The Demon Monarch System

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Not long after coming to Ashiraem, Apollo came in contact with Lesser Ifrits. Compared to last time, he didn't feel any threat from them in the slightest. Not only was he faster than he previously was, but he was also stronger. Not to mention, he also advanced his control over Hellfire. 

This time, the fights didn't start off with him suffering losses. From the initial blow, without utilizing any tactics, Apollo was able to match their blows. Furthermore, even if an additional Lesser Ifrit came in contact with him, he redirected the blow so that it would impact his other opponent.

By using an Iraym's Flickering Insight, he was able to hasten his reaction speed. Even after using the explosiveness of their own rendition of Hellfire, Apollo continued to dodge the attacks. 

Last time, Apollo's strikes took substantial effort to puncture the outer shell of the Lesser Ifrits. However, now each of his strikes were able to penetrate the exoskeleton of the Lesser Ifrits without fail. Their pained roars sounded as Apollo continued to commit a massacre on the path to Fuhrer's location.

At the same time, his experience continued to increase at a visible rate. This was another reason he wished to come back. He found that even if his attributes didn't move, each level up gave a small upgrade to not just his parameters but his current state of being as well.

In other words, a shortcut to becoming a Greater Demon was to level up as quickly as possible. Since the path of the Monarch was a route of domination, massacres were a situation that should appear at a whim. Hence, why the created made it so that experience could be gained from doing so.

Additionally, with the increase in authority, Apollo felt he would soon unlock better things to utilize. After all, he couldn't continue without having a suitable weapon. And, Azridan hinted that once he reached a certain level, a special set of equipment was awaiting him.

It wasn't long before Apollo slew enough Lesser Ifrits to pass the next milestone.

〈System Alert! Congratulations, you have reached Level 102! As a result, all basic stats have been raised by 10 and the racial meter has increased by 1%.〉

Before advancing any closer, Apollo took a breather and glanced at his status.

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(Demon Monarch System) Lvl.3

Name: Apollo Kaiser

Race: Lesser Demon [17.50%]

Title: Azridan's Successor

Age: 14

Level: 102

Experience: 1.23%

Health: 94%

Demonic Anima Reserves: 4,015 units.

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(Impermanent)

Body Cultivation Realm: ~Rank 8 Zul Warrior

Spirit Cultivation Realm: ~Rank 5 Spirit Apprentice

Meridians: Saint-Grade (Middle Tier)

Zuls: 9,450

Oz: 350

Strength: 450.0

Agility: 380.0

Intelligence: 350.0

Vitality: 250.0

Comprehension: 35.0

Willpower: 35.0

[«Traits»]- 5

«Pure Demonic Conversion»

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[«Techniques»]- 7

«Umbra's Embrace»

«Incomplete Sin Armament» 1/3

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[«Elemental Affinities»] 

Level 9: Darkness

Level 7: Fire, Metal, Wind, and Lightning

Level 5: Earth

Level 3: Space 

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[«Demonic Servants»] [«Interdimensional Inventory»] 

Stat Points: 0

'After Level 100, it seems that leveling up doesn't grant me the ability to distribute the stat points myself. Nevertheless, an increase of 10 for each of them is more than enough to make up for the removal of this ability,' Apollo thought to himself.

Once again, he went on the hunt. This time, he allowed Ouroboros to battle alongside him. In addition to increasing the speed in which he culled the Lesser Ifrits, he also established tacit understanding in battle with Ouroboros. 

Since he was still young, most of the matters regarding combat were a grey area for Ouroboros. Until he unlocked more of his ancestral power, he needed to rely on what Apollo introduced him to. Fortunately, Apollo wasn't someone unskilled in battle. 

After every battle, Apollo sucked the corpse dry of Ira to both recuperate his losses and train his reserves at the same time. At all times, his Diabolic Heart of Wrath needed to be filled with Ira. Should he ever find himself in a perilous situation, he would be prepared. 

"How does it feel to battle and earn your own merits?" Apollo questioned while watching Ouroboros crush a Lesser Ifrit under his increased weight. 

