The Demon Monarch System

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After Typhir smirked, he barely moved his shoulder but the compiled boosts to his strength caused it to enter a nonsensical realm. That small action caused Apollo to slam into the parallel labyrinth wall over 20 meters away! However, Typhir was far from done.

He didn't give Apollo the chance to take a breather at all. Less than a second later, he appeared before Apollo, striking his greatsword 3 times. But, while those strikes seemed to be plain, they followed a connected path. No matter which way Apollo sought to respond, all paths of escape had been cut off.

In other words, the only to deal with the current situation was to face it head-on and triumph over it. Sadly, with Typhir's current state that was easier said than done. Now that Apollo had engaged in combat with him, the information the system previously withheld now became apparent. 

Not only was Typhir a glorified Zul Knight, but he was also far along the path. 

Name: Typhir

Age: 16

Cultivation: Rank 4 Zul Knight 

Zuls: 14,700

Strength:---

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'These stats… they're so inflated! It appears in our previous battle, he was holding back more than I presumed,' Apollo thought, widening his eyes with shock. Left with no other choice, Apollo defended against the three strikes. The backlash of receiving them, however, caused Apollo to cough copious amounts of blood.

"As I said, you'll be unable to win against me. Concede and become subservient to my mistress!" Typhir stated in a domineering tone. After Apollo coughed up blood, Typhir didn't press him further.

Presumably, Apollo's demeanor wasn't one that would yield in circumstances like this. Firstly, this situation was unnatural. To deal with it, he had thoughts of dealing with Violeta. That way, he could continue without annoyances popping up and inhibiting his progress.

Secondly, the Infernal Ira Stigmata was escaping his control. But, this wasn't something he wished to happen right now. For now, it was only a gut feeling, but something told him his every action was under the purview of all those who remained outside of this space. 

Regardless of whether or not this was true, another matter of even more dire circumstance remained—he was unaware of how the people would take to him transforming into something the world had never seen before. 

Albeit only once, when he became a Lesser Demon, the transform catapulted him into a state far beyond the limits of a normal cultivator. While the exact increase was unknown due to the circumstances he changed under, it would definitely become a gamechanger.

However, one must remember, his vitality was still damaged. This wasn't the vitality of his body but rather the unstable vitality of his Infernal Nucleus.

'Calm down...calm down,' Apollo repeated in his mind, trying to coerce his stigmata to cease its actions. Unfortunately, Typhir's strike did more damage than he thought. Thus, Apollo found himself left with no other choice.

"Don't blame me for being ruthless, blame your inability to challenge your current state," Apollo said in a solemn tone before retreating far away. Amid doing so, he channeled his Demonic Anima into a strike he had only used once before. 

Despite possessing Demonic Anima, he still wasn't sure if he should launch this attack. This was due to the fact the system had yet to generate information on the Second Annihilation. Besides the name of it, there was no other information about this technique. Not to mention, the last time he used this technique, it nearly tore him apart.

Granted, he was still a Demi-human at that point, but it had to be known, the Annihilations were not techniques meant to be learned at this stage. Usually, a Demon of suitable strength would attempt to learn it only when they were capable of using it more than once without falling to their knee.

In light of this, Apollo wasn't sure if he reached that standard. Moreover, Azridan had left him a warning—not to use that second annihilation unless in a dire situation. Thus, the question remained—was this a perilous situation?

He ruminated over this matter for a short moment before coming to his decision. It wasn't the time to second guess. The longer he idled here, the greater the chances of Aaron's facing grave danger. Alas, dropping his stance, Apollo conjured another Hellfire Scythe.

Except, this one wasn't complete. As soon as it was summoned, it started vibrating and disfiguring from the overbearing energy Apollo forced into it. The space trembled but stilled soon after. The effect of this technique was absurd, to say the least.

When the fluctuations reached Typhir's senses, an alarm rang in his mind, "What are you doing? Cease your actions, you may damage the mistress," he roared.

Obviously, Apollo paid no heed to his words. His mind was made up surrounding this matter, and only one thing would change it—Typhir breaking free from the clutches of Violeta's technique. Regrettably, this didn't seem to be a plausible desire. The shroud of emotion covering his mind was still very much and potent nonetheless.

Even Nadida fell victim to his assault upon trying to get close. Due to this, Apollo had her remain in the background with Xineen. At the same time, once his aura climbed to its peak, he took a step and made his move.

Likewise, Typhir did the same. It wasn't the time to be passive, he'd need to confront this attack head-on. Unknown to him though, Apollo concealed his back-up plan in the event this one failed to present what he was looking for.

"Second Annihilation: Nether Severance," Apollo uttered. A singular wave of energy possessing an abundance of devouring properties billowed forward in search of Typhir. 

On the other hand, Typhir tightened his grip on his sword, vibrant runes illuminating it. Meeting the attack, he uttered a large battle cry. Upon contact, a sonorous screech resounded for at least 3 seconds. The disorienting noise not only affected them but Violeta as well.

To deal with it, she closed her eyes. But, that was a blunder and a rookie mistake. A stipulation behind the connection between her technique and victim was that it required her sights to remain on them at all times. Of course, there was a workaround, but different from the rest, she had yet to touch upon the exalted practice known as Spirit Cultivation.

Needless to say, her control of Typhir was severed. Sadly, the damage was done and Apollo didn't take any chances. Before Typhir could recover from the collision of their attacks, Apollo appeared with a fist bathe in Hellfire.

'Bang!'

Without hesitation, Apollo threw a relentless punch aimed at Typhir's forehead. Similar to his earlier predicament, Typhir was both unconscious and implanted deep into the other labyrinth's wall. 

'As I thought… that strike is still abominable,' Apollo thought, gasping for air. That single strike has cost over ⅓ of his Demonic Anima reserves but that wasn't the most shocking part. When he utilized it, there was a small barrier around the technique restricting him from using its complete power.

Unbeknownst to him, now that the system leveled up, it was capable of putting failsafe measures in place. In the event that an attack he was wielding was beyond his capabilities, it would step in.

Due to the bizarre consumption, Apollo fell to one knee. Trying to gather himself after a large drain like that was easier said than done.

All of a sudden, there was movement, Violeta appeared before Apollo with a cynical smile and sinister gleam in her eye. Once again, she activated her Carnal Eyes of Bewitchment. Though, unlike before, she imbued it with every last ounce of lust she could muster.

"You'll become mine and you'll be none the wiser. That other guy may have been strong, but he isn't quite the looker as you are. Plus, my aunt has tasked me to do this. That way, I can milk my family even more," Violeta uttered, following up with maniacal laughter.

However, midway through she paused. Something felt off; when she used this technique, there was supposed to be a faint link between her and the victim. Yet, there was no such link in her mind.

In fact, dark thoughts and scenes of her harrowing murder submerged her mind. The more she looked at these scenes, the more terrified she became. The worst part was even after trying to cancel her technique it wouldn't work!

"N-not human...w-what is this. What are you? Don't come near me," Violeta stammered in panic as she retreated.

Meanwhile, Apollo lifted his head gazing into her eyes, "Correct, I'm not a human but you are and you've been deemed malicious," he smiled, rising to his feet.

"May you learn in the afterlife," Apollo stated in a plain tone.