The Demon Monarch System

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The rumbling of the floor intensified as Apollo descended towards the ground while watching the crater expand. Towards the center, the large boulder crumbled at an alarming rate as Asteroth appeared while surrounded by a terrifying aura. Everything within 3 meters of his body faced decimation as a result of this aura.

At the same time, Fuhrer landed beside Apollo with a faint smirk. "That was quite an entertaining arrival, I must say. I never pictured you using that technique in this fashion. Though, if I'm being honest, your actions are extremely provocative."

"Oh?" Apollo replied in response. He glanced towards Fuhrer for a moment before moving it away. There was no need to question Fuhrer's comment because Apollo experienced the reason behind them within a few seconds.

"Argh! Dammit! Who the hell do you think you are," Asteroth bellowed. His anger swelled continuously as he felt disrespected by Apollo's earlier actions. To be taken by surprise and forcibly dragged to some unknown area, Asteroth felt this action was truly unacceptable.

It had been countless years since he failed to withstand someone's forceful approach. Unfortunately, Apollo amplified the amount of power funneled through the Dominator's Cluth by activating a portion of his bloodline. Once activated, many demons would have a difficult time withstanding the effects of his Aura of Domination.

Unfortunately, it wasn't an action that Apollo could sustain. At most, it could only be used for surprise attacks since it required a sudden burst of absurd amounts of his Aura and bloodline power.

In fact, just that single usage depleted his bloodline reserves by nearly twenty percent! However, Apollo felt it was worth it since it kept the tower from receiving further damage. If their origin was truly linked to the Primal Source of the Seven Sins, then Apollo felt the state should be preserved. 

Perhaps there was even a chance that he could reinstate its former abilities after locating those hidden sources.

Regardless, this wasn't a matter Apollo could about at the moment. For now, he required every ounce of focus he could muster. 

Whoosh! 

Suddenly, a huge hammer flew towards Apollo at incredible speeds, causing his eyes to widen in shock while raising Gram to defend. Despite never taking his eyes off of Asteroth, he didn't even sense the initial movement, almost as if the start-up sign of all attacks were absent from Asteroth's attack!

'Even Amduscias had to pause before moving this fast, so how is this weapon moving at a speed on par with Amduscias's Acceleration from the start?' Apollo thought to himself.

Sadly, he didn't have time to speculate over this matter as he was sent flying back after receiving the full force of this hammer's impact. Although his feet didn't leave the ground, Apollo couldn't stop the hammer from dragging him backward and slamming him through countless large rocks.

Afterward, a burst of boisterous laughter sounded from within all the debris. Although they sounded enraged, there was also a tinge of mirth laced within their booming laughter.

"Hahahaha! Do you like how that feels dammit?! How dare you launch a surprise attack on me without thinking of receiving identical treatment. Damn bastard! Haaach puut!" 

Asteroth spat on the ground, clearing his mouth of the remnants of blood dripping from his lip. 'Tch, that hurt more than I'd like to admit. I guess it was true after all. Some damn individual wields this perverse power.'

Of course, the perverse power he mentioned was the Aura of Domination. After all, there weren't many who could break past his defenses even if they weren't raised completely because Asteroth's Aura resulted in a nonsensically resilient Demon Body.

Although it was unclear if it was Mature or Noble Demon Body, his defenses far outclassed either of these options. Aside from this aspect, there weren't many other traits that surpassed the general threshold of either of these physiques, hence the confusion behind Asteroth's current state.

"Urgh." 

A groan sounded far in the distance followed by a heavy thud as the hammer bearing on Apollo's body dropped to the ground, causing a deep indent in the floor. At the same time, Apollo glanced at his right arm, noticing it bent at an odd angle.

'What a destructive power,' Apollo thought to himself. Though his arm, beginning at his elbow, was bent at a gruesome angle, Apollo didn't even wince in pain. Instead, Apollo smacked his arm against a boundless, resetting its position while shattering the rock in the process.

Straightaway, the jewel in his sternum released an abundance of vitality, which healed his damaged tendons at a rapid pace. If it were anyone else, their viscera would have been completely destroyed by Asteroth's attack.

Be that as it may, Apollo didn't regret receiving this attack. Even if it didn't alert him of every important bit of information, it gave Apollo a clear idea of Asteroth's behavior. 'He may be even more unhinged than the rumors hinted. At least Gram fared well against that attack.'

