Chapter 4

"I finally meet you, Apollo!" says a man.

After Apollo finishes off all the demons in District 12, another demon appears.

"Who are you?!" snaps Apollo.

"Being forgotten by an old friend is painful, but it's even more painful that we're now enemies. You used to say that we're friends," says the demon.

"Huh?! Answer my question!" demands Apollo.

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50 years ago, there was a violent uprising by the government opposition. They did so because the government was too slow in dealing with the appearance of demons and some cases weren't resolved and covered up.

Several heretical cults banded together to take advantage of the incident. The most dangerous one was called Rendezvous. Their leader was nicknamed Golden Child. He had 666 tattooed on his back.

"Sob... Boo hoo... Dad, Mom, wake up," calls little Apollo.

"Captain, he's just a kid. Do we finish him off too?" asks Togo.

Togo is the vice captain of the Rendezvous cult. 999 is tattooed on his face.

"Of course. If left unchecked, he could grow up to be dangerous for us, 'cause his parents are in one of the powerful government elite teams," replies Golden Child.

"Alright!!" says Togo.

Togo drags little Apollo to be thrown into the river.

"I didn't have the heart to kill a child, but it's the boss' command. I'm sorry, Kid!" says Togo.

"No! Uncle! Help my mom and dad! Help me!" screams little Apollo while thrashing around.

"Hey, listen! I'm not your uncle!" snaps Togo.

"The one he's calling uncle is me! Let him go, little devil!" says a man.

A silhouette can be seen from the top of a house.

"Who are you?! How dare you!" snaps Togo.

Togo takes out a shotgun and aims it at the man.

"I can smell the fear from your body. You're just a little lizard who thinks he's stronger than a crocodile," says the man.

"Shut up! Die! Fire Blast!!" says Togo.

"Black Hole!!" says the man.

The man takes out a small black ball that he's holding. All of Togo's attacks are sucked up by the small black ball.

"Impossible!! Who the hell are you?!" snaps Togo.

"I am the Death Eater!! Scram, pest!" says the man.

The man throws the small black ball. Even though Togo tries to run, he's sucked into the small black ball and disappears.

"Noooo! Help me, Captain!!" shouts Togo inaudibly as the little black ball sucks him in whole.

"Aaaa... What happened? Uncle, please don't hurt me. Sob..." says little Apollo.

Little Apollo is really scared.

"Don't be afraid, Kid. I won't hurt you. Keep on living. Be strong and avenge your parents," says the man.

Just before the man leaves, little Apollo calls out to him.

"Uncle, can I be your friend?" asks little Apollo.

"Friend? I've never had a friend before," says the man.

"Hmm... Okay. Uncle, what's your name?" asks little Apollo.

"My name? Just call me Giganto," replies Giganto.

Giganto leaves and never appears again.

 

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At present

"My name's Giganto. Long time no see, Apollo," replies Giganto.

"What? No way!! The Giganto I know didn't look like this! You must have killed the real Giganto!! Tell me the truth! Where's the real Giganto?" snaps Apollo.

Apollo is flabbergasted to see Giganto's current form. When they first met, Giganto was 190 cm tall and still resembled a human. This time, his height is 270 cm, and his form resembles a monster.

Giganto's special power is Black Hole, which can absorb anything around him. Every human who is sucked in will make him grow by 0.1 cm, whereas those with special powers will make him grow by 1-2 cm. 

The change of Giganto's form into that which now resembles a monster is caused by the merging of the DNA of the humans who are sucked into his Black Hole.

"Form? Well, my form has indeed changed. However, I still vividly remember when you called out to me while that bastard was dragging you. Do you remember?" asks Giganto.

"Uncle, help me. Help my mom and dad. Boo hoo..." shouts little Apollo for help to Giganto.

"So you really are Giganto?" asks Apollo.

"Of course," says Giganto.

"Scissor Blade!! I'm sorry, but it's my duty to finish off the demons!" says Apollo.

Apollo advances quickly and slashes at Giganto's body.

Slash!

"Black Hole!! I just wanted to tell you. The Zodiacs were the cause of your parents' death. They already knew about the rebellion of the heretical cults, but they deliberately ignored it. That's 'cause they want to be the heroes in the government media. Why would I know that? Find out for yourself," says Giganto.

After saying that, Giganto disappears and leaves using his Black Hole.

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Ring! Ring!

"Yes?" asks Apollo.

