The Demon Monarch System

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Upon hearing this voice, Apollo's gaze instantly focused on the vortex in the distance. Within the middle, he could sense the descent of some unidentified force. Although it felt incomplete, he could distinguish that it contained more power in its partial figure than Apollo did when transformed.

'Why is there a being like this being summoned? I thought this world couldn't handle something like this,' Apollo thought to himself with an incredulous expression. As the figure's body continued to become corporeal, Apollo was nonplussed. However, it wasn't for the reason one would think.

If it wasn't for the fluctuation being identical to Spirits, Apollo would have believed this summoned being was no different than a human. Its appearance was infinitesimally close to one. Furthermore, it was around the same height as Apollo.

It had to be known, a typical Spirit was around twice the size of a human. This allowed them to retain more significant destructive abilities within their bodies. The smaller their vessel, the smaller the power they could wield was. After all, the Spirits that were summoned to Astarat were just Spiritual Bodies, they weren't the complete body of the Spirit.

For their complete existence to be summoned, the atmosphere of Astarat lacked a certain element to facilitate this action. Not to mention, its worldly laws were extremely lacking. Had not for the world's spirit being blessed, even the act of summoning the spiritual bodies of the Spirits would have been a pipe dream.

Meanwhile, due to the pensive expression on Apollo's face, the appearing individual was amused, "Little boy, if you continue to display that type of expression, it'll lead me to believe you're mentally deficient. A Higher Demon should be much more acute than you are."

It went without saying, from the newcomer's tone of voice, they were undoubtedly familiar with Demons. It wouldn't be misplaced to say that they were acquainted with them. 

On the other hand, Apollo was dumbfounded. Based on the way the Spirit behaved, it verified that it possessed a type of lofty status that other Spirits didn't. This was discerned from both their speech pattern as well as the nonchalant tone they used.

Finally, once he regained a portion of his wits, Apollo's expression normalized, "Pardon me, but who are you, and why have you summoned me?"

"On the contrary, I didn't summon you at all. The orb desired to summon you and so it did. In return, it collected enough energy to conjure a portion of my consciousness. As you see, I am not what you think I am. I am no mere Spirit," the being answered.

"No mere Spirit?" Apollo repeated with an unsure expression. This situated reminded him of his meetings with both Fuhrer and Saehtyn. Each of them revealed that they weren't normal Demons during their initial encounter. This led Apollo to believe that they were dignified beings.

They took pride in the fact that they were able to triumph over the masses. This fact was a testament to both their strength as well as potential.

"Correct, but there is no need to repeat my words; absorb information and digest it. Then, remain quiet and expand your limited mind. Your meager mental capacity means you haven't even become what your kind calls a Greater Demon," the being chuckled.

All of a sudden, with a black flash, they appeared right before Apollo and stared into his amethyst eyes. While the being's eyes flashed with a mix of silver and black, he then became shocked.

"Interesting, you aren't normal at all. By no means are you a mere Lesser Demon... I think I've come to understand why the orb has called out to both me and you; the one who possesses a split soul," the voice revealed before adding another piece of information, "Additionally, you may refer to me as Destrys."

The figure dropped his hood to reveal cascading snow-white hair. However, within a few lockets of hair were a couple of strands of shimmering silver color. At the same time, his eyes revolved with three distinct colors; white, black, and silver. While it was unknown if this was a technique or not, Apollo was mesmerized nonetheless.

"Destrys…" Apollo mumbled. For a moment, he paused before resuming, "If you aren't a mere spirit, then what are you? When it comes to your kind, I'm not exactly knowledgeable."

"I'm aware. In fact, I'm privy to a myriad of things that elude your understanding. Nevertheless, since I am here, for the time being, I might as well take advantage of it. Sooner or later, you will come in contact with my domain," Destrys responded.

Afterward, he rubbed his chin in thought. As he looked at Apollo, he pondered where exactly to start. 'The fate of the domain isn't related to him at this point, so there is no reason to present that information. Ah, there's also those other races. But, his ruler made sure his kind could avoid them for the time being.'

After ample deliberation, Destrys finally came across a few pieces of information he deemed suitable to reveal, "Well, let's talk the hierarchy of Spirits. First and foremost, the bottom ring is known as Normies or Normal Spirits. Following this chain, there are the Heroic ones, Legendary ones, Mythical ones, and so on."

"Wait, I know this information alre-... Mythical?" Apollo questioned with narrowed eyes. As he cross-referenced this information with what was known to the people of Astarat, he realized something, "Are you saying the caliber of the Spirits sent here is amongst the lowest you all can muster?"

"Precisely. In fact, the ones who travel here have to be approved by the Grand Spirit Council. Typically, anyone above the Legendary threshold cannot be weaponized. They must act in the best interest of our domain," Destrys revealed.

"Then, does that mean you're the sole Legendary Spirit to ever walk this plane?" Apollo questioned with an interested gleam in his eyes. According to the records found within the libraries of anywhere he searched, only one Spirit was able to enter the threshold of the Legendaries.

However, Destrys snorted derisively at Apollo's comment, "You severely underestimate me if you believe that was me. The moment my standing lowers to such a degree, I might as well obliterate myself. That type of  lowly attainment is beneath me."

"U-uh...then why don't you clarify what you are exactly?" Apollo mumbled. Dealing with the pride of this being proved to be adequately difficult as its ego was enormous.

"Tch, to put it in simple terms, I am an Archaic Spirit. Hmm, now that I think about it, you will probably come to know it as a Primordial," Destrys muttered, the last of his words akin to a whisper. 

"Primordial," Apollo nodded. The moment he heard this word, it resonated with him as it sounded extremely powerful. He became fascinated with this idea. So much so it compelled him to ask another question, "How does this realm fare against the realms of Demon powers?"

"I guess it is comparable to the level beyond a Daemos. While a Daemos may be strong, it isn't exactly the strongest. Now, if we're talking about your olden Monarch then…" As Destrys paused, a nostalgic smile appeared on his lips.

On the other hand, Apollo was once again in awe. As far as he knew, he thought a Daemos was the cusp of a Demon's ability. Yet, according to Destrys, there remained a realm of power beyond that.

As Apollo digested this, another question dawned upon him, "Wait a minute, if you aren't that Spirit, then how did you and that orb end up here?"

Before answering, Destrys shook his head, "That's incorrect. I never ended up here, per se. As a Primordial, my consciousness can be stretched across the cosmic plane. As for this orb, I've sent numerous of them hurtling throughout the cosmos. Each of them merely serves as a fragmented beacon."

"I see, but what is its purpose?" Apollo asked before examining the now silent orb. Compared to before, after it summoned Destrys' partial consciousness, it seemed to have entered a dormant state.

"Well, you see, that is where the mystifying revelation appears. Before I answer, may I request that you summon your Daemos partner," Destrys requested.

At the mention of his request, Apollo's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

This was a first. Until now, there had never been a person who could sense that he had contracted with Demons.

"Albeit a semblance, I smell several stronger scents located within your body. One of them in particular is far too strong. Even though it is masked by weakness, it is just a temporary lapse in strength," Destrys uttered.

Under the current conditions, Apollo could only accept this as truth. If Destrys willed it, even this piddling portion of his soul was enough to eviscerate Apollo.

A moment later, Apollo exhaled behold uttering a phrase that made Destrys both intrigued and shocked at the same time.