The Demon Monarch System

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It wasn't long before Apollo was brought before the front gates of the Dakea Stronghold. Since Kadiun was happy to lead him to this place, he also brought him past the gates before looking towards the building located in the farthest depth of this territory. But, judging by its closed gates, Kadiun understood that the chances of Apollo meeting with one of those three right now were extremely slim. 

Typically, when the gates were closed, it meant neither of the three leaders wished to be disturbed. And, even though he was talented, extremely so, Kadiun wasn't sure if he was enticing enough to disturb their established rules.

"Errr, it would seem you'll have to stick around to receive that meeting. But, as you can see, this area is outfitted with everything you may need. You can wait comfortably without suffering a single loss."

"Except time," Apollo said with a faint smile. Nevertheless, he wasn't too interested in meeting up with any of the leaders just yet. Before that, he needed to find Fuhrer. Because while he knew the disguise he was wearing, the bustling area made it difficult to pinpoint his location.

"That may be true, but obtaining the chance to join a stronghold of this level should be worth a small delay, at least. Don't you think?" Kadiun said while nodding continuously. 

In response, Apollo shrugged, "More or less. Perhaps it's possible, perhaps it's not."

Such an awkward response left Kadiun grimacing yet he didn't know how to respond. Instead, he led Apollo to the lounge area of the stronghold before making himself sparse.

While he offered Apollo this opportunity, he still needed to get it authorized, which required him to travel up the command chain. So, he sought out the higher-level Captains first before receiving their referral to talk with a lieutenant afterward.

Eventually, he traveled far enough up the command chain to come in contact with the individuals who reported directly to the commander and vice-commanders.

In the meantime, Apollo used his link to locate Fuhrer after a small hassle. "From your point of view, will this area suffice or no?"

"It will have to. You've already sacrificed too many resources for the location to be in vain. At the very least, you'll need to assume command of at least a portion of it. However, going up against 3 Archdemons is a bit…"

"Yes, it feels slightly out of our league," Apollo agreed. While he possessed adequate forces, the Archdemons were only the upper echelon of this stronghold. He still needed to take into account the many demons that were employed by this stronghold.

Hence, the most ideal situation would be to be swift and overpower the Archdemons before the individuals outside became aware of the situation at hand. However, doing some would require at least 3 people capable of dealing with an Archdemon as well as neutralizing their energy fluctuations.

Outside of Fuhrer's unusual strength, and Geneva being a genuine Archdemon, there were no others. Even if the others piled together, the change from a Greater Demon to an Archdemon wasn't a simple equation of one plus one equals two. 

In this case, it wasn't an addition but multiplication. Hence, why the admission for an Archdemon was at least 5 Fragment of Sins. Moreover, this only pertained to newly evolved ones. If their purity was too thick and their reservoirs deep, then the price would increase accordingly.

"Perhaps you should have prepared more before making this move, but regrets don't help the future. So let's not dwell on it," Fuhrer said before continuing, "Besides, now that I think about it, there's not much you could train."

"Perhaps the annihilations, but even then they aren't that difficult. Even now, I can feel the restraints over the 4th one dissipating quickly. It's only a matter of time until I understand its properties," Apollo said.

Besides the first three strikes, which were the Demonic Massacre Wave, Nether Severance, and Devouring Nebula Strike, the fourth Annihilation was steadily showing signs of presenting itself.

The only issue was the properties it entailed were still a mystery. However, based on how obscure the sensation was, something told Apollo that it wasn't related to a Sin at all.

[Do you recall your special requirements for evolving into a true demon?]

"Perfectly," Apollo responded. "It was the Demonic Conduct."

[Precisely. Now, do you recall the names that Fuhrer revealed to you just hours ago?]

"Why do I feel like you're trampling upon my intelligence right now? That goes without saying!" Apollo said with a deepening frown.

[Heh, relax lad. I'm just giving you a hint. Piece the two discrepancies together with your current powers and you will unlock the mystery. Any more than that and I will be essentially spoonfeeding you.]

Apollo clicked his tongue in annoyance, "That's one thing I didn't miss while you were asleep. Snide remarks."

[I missed you too, lad.]

"Yeah, whatever," Apollo scoffed before directing his attention towards the middle of Ashiraem. Because, even now, the ripples originating from the Lord's Tower persisted. What's more, they continued to worsen every time a new ripple appeared.

'The Lords are facing off with the Monarch Candidates. But, the true question is whether this works in my favor or worsens the stakes for the Nihilistic Rings,' Apollo thought to himself. 

Despite the benefits of the situation turning progressively worse, Apollo also thought about the consequences of these actions. Especially, since he was slated to become the Monarch. But, what use was it becoming the Monarch if the territory he ruled over was plagued by endless destruction?

Therefore, while keeping his short-term goals in mind, Apollo also started to formulate some plans to increase his strength. One of which being an odd question. For this one, he produced a three-way connection between Fuhrer, Azridan, and himself.

"I've heard you talk about Demons conquering worlds before. Does this practice still exist?"

[It doesn't need to still exist. You CAN become the practice.]

"If you can open the Tartarean Doors on a wider scale, then you can effectively step between worlds without the help of the Portals of Doom," Fuhrer said, after giving the matter some thought.

"Really now?" Apollo said with a delighted expression. A dark smile crept upon his lips as he nodded repeatedly. "If that's the case, I have a target in mind. How much Ira is needed to open such a wide-scale?"

"Approximately ten times the reserves of a standard Archdemon. So, 1 million units of Anima and Ira blended as one should suffice," Fuhrer estimated before revisiting his words, "Maybe less. We're going by the old position. Either way, you'll be able to sense when you've used enough."

"You can explain the matter to me in detail when we reach that point. For now, I just needed to know if it was possible," Apollo said before averting his gaze from Fuhrer. Quite some time had passed, so he was relieved to see Kadiun walking his way. 

"Pardon the delay. It was truly a lot of footwork but I managed to get it done," Kadiun said before turning towards Fuhrer and giving a nod, "Captain Zirim."

For a moment, Fuhrer blanked, unable to return the greeting as he wasn't aware of this demon's name. Fortunately, Apollo was and delivered the message to Fuhrer.

"Captain Kadiun," Fuhrer returned a nod.

After exchanging their greetings, Kadiun led Apollo towards the center area of the stronghold. But, what no one noticed was Fuhrer slipping into the shadow and returning to his original form before turning into a shadow that flowed into Apollo's mind.

Now, he could be re-summoned at any given moment while in the presence of these leaders.

----

According to Apollo orders, Valac, Sapphyr, Geneva, and Furcas all waited in an inconspicuous corner outside of the stronghold. In addition to waiting for the right moment to strike, they were also monitoring the area for any anomalies.

Because, just like them, there were bound to be individuals who thrived in mayhem. If that was the case, then they'd have to do their best to either cause a distraction or find a way to funnel the people inside towards the disturbance.

Therefore, save for Geneva, who started to turn into an incorporeal black flame, the rest were tasked with staying in place. Just like Fuhrer, she turned in a form that Apollo could call upon at any moment.

In the meantime, Apollo finally entered the door that guarded the central area. But, what greeted him wasn't what he presumed. 

'Well, this isn't what I expected.. Could it be a situation similar to Valac? Perhaps this is why the information was incorrect.'