Sig and Rhodes exchanged glances, realizing that the woman's fear was likely connected to the recently mentioned apocalypse, who sought the body of a young one.
Rhodes didn't push the woman away but allowed her to take refuge in his arms.
He aimed his gun at Lister's throat and questioned, "Let me ask you, why do you think I'm a senior apostle?"
As if granted a reprieve, Lister immediately put on a flattering smile, twisting his body and kneeling before Rhodes.
"I can explain, my lord. Please spare me." He glanced at the charred ground, recoiling in fear, then looked at Rhodes with even more obsequiousness.
"Please, go on."
"My lord, your adept use of powerful abilities sets you apart. This skill is typically associated with high-ranking apostles. We ordinary apostles, on the other hand, must sacrifice lives to gain abilities."
"What does it mean to dedicate oneself to the apocalypse?" Rhodes inquired.
Lister was momentarily taken aback. He had assumed Rhodes was a high-ranking apostle, but now, he questioned that assumption.
"Lord Apocalypse is aging, and his body is deteriorating. He seeks a fresh, vigorous body to continue his life, which has left many young people anxious. However..."
Lister smiled faintly, "Lord Apocalypse's soul is incredibly potent, and the bodies of ordinary individuals can't endure it. Many have perished in the attempt."
The woman in Rhodes' arms shuddered, drawing closer to him.
"Is there anything else you believe should be said?" Rhodes stared at Lister.
Lister's eyes darted around as he pondered. After a lengthy pause, he asked, "Aren't you a high-ranking apostle?"
"Swoosh!" Rhodes' spear cut through the air and impaled Lister's head, ending his life swiftly.
Meanwhile, inside the royal palace of Egypt:
Apocalypse held his forehead with one hand, his eyes emitting a purple glow.
Although he hadn't witnessed the recent events, he sensed Rhodes' presence through the altered human body.
During their clash, Apocalypse had keenly perceived everything.
"Nearly a perfect body!" Apocalypse mused as he gazed at the silhouette of a body in his mental image.
"I've absorbed the bodies of so many power users, yet this one contains boundless potential, truly a gift from the heavens!"
The purple glow in his eyes faded, and Apocalypse extended his fingers.
"Death! Come forth!"
On either side beneath his elevated throne, a man bearing a black scythe on his back appeared. He wore a dark blue robe that concealed black armor underneath, and his eye sockets were hollow, resembling a skeletal figure.
"At your command, my master!" Death half-knelt before Apocalypse.
"Go where I have directed you, test the individual I've assigned, but do not kill him. Bring his body back alive."
"Yes!"
Death clapped his hands, and a gray horse advanced from the darkness, carrying Death away from the palace.
Back at the tavern, Rhodes disposed of the two corpses with solar flames, leaving no trace.
The woman, named Amelia, introduced herself as the shop owner's daughter. With her father ailing, she had been running the small shop by herself.
"If it weren't for you, I shudder to think what humiliation I might have suffered," Amelia said, tears welling up as she hugged Rhodes, "How can I ever repay you?"
Rhodes felt a bit awkward receiving such warm gratitude. "We'll be staying in Egypt for a while. Consider hosting us in your tavern during our stay as repayment."
Amelia looked up at Rhodes, disappointment briefly crossing her eyes. She stepped away from his embrace and began packing her belongings. "Rest assured, I'll be discreet in your hospitality."
She sensed that Rhodes had come to Egypt for a significant purpose and, as a vulnerable woman, chose not to pry further.
At night, other patrons arrived at the tavern, and Amelia served them one by one.
Rhodes and Sig's room, tucked in the deepest corner, was inconspicuous. Only those intentionally seeking it would find the hidden entrance.
Amelia locked the tavern's gate and extinguished the lights, plunging the surroundings into darkness. In the darkness, dozens of red dots appeared, slowly moving toward the moonlight.
Moonlight bathed their figures as they advanced. These red dots were skeletons clad in tattered armor, resembling warriors resurrected from a battlefield's remains.
