… it looks like your friends who came to save you, weren't strong enough." Apollo said. "I'm sorry… I really am. I… wanted to lose."
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