The Demon Monarch System

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The days continued to pass and with that, Apollo's aura bolstered and became unrestrained. Now that his cultivation was advancing, it was difficult to keep his aura under wraps. Especially so, since it was impure Demonic Anima flowing through him in place of Natural Essence. ​​

In its own right, this type of energy was both volatile and extremely powerful. Hence, expecting Apollo to be able to control from initial interaction was asking for more than the doable. To do so, he would need to familiarize himself with using it in combat. That way, it would appear more natural as well as deepen his understanding of it.

Shortly after, the atmosphere of the independent space dwindled triggering Apollo's eyes opened. Unlike before, it seemed the independent space was deteriorating in benefits. In light of this, Apollo rose to his feet, loosening his body; muffled explosions sounded from his joints as he stretched, rocking from side to side.

"Sitting for so long, it feels good to get up and move around. Furthermore, based on my aura, I should have come in contact with the next small level. If I'm not mistaken, my current physique should be on par with a Rank 2 Zul Warrior at the least," Apollo muttered before punching the air before him.

A small ripple in space happened before another muffled explosion sounded. This was just the state of his body, there was no essence sacrificed behind the movement. However, Apollo squinted, observing the small changes in that strike.

'That doesn't seem to be what I should be capable of. There are trace amounts of Hellfire in each of my attacks but this isn't my doing, it should be the essence leaking from the suppressed Stigmata. Just this modicum of Sin has increased my striking power so much, imagine if my complete power was unsealed,' Apollo marveled at his strength.

In due time, his excitement died down. He realized something, he overlooked the fact that this muffled explosion and prolonged rumbling wasn't his doing. In fact, he was so enraptured by advancing; he forgot to observe his surroundings.

For quite some time, the ship had begun rumbling as if it was slowing down. Not long after he came to this realization, an announcement from a thunderous voice reverberated throughout the ships.

"We are enclosing on the boundary of Pangea Island. To those of you currently undergoing frantic attempts at advancing, your time is running out. I implore you to conclude your actions if you find yourself unable to move forward. This is because the barrier surrounding the island will disrupt concentration; take this as a warning."

'Hmm? So, the island possesses a barrier capable of disrupting concertation. It must have been put in place in the event the Terrors ever reach this place. It seems to possess great importance to these higher nobles,' Apollo concluded, glancing at the awake Ouroboros.

To his surprise, he was still latched onto his neck, drawing his Demonic Anima, yet he didn't feel any powerlessness wash over him. It was something that baffled him, usually, when your essence was extracted, you'd feel faint.

It was similar to a human giving blood. After a certain amount was removed from the body, a feeling of fragility and weariness would present itself. Hence, Apollo was taken aback by the situation. In exchange for his Demonic Anima, it seemed Ouroboros was giving him something else.

'Although I don't know much about what Ouroboros is doing, this is most likely one of the traits Azridan was referring to. If it continues to grow, it may reach the extent where we reach mutual exchange. No, it isn't a matter of if but when,' Apollo internalized.

Raising a finger, he placed it on Ouroboros' forehead. In response, he hissed. "What is it, Master? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I wanted to know if you know what this energy you're providing is?" Apollo questioned, gently rubbing his finger on its head. Now that they shared a soul link, it felt as if Ouroboros was a part of him. Needless to say, his repressed tender feelings surfaced in the presence of it.

"Oh, I don't know. Your energy just tastes good, Master. So in return, I just give you mine," Ouroboros answered. Surprisingly, he let go as he had reached saturation and couldn't contain any more energy without falling asleep.

After letting go, he slithered his tongue against Apollo's neck, instantly healing the bite marks. It was as if Ouroboros had never absorbed an iota of energy from him.

Apollo touched his neck, baffled. 'He gave me his energy? I wonder what type of energy that is. Could it have something to do with the Inferior Crystallized Chaos it ate; that's a possibility. Nonetheless, as long as my combat power isn't inhibited, there's no need to dwell on the matter.'

