The Demon Monarch System

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'An incomplete Armament?' Apollo thought to himself. Aside from the special techniques of Sin, and the unique privilege granted to him by the system, Apollo was unaware of the criteria to create an armament. Therefore, the fact that the system deemed Gram as an incomplete armament shocked Apollo.

Of course, the actual properties of each type of armament were different. The Sin Armaments were merely temporary manifestations of the Sins using a catalyst such as a bloodline, or evolution technique as a base. Hence, why Apollo's particular Sin Armaments always vanished after a certain timeframe.

His Sin manifested as armor and upgraded arms. Although he once managed to summon a type of scythe, Apollo understood that it was an anomaly produced by an extreme situation. Nevertheless, it did give him an experience that contributed greatly to his current state.

If it wasn't for that predicament, Apollo's Ira wouldn't have been pure enough to facilitate the Greater Demon transformation. While it seemed like the system made his transformation possible, it wasn't as omnipotent as Apollo believed it to be.

As mentioned in the beginning, the system was only as strong as Apollo's current accomplishments. The stronger he was, or rather the higher the accomplishments he performed, the greater the features that he awakened. 

"What's the matter?" Fuhrer questioned as he noticed Apollo's blank expression. After receiving the notification, Apollo stared at Gram incredulously, causing some skepticism amongst his subordinates. Fortunately, they didn't sense anything amiss, so they understood there was no threat.

"No, it's nothing. I just think this weapon in my hand is an Armament," Apollo muttered while twisting his wrist to properly examine Gram. Despite his lack of introducing any energy, a subtle sensation emanated from the weapon. 

In fact, it almost seemed as if the black portion of the sword possessed a heartbeat, whereas the sharp portion of the silver blade rippled with a nonsensical heat. Perhaps it was just the aftereffects of his earlier attack, but Gram appeared to be in a perpetual semi-active state.

Even the fine crimson threads flowing through the blade showed signs of movement.

"Mm," Fuhrer murmured while inspecting Gram. Eventually, Fuhrer held out his hand before Apollo, "Let me see the weapon for a moment."

Apollo merely handed him the weapon without a fuss since he understood that Fuhrer didn't covet the weapon. He simply wished to verify if Apollo's claims were the truth. After all, he had no access to the knowledge or verdicts of the system.

Once the weapon was in his hands, Fuhrer gave it a few light swings to test out Apollo's claim. Although they were light, fissures comparable to Apollo's were made, except Fuhrer didn't display any signs of weakness as Apollo did.

Furthermore, the fissures weren't as wild, possessing a refined quality to them as Fuhrer revealed an overly focused expression. As a swordsman who possessed a love for the art, Fuhrer treated all swords with the same affection. Thus, he was able to draw out their peak potential with minimal effort.

Eventually, Fuhrer completed his assessment before extending his arm towards Apollo.

"So?" Apollo asked while taking it back. Although the system classified it as an incomplete armament, it had yet to reveal any deeper information about it.

"It certainly has the makings of an Armament, but it is far from it. While the materials have undoubtedly crossed the threshold, there are a few errors in this weapon limiting it from becoming an Armament," Fuhrer answered after pondering the possible corrections that could be made to the blade.

In response to Fuhrer's words, Apollo simply peered at the weapon with a mystifying gaze. Even if it wasn't perfect, its current state was already enough to turn into a prized weapon. In fact, this was the type of weapon to cause all of the demons in Ashiraem to fall into a frenzy.

Even though Saehtyn's axe was of similar materials, no demon was foolish even to covet the Lord's personal weapon. That was simply seeking a fool's death. Apollo, on the other hand, was without reputation within Ashiraem, or any of the Nihilistic Rings, for that matter.

Therefore, openly brandishing this weapon was akin to Apollo turning himself into a shiny target. Especially in the core area of Firaria, where nothing but Archdemons and sometimes Noblesse roamed.

Granted, that was only if Apollo intended to venture towards those areas in the first place.

