The Demon Monarch System

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After the others exited, only Apollo, Sapphyr, and Xezym were left in the destroyed room. As she continued to peer around, internalizing the damages, a visible frown could be seen plastered upon her face. Once incensed, she looked at Apollo. She couldn't understand; why was it so hard for this youth not to cause situations to go awry!

"Do you have a deathwish, Apollo? No, seriously! Is there something wrong with you? GOD! Do you know who those nine kids were? I warned you at the desk that people seldom traveled. Now, there's a chance you've offended all of them. Do you understand the repercussion of your actions?" Sapphyr flared, firing a lengthy scolding at Apollo.

At the mention of that name, Apollo's fingers tingled once again except it was more intense than the last time. "Meh, they're just the offsprings of the Great Families," Apollo shrugged, treating this situation as an insignificant occurrence. As a result, Sapphyr looked at him, bewildered.

"I can't tell if your courage knows no bounds or your brain is defective and you're an idiot," Sapphyr blinked incredulously, unable to wrap her mind around this odd youth before her.

"Perhaps a mixture of both but like I said, in my eyes, they're not worthy of my fear," Apollo shook his head, dismissing her words. The way he was primed, he possessed his own point of view, developing his own set of ideals.

"Oh? Then what about your family? That youth Lazaro Astarte is one hateful individual when he doesn't get his way. Between me and you, he's known to throw a temper tantrum and you, Apollo, have caused him to not get his way. With this, there is a chance even your family may be targeted! The reach of a Great Family, while incomparable to a Supreme Family, is not to be underestimated.

"Not to mention, the Astartes are en route to becoming the 4th Supreme Family! If that comes to fruition then…" Sapphyr sighed, shaking her head with a defeated expression. All signs of her prior cold expression disappearing, "Your future will crumble before it sees the light of glory."

Although she tried to hide it, Apollo picked up on the hurt in her voice. To his understanding, this wasn't directed at him. In light of this, he made an assumption, perhaps it wasn't him she was scolding.

"Do you have a treacherous history of your own? If you do, then I suggest you find a way to obtain strength. I can see it inside you; you are stronger than me but possess a weakness; what is it?" Apollo continually asked, attempting to pry into her situation.

Before letting her answer, Apollo addressed her question, "What makes you think I care about my family? When did I ever mention them? It'd be incorrect to assume that anything he does will affect me."

Despite his heartless words, Sapphyr remained silent not uttering anything for awhile. The silence seemed uncharacteristic inducing his next actions. Only after looking into her eyes had Apollo realized she had fallen into a daze. It seemed as if she was reliving some type of deep-rooted trauma.

This was evident from the various negative emotions Apollo felt emanating from her. The strongest one being a mixed emotion but both derivatives seemed to be of Wrath.

'Maybe I can help her,' Apollo mused, narrowing his eyes. Even Xezym was helpless in times like this, lamenting his own inadequacy. After all, during that tragic event, it was he who she looked to for help. Unfortunately, he was unable to do so and the event transpired without him offering a resolution. 

While she remained in this type of torpor, Apollo moved closer, placing his hand on her shoulder. Although he was unable to see her memories, he was enveloped by her emotion. For some time, it felt like his body wasn't his but once he released his own will, he understood something.

'I can absorb emotions related to Sin!' Apollo thought, jubilant at this revelation. His own emotions enveloped Sapphyr's drawing them near, however, only those centered around both anger and fear reacted to him.

In fact, if the system was active, he would have received a notification. While it was never disclosed, he chanced upon a secret benefit to his cultivation technique albeit extremely weakened and incomplete.

If he wished to strengthen this ability, he would need the respective Sin. Naturally, it was the one centered around swallowing any and everything. The transference was extremely slow but each passing moment contributed to Sapphyr regaining her rightful mental state.

On the other hand, Apollo entered torpor for a moment as well. During that short period, he once again met Ira, but this time, he didn't confront it. Contrarily, he silently marveled at it locked within a cage.

'Could it be Ira is unique to every individual? I don't think this is the primal source; I believe this is the sealing imprint! Has my mind traveled inside it? Had I known this, I would have attempted this earlier; this is amazing!'

Apollo was unable to conceal his shock. The more he delved into the matter, the more he discovered small bits of information. When inside the imprint, while incapable of absorbing the energy, he was able to feel the pure Ira inside it. This, in turn, created the opportunity to understand more about it.

According to what he discerned, his wielding of Wrath was incomplete. If he wished to deepen it, he needed to upgrade his Infant Heart of Wrath. Only when it reached a certain threshold would his physique undergo a second cleansing of the Hellfire. 

However, this one wouldn't possess a trial. That was something that happened in two instances. When one first developed their sin and when they sought to claim mastery. Of course, the latter's difficulty was exponentially increased. Hence, the reason only 4 Demons had ever completed the trial.

Now, a 5th one sought to travel in their footsteps but to do so would require an immense, inviolable will. While the first was a simple mixture of physical and mental tests, the second awakening, the mastery, transcended both of these.

Soon enough, Apollo's eyes regained focus. When he looked at Sapphyr, he found her staring at him weirdly. "What did you do to me?"

"I don't know. I just touched you," Apollo blinked, tilting his head to the side. He knew what she was asking but why would he disclose that information. For one, he barely knew the woman. Additionally, he wasn't a trusting person. Even when telling the truth, he wasn't telling the truth. Ergo, his current attitude.

"Wh-...Just go away. Go use that Supreme Room and do NOT cause a disturbance," Sapphyr groaned, shaking her head in frustration. However, under the surface, she remained curious about what he did to her. This was the first time she was able to escape that muddled state within such a short time frame.

"Xezym, stay with and watch over that buffoon. If he starts to cause a raucous please deal with him accordingly," Sapphyr peered back at Xezym. As things were now, her plate was full enough. She didn't need even more discrepancies on her plate. 

"Very well my lady," Xezym nodded respectfully. Meanwhile, Apollo had a grin plastered on his face. 

'I only used about three-quarters of the room duration but I definitely won't be able to ask for additional time due to these damages. Not to mention, there are less than 26 hours left until the trials begin. A day in that room will suffice.'

During Sapphyr's exit, Apollo smiled to Xezym, "Come along. Watch over me so I don't do anything foolish."

Due to Apollo's seemingly warm tone, Xezym knew something was amiss, 'This cunning youth wants something from me.'