"How are things on your side?" asks Maximus.

"All clear, Captain!" replies Apollo.

"Alright. If everything is done already, hurry back to the base. I've also sent some elite troops to clear the area," says Maximus.

"Ah. Captain, I have something to ask you," says Apollo.

"You can ask me later when you get here," says Maximus.

"Ah. Alright. I'll be right there," says Apollo.

During the whole journey, Apollo keeps wondering if the Giganto who helped him is indeed one of the strongest demons. He's curious about Giganto's words about the Zodiacs in the past.

At the moment, his mind is full of anger, resentment, and joy of being able to meet the figure who had saved him in the past.

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At the Zodiacs' headquarters

"Captain! We've successfully cleared the entire district. Next, we'll install the sacred dome. Are there any other steps we should take before it?" asks Gunther.

"Carry out the installation of the sacred dome. I've also contacted the elite leaders around the world. They responded very favorably. However, I'm worried about the defenses of the elites in other countries. They don't have a strong army equivalent to the Zodiacs," replies Maximus.

"Should we go help them?" asks Archibald.

"I don't think that's necessary. Even though they don't have an elite army like ours, the Zodiacs, they have an army that's also quite strong. I think we all know, that they're out there," says Iris.

"Yes, I agree with Iris. They also have a joint elite force called the Great Force Alliance. I say we just focus on our own territory," says Maximus.

The elite troops of the Great Force Alliance:

Torino (Europe), 62 y.o.

Gustaf (Europe), 60 y.o.

Bariston (Europe), 63 y.o.

Shimura (Asia), 56 y.o.

Masashi (Asia), 51 y.o.

Tsukata (Asia), 50 y.o.

Chibaru (Asia), 55 y.o.

Honggo (Africa), 63 y.o.

Bobangga (Africa), 67 y.o.

Steven (Australia), 48 y.o.

Sandy (Australia), 45 y.o.

Timothy (Australia), 46 y.o.

The Zodiacs are an army that guarded the American territories. The entire land of America is guarded by them.

Not long into their conversation, Apollo enters the room.

"Apollo, what was the situation there earlier?" asks Ivar.

"All is safely under control," replies Apollo briefly.

"Is there any sign of the 12 strongest demons' presence there?" asks Maximus.

Apollo's face changed instantly.

"Ah, no. There didn't seem to be any powerful demons there. I guess they don't dare to show themselves anymore," replies Apollo.

"Hmm... Why are you sweating, Apollo?" asks Cordelia.

"Huh? Yes. Of course it's all 'cause I've been fighting. I-I've expended a ton of energy," replies Apollo while stammering.

"Don't mind it. Let him rest first. Apollo, take your time to relax. Thank you for your hard work, Friend," says Maximus.

When Maximus says 'friend', Apollo remembers his words to Giganto. He gets a sudden rush of dizziness. He then clutches his head.

"Argh!" screams Apollo.

Ivar immediately approaches him.

"Hey, are you okay?" asks Ivar.

"What's going on, Apollo?!" asks Gunther.

"Are you sick?" asks Iris.

"Hey, Friend. Take a break if you're not feeling well," says Domevlo.

"Arrgghh!! Stop!! Shut up!!" screams Apollo.

There's silence and everyone is surprised by Apollo's behavior.

"Ah... I'm sorry, Captain. I'm sorry, everyone. I'm not feeling well," says Apollo weakly.

Apollo walks out and leaves them.

Ivar wants to chase after him, but he's held back by Crysalia.

"Let him be. Maybe he's having a hard time," says Crysalia.

"But this is strange. Don't you feel that way too, Captain?" asks Ivar in a low voice.

"I got you, Ivar. Let Apollo calm his mind," replies Maximus.

The Zodiacs suspect that something was wrong with Apollo. Some of them suspect that this is the work of the demons. 

"Very well, Captain, but let me go to District 12. I want to check it out myself," says Ivar.

"I know you're worried about him, but don't do anything rash. If you want to go there, fine. I'll let you, Ivar," replies Maximus.

"Thank you, Captain. I'll be on my way," says Ivar.

"Take care!" says Maximus.

Ivar goes to check out what really happened in District 12, 'cause he suspects that Apollo must have covered up something that happened in District 12.

He was also not cared for by his parents as a child. His parents separated and left him at the orphanage. The first friend who welcomed him at the orphanage was Apollo.