The Demon Monarch System

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As Odessa looked in the direction Sirius was pointing, she fell silent. The person in question remained in deep thought, negligent of their existence. Not only did he not look in their directions, but his eyes also fell on the platforms below intently.

"Him? How is that so? From what I remember, he doesn't belong to a family. In fact, we don't even know his origins. He was merely bought to the academies in the past, wasn't he?" Odessa questioned, her sights locked on the man.

"Correct, but that doesn't diminish from the fact that man possesses great strength. There was an incident in the past inside the Braum Family's residence and he singlehandedly quelled the Grand Master of the family. That man, Irauk, remains an enigma. Even until now, we have yet to understand his movements," Sirius stated, looking at Irauk with an obscure gaze.

Finally, noticing additional gazes falling on him, Irauk looked up. Although he didn't speak, there was a faint smile on his visage. Faster than a blink, he disappeared from where he sat. 

However, when he did so, the two stopped their movements. Because, in the next moment, Irauk was standing beside them. "May I help you, Sirius? Is there a reason you're looking at me like this? Why do I feel as if you're talking about me to this lass, that's pretty impolite, if so."

"Hmm, perhaps so but I don't bear any malicious intent. I'm just trying to deter this lass from coveting that boy on the field. For some odd reason, she has taken a fancy towards him. While I don't know what sense it's in, I have already warned her, so there is no need for you to appear," Sirius shook his head, glancing towards another person besides him.

When Irauk appeared, this person's eyes filled with battle intent, however, Sirius was well aware they were by no means a match for Irauk. For one, they weren't even from the same generation. Let alone Irauk, this person wasn't even a match for Odessa who had yet to fully mature.

"Very well, but I suggest you don't get involved with that youth. This warning doesn't stem from my actions but his. There is something odd about this youth I've taken interest in. Should you get on his wrong side, I fear he will stop at no ends to rid you from this world. Take a look at what he did to that youth," Irauk chuckled, pointing at the platform.

Without sparing the platform a glance, Sirius nodded along with Irauk, "I understand what you mean, that youth is by far amongst the most ruthless of children I've ever seen. Regardless of whatever matters took place before, there should at least be a sign of hesitation but with him there was none.

"Anyway, beyond that, there's another interesting youth amongst the children. Who is that girl down there on the same platform with the scarlet hair? Her potential is large but she is unknown. It seems you have also been keeping your attention on her as well," Sirius continued.

"That lass is a handful named Nadida. I chanced upon her during my travels throughout the Zephus Domain. Actually, there's a larger set of youths I've rounded up but it appears their actions are more lowkey in comparison," Irauk stated.

Meanwhile, as they conversed, the battle on the numerous platforms heated up. Due to the lack of opponents, Apollo resorted to a more passive stance on the field. Silently, he spectated many battles taking place. Initially, it was boring to watch but as the numbers on the platform dwindled the scene took a drastic change.

With fewer numbers on the field, that meant they were closer to the end of this battle royale stage. As such, the chance of them being eliminated grew steeper. To combat this, many youths made vicious moves, even attacking those they teamed up with during moments of weakness.

Naturally, this was something they didn't expect. Although they had just met, teaming up to deal with countless enemies developed a budding understanding. Unfortunately, this thought was shattered when the youths indulged in their treacherous actions.

In the eyes of many above, looks of interest shone. What they were looking for were ruthless individuals to cultivate into soldiers. When it came to survival, it preceded camaraderie. This was something many didn't learn until they faced perilous situations.

But, in this trial where their individual future was paramount to success, this notion became evident before their eyes. The path to success was the crushing defeat of both their friends and foes alike. The only thing that mattered to them was their personal interests. Only a select few cherished their comrades over self-interest but that was a novelty.

'This is quite boring,' Apollo thought to himself. Unable to sit still for another moment, he made a move. In light of this, his actions didn't have a specific target. Thus, everyone became his target.