Their eyes glowed with red light, indicating they were spiritual undead. Riding behind them was a gray steed bearing a dark blue hooded figure with a formidable sword, the Shadow Scythe, across his shoulders.
Death, with hollow eye sockets, addressed the skeletons, "Is this the warrior's intuition?"
He raised the corners of his mouth beneath the hood, "But Lord Apocalypse assigned me this trifling task—to capture a minor figure like you."
He chuckled, his jaw chiseled and strong, "I won't even have to dirty my hands dealing with you personally." With a dismissive shake of his head, Death disappeared into the sea of skeletons.
Rhodes suddenly awoke in the dark room, his heightened senses enabling him to hear the commotion in the tavern below.
Ordinary sounds he'd instinctively block out, but with hundreds of people present, the silence was deafening. He remained alert, knowing that the silence foretold danger.
In the tavern's front hall, hundreds of skeletal soldiers were forming a circle, surrounding Rhodes at the entrance.
Sig, beside Rhodes, stirred from sleep, clutching his spear and standing up.
"What's wrong?!" Sig questioned.
"Someone is invading and butchering innocent patrons. Go protect Amelia," Rhodes ordered.
"She's in a safe place now, and I've evacuated the other patrons," Sig assured.
Rhodes propped Sig up, placing him to the side. "If things get tough, retreat. This is their domain, and we're at a disadvantage." Sig nodded, concerned.
"Hmph!" Rhodes grunted, drawing his spear. He dashed forward into the tavern. Hundreds of skeletal soldiers formed a ring outside, closing in on him at the entrance.
"Haha! As easy as slaughtering a dog! Two lackeys from Asgard sent to pester our master! Perish!" Death swooped toward Rhodes, his black scythe ready.
Accompanied by skeletal soldiers, they surged toward Rhodes like a pack of ravenous wolves, using their bodies as shields to interfere with him.
Rhodes stood his ground, fists clenched, flames igniting on his fists. "Petty tricks!" He punched forward, unleashing a spiral of wind that swept the skeletal soldiers into a tornado.
The skeletons were carried into the whirlwind and, subjected to the scorching temperature of the gale, melted into pools of molten bone substance. Their remains sizzled as they dripped onto the ground, emitting white smoke.
Hundreds of skeletal soldiers were reduced to ashes in moments.
Despite being immune to fire, Rhodes' overwhelming power proved too much for their fragile skeletal forms.
Death observed Rhodes, halting his gray steed.
"These are all puppets I've crafted recently, and you've ruined them. Such a pity," Death lamented, lifting a skeletal soldier and caressing its cheekbones.
"Can't you see? In their previous lives, they were all innocent, beautiful women."
Rhodes' eyes twitched. "You mean you obtained these skeletons by killing innocent civilians?"
Death cackled, a sound akin to a wailing banshee, piercing eardrums.
A row of short skeletons emerged, fair and immature, resembling newborns.
These short skeletons brandished daggers and stood in front of Death.
"These, too!" Sig exclaimed, his eyes locked on Death.
"Hahaha, indeed! Lord Apocalypse hungers for young blood, and lives like these are what he seeks."
Sig's anger flared. "You fiend!"
Sig thrust his spear, but the short skeletons jumped to block it, then advanced toward him. Their actions suggested Sig was the one who had taken their lives.
Rhodes reacted swiftly, tearing the skeletons away from Sig. As he flung them aside, Sig snapped out of his trance.
"Sig! Be cautious; this guy's skeletons appear to absorb life force," Rhodes warned.
Sig, still on his knees, was clearly drained. Rhodes lifted him and moved him to safety.
"If things worsen, retreat. This is their territory, and we lack the advantage," Rhodes reminded Sig.
Death returned as a black shadow, easily advancing through the barriers of the skeleton soldiers. He raised his black scythe high, ready to claim Sig's life.
At that moment, Rhodes sidestepped, landing a powerful punch to Death's head. Death's body tumbled backward.
"It's all an illusion; don't be fooled," Rhodes warned.
Sig, recovering from his daze, breathed heavily, cold sweat coating his brow.
Rhodes dislodged the skeletons from Sig's body, and Sig regained his composure.