The Demon Monarch System

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The battle between Apollo and Nadida continued to grow far more intense. Both of their expressions turned to one filled with exhilaration. They were enjoying the clashes that caused the ones surrounding them to become unsettled. The violent ripples of their actions interfered with the other contestants' attempts.

Despite not being their intention, it was the result of their strong battle. The searing heat from Apollo's hellfire, Nadida's adept use of the Lightning and Earth element, these things coupled together created a disastrous environment.

"More, this can't be all you're capable of. With your test results, you should be able to cause far more destruction! Lay it on me," Nadida exclaimed with an impassioned gaze, her eyes blazed with fervent yearning.

Of course, Apollo couldn't respond properly. Although his body was strong, he was limited in what he could utilize. Nevertheless, even under the circumstances, by no means was he at a disadvantage.

While it appeared he was the one suffering the most damage in their bout, it was all superficial. As quickly as he was received damage was as fast as the pendant healed him. This ultimately led him to believe his peers lacked the ability to damage him properly.

However, that wasn't entirely true. Once he came in contact with the Scions and Glories unmitigated strength, he would come to realize that just as he possessed certain capabilities far beyond his peers, so did others. On the other hand, he was pleasantly surprised by the ingenious way Nadida combined elements.

Oftentimes, she would use the Metal and Lightning attribute in tandem. Due to the elements' ability to enhance each other, the lightning increased the lethality of the metal blades she conjured.

Additionally, she would use bursts of wind to propel the blades at even more nonsensical speeds. To perform this, it required at least a Level 5 affinity with the elements in use, as well as a strong mind to support the concurrent usage of the skills. 

Needless to say, Nadida excelled in both of these qualities, but this didn't mean Apollo was simply a sitting duck. During combat, he was learning new ways to subtly manipulate both his Hellfire as well as Demonic Anima.

'Is this the way? If I feed the Hellfire sufficient Demonic Anima while maintaining an image of a weapon in my mind, I can create a basic hellfire weapon. I'll call this skill Hellfire Armament,' Apollo thought to himself.

However, when he did so, he received a notification from the system.

〈System Alert! Due to your actions, you have unlocked the trait «Hellfire Molding». But, as it is now, it is an incomplete trait; continued usage and perfecting the ratio of the Hellfire will increase the state of the skill.〉

As he received this notification, a spear-like black and gray weapon appeared in his hands. With a suitable weapon in his hand, Apollo's combat ability rose to new heights. Using simple thrusts and swings of the weapons, he knocked away torrents of Nadida's attacks.

"That's more like it!" Nadida giggled. Her seemingly endless reserves of Natural Essence still continued strong despite her simultaneously wielding 3 elements. Typically, with this type of consumption, one would only last upwards of 10 minutes before their reserves bottomed out.

Yet, Nadida's and Apollo's battle reached 30 minutes with ease. Apollo's situation was understandable due both to the system and his body assisting him with the conversion of Demonic Anima from ambient Natural Essence. But, he couldn't understand Nadida's case.

"Why are your reserves so deep? Do you not tire?" Apollo questioned, smacking away an electrified earth spear. Unbeknownst to him, his actions caused a youth next to him to be impaled while embroiled in battle.

In fact, this situation took place multiple times. Not only did the ripples themselves damage those in the vicinity, but Apollo's defenses also contributed to injuries as well. Obviously, even after he became aware of this, he didn't change his actions. Why would he? After all, their objective was to dwindle the numbers as far as possible.

"My body was born this way. From young, I've always been filled with energy. After cultivating, this property carried over. I'll let you in on a little secret, my reserves are 10 times larger than the typical cultivator of my level. But, can you guess my cultivation?" Nadida giggled, a playful smile appearing on her lips. 

Intrigued by her words, Apollo dashed forward, "If this is a battle of reserves then allow me to change the playing field. I wonder if you can continue this type of usage for much longer. Although you haven't shown signs of exhaustion, there's bound to be fatigue laden in your meridians.

