The Demon Monarch System

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Initially, Arleo's current thoughts were something that he wouldn't entertain because of its heinous drawback, but his current situation didn't allow for many other options. So, regardless of the consequences, Arleo's thoughts continued to gain some attractiveness in his mind.

After all, the number of abilities Apollo revealed was simply too shocking. It was to the point that it generated some envious emotions from Arleo. Most of his efforts were performed to unearth a proper way to wield his Sin, yet his opponent did so effortlessly.

Such a development was capable of producing jealousy within anyone if their efforts were painstaking enough.

'I've long since learned that life is full of unfair advantages as well as disadvantages. But, I've worked too hard to have my efforts become insignificant now. Therefore, we'll just have to settle for mutual destruction,' Arleo thought.

A second later, his expression became increasingly savage.. Not only was it because he had convinced himself to unleash a brutal attack, but also because the strike Apollo launched at him continued to gain momentum while absorbing the ambient Ira.

Although it was a strike strictly based on Gula, Apollo's unique bloodline allowed for some anomalies. One of which being that most of his strikes, if centered on a single sin, could adopt faint properties of another. 

However, this was easiest for Gula, as the core of its power was only to devour. Unlike the others, which influenced their users to reject the remaining Sins, Gula didn't. It sought to swallow everything and to do so, it would need to be impartial.

Hence, it was free to manipulate, albeit not completely.

Apollo couldn't manipulate the inherent property of Gula, he could only determine the action that happened afterward, whether it be feeding the devoured strength to another attack, or simply being absorbed by his vessels.

Still, the ability to control the momentum of a battle in such a way turned Apollo into a daunting opponent. Imagine investing your entire strength into an attack, only to have it redirected towards you due to an overpowered ability—this was Arleo's current gripe with Apollo's existence.

It was unbalanced for anyone near his power level.

Therefore, Arleo was forced to entertain some severe actions. He understood what they meant, but at this point, taking a direct hit from Apollo's bizarre attack was just as dangerous. After all, the Devouring Nebula was an attack created by the Old Monarch, so it wasn't something that just any demon could withstand.

It required an extremely strong demon body to receive the strike and survive with minimal damage sustained, something that Arleo didn't possess. At best, Arleo's demon body was slightly above the standard of a normal Archdemon.

Because of his past mistake, Arleo put off the process of engraving a second stigmata on himself. He was too afraid of the possible dire consequences of doing so. Therefore, his body, while stronger than the typical version of his current state, wasn't at its full potential. 

The only way to rectify that issue was to overcome his fear. But, gaining that opportunity required him to survive Apollo's attack. Thus, he opted to achieve mutual destruction at the very least as he felt the likelihood of surviving would be slim at best.

'Sure, you can absorb my Sin Energy while separate, but I doubt you can do so after they intertwine,' Arleo thought with a heavy expression. Although he had decided to move forward with his actions, he still felt a shred of apprehension, causing him to stall his decisive attack.

For a moment, he started to second guess his decision. But, once he felt the unbelievable attraction force of the Devouring Nebula, all of his worries immediately dissipated.

Regardless, in the brief moment of his pause, Apollo sensed Arleo's action with a frighteningly cold expression. The Demonic Anima in his body surged before mixing with a dense cluster of Tenebrous Winds. 

〈System: «Umbra Phantom Mantle» is being empowered by the «Monarch's Tenebrosity»!〉

Suddenly, Apollo's movements escalated to a new realm of agility as he felt the threat of Arleo's actions. A black line careened across space as Apollo's body phased from the position he stood. 

Whoosh! 

Not only did Apollo's movement cause an appalling wave of darkness to billow outwards, but an eerie noise accompanied his movement as he advanced towards Arleo's breakneck speed.

'The wail of the shadows,' Fuhrer muttered as recognized that noise anywhere. It was a cry produced when even darkness felt fear towards the being that entered it. Once someone aimed to covet his life, then Apollo was no longer merciful.

A sanguine thirst for murder surfaced from the depths of Apollo's soul. 

Bang!

Apollo launched a fierce punch towards Arleo, who managed to narrowly dodge the blow. However, despite his successful dodge, his expression changed when he noticed the unsettling change in Apollo. His body leaked an ominous intent as he obliterated the floor with his attack.

