The Demon Monarch System

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Asteroth didn't wait for the reply of his foes. Instead, he advanced towards them with heavy steps that caused the ground to shudder. At the same time, he pounded his hammers against the ground, creating a trail of magma-spewing geysers.

Within seconds, a thin layer of magma formed along the surface, yet Asteroth found the disturbing heat to be comfortable. "Ah, sing my babies~"

Whoosh!

The next pound caused a torrent of spears made of magma to launch in all directions. Each of them carried a destructive aura on par with the same tactic used to dispel Irzanach's earlier strike. If any of these spears landed on their target, then the amount of damage inflicted would be nothing short of catastrophic.

So, Irzanach prepared a triple-layered barrier made solely from Ira to defend against this attack. Meanwhile, the other three used various means to defend themselves.

But, all their actions did was gain Asteroth's amusement. "The standard of us demons has truly fallen. But, that's to be expected when you are no longer plagued by horrifying conditions. The need to become immutable disappears as you grow complacent."

Disappointed by what he saw, Asteroth could only shake his head. This time, he lightly tapped his hammer against the ground, causing all the magma to vibrate. It then started to seethe before forming the maw of a gigantic dragon.

Of course, it wasn't real and was only a mere image. Regardless, the dread produced by Asteroth's actions was real. His aura of destruction was far too potent, affecting even those who weren't targeted by the attack.

In the next moment, the dragon's mouth crashed down on Irzanach and the rest, creating a bubbling pool of smoldering magma. The waves crashed against the walls of the room before folding back on Asteroth's targets.

In the meantime, Asteroth slung one of the warhammers over his shoulder while shaking his head derisively, "How could I have mistaken your pitiful identity? I am truly stupid. But, that's my blunder. I could've remained asleep for all this trouble."

As if a reaction to being called pitiful, a bestial roar sounded from within the pool of roiling magma right before Irzanach burst through it. A small change occurred as the spurs that were previously obsidian in color were now golden.

Furthermore, Irzanach's previously silver hair turned pitch-black. Obviously, he was forced to desperate straights as he was now tapping into a power that intrigued Asteroth.

"Hoh? So you do have some relation to him after all. Heh," Asteorth chuckled. But after his small chuckle came a bizarre sight. Two extremely large wings nearly three times the size of his body appeared behind Asteorth as he cracked his neck.

"Ah, when was the last time I've come across the opportunity to let loose? Don't disappoint me. It'll be a shame if you don't even manage to survive even 3 blows."

With a flap of his wings, Asteroth turned into a blur while moving at insane speeds. At this point, the actions he employed escaped the realm of both Archdemons or a Noblesse. Although Fuhrer revealed Asteroth to only be an Earl, his power was extremely special.

It was simply destruction—an aura produced by many demons., But in Asteroth's case, he took that power a step further, managing to use it as a base and have his sin augment it.

This was the opposite of the usual direction of power. The general usage was to set your Sin as the base and use your determined aura to augment it. Although it locked the property of your energy, it was the easiest one to increase one's strength.

Yet, Asteroth traveled a divergent path, using destruction as his foundation. As a result, the number of destructive sources he gathered was innumerable. Furthermore, most of them were gathered during times of war.

It was the most opportune time for him to understand everything about the power he sought. But, seeking that power also caused him to devolve into an irrational person, even more so than the Sin of Ira could.

As for his current realm of power, it was obscure. Evolution-wise, he reverted to an Archdemon, but power-wise, he was more lethal than that as shown by his display. Plus, his experience in combat was gained from going against the Kings and Fuhrer.

Opponents which made Irzanach seem inferior when evaluated comparatively.

However, Irzanach was also nothing to scoff at now that he had dropped all restraints. He had activated the fragment obtained from the Monarch's test. And, the fragment he received was centered around Superbia.

Unfortunately, activating this now meant he wouldn't be able to do so for quite some time. But, the repercussion was worth it because it was either this or forfeiting his life and the latter wasn't within his intentions.

There were only a few seconds remaining in this form for Irzanach, so he needed to make them count. 

Before making his move, Irzanach agitated every morsel of Superbia accessible to him. Not only did the effectiveness of his actions increase by twenty percent, but the possibilities he could unleash with this Sin expanded as well.

But, at this point, he only had one goal in mind—survival.

While he made his preparations, Asteroth's first strike came. It was a simple smash, but the force behind it was capable of obliterating all obstructive objects. Despite dodging this attack, Irzanach was left in shock.

This was because the entire floor now possessed a gaping hole as a result of his strike. It had to be known that despite their extensive fight, the pillars and floor barely suffered any damage, yet Asteroth managed to absolutely demolish it in one hit.

"Oh?! Only rats scurry about. You've accepted a fragment of his strength, yet you're still a rat? The Monarch would be disappointed to learn of his power being used like this," Asteroth snorted before immediately following up with another attack.

Apart from the action of swinging his hammer, two clusters of destructive energy imitated the path of his attack. If it landed on Irzanach, then he would undoubtedly perish.

Fortunately for him, he had finished all preparations. A giant black halberd emanating a bright golden light materialized above Irzanach's head before gaining an intense spiral. Flashes of golden crackles occurred as the two destructive clusters approached the halberd.

At the last moment, Irzanach released this attack. For an instant, there was only silence. Not a single sound could be heard. It was reminiscent of the calm before a storm. Then, in a fraction of a second, a cataclysmic sound erupted.

The aftershock was so disastrous; it blew the entire wall off the tower! There was now a gaping hole in the side of the tower since a panel was gone. Plus, the tower was unable to contain the collision, allowing a powerful wave of obscure energy to hurtle through Firaria and even most of Ashiraem.

Naturally, the sight of a large hole in addition to a bizarre ripple plunged Ashiraem into a state of shock. During this time, even the occupants of the Dakea Stronghold rushed out of their confines to learn more about the situation.

Instead of shying away from danger and uncertainty, the denizens of Ashiraem flocked towards it without fail.

On the other hand, Asteroth remained in the throne room with a visible frown. Not because of the damage done, but because neither Irzanach nor the other three could be found. They escaped in the mayhem caused by the otherwise unsightly collision.

"Tch, what a pussy. Running at the first sight of fighting a losing battle. If I ever get my hands on you again... you won't have the chance to run," Asteroth grumbled while relinquishing his two weapons. At the same time, his vicious aura receded before turning towards the others who stared at him in shock. Especially Lucifer.

'It's the same feeling again… it's like this demon doesn't belong to our era. I can't explain, but I'm certain now. We, Lords, have no jurisdiction over this sort of character.'

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Meanwhile, Apollo decided to unleash his full strength without restraints. The substantial movement and Fuhrer's information gave him all the incentive needed to advance with his intentions. While the crimson hue of his Infernal Ira Stigmata remained, the golden hue of the Dauntless Superbia Stigmata was added as well.

The introduction of this energy caused Apollo's next strike to successfully push back Arleo. But, rather than being surprised by Apollo's ability to push him back, he was more focused on the presence of this second sin!

'He's like me! Two sins. Though, the fact he can use them simultaneously and on equal levels is shocking. In my case, it's a little different.'

Since Apollo activated these two sins, Arleo was compelled to reciprocate these actions.