The Demon Monarch System

---- 

A stream of notifications appeared before Apollo's view, indicating a rapid increase in his attributes. However, while it was immediate, it wasn't as substantial as the increase he received from absorbing Xonnomor, Gallmath, and Arleo's essence. All three of them were Archdemons at the time, so the growth was phenomenal.

Meanwhile, after summing up the total number of attributes obtained from this bunch, it barely equated to the essence gained from Xonnomor alone.

〈System: The essence of many Lesser Demons and Greater Demons has been absorbed. [Unable to increase Evolution Meter.]〉

〈System: +7.5% Strength and +10% Demonic Anima Reserves.〉

'Compared to before, this is kind of underwhelming,' Apollo thought. After all, the essence of over 50 demons didn't even equate to 10%! That meant, on average, each demon only increased Apollo's strength by 0.15%.

Realistically, this was incorrect because the amount from the Greater Demons and Lesser Demons varied greatly. In fact, the amount of stats gained from a demon was equal to half of leveling up once in the stage.

Nevertheless, Apollo didn't fret over this insignificant matter. It was simply an addition to his actions. Perhaps if it were the only way to acquire strength, Apollo would feel otherwise. But, fortunately for him, it wasn't.

After the influx of strength, Apollo also noticed the changed momentum of the battlefield. Besides feeling Tanath's palpable wrath, the other Archdemons showed signs of making a drastic move.

Rather than expending their energy, Apollo felt a budding sense of danger from them, causing him to narrow his eyes while monitoring their actions closely. 

"Ilguk, Murulath, Drurkal push now!" Tanath bellowed furiously as his weapon brimmed with a dreadful energy signature. Both Ira and generous amounts of Anima wreathed his sword as he turned into a crimson blur, drawing near Apollo's position in the air.

While these four were incapable of flight, at their stage in their evolution, they possessed an insane jumping ability. Whereas Typhir used a unique stepping technique originating from Fuhrer's practices, these demons merely lunged at Apollo's, closing the distance at baffling speeds.

In response, Apollo stretched out his hand and swiped down, conjuring another massive claw formed from his Aura of Domination. However, pressing down on four enemies proved difficult as he barely slowed their ascent.

Though surprising at first, Apollo understood that it was far-fetched to believe he could suppress 4 Archdemons at once. And, if he focused his attention on a single opponent, then the others would move in on him unabatedly.

At this point, Fuhrer moved his hand to his weapon while sending Apollo a message, "Do you require my assistance, my Lord?"

Surprisingly, Apollo still rejected the offer and used his second to summon another Dominator's Clutch. However, Apollo utilized this clutch differently.

〈System Alert: It is possible to increase the pressure of your Dominator's Clutch by sacrificing Demonic Anima.〉

After reading this, Apollo pondered the opportunity. After gaining access to all of the Sins, Demonic Anima was something he rarely used. Outside of the Demonic Massacre Wave and the Baleful Steps, Apollo's other techniques required the use of Sin Energy.

Still, Apollo collected more information about the option before making a choice. 

〈System: Based on your current opponents, it will require 1,000 units of Demonic Anima to increase the pressure of your Dominator's Clutch by 1%. [This effect is only applied to one individual. Multiple targets cause the required units to multiply by the number of targets.]〉

'So all of them will require 400,000 units of Demonic Anima to double the pressure? Unfortunately, I can't spare that many resources,' Apollo thought. Afterward, he chose to focus on Tanath, since he was both the strongest and trickiest enemy to deal with.

The unexpected surge of pressure caused Tanath's eyes to widen as he was rendered immobile. A moment later, he started to fall towards the ground while Apollo relinquished the pressure on the other three.

In exchange, Gram started to fly towards him as he grinned. 

He didn't take the time to consider it until now, but the weapon in the hands of these demons presented an awfully familiar sensation. 'Xonnomor forged these, meaning his father must have sent these demons.' 

Though they paled in comparison to Gram, in the hands of Archdemons, these weapons still posed a considerable threat. So, now that the Archdemons activated their power unrestrictedly, Apollo introduced Gram in this equation.