It didn't matter who because anyone closest to him became subject to his vicious attacks. With a single hit, those of weaker cultivations were bought to their knees. With another, they were knocked unconscious. With the third and final one, they were tossed out of the ring.

During his domineering use of strength, many tried to avoid him but couldn't. Even if they did so successfully, they soon found flying bodies approaching their general direction. The way Apollo landed his last blows, it wasn't just one person who was the target of his attack, but anyone standing on the axis.

"Hey, you're eliminating too much! Leave me some idiot!" Nadida screeched, slamming another youth's head into the platform, knocking them unconscious. Much like Apollo, she enjoyed combat. But, most of all, she enjoyed triumphing over her competitions.

Since birth, her competitive spirit had always been unsurpassed. Her matchless drive incited her to always seek the best one and overtake them. Hence, why she compared herself to Adeon, Ragnvald, and Apollo so much. Something inside told her that these 3 youth would forever be the backs she was chasing.

"Hoh? Then why don't you come over here then? I think battling against you will be much more fun," Apollo smiled in return. Without hesitation, he rushed in towards Nadida but unlike his actions with the rest, he wasn't intent on eliminating Nadida. He just wanted a worthwhile battle to at least test the extent of his current body.

Amidst every situation, Apollo's opponent was always leagues above him. Whether it was withstanding Yvaine's pressure or lightly sparring with Xezym's, he couldn't properly gauge his power with them. The difference in strength was far too large. 

Thus, he needed a peer to understand his general growth. As a result, he'd use Nadida as a benchmark.

A fighting intent blazed in Nadida's golden eyes as she rushed toward him as well. Upon witnessing their actions, the other youths scurried away. This was a battle they wouldn't want to suffer aftershocks of.

'Bang!'

Apollo's fist met Nadida's metallic forearm. After synthesizing the Metal Element with her body, she was capable of effortlessly hardening her skin. This type of usage was something Apollo had never seen before, but it intrigued him.

"It seems the stele wasn't a proper test of your comprehension. Perhaps it goes beyond what you showed," Apollo stated with slight surprise. At the same time, in his clenched palm, embers of hellfire were summoned. 

As he punched Nadida once more, she sucked in a breath of cool air. Despite hardening her skin, she felt an unbearable burning sensation on her skin. In short, it felt unpleasant.

Fortunately, her affinities were aplenty. She bent over, clapping her hands against the floor summoning countless earthen spikes. In response, Apollo retreated, tapping his foot to weave between the openings in the attacks.

However, he soon noticed the openings decreasing. The speed at which she was conjuring the spurs were increasing consistently. It soon reached the point where advancing would require him to withstand a few blows with his body.

This was due to the fact she also conjured a defensive earthen orb around herself. It was an immaculate dual usage of offensive-defensive techniques of a singular element. Obviously, if utilized properly, each element could be capable of both attacking and defending.

'I specialize in offense with the strong physique of a demon being my defense. In comparison, my arsenal is lacking. I wonder...what did Azridan mean by his earlier words? If I learn the way, using the techniques of this world would be easy. So, what is the way?' Apollo wondered.

While looking at Nadida's focused expression, a flash of insight dawned upon him, 'It must have something to do with that ordeal in the exam with the stele. I'll look into that further.' 

After coming to his conclusion, Apollo slowed down his dodging process. In exchange, he grabbed and broke the edges off Nadida's attack, using them to retaliate. If he didn't have his own arsenal then it was most practical to use one's attacks against themselves.

Their battle continued to escalate without a winner in sight. Unbeknownst to Apollo, Nadida's essence reserves are simply massive. Even under continued usage, she had yet to show signs of exhaustion. Based on this alone, it appeared he met a worthy adversary.

'My shortcomings are appearing. In these situations, I'm limited to my body but the more I battle the more I become accustomed to my strength,' Apollo mused.

The two became oblivious to the decreasing numbers on their platform. In truth, this was something that didn't matter to them in the slightest; they were enjoying themselves.