The Demon Monarch System

----

After settling his condition in Ashiraem, Apollo felt much more comfortable than on his last visit. Since his body transferred along with him, there was no suppression on his soul to keep the link intact. Naturally, this meant he could exercise his entire combat ability. After all, he would soon come to realize it was needed and perhaps even beyond that.

Although he truly wanted to move closer to Saehtyn's castle, whenever he crossed over the edge of 10,000 kilometers away, his body was pushed back 10 meters by a thin barrier. Furthermore, the moment this happened, his aura was concealed by the barrier. 

As Saehtyn stated before, this was done to prevent his early demise. If he thought humans were bad, a demon in pursuit of power could only be seen as a bloodthirsty monster. Of course, this wasn't true for all Demons, only for those who had yet to establish themselves.

Additionally, as for those who established themselves, they all possessed a deep understanding of their stigmata. Once they achieved this state, a method to hone themselves appeared from within their markings. Thus, there was no need for them to commit mindless slaughter nor was there any meaning to conquering unless their progress halted for too long.

Nevertheless, after this happened numerous times, Apollo ceased his actions. Left with no other choice, he looked in the opposite direction, "It seems our journey will continue in this direction Ouroboros," he muttered while taking a step forward.

"Yes, this place is lovely. Any direction we go is good!" Ouroboros exclaimed. At the same time, he hissed jubilantly. In response to his excitement, Apollo chuckled. It seemed Ouroboros enjoyed the Nihilistic Rings far more than he did Astarat.

"No, not just any direction. As you can see, we are prohibited from going in a certain direction. However, that's fine because it doesn't appear to be the most beneficial path right now," Apollo commented. Afterward, he looked east of the barrier before him. 

Albeit faint, he could sense that feeling from his last visit. It was as if something was calling out to him. Thus, after inspecting his surroundings and ascertaining there was no one nearby, Apollo took a step forward. 

As he walked, the sensation he felt grew more noticeable. In fact, it felt as if he possessed a connection with it. This only served to heighten his desire to unearth the mystery behind the signal. 

Soon enough, as his body acclimated to the area, he returned to using the Partial Shade Silhouette. Shockingly, the distance he could travel in an instant increased by 20%! Needless to say, with how boundless Ashiraem was, this was truly a saving grace. Since he was on a schedule, it was best he could travel both fast and efficiently.

On the other hand, Apollo still felt this wasn't enough, 'If only I could learn the Second Step. I'm sure the speed I would be capable of displaying would eclipse my current state.'

However, what Apollo overlooked was the fact he was still accelerating with each passing moment. A majority of the Pure Demonic Anima was flowing towards his legs and bolstering the technique. Concurrently, his Diabolic Heart of Wrath spun inside his heart.

Around his feet, a small cyclone of infernal energy appeared. Each step left a small imprint of Hellfire that soon petered out. Only after this took place a few times did Apollo become cognizant of it.

'Or, perhaps I don't need to worry about that step. If I can continue like this, then my worries will be alleviated. The only issue is the consumption,' Apollo thought to himself. In the corner of his eye, his reserve meter was draining at a noticeable rate.

At first, it was the usual consumption of .1 units. However, as he accelerated indefinitely, the consumption rate rose exponentially. As of right now, he was exhausting .8 units with each passing second. Not to mention, unless he stopped and rested, his body wasn't absorbing any energies from his surroundings

Needless to say, it was a monumental task to do so. In fact, there wasn't any Lesser Demon capable of actively absorbing energy while in action. They all needed to focus on their surroundings. In its normal state, Pure Demonic Aura possessed a tyrannical nature.

As it was absorbed, it also needed to be tamed. Thus, Apollo closely monitored his consumption. If it reached below 50% of his total reserves, he dampened his actions. One must remember, this was an unfamiliar place. He was unsure of what danger lurked in the shadows.

Therefore, he needed to move with caution. Fortunately, by the time his reserves dwindled to 90% area, he had already crossed 100 kilometers. On the other hand, compared to the beginning wherein he was traveling blindly with his exact destination in mind, now that he was closer, he could feel where the general area of interest was.

Meanwhile, after traveling over 500 kilometers, there were sightings of other Demons in the area. Similarly, just as he sensed them, they were well aware of his existence. But, when Apollo pried into the situation, he was relieved to find these were just Lesser Demons. 

On another hand, the numbers were increasing faster than Apollo liked. Due to this, he stopped his movements and took shelter behind a large rock. Something told him these Demons were interested in him just like the last set were.

Upon taking cover, he quickly relayed orders to Ouroboros, "Ouroboros, maximum sensing range now." Almost instantly, Ouroboros closed his eyes as well. A breakdown of the surrounding 100-meter radius entered his mind. After it was set up, he relayed the information to Apollo.

"There are 11 of such demons in the vicinity and they're enclosing? Just as I thought," Apollo nodded. In the meantime, he was more shocked by the speed his reserves were refilling. Since there was no need to use his conversion trait, this was unadulterated absorption.

In comparison, Apollo was absorbing over 2 units of Pure Demonic Anima with each passing second. By the time one of the Demons arrived within 20 meters of him, his reserves had already filled back to 80%. At this rate, he only needed 6 more minutes to completely finish.

Sadly, things didn't always go as planned. A threatening roar sounded from the incoming Demon as it accelerated towards Apollo's position. Surprisingly, the speed it moved was much faster than Apollo.

Before an attack could land, Apollo performed a sidestep with Ouroboros in his grasp. As he looked at the Demon, he received the need-to-know information about it.

Demon Name: Lesser Hellfire Ifrit

Demonic Prowess: Lesser Demon

Demonic Standing: Vagrant 

Health: 100%

'Vagrant? What does this mean?' Apollo mused while examining the information before his eyes. Besides this, everything else in his view was more or less familiar to him. But, after some pondering, Apollo came up with an explanation.

'This must be similar to why Saehtyn is called a Lord. It shouldn't have anything to do with his cultivation, rather, it should be likened to his reputation! In other words, using his power, he gained a standing. So, a vagrant should just be some nameless demon. Under this assumption, I should be a vagrant as well,' Apollo deliberated. 

Once again, a strong blow came and Apollo dodged, retreating far away. He had yet to conjure a weapon, so he was defenseless. Not to mention, something felt off about the Ifrit's blows. Even he was incapable of causing so much damage to the ground.

With every blow, an indent at least 20 centimeters deep appeared. On the other hand, when Apollo struck the ground to test the durability of this world, he felt a pain in his wrist. The strike only made an indent slightly over 3 centimeters.

Nevertheless, this wasn't Apollo's specialty. As he stuck out his hand, Apollo was shocked by what followed. For a moment, there was nothing. However, after what felt like a dam bursting took place, a large clump of Hellfire appeared.

At the same time, Apollo was further emboldened by a notification.

〈System Alert! Due to your prior actions, the old ability Hellfire Molding has changed. It has now become the ability known as Hellfire Manifestation (I). The ability is the same, however, it is far stronger.〉

"With this, it should at least even the playing field," Apollo stated with confidence. Soon after, the Hellfire began taking an odd shape. At first, it appeared to be a long ax. But then, it shifted into a condensed scythe.

Once the weapon appeared, a look of determination appeared on Apollo's expression. "Come," he said.

In response, the Lesser Ifrit roared.