Now that the ship was decelerating, the formations inside each of the rooms were losing potency. With the way they were designed, they relied upon the motion of the ship to process the Natural Essence it was intaking. In turn, it would be purified and funneled to the circles; a felicitous mechanism.

'There's nothing left for me to take advantage of within this room.' Apollo thought to himself. As Ouroboros fell into another slumber on his shoulder, Apollo ignited the inscription on the floor, burning it, thereafter, exiting the independent space.

When he reached outside, he was surprised. The sealing of the room was on another level compared to the type of lobby area. Just as he was unable to sense outside of the room, others were unable to peer inside.

However, as he left, he was immediately made aware of the situation at hand. At some time, both Kayn and Cynthia appeared to have entered cultivation, except their momentum eclipsed his.

While their gathering speeds were similar, the difference lay in their auras. Kayn's was akin to a deep sea whereas Cynthia's was reminiscent of a raging stream. It seemed to have something to do with both their cultivation methods as well as their personalities.

Naturally, when he exited the room, both of them sensed him, opening their eyes. For a moment, there was only silence until their eyes filled with both awe and alarm. For starters, Apollo's aura was still the same anomaly it had always been.

There was a dissonance between his direct strength and the aura he radiated. Unlike his direct strength being on par with a Rank 2 Zul Warrior, his aura was that of a late-stage Zul Warrior. This only appeared when one's cultivation method was at a rank allowing the cultivator's combat power to skip levels.

Of course, Apollo wasn't wholly aware of this. While he understood he was strong from the way he dealt with the mercenaries, he didn't have a clear understanding of how strong. After all, they were depleted of Natural Essence.

When one loses the sustenance of their Natural Essence, while they retain some of the defensive capabilities from their peak, it plummets in comparison. Thus, Apollo gained the chance to do away with them.

Meanwhile, Kayn's thought delved even deeper into the matter. 'Is that a Spirit Summon on his shoulder? Their soul aura is nearly identical, that only happens when one contracts with a spirit but then again there is no record of a species with this type of aura in the catalog of the Academies.'

Unable to dismiss his curiosity, Kayn's gazed at Apollo's questioningly, "Is that perhaps a Spirit Summon? Could it be you have become a Spirit Apprentice?"

"H-huh? Wait a minute, are you telling me my sweet little boy has discovered how to open that path of Cultivation on his own?" Cynthia gawked, examining Ouroboros more closely. Now that she looked at it, it indeed shared various similarities with Apollo.

Under the questioning, Apollo found himself becoming unusually irritated. The questions weren't necessarily invasive and yet, he was already clenching his fists, his aura seething.

Upon noticing this, Kayn's eyebrows jumped, 'His emotional state seemed irregular. Such normal questions wouldn't usually result in this odd reaction. Exactly what is taking place?'

In turn, Cynthia grasped Apollo's hand, "Calm down, breathe. Control your emotions." At her words, Apollo continued to glare at Kayn attempting to repress his roiling emotions. Unbeknownst to him, the stigmata under his clothes emitted a soft hue prompting Ouroboros to open his eyes.

Ouroboros' amethyst eyes shimmered with hostility looking at Kayn, "Master is angry!" The silver stream of scales flowing down Ouroboros' back shimmered, the traces of Ira subsiding in Apollo's mind.

Meanwhile, Cynthia was baffled by this scene. 'Why is he so angry? This is unlike anything I've seen before. Then again, just as quickly as it appeared, it is disappearing. Something is taking place… I hope my nephew stays safe.'

'That was odd, where did that come from?' Apollo mindlessly muttered to himself. On the other side, he shook his head, "This is not a Spirit Summon, it's something similar to a contracted beast."

"WHAT?!" Kayn exclaimed.

As a result, Apollo was astonished by his bizarre reaction. 'Why is his reaction so great?'