"Amazing Master! It feels amazing! They're so fragile, I can crush them without sparing too much effort!" Ouroboros replied. 

"Good, now let's go meet that old man," Apollo responded. For the first time, he utilized the Umbra Phantom Mantle. But, when he did so, he immediately felt woozy. Inside Ashiraem, there were dark particles that sustained the usage of these types of skills.

However, this mantle caused them to become supercharged. So, upon usage, his body was nearly overloaded. In light of this, Apollo blinked, "I'm glad this happened now. Should I have done so during combat, then without a doubt, I would have fucked myself over."

The rest of the way, Apollo continued to use the Umbra Phanom Mantle. To anyone else, he looked like an obscure ripple. Not only did the mantle cloak him, it increased his speed to the point that he seemed like nothing other than a ripple.

Now that he utilized this speed, it didn't take more than an hour of additional travel to appear before Fuhrer's humble cave. Unlike last time, there was no dismissal. In fact, Fuhrer even urged him to come inside.

"Ah, I felt when you landed in Ashiraem. Come inside young one, allow me to witness how much you have grown in this short period. The Monarch must possess an unmatched growth ability. If you fail to show me such, how will I ever witness the rise of another Monarch?" Fuhrer stated while moving inside the cave.

Just a simple movement and the entire cave began rumbling. It was unknown what form he currently took on, but Apollo could feel him once again expending heavy amounts of Anima to reduce his burden on the area around him.

In truth, he didn't belong on this Ring. He belonged to the same Niihilistic Ring the Monarch Candidates did. Since they were all extremely strong Noblesse and above existences, the First Monarch paid special attention to reinforce that world with obscene protective measures.

When they came face to face, Fuhrer inspected Apollo's body without delay. At a glance, he started to smile. But, when he pried deeper he frowned.

"Bah, not bad but definitely not good! You have taken the next step and awakened the Second Baleful Step but it isn't even at initial mastery! Furthermore, you've utterly neglected the Annihilations. You have yet to fuse your unique intent and the Demonic Massacre Wave together. I'm not sure how I should feel about you," Fuhrer complained while tapping his finger against his head.

In response, Apollo frowned. To be honest, he was expecting some praise as Fuhrer never told him exactly what to accomplish, he simply tasked him with finding a successor for the Tenebrous Sword. However, even that was a dead end as he didn't understand what Fuhrer was looking for.

"Don't frown, I now know how I need to train you. Wherever you keep vanishing to, that world doesn't seem fit for anything other than tempering your mindstate. Therefore, I'll temper your body and mind. Fight me and can only utilize demonic techniques," Fuhrer stated while retrieving the sword at his waist.

Without pause, Apollo readied himself for battle. In truth, this was a rematch he was looking forward to. Forget combatting a Spirit, this was a tried and true master standing before him.

"Take the first move," Fuhrer exclaimed while taking a retreating step. In that same instant, Apollo made a supersonic move. The Umbra Phantom Mantle covered him but Fuhrer's eyes gleamed with a black light.

"You are fast but slow!" 

BOOM!

Apollo's fist met Fuhrer's sword. The rebound caused Apollo to slide backward. But, that was far from what he was capable of. He thought about the strike that was inspired by Fuhrer. Even though it was too early to use it, he wanted to prime his body so that he could catch Fuhrer off guard when and if the moment presented itself.

"The triple mirage of the unpracticed mantle. What I want to see is for you to do this," Fuhrer state before using the Umbra Phantom Mantle as well. However, his mantle was complete, "Full State: Six Phantoms Shifts."

Immediately Apollo's eyes widened. First, Fuhrer's body was surrounded by 6 thin mirages. Sometimes they condensed to one, other times four but what appalled Apollo the most was the fact this technique was enacted on Fuhrer's weapon as well.

In short, he couldn't see the blade. As a result, Apollo exhaled. He caused his Ira reserves to seethe as he retreated.

"Not fast enough," Fuhrer smirked then made his move.