Since he dropped all pretenses with causing destruction, Apollo launched some devastating attacks. But, seeing as he was initially inferior to Arleo when it came to speed and strength, Apollo's dreadful attacks failed to connect.

Be that as it may, it did accomplish his second purpose. By causing Arleo to remain on edge, his rate at stimulating his Superbia suffered a drastic decrease.

'It's like fight against a beast,' Arleo thought with a frown. Even his own bestial actions weren't as savage as the way Apollo unleashed haphazard attacks.

Apollo's cold gaze shifted towards Arleo who remained wary of him, "Is that fear I sense from you? Good, despair."

All of a sudden, Arleo's eyes widened as he made an immediate retreat from where he stood. His sense of danger birthed from his animalistic instincts released a potent signal.

As soon as he moved, two blades composed of pitch-black energy collided with each other before shattering. Shards of extremely sharp energy exploded everywhere, causing some wounds to appear on Arleo's upper body.

As the fight went on, it was becoming increasingly dangerous.

Once he realized this fact, Arleo made a desperate move. After becoming an Archdemon, the first thing to experience a change was one's affinity with their Sin. As a result, if the conditions were right, it allowed an Archdemon to augment their absorption rate.

Conversely, this allowed for the opposite as well.

Arleo's eyes narrowed as he watched Apollo rush towards him at an absurd speed. An abrupt change took place as the large claws formed from a constant influx of Sin vibrated before experiencing a collection of cracks.

The cracks were initially tiny, but that changes in an instant once they started to emit gaseous Sin signatures as well as a near blinding light.

By the time Apollo sensed the imminent danger, it was too late. A bright glimmer of crimson-gold filled his sights.

BOOOM!!

A shocking explosion occurred and Apollo suffered the consequences at point-blank range.

Meanwhile, the other fights taking place stopped after feeling the aftershock of the catastrophic explosion. 

Whether it be water, stone, plants, or nearby armors, everything within a 20-meter radius was disintegrated. Fortunately, although those things were decimated, two bodies remained unmoving within an immense crater formed by the explosion.

"The stronghold…" Xonnomor muttered with an incredulous expression. His first worry wasn't for the safety of the ones involved in the explosion, but for the current state of the stronghold's condition!

Xonnomor blanked as he started at the untold damages done to the territory. But, calling what occurred in this area damage would be an understatement. It was simply destruction!

Meanwhile, a sweltering fury billowed from Fuhrer's body as he laid eyes upon Apollo's unmoving body. Even the void threatened to collapse after experiencing the overbearing suppressive from spilling from Fuhrer's body. "Young Lord!"

"I should have taken control of this situation from the beginning. Even if it endangers you all who have fallen from glory, if it is the Young Lord's will, then I shall enforce it," Fuhrer said before slowly lifting his sword towards Xonnomor's direction.

Despite being over 10 meters away, a trickle of blood seeped down his throat as half of Brynhildr became invisible.

"What is this?" Xonnomor muttered as he felt a horrifying energy holding his throat hostage. Although Apollo said no killing, Fuhrer struggled to refrain from claiming this demon's head. 

Suddenly, Apollo's hand twitched inside of the crater as his eyes shot open with a bloodied light. A pained groan gurgled in his throat as he stood up. Because he was at the epicenter of the blast, most of his chest and torso were singed by the blast, revealing a shocking amount of charred flesh.

However, it seen fell off as the crimson gem embedded at the top of Apollo's chest pulsated with boundless vitality. Since Ashiraem was a place filled with infernal energy, this item could activate its special effect at any given moment.

In this case, Apollo activated that now. This was one of the reasons Apollo didn't despair over the blast. Right before it hit him, the first wave of healing energy rushed through his body.

Nevertheless, its properties didn't quell the fury in Apollo's eyes. A ruthless expression causing even Fuhrer to recoil appeared on Apollo's face.

"It's a terrible habit to go against one's word. Yes, I know I said I wouldn't cause a raucous. But, I've changed my mind. If the Lord's forces were alerted, they would've arrived by now. Therefore..."

After a short pause, Apollo uttered his next words in a frigid tone, colder than the depths of the Netherworld, "Dominus Household... Devastate!"

Ssszzh! 

Apollo's order caused a sea of shadowy embers to coalesce into many figures standing behind Apollo. Each of them bore frightening expressions, especially Valac and Typhir.