The Demon Monarch System

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"Unfazed by my attack?" Apollo muttered in a questioning tone as he gazed at Asteroth in the distance. Despite the heavy blow, Asteroth seemed more excited than before rather than suffering any injury. While Apollo understood that Asteroth's resilience was nothing short of baffling, he was pretty confident in his previous attack. 

After all, even a Noblesse would find it challenging to handle the amount of strength pooled into any strike unleashed through Apollo's abnormal arms. At the very least, Apollo felt the attack should have easily surpassed a Noblesse's initial threshold.

Therefore, Apollo began questioning the mysterious limits of Asteroth's Demon Body. 'Could him experiencing destruction at all turns have bolstered his defenses by this much? It's feasible, but everyone has a weakness. I doubt he can continue receiving these attacks without displaying signs of injury or fatigue.'

Sadly, Apollo didn't preserve the luxury of processing the battle for much longer since Asteroth didn't hesitate as he burst forth from within the collection of large rocks and returned a forceful kick. 

Despite the feeling behind the incoming attack, Apollo chose not to dodge this blow as he crossed his arms and blocked it. However, Apollo's eyes widened as he felt a significant shockwave surge from his back and obliterate everything within a 15-meter radius.

Although the outcome was surprising, it wasn't the cause for Apollo's sudden shock. The Conqueror's Arms were the reason for his stupefaction because they expanded and contracted during the impact and discharged the force behind Apollo, effectively neutralizing all damage aimed at him.

However, Apollo realized that a considerable portion of his Bloodline Reserves evaporated in doing so. It went without saying that defending against one of Astertoh's blows required immense power, which in this case turned out to be consuming a considerable amount of Apollo's bloodline power.

Upon noticing this outcome, Asteroth grinned before unleashing a flurry of blows. But, he didn't stop there as the strikes were far from ordinary. Each strike compounded into a more frightening momentum as Apollo sensed Asteroth's Aura bubbling up.

Nevertheless, Apollo continued to defend against Asteroth's blows successfully while narrowing his eyes, 'This… is the fifth degree of his aura, isn't it?'

Unlike before, Apollo felt a constant itch on the outer layer of his skin. But, the feeling didn't remain constant as the irritation developed into a searing pain, as if the atmosphere was enveloped in a strange heat. The only possible explanation for this heat was the black and crimson wisps circulating Asteroth's body.

At times, the wisps crackled with power and caused an unsettling feeling within Apollo due to Fuhrer's warning floating around his mind at all times. Apollo paid close attention to any signs of Asteroth activating a Dominion throughout the fight since the activation could result in a catastrophic situation.

'Even though Fuhrer said it was during a time of instability, I can't overlook the possibility of Asteroth possessing a terrifying Dominion. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it became worse as he mastered its power,' Apollo thought to himself.

Suddenly, Asteroth smirked while noticing Apollo's attention slip. Ironically, Apollo fell victim to deep analysis while paying unusually close attention to Asteroth's movement. He didn't realize that, for an instant, his focus on Asteroth's actions slipped.

Consequently, Asteroth capitalized on this opening by summoning his second warhammer and executing a frightening spin that kicked up a destructive energy storm and released it directly at Apollo's chest.

Since his evolution, this was the first time an attack was aimed at Apollo's chest, specifically the jewel that rested there. After experiencing the healing strength of this jewel, Asteroth understood that he needed to deal with this item to limit Apollo's chances of withstanding his attacks.

Thus, he aimed his horrific attack at this area. By the time Apollo noticed this, the two hammers were already before him, and he was helpless to alter the outcome. 

However, Asteorth's expression grew solemn as he jumped back suddenly. The jewel didn't crack when he hit it as Asteroth expected it to. On the contrary, the jewel released a baffling tide of vitality mixed with infernal energy. 

Asteroth's solemn expression appeared precisely because of this mix of energy. 'Is this what the hell I think it is? Only one beast mixes this type of infernal energy with unmatched vitality. Don't tell me this boy already possesses one of our household's treasured items?!'

Until now, even Apollo wasn't sure about this jewels origins despite having spent so much time with it. After all, it underwent its first change when it absorbed the essence of the wyvern in the blood pit, followed by a second change when Apollo evolved into a Greater Demon. 

The longer he faced the tide of vitality, the more severe Asteroth's expression became until he could no longer suppress his curiosity. "Young boy! Tell me; why do you have a fragment of Bahamut's Heart?!"

