The Demon Monarch System

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When the Ira entered his body, Apollo was mystified. This was a sensation he had never felt before. Since the castle was in the center of the Ring, it acted as a beacon for the purest Ira to gather. 

In fact, the volume stupefied him as a searing pain birthed from his stigmata flowed through his body. At this rate, he wouldn't need to use any Fragments of Sin at all. It was now that he understood why Ira-based Fragments of Sin could be easily found here. The concentration was truly mind-boggling!

On the other hand, Furcas fell into a trance-like state as he spoke in an ancient demon tongue. At first, Apollo didn't understand a single syllable, but the constant chanting reverberated against something deep within his being.

Unbeknownst to him, he started to chant another combination of ancient demon tongues. A small orb partly obsidian, partly amethyst appeared on his forehead. For now, it was too small to present any use, but that would soon change.

While he chanted, Apollo's consciousness inverted and delved deeper into the latent powers within him. To him, the stigmata appeared as one source of power directly connected to his Infernal Nucleus, whereas the Cardinal Sphere and Tainted Temple existed as two separate entities.

For now, it required too much focus to delve into the recently leveled up Cardinal Sphere, thus, it was more practical for him to spare his attention towards the other two. First, he started with the Infernal Ira Stigmata. Since it was in a state that surpassed the Lesser State from the moment he awakened it, it should require the least amount of time to cement it within the Greater State.

When he increased the strength of his Hefllire, the stigmata had already begun responding to it. It just slowed down due to the neglect. Fortunately, it wasn't an ability that was best when struck while the iron was hot. It didn't matter when because the progress would always be the same unless he entered the sensitive state. 

Some of the incomplete lines started to merge together and form new runic markings that allowed the strength to flow better. In fact, while he continued to perceive what was happening, he started to realize that the flow was a mirror of his veins. It merely formed another circulation system. 

As this became apparent, another thought entered his mind, 'Will the other stigmata adopt the same thing? Will I have 8 circulation systems? If so, part of me feels this is redundant while another part feels this is quite the wonder. Of course, until this is proven, I'm not sure where any of the other stigmata will appear.'

Nevertheless, similar to his first transformation, the Hellfire his body emitted started to take the shape of a cocoon. His Demonic Anima then assisted the process and hardened the cocoon into a diamond-like material. Be that as it may, the interior of the cocoon was hotter than lava.

Apollo's eyes slammed opened and widened as the skin on his body melted away to reveal the underlying muscle. The first tempered the elasticity and strength of his muscles, burning away the weakness and impurities. Needless to say, this was an excruciating process.

But, when the numerous system messages appeared before his eyes, he did his best to resist the torturous experience.

〈System Alert! The racial meter has increased by 1%. Additionally, the other stats are being affected in the process. Strength +1%, Agility +1% & Agility +1%.〉

This message appeared every time the pain became almost unbearable. This meant it required him to touch upon his limit multiple times to receive this benefit. Hence, why it was worth it in his eyes. It was only when one touched upon their true limits that they experienced the most worthwhile growth.

Since Apollo was a firm believer of this ideology, he stood by it. He was an advocate for trials by fire. Only in the worst-case scenario would he be able to gain control of his constantly overflowing emotions. He believed it was time he started to mature faster.

After all, it wouldn't be long before he would have to face beings that would present nothing outside of despair. In their presence, his will would have to retain its solidity. If not, he would become a laughingstock when he announced his intentions to take upon the Monarch mantle.

As he thought about this, Apollo felt this was unacceptable. While he didn't mind failing, being seen as a joke by others was something he couldn't stand. As Saehtyn mentioned earlier, those who possessed deep-rooted pride would have to experience trauma like no other before they could learn how to process everything properly.

Sometimes, it was best to set one's pride aside. Lest they provoke a calamity upon themselves. In fact, it had slipped his mind, but he had seen it once before. Typhir's injury was truly caused by his own pride. If he didn't want to prove himself, he wouldn't have suffered that strike from Reiner.

In turn, he wouldn't have become a demon either. But, when stripped bare, his pride was truly a blessing. However, whether or not it was one for himself or another was an enigma till even this very moment.

Halfway through the experience, Apollo became accustomed enough to split his attention in two. The other half of his spirit then focused on heightening the state of his Tainted Temple. The miniature version of stigmata engraved on it deepened in both color and inscription.

By the time he felt faint, both sides reached the cusp of breaking through. With just one more step, he would make a large leap in his progress. However, it was also becoming increasingly difficult to retain his consciousness. Even the inside of his mind became blurred and constantly fading.

Be that as it may, Apollo clenched his teeth and even tore his lips to shreds trying to stay awake. 'Come on, just a little more. Don't give in...you can do it,' Apollo repeated in his mind, doing his best to psyche himself up.

At this point, he was running on fumes as his internal energy was exhausted. Every ounce of it was within his stigmata. Furthermore, it wouldn't be released until fully completed. Hence, Apollo's only choice was to resist all temptations of giving in. No matter how alluring the thought, he couldn't allow it to happen.

After all, the cusp was an extremely sensitive state. Unlike before, there was now a possibility it would continue to degrade back to its prior form if his attainments didn't solidify. 

Be that as it may, the pain reached a peak. Apollo bellowed and the pitch was similar to that of a dying predator's last death throes. He was desperate! His nails dug into his palm as both his stigmata and Tainted Temple cracked all over.

Underneath, there was a vibrant light that was at least 3 times brighter than their prior dull forms. In exchange, a weight felt like it was lifted off his shoulders. Yet, before he could bask in the glory of this sensation, his consciousness slipped away. He had exhausted every morsel of willpower he possessed. So, he needed to recover.

He fell into a coma-like state that allowed his body to begin the recovery process. Almost simultaneously, Furcas opened his eyes and blinked, "It had to be him? He's a rather difficult opponent to convince. This youth has quite the path cut out for him. In comparison to me, he should retain much more of his abilities. He may even be an Archdemon now."

He then lifted his hand and drew a symbol in the sky. For now, it wouldn't be useful, but it allowed him to record those who were located nearby. One by one, he drew symbols. Soon enough, it reached the count of 6.

'To think there are 6 of them who hid in the world of Suprenis. Right under the nose of the current Lord, Lucifer. They are fortunate that he is one who likes to deflect responsibility. Otherwise, it would have been potentially fatal to stay there too long. Even adopting foreign identities wouldn't be enough,' Furcas determined.

Until Apollo awakened, he continued to search for the positions of the others. But, every time he located one demon, the intensity of his circle dwindled, 'These inferior materials can't locate those beyond the state of a middle-rank Archdemon. Just one location would exhaust nearly half of the circle's potency.'

Half a day later, Apollo's eye opened abruptly and a burst of pressure emanated from him.

'He's close,' Furcas thought after sparing a short glance.