The Demon Monarch System

----

Inside Ashiraem's Tower…

Xorgrah stood before the massive hole in the tower's side, peering out towards the vast city below. Although the scenery was a pleasant sight, the reasoning behind this gaping expanse in the wall wasn't.

With a grim expression, Xorgrah turned around and gazed at Saehtyn sitting on his throne. It possessed faint traces of damage from the blowback caused by Asteroth's attack. But, compared to the rest of the place, it was more intact.

"I guess the battle was even worse than what Xonnomor thought," Xorgrah commented with an astonished expression. The last thing he needed right now was for the situation to spiral out of further control.

"You don't know the half of it. You'd need to be present to understand the utter destruction that assaulted this place. That demon's abilities were beyond us," Saehtyn admitted with a slightly irritated expression. Remembering the situation put him in a sour mood because of his powerlessness.

It was the first time in thousands of years that he felt uncertain about the income of a battle. As the Lord of Wrath, Saehtyn found this situation to be unacceptable.

"I didn't need to be present. I have a good idea about the destruction that took place here," Xorgrah answered while continuing to scan the area. There were savage cuts throughout the room, but they seemed to come from a much heavier weapon than a sword.

"Are the cuts caused by you?" Xorgrah asked.

"Some of them," Saehtyn answered before following Xorgrah's gaze. "Irzanach and Lucifer created the others by battling each other, amongst several other collisions."

Suddenly, Xorgrah's expression changed as the mention of Lucifer's opponent sounded eerily familiar. "Irzanach, that's the demon you brought to our attention years ago. Why have they made a move now of all times?"

"I can't give you an answer I don't possess, but yes, Irzanach is the same individuals the Lords introduced to the council years ago. Except, he's no longer the same demon. As you can see, he's much stronger now," Saehtyn said before rising to his feet.

Although Irzanach revealed himself countless years ago, he made no physical attempt on their lives or presented any intention of doing so. Because, during that time, Saehtyn sensed that Izranach's power was identical to theirs.

If he made a move on one of the Lords and failed to kill him, he risked the confrontation of all the remaining Lords. Although their relationship was far from amicable, Estran tasked them with ensuring their mutual safety. 

Therefore, in the event of an imminent threat, the Lords worked together. Similar to how all of them engaged in a fierce battle against Irzanach's entourage. The absence of any Lord's presence would throw the balance into disarray.

Additionally, it was challenging to impart their power since it originated from a demon that eclipsed their power. It'd require a demon of equal strength to reappear and supervise the process for another Lord to take their place.

Unfortunately, there were no Daemos among the Council's members.

"There may be no need for one. The fact Irzanach chose now to strike meant there was an incentive for it. It must be linked to the establishment of that obscure household. Just what we don't need…" Xorgrah frowned with a deep sigh.

"How are the matters with the Council?" Saehtyn asked, "What about the Head?"

"It's… unsettling," Xorgrah answered truthfully before turning towards Saehtyn. "It's been three decades since we've heard any word from my father. I even suspect that he has died while trying to shatter the Noble Boundary barring the last evolution."

"Three decades?" Saehtyn muttered with an astonished expression. He couldn't believe that so many years had passed. 'Is shattering the boundary truly so difficult?'

Except for the dying Estran, Saehtyn was unfamiliar with the power of a true Daemos. So, it was difficult for him to wrap his mind around the notion of a Daemos possessing such power. At most, he understood that Daemos held a great affinity towards any Sin related to their origin.

Aside from that fact, Saehtyn was in the dark. Besides, as a Lord, it was challenging to shatter the boundary. Accepting his current position came at an exorbitant price. After all, an implanted Sin Vessel produced a slight dissonance no matter how powerful the implant was.

That dissonance resulted in a drastic jump in advancement difficulty. A Lord would need at least twice the Sin to complete their evolution than an ordinary demon. Half of it was to correct the dissonance, and the other half drove the evolution's extreme changes.

Regrettably, it was hard to return the correct purity to the Nihilistic Rings without the Sin Source in their proper places. So, in a sense, the First Monarch kept the demons at bay, and it was for an excellent reason.

He knew all too well about the demeanor of a demon. The moment they tasted power, they would shatter all restraints towards creating mayhem. And, if too many strong demons rose and challenged Fuhrer's barrier, then the Rings would be subject to an astronomical amount of danger.

Suddenly, Xorgrah's expression took a turn for the worse. 

"There's something you need to know. In light of your revelation about a new faction of demon outside of the Lord's control… the Council has voted to file two motions," Xorgrah said with a conflicted expression.

Evidently, he disagreed with the Council's choice. However, he understood that it was a sound choice from a logical point of view.

"Two motions?" Saehtyn muttered. Generally, nothing good followed the Council's choice to expedite their decisions.

"Yes. First, we're exhausting all the ancient materials in our possession to forge weapons rivaling the ancient era. However, with my father missing in action, we'll have to use a special method," Xorgrah answered.

Immediately, a look of realization flashed across Saehtyn's face. There was only one such unique method, "You're going to use Xonnomor's forging expertise to fuel the creations of these weapons, but as an Archdemon, he's far from strong enough. So, you want me to assist in the process."

"Correct. That's exactly the reason I came here. Of course, it won't be free. We'll anything you request with those ancient materials. However, you must see this process through until the end to receive it. Do you believe it is fair?" Xorgrah answered while looking at Saethyn with a calm expression.

"It's a fair deal. However, how long are we talking? Do I need to place a liaison to carry out the tower's daily measures while I assist Xonnomor?" Saehtyn asked.

In response, Xorgrah thought about the answer before nodding. "You should put some matters in place. With our current supply, we'll be supplying every higher-up of the Council. If the success rate is considerable, the supply will extend to the Lords as well. The tides are turning, and we need to prepare."

"Very well," Saehtyn nodded before returning to the earlier focus, "And the second motion?"

"The Royal Realm's connection to the Nihilistic Rings will be sealed and presumably destroyed, depending on the severity of the future situation. It's the Council's decision, not mine," Xorgrah revealed.

Saehtyn's expression grew grim as he heard these words. Although he knew the Council was prone to hiding away when the situation became hopeless, Saehtyn didn't expect the Council to make such drastic moves this early on.

Then again, the Lords were their immediate line of defense. If they were incapable of resolving the situation, then without the presence of the head, it would force them into a dismal situation.

"Isn't it too early to make that decision? We should pool our resources to find a better solution, not hiding. Furthermore, our focus should be locating this new household to understand why its initial presence was the strongest we've ever seen," Saehtyn said.

He disagreed with the Council's passive actions. In fact, he agreed with Asteroth's opinion.

'Their strength as demons continue to recede. The more they run and hide, the hard it will be to evolve. Perhaps this is why is it so hard. We've veered too far from the true path of a demon,' Saehtyn internalized.

"I agree that it is too early. But, the Council feels that a terrifying danger looms. The last thing they want is for their location to be exposed. Thus, they've already begun to seal it."

"And you?"

"I'll… be staying outside of the realm. There's no need for me to stay there. It'd be much easier for me to navigate the ring and monitor how quickly the situation devolves," Xorgrah answered.

"At least one member of the Council has a backbone.. Good, let's get this matter started then," Saehtyn replied before vanishing amidst a cluster of Hellfire.