As mentioned before, only the 9 Kings, Fuhrer, and Estran were aware of Apollo's true identity. Although Asteroth concluded that it was no coincidence for Apollo to possess so many of the Monarch's abilities, he thought it was a situation similar to the individual he met within the tower, except it was on a much grander scale.

Evidently, his assumptions were incorrect. There was something irregular in Asteroth's opinion. There was no way that the Monarch was this generous in distributing treasured items. Even the high-ranking members of the Dominus Household were forced to work arduously for their rewards.

From what Asteroth observed, Apollo was too young to have been in contact with the Monarch who had disappeared for countless years now. So, how did he come across these cherished items and techniques?

For a moment, Apollo was silent as he gazed down while experiencing the turbulent winds of vitality. 'Bahamut's Heart? A fragment? Why does this all sound so familiar?'

Eventually, Apollo linked Asteroth's words to the familiarity in question. The realization made Apollo's thoughts speed up indefinitely. 'That weapon! According to Fuhrer, Bahamut is a dragon who represents the epitome of darkness, destruction, and demonic tendencies. If that's the case, how in the hell is its heart in my possession?!'

Suddenly, Fuhrer's voice sounded within Apollo's mind, providing an answer. "That dragon possesses more than one heart. In fact, from what I remember, it possesses five. One supreme heart with four auxiliary. In your possession is a fragment of one of its auxiliary hearts."

"So… you knew of this all along?" Apollo asked in return.

"I had my speculations. Based on the effects of this jewel, I estimate the fragment in your possession originates from the heart that carries Bahamut's vitality. Though, if I'm being honest, the fragment is inconsequential," Fuhrer answered.

Apollo fell into silence upon receiving this answer, whereas fury seethed within Asteroth's eyes. Despite waiting patiently, his question had gone unanswered, which was admittedly his worst aspect.

"Damn it! Are you ignoring me? I asked why you have a fragment of Bahamut's Heart which was a part of the Monarch's treasured possessions. Tell me, just who are you?!" Asteroth snarled.

Apollo found this behavior amusing, ultimately looking at Asteroth with an intense gaze before smirking soon after. "You wish to know who I am? I will tell you who I am; my name is Zethroz Dominus, son of Aztraval Dominus and inheritor of the Dominus Household. Do you understand now why I wield many of the strengths of the Old Monarch?"

Rather than displaying a reaction, Asteroth froze with a growing tremor as he returned Apollo's gaze. 'His son? The Monarch had a child? This boy is the child of our Monarch? As much as I want to refute his word as falsehoods, he knows information that would be lost in this era… If that's the case, then that means…."

All of a sudden, Asteroth started huffing as his eyes reddened. "IT WAS YOU! THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING WAS YOU!!"

"Pardon?" Apollo said with a raised eyebrow. All he did was reveal his identity to Asteroth, yet it seemed all of his repressed anger bubbled over instantly! Apparently, Asteroth carried more resentment than Apollo accounted for.

"It was you! The reason behind the war between the races, for the Monarch's sudden disappearance―us being abandoned; the crumbling of our household and fall from grace―it was all because of your existence!"

Until now, Astreroth had always wondered about the reasoning behind the war. Although the relationship between the upper races was never the best, they had coexisted for countless years without going to war despite their inconsolable differences.

So, Asteroth could never wrap his mind around the facilitator of that dreadful war. Now, he knew just who to blame―the boy before him. 

"How could I have been so stupid? I shall have realized the moment your presence appeared. It was before my eyes all this time. Your power may pale in comparison to the Monarch and possess some stark differences, but that's because you're an abomination formed from more than one great power!" Asteroth roared.

In the next moment, the atmosphere seethed as countless popping noises occurred around Apollo's body. A large sphere of ominous energy encapsulated a diameter of 300 meters as Asteroth looked at Apollo with a hostile gaze.

"I don't care about your relation to my master; you are to be blamed for me being abandoned; therefore, you deserve to be punished!" 

Witnessing this scene from afar, Fuhrer frowned as he realized the dangers of this activation. 'It is worst than I assumed… this boy must have gone to great lengths to achieve control over this treacherous dominion.'

As soon as the ominous aura appeared, Apollo noticed a piece of his leg suffered immediate damage and displayed signs of breaking down completely. Fortunately, the tide of vitality surged into Apollo's leg, but that didn't stop his expression from worsening.

'Just standing in this Dominion causes so much damage? Is this the true power of destruction?' Apollo wondered.. At this moment, Apollo didn't know if he possessed anything in his arsenal capable of withstanding the onslaught of this Dominion.