Finally, Apollo shifted his gaze back towards Fuhrer, "So, what would you say the imperfections are?"

"It's simple. That weapon is a mere empty shell right now. It's a weapon without substance. Meanwhile, an Armament is a personal item capable of growth alongside its owner. In short, an item with a soul," Fuhrer revealed.

However, before Apollo could respond, he continued, "Besides that, the weapon itself has an issue. Although it had been forged well, the purification of it is lacking; admittedly so because of a lacking flame used to forge it."

Xonnomor grimaced because of Fuhrer's words. The ultimate agony for a forger was to have their work criticized as inadequate, especially so for someone like Xonnomor who employed his own flame to carry out the process.

Of course, Fuhrer took notice of his expression and shook his head, "I am not calling your flame weak. The weapon simply lacks the imbuement of an aura. While your forging technique has mastered the basics, the problem stems from your incomplete way of evolving."

Despite being an Archdemon, Xonnomor didn't possess a semblance of aura, which made him appear like a weak foe in Fuhrer's eyes. After all, every demon in ancient times possessed an aura. It was an undeniable part of a demon's power―whether it is destruction, suppression, carnage, ruthlessness―an aura was needed to complete their power.

It was also why Asteroth was so strong. Both his Sin and Aura were trained in tandem, with his aura pulling a greater part of the weight.

"Ah," Xonnomor said while nodding in understanding. In truth, this matter was something that bothered him when fighting against Fuhrer. He couldn't understand the enigmatic power that held him in place, but now that Fuhrer revealed this information, Xonnomor understood just what it was.

'So, an aura is something crucial to becoming stronger?' Xonnomor thought to himself before thinking of some additional questions, "How does one go about forming this aura? If it can assist me in the forging process, then I would love to learn it. Can you teach me?"

"It isn't taught, but sensed. It is born when you come to understand your deepest desires independent from your Sin. Simply sense what you want and allow it to manifest itself," Fuhrer answered.

Meanwhile, Apollo had his own thoughts about this matter, "Then, will this weapon always be incomplete?"

"If unattended to, yes. However, the true answer relies upon your own actions. You can purify it at any time," Fuhrer said, which caused Apollo's expression to grow skeptical. Typically, after a weapon was forged, purifying it would require somewhat of a repeat of the process.

Yet, according to Fuhrer's words, Apollo could do so himself. How?

Fuhrer chuckled when he noticed Apollo's expression. "You're treating this as a normal weapon, and that's where you're wrong."

Fuhrer then waved his arm, showing Apollo an example. After all, Apollo's situation wasn't unique. It was an often occurrence for a forger to forge a weapon that left the finishing touches to rest upon the wielder's shoulder.

Gradually, Apollo gained an understanding as he experienced the vision Fuhrer presented to him.

"I see. But, wouldn't that turn it into a weapon incapable of being inherited?" Apollo questioned.

"It's possible, but I'm sure you'll find a solution to that limitation," Fuhrer answered with a shrug.

The method Fuhrer revealed to him was simple―purify the weapon by introducing it to a torrential amount of vital Sin over time. However, it couldn't be done with his current purity.

Meanwhile, once he learned of this, the system finally generated the information on the weapon.

〈System Alert: The information on «Gram, The Sword of Fury» has been determined.〉

「Item Name: Gram, Sword of Fury

Item Ranking: Daemonic (Incomplete)

Type: Greatsword

Effect: When in battle, Strength +25%. This weapon causes each attack to possess the innate trait of «Infernal Marks», which uses a certain amount of Ira to increase the destructive power of each attack by 125%.

Description: An impure weapon formed from fabled materials of Daemonic nature, allowing it to channel Ira seamlessly, but many imperfections hinder its flexibility. As a result, the true effects of the weapon remained unaddressed. 

*Note: Capable of refinement.」

'Just as Fuhrer said, this weapon is truly capable of something more. Just another task on my to-do list,' Apollo thought before raising the weapon with one hand.. Then, it disappeared with a flash.