Despite the stupendous force behind Asteroth's attack, Gram didn't shatter. Granted, most of the blow's force passed through the blade and hit Apollo directly, hence his injured arm.

Suddenly, the laughter stopped as it was replaced by a flabbergasted expression. "Well, I'll be damned! Is that Old Man Fuhrer right there? Are my eyes deceiving me? So you didn't perish?"

"Your eyes are still well. Time hasn't assaulted them just yet," Fuhrer responded while remaining in his initial position. Since blows were exchanged already, he couldn't interfere in the slightest. 

"Ehhh?! Speaking of assault, you're on my list as well. I think we should have a little talk after this is over," Asteroth shouted. However, Fuhrer merely spared him a partially disinterested look.

"Oh? Is that right, young man? Have you grown to believe that you are my match?" Fuhrer said. A dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes as an oppressive similar to a wild beast seeped from his body.

Similar to the behavior of a normal predator in the presence of an apex predator, Asteroth scoffed before averting his gaze. "Tch… if not you, someone will experience my rage."

"Understood," Fuhrer replied before shifting his head to Apollo's position. "I wish you luck."

"Gee, thanks," Apollo said before narrowing his gaze on Asteroth. The earlier replayed in his mind as he noticed the odd oscillation of energy taking place before the hammer. Regrettably, he didn't understand the principle behind what he was seeing, so Apollo couldn't formulate a counter just yet.

Conversely, he also couldn't keep receiving damage from those attacks to learn the operating principles of Asteroth's attack. Therefore, Apollo decided on what to do. He cracked his neck, relieving the built-up pressure before smirking.

A thought passed Apollo's mind as he looked towards the hammer for a moment. 'That's right, this should be his disadvantage for the moment.' 

Since Asteroth was weaponless and seemingly at a temporary disadvantage, Apollo immediately activated the Umbra Phantom Mantle, drastically increasing his Agility while dashing towards Asteroth. Since Asteroth was an opponent that Apollo couldn't underestimate, he intended to capitalize on all opportunities that presented themselves.

In this case, it was Asteroth's actions of using a long-range attack that required him to let go of his weapon! 

Regrettably, a creepy grin appeared upon Asteroth's grin the moment Apollo rushed towards him.

"Oh? Do you think increasing your speed will help you? You don't know how long I've been waiting to release the weight of this resentment I bear. A mere boost won't stop me from getting my hands on you," Asteroth said.

In the next moment, his body disappeared with a frightening boom as he charged towards Apollo at a lightning-quick pace. Again, the odd oscillations of energy appeared before Asteroth's body, yet didn't interfere with his movement. 

On the contrary, it assisted Asteroth!

Nevertheless, Apollo didn't cower. The aura of the Demonic Massacre Wave appeared around Gram as Apollo held it horizontally. A second later, he unleashed a relentless barrage of waves at Asteroth.

If any other individual were faced with this shocking number of waves, they were bound to freeze up and stare in horror as they assess the odds of surviving or overcoming this attack. 

However, Asteroth just smiled as he rushed directly into the center of the barrage. As soon as he reached there, he clapped his hand causing a burst of destructive energy to expand in a large sphere.

Every wave touched by this wave was disintegrated. What's more, Asteroth didn't stop his rush as he executed this counter. As a result, he arrived before Apollo within moments. 

Left with no other choice, Apollo resorted to using a simple slash empowered by the Nether Severance's power.

"Sharp," Asteroth sneered in a teasing tone. "But, no use in being sharp if it can't hit anything!"

Asteroth dodged this strike before retaliating by extending his arm and using his half-closed arm as an anchor to lift Apollo's body and slam him into the ground, resulting in an explosive rumble. 

Without sparing any moment for Apollo to recover, Asteroth extended his arm, causing his hammer to interact with his desires. As an item near the level of a genuine Armement, the hammer hurtled towards Asteroth's grasp.

Once in his possession, Asteroth raised it above his head before slamming it into the ground. In addition to a deafening noise appearing once again, there was also a metallic collision, which prompted Asteroth to strike down the hammer once more, burrowing their bodies deeper into the ground.

"Whahaahaa! That's right, you'll be the ragdoll upon which I vent all of my frustrations upon," Asteroth said throughout his maniacal laughter.

In the meantime, Fuhrer's hand moved towards his chin as he eyed the exchange between Asteroth and Apollo. 'Although he is at a clear disadvantage, I'll withhold judgment until they bring this fight to the next level