The Demon Monarch System

----

As Apollo and his followers sped into the distance, Tirasha continued to peer at her hands. This was the first time she had seen someone treat such precious items like air. At first, she wanted to believe this decision was due to his ignorance but when she remembered the older demons within his entourage, she dismissed this belief.

'There's no way those old demons aren't aware of the value of these items. That only leaves one possibility; such items don't mean much to them. But then, why would that be true? If I'm not mistaken, none of them should be Archdemons. This should still retain value amongst them,' Tirasha muttered, continuing to fail at drawing a proper conclusion.

Little did she know, the scale of the items in her possession was a mere fraction of what Apollo owned. As for what he had given her, it was simply the Fragment of Sins he had offered to Zarkath in the beginning accompanied by 5 Anima Crystals.

The reason he did so was that his mind was already looking at the future. Apollo was the type who moved for long-term benefits, especially when it came to the Nihilistic Rings. Until his presence in this place was permanent, it was more beneficial to lay a sturdy foundation first. 

Meanwhile, Tirasha had already affirmed herself, 'I will do it without fail. I will finally become an Archdemon. This should be more than enough to catapult me into the threshold. If I succeed, I can seek an audience with Lord Lucifer and claim the small rewards he has set aside for newly born Archdemons.'

With her mind made up, Tirasha whistled and gathered the rest of her demons, "Salvage what is still in usable condition and then start rebuilding. Utilize the excess material we stored for this exact reason and get it done!" She ordered in a forceful tone.

Naturally, everyone obliged, even the mischievous Rakphir. Since Jorgun was gone, he had essentially become the number two. This meant there was no need for him to butt heads with anyone at the moment. As for becoming the leader, he was aware that when it came to strength, he was even weaker than Jorgun who ranked 2nd.

In other words, going up against Tirasha was simply foolish.  Not to mention, he was almost certain that she didn't withhold any of her power when fighting. Even if he was her underling, he would be seriously beaten. The recovery period just wasn't worth it.

After administering her orders, Tirasha disappeared, leaving a trail of faint silver embers.

----

Shortly after that happened, Fuhrer and the others continued to advance away from their previous position. Soon enough, they had left the confines of the castle walls but none of them were surprised by this fact. They expected as such when Ouroboros judged that he couldn't tell how far they needed to go.

"Ouroboros, is this the correct direction?" Apollo questioned while examining the direction Fuhrer was currently traveling in. Except for Ouroboros, none of the other demons could tell what he was in search of. Hence, he became the personal guide on this small tangential journey.

"Uhh, yes Master! This is the correct way. I can feel it growing stronger, we are enclosing on the destination quickly!" Ouroboros responded. In light of this, Apollo nodded. 

Soon enough, Ouroboros' small voice sounded as he looked at the surroundings. "Wait! Stop, stop, stop! We're here," Ouroboros exclaimed. Immediately, Fuhrer came to a sliding halt. Before Ouroboros could, he scanned the area for any obscurities. 

However, to his surprise, Fuhrer didn't sense anything. "Are you sure this is the destination? Even I can't find anything out of the ordinary."

Despite Fuhrer's skepticism, Ouroboros remained adamant in his standing, "This is it! This is the place!"

For a while, silence filled the area but it was soon broken by Apollo's comment, "What if we aren't looking for something out of the ordinary? What if the area we're looking for is hidden by the ordinary? Is that a possibility?"

Fuhrer's eyes widened as he recalled an occurrence with an abysmal chance of happening. Yet, when he recalled the properties of Ouroboros' species, it was definitely a possibility, "Yes, I can't dismiss that idea. If that's the case, our advancement will depend on that little serpent in your possession."

Without hesitation, Apollo opened his palms, "Ouroboros, go search for what is calling out to you. In the meantime, we'll continue to sense your general position and follow you closely."

Excitedly, Ourorobos bobbed his head before doing something extremely odd. He burrowed straight into the ground. This was a first for Apollo; he wasn't aware that Ouroboros could do this.

On the flip side, Apollo frowned. The hole Ouroboros created was far too small to fit anyone here. Fortunately, it wasn't an issue. In addition to Apollo instructing him to return to his true size, Fuhrer also assisted in widening the hole.

A spiral appeared at the tip of Fuhrer's sword that then drilled into the ground. Contrary to what Apollo expected, there were no haphazardly flying rocks as a result of Fuhrer's actions. They were simply obliterated by the spiraling aura.

The walls retained a glossy sheen after being assaulted by Fuhrer's aura. The group then continued an uninterrupted journey as they continued to burrow deeper. As the heat picked up, Fuhrer started to notice an odd aura appearing more frequently.

'It would seem that the probability has truly been met. It's surprising, to say the least. But, this event may turn out to be beneficial,' Fuhrer inwardly thought. After several additional minutes, a change took place.

Fuhrer's aura stopped contacting rock and reached a cavity in the ground. As he noticed this fact, Fuhrer stopped his actions, "I believe we have reached the place in question."

"Careful, something feels off about this. The alignment is being disturbed by this place, I can't sense a thing. Everything seems to be in utter chaos," Furcas warned while the light in his eyes dimmed. Since his abilities were useless, there was no reason to waste precious energy. 

"You've guessed correctly, it is indeed in chaos. It is because we have come across an area touched by Chaos," Fuhrer revealed before forcing his palm forward. A shattering noise sounded before he gave a nod, "It's now safe to enter, the barrier has been dealt with."

"Barrier? Why didn't I see one? I can see a lot of things!" Valac exclaimed with a dumbfounded depression.

"Hmph, if you could notice Chaos without being a Daemos, then it wouldn't possess the qualifications to be called Chaos. Nevertheless, let's move. The longer we dawdle, the more we waste precious time," Fuhrer commanded in a slightly brusque tone.

Naturally, since no one wished to face his wrath, they obliged. All of them dropped down from the hole they stood in. Surprisingly, as they fell, their speeds varied. Sometimes it was fast to the point it became nonsensical, other times it seemed as if they were suspended in place.

Be that as it may, one thing remained true, save for Fuhrer who crossed his arm nonchalantly, no one else could deal with the severe and rapid changes. Thankfully, Fuhrer has enough amusement for one day. He waved his hand and everyone descended in one piece.

Meanwhile, Ouroboros hovered above a pool with an unsettling liquid inside. Despite the odd aura, Ouroboros circled it happily, "I found it! I found it! This is terrific. Master, can I enter?!"

Initially, Apollo wanted to give the okay, however, this was a matter he wasn't experienced in. Thus, he relinquished the role to Fuhrer, "I'll let you discern whether or not is it safe for Boros to enter."

"Hmm," Fuhrer approached the pool of liquid and bent before it. He dipped his finger inside before closing his eyes. Only after a few moments did he finally give an answer, "Based on his constitution, it is safe for him. In fact, this is basically a blessed place for him."

Based on Fuhrer's body language, it was clear he wasn't done explaining. But, Ouroboros was impatient. Without delay, he dove directly into the pool below.

As that happened, Fuhrer continued, "There is something off. Such a voluminous pool like this shouldn't appear. We should definitely look around for signs of its origin. Once we have located it, it will also be your turn to train. If you remember, you have stepped into an area you desperately need right now."

"I need it? Do you mean because of the time displacement? The skewered time flow is definitely beneficial," Apollo agreed. He then looked up and around together with the rest. 

On the other hand, Fuhrer clapped his hands and then zeroed in on something unnatural.