As soon as Gram entered Apollo's grasp, he slashed downward, sending an immense Demonic Massacre Wave hurtling towards the incoming trio. Despite how hastily prepared the retaliation was, it wasn't an attack that they could ignore. 

At the very least, the wave would cause some damage.

Therefore, the trio chose to launch an assault against the incoming wave. Ilguk, the dual mace-wielding Archdemon, smashed his maces together, sending a ripple towards Apollo's attack.

In the meantime, Murulath, the demon who wielded a bow, plucked his bowstring, firing an arrow with four afterimages spiraling around it. Soon enough, the spiral was set ablaze by a potent source of Ira.

While Apollo could absorb Ira from attacks, that was only true when used as a simple application. In this case, if Apollo wished to absorb the Ira surrounding the arrow, he would need to do so before the arrow impacted his body.

However, with its current velocity, the chances of Apollo succeeding were slim. Not to mention, after learning that Apollo could devour their Ira, the Archdemons employed a minor precaution.

Each attack was encased in a thin yet effective layer of Demonic Anima to contain their Sin until the attack made contact.

Meanwhile, Tanath roared and struggled to shatter the pressure restricting his movements. His reddened eyes stared at Apollo and the other three. His anger seethed further when he noticed Apollo's faint smirk.

Did he think this situation was a joke?

'I'll rip him apart!' Tanath thought as an obscure aura bubbled from him. A single word repeated inside his mind endlessly as a savage aura burst from his body.

Fuhrer looked at him in surprise before shifting his gaze between the two, "I suppose the young Lord may be in a bit of trouble."

"What?! Why would you say that? Are you cursing the Lord?! Oh my gosh, how dare you!" Valac exclaimed.

However, Valac's senses weren't as sharp as Fuhrer's. So, he didn't pick up on the change that took place in Tanath. At least, he didn't understand the importance of it.

"Young buffoon, that demon has just awakened the Aura of Slaughter. Do you understand what I'm telling you? It's an Aura of the precipice of becoming a Perfected-level aura.

"Seriously?" Valac gawked before looking back at Tanath. A shred of jealousy appeared in his eyes. After all, Valac's aura wasn't at the perfected level either. At best, it was within the Major Realm.

If he could experience the purification of the system, then that was liable to change. But, he'd need to inch closer to the Archdemon level before Apollo entertained that thought.

Meanwhile, Tanath slashed his sword ceaselessly as he attempted to tear through the technique holding him in place. After five strikes, his attacks made progress, opening minute tears in Apollo's attack.

Of course, the moment his technique suffered damage, the system alerted Apollo.

At the same time, he was also surprised by the abrupt change. However, he didn't have the opportunity to be astonished for long. He needed to make a quick choice, and so he did.

A blackish-purple appeared in his palm as he launched it in the center of the Ilguk, Murulath, and Drurkal's position. A terrifyingly strong attractive force pulled them towards the orb as it expanded.

Whoosh!

Simultaneously, Apollo nearly teleported to Tanath's position before executing a sharp horizontal slash.

"You're the trickiest one, so it won't pay to save you for last. It'd only be a matter of time before you break this restriction," Apollo said.

Bangggg!

Apollo was forced back over a dozen steps as Tanath did the exact same. However, Apollo glanced at his arm wielding Gram and noticed a few minor cuts on his arm. It wasn't Tanath's attack that damaged Apollo, but his aura.

The savagery of the Aura of Slaughter created a small zone that inflicted damage upon any foreign being that entered within its circumference.

Fortunately, the damage inflicted upon him disappeared instantly as the gem embedded in Apollo's chest emitted a pulse of vitality.

Before making another move, Apollo peered at Gram before raising it in front of his body.

'Behave,' Apollo commanded as his Aura of Domination flooded the weapon. Against Tanath, the last thing he needed was to run out of Ira early. So, he tamed Gram forcefully, unlike Typhir, who purposed the perfect bloodline for the task.

Then again, Apollo's bloodline was made for this exact practice. As a result of his actions, Gram's unhinged consumption condensed until the blazing aura only expanded one inch away from its blade.

Apollo had entered the perfect state for this fight.