"The rapid consumption of Natural Essence should have left your meridians in a tender state, no?" Apollo chuckled, thrusting the crude spear in his hand. The force behind it bent space at the tip. Even though he was unfamiliar with the correct usage of the space element, there were always faint signs of it in his attacks.

'This element is fairly new, I wonder where it came from. It only appeared after the system alerted me of the upgrade completion. Could it be system upgrades are linked to my body as well? If so, could it also be a prerequisite in evolution?' Apollo wondered while his attack came in contact with Nadida.

For the first time, she withdrew a weapon. However, its shape and type were weird in Apollo's eyes. She wielded twin sai's, holding them between the openings. As she moved, the wind appeared at her feet, hastening her movements.

Additionally, crackles of lightning appeared at the three tips of her weapons. To her, it didn't matter if Apollo's strong suit was his strength. If she utilized the right combination, she could neutralize his strength.

"Hmm?" Apollo's eyes widened. When their weapons made contact, it felt as if he was hitting air. Upon the first clash, he couldn't quite understand what he was feeling. His eyes witnessed the clash, but his body told him that was false.

'Is she mitigating my force or absorbing it? Her elements are Lightning, Metal, Earth, Fire, and Wind. Which of these possess the property of absorption?' 

While in thought, Apollo broke down her strengths and weaknesses. At a glance, her affinities complimented each other well. When pinned together, they possessed a versatile mixture. 

Unfortunately, before he could delve deeper into her strengths, everyone on the platform froze in their steps. It was as if space was locked down by a supreme being.

"That is enough. You guys have reached the numbers desired to continue into the next stage. I suggest you save your energy because there will barely be any time to devote to recovery soon enough," Sirius stated, stepping forward from the stand.

Upon doing so, he astonished all the youths. Using a leisurely gait, he strolled through the air stopping above them. To the participants below, this feat was a magical thing. To walk on air was something they all aspired to do.

However, to perform this would require one to attain the Zul Lord Realm. At that time, one could either turn their own Natural Essence into a solid-state or even the world's essence. Furthermore, one could use the outside world as their supply rather than internals.

In other words, breaking through to this realm allowed one to surpass the mortal limits. In a sense, you'd become a lord of Natural Essence. Hence, its name.

Amidst Sirius speech, countless staff members came and dealt with the damaged bodies strewn across the platforms. Some youths lost arms, others legs, but the common occurrence was all those injured were damaged in a way that would affect their futures.

To secure a spot, those still on the stage could only be classified as ruthless.

"Now, I will inform you that the next stage will be the Team Battles but you will have no say in the way things unfold. The teams will be chose arbitrarily upon the participant keys. The only reassurance you have is that your team members can only be chosen within your examination batch," Sirius disclosed.

A few moments later, he circled the air glancing at the Scions, "Furthermore, to give you a decent picture of what we're looking for, the Scions will participate in this as well. Moreover, they'll become contenders for the top spots. This should inspire you all to present your best performances."

Right after he heard this, Apollo lifted his head. 'The Scions you say? I'm curious. How do they match up to the Glories? According to Nivel, they should be the level of youths after them. Each category seems to denote the general quantification of both potential and current strength.'

Meanwhile, Sirius continued to distribute information, "Not only will you have to find your way to the exit, but placed upon the various paths are vicious Spirit Beasts. In truth, they're closer to Demonic Beasts than Spirit Beast due to certain events but that isn't important.

"What's important is every team will have a designated leader. On top of that, the points for this last test will be evaluated on both the individual and team level. Any deaths on your team will result in you losing 10% of your team points. Keep in mind, each team will consist of 10 people. If all die, then well… you know the outcome," Sirius shrugged.

After speaking, a towering stone door granting access to the labyrinth opened. In accordance with this, the backs of all keys lit up. Those keys bearing the same symbols joined together without fail.

As such, all youths were grouped together without their say so. When Apollo saw who was in his group, he was surprised.