The Demon Monarch System

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Inside the Lord's Tower within Ashiraem just minutes before…

At this point, the situation between the Monarch Candidates and the Lords devolved to the lowest possible point. The initial situation only involved Saehtyn and Lucifer retaliating against them, but now even the other 5 joined it.

Yet, to their dismay, their introduction to the battle didn't go as planned. Despite it turning to a 7 against 4, the Lords failed to gain the upper hand. In fact, just as every Sin was present on the Lords' side, the same remained true for the Monarch Candidates.

"As I said, mere fakes! Overwhelming numbers yet underwhelming performance," Irzanach sneered. For every move the Lords made, he possessed a counter. It was almost as if he had made ample preparations for this development.

Meanwhile, Lucifer continued to grow increasingly frustrated as time went on. "Damn it! Just what is going on? Where is their sudden increase in power coming from? It wasn't like this last time we met!"

"I don't know," Saehtyn responded with a solemn expression. Even he felt the weight of this battle because not only was he forced to utilize his specially forged ax that could only be wielded after inciting its properties with Purgatory Blood, but he even entered his Complete Iraym From.

Compared to Apollo's form, which had yet to mature, Saehtyn's current appearance was essentially a flaming monster. Everything—his hair, eyebrows, horns—they were all engulfed by incinerating flames.

Furthermore, this form increased his regenerative abilities by many folds, yet there were injuries present on his body. Admittedly, someone spurred a horrifying increase in strength for their opponents.

'I don't get it. They barely outclassed us before, yet they're now able to overpower us effortlessly? Although he says our power is waning… I don't feel it. Outside of the inability to search, I don't sense a decline in my strength. It's exactly the same,' Saehtyn thought while furiously gazing at Irzanach and his minions.

It was infuriating to admit, but Saehtyn sensed that today could mark the end for the Lords, as he knew it. After all, aside from these seven, there were no other demons of this era who possessed a mastery on par with them.

Even the collective strength of the council paled in comparison to these seven. So, if they couldn't overcome this situation, then their chances were simply dismal.

"Dammit! Just let me devour everything! We can all just perish together, hahaha!" Belphegor burst into maniacal laughter while opening his mouth. A pit of darkness appeared in his mouth as an intense suction force pulled on everyone in the room.

However, Xynthos presented a savage smile before dashing towards Belphegor with a flash of black lightning. A scorch mark appeared on the floor as he smiled at Belphegor, "Why don't you shut up you gluttonous buffoon. Tell me if you're still hungry after you eat this!"

Boom!

A confounding echo reverberated ruthlessly throughout Saehtyn's throne room as Belphegor stared at Xynthos in shock. Aside from the pain he felt, this was the first time that someone managed to get so close while resisting the attraction force of his ability to devour mercilessly!

On top of that, Belphegor came to realize that he lost all control of his jaw. That earlier strike possessed an alarming amount of condensed Anima, strong enough to inflict absurd amounts of damage on a Lord.

Instinctively, the other Lords created some space between those four. It seemed like the longer they fought, the larger the advantage of the opposing side became. If it continued at this rate, then it was only a matter of time until the Lords failed to protect themselves altogether.

"You see, I offered you a way out numerous times, yet you refused to take it. Only you are to blame. Likewise, there need not be a place for you fakes in the new order anyway. You're an eyesore and I might as well get rid of you all," Irzanach said before his hand.

Steadily, an orb appeared in the center of his palm. But, compared to the attraction birthed by Belphegor's actions, the one Irzanach controlled at this moment was at least two times stronger! Tense expressions appeared on the Lord's faces as they looked at each other.

In addition to sensing a ghastly power at the depths of that force, they could also sense their connection with the Sins wavering. Obviously, Irzanach intended to cut off their connection to their pools of strength. 

All of a sudden, Irzanach released the tiny orb towards the center of the seven Lords. And once it reached the correct position, it expanded. But, it stopped abruptly, and it wasn't due to Irzanach's action. Even he suffered from a change of expression.

'Hmm?!'

Irzanach's eyes narrowed as he analyzed the orb. The properties were fine. It just seemed like it was being contained by an overbearing force. However, no matter how much he inspected it, he couldn't trace the source of this force.

That was until everyone heard footsteps ricochet throughout the halls of the throne room. However, a newcomer at this point in time should be impossible.

Irzanach had sealed all exits before making his grand entrance. Needless to say, he came here committed to achieving some results. 

"Argh," An irritated grunt echoed throughout the corridors. "I know this stench anywhere, you fuck. I have a bone to pick with you!"

Despite the signs of irritation, it was evident that no one recognized this voice due to their clueless expression. Regardless, even if they weren't familiar with this mysterious newcomer, the Lords took the opportunity they were given to recoup themselves.

A cracking noise repeated continually as Belphegor fixed his jaw with a disgruntled frown, "That hurt dammit!"

All of a sudden, the voice sounded again, "Oi! Are ya deaf, or are you just ignoring me? I said have a damned bone to pick with you!"

Whoosh!

A surge of destructive energy inundated the throne room, destroying the orb before it could devour any further. From this display, Irzanach's expression experienced an unsightly change.

'Who could possibly be strong enough to disrupt my attack like that?!' Irzanach wondered with a tense expression. Unless that was an attack using all of their strength, then Irzanach felt something was amiss.

There was no way that there was a demon alive who could possibly dispel his attack so easily.

Finally, the newcomer's appearance came into sight. It was a middle-aged demon with a seething expression as he panned his sights throughout the entire floor. However, it gradually changed to one of disappointment as he found not a single familiar face.

"Is this some kind of joke?!" He bellowed angrily while pointing at Irzanach, "You. Just where did you obtain that power?!"

"And, who might you be?" Irzanach answered with a question.

Regrettably, it seemed as if this particular demon didn't appreciate his response. Two frighteningly large warhammers that seemed to be a staggering blend of a hammer and a battle ax appeared in the demon's grasp.

"That's how you want to play it? Very well. I'll just beat the information out of you because I am severely disappointed and my day is now ruined!"

Suddenly, Xynthos made a move, rushing towards this demon while moving at shocking speeds. But, despite his velocity, the demon just chuckled.

First, he kicked the air before him. A wave of destructive energy interspersed with faint bits of Ira deluged the area right before him, intending to swallow Xynthos. And, from what he sensed, this feeling was corrected. 

Hence, Xynthos dodged to the side. However, the attacker expected this of him and was already next to him when he dodged.

"Worthless," he snorted. In the next moment, both of his warhammers connected with Xynthos' ribs before catapulting him into a wall. 

"Damn useless demons. Do none of you know how to fight anymore? Fuck, this is irritating. Know what. I've decided to do so after all. I should just kill all of you since you've gotten on my, Asteroth's nerves!"

That's right, the newcomer was in fact the demon was traveled to Ashiraem after sensing Apollo's act of reestablishing the Dominus Household. What brought him here were the unusual signatures of Irzanach and company.

At first, he thought it to be the culprit of the activation. However, upon closer inspection, Asteroth came to realize that this was just some incomplete replica, which evidently left him furious.

So, he opted for the next best option—unleash his frustrations by killing the ones who gave him a false impression.

On the other hand, Irzanach understood that Asteroth was serious about his claims.