The Demon Monarch System

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"Hmm? What was that?" Apollo inquired as both Xezym and Sapphyr disappeared into the gates. Unlike the rest of the gates present, the one they were sent inside felt fundamentally different. If he had to make a comparison, then it was similar to being dumped inside a pool and an ocean.

One possessed fewer dangers as well as less space for movement whereas the latter was boundless but presented countless dangers. 

"That was just a Legacy Gate. It isn't like the gates here. They are direct records of my own actions. In other words, they'll experience what I intend to teach them firsthand. If the woman grasps enough, then I will bestow upon her my fragment," Destrys answered.

"Legacy Gate? Then what do you call these things right here? What is the difference between them?" Apollo asked. At the same time, he started preparing himself to enter the second circle.

"Well, these are mere Gates. It's just a device used by the Spirits to record techniques themselves. It's more a general approach whereas the more detailed Legacy Gates are a tailored approach. It makes those who experience it go through a more complete indulgence," Destrys replied.

Afterward, he looked towards the closed Legacy Gates and nodded, "Yes, based on their current attainments, they should be able to absorb some type of power. As for the extent, that is dependent on them. Fortunately, once it is opened, it will remain open to them."

Destrys then turned toward Apollo with raised eyebrows, "Why are you still here? Can't you feel the thinning ambient energy? Those Legacy Gates consume far more resources than these other normal Gates. If you dawdle for too long, the benefits will elude you."

"What?" Apollo exclaimed in shock. In light of Destrys' words, he stopped sitting around and dashed towards the second area.

While doing so, he looked towards the sealed Legacy Gates. He then recorded some information in his mind, 'From this point forward, you're indebted to a demon and I'll come at a later time to reclaim those debts.'

Shortly after, Apollo entered and situated himself within the second circle. Unlike before, he didn't form a protective layer around his Soul Form. According to Destrys, raising heightened defenses was the incorrect method to deal with the pressure present in the area.

The purpose of the pressure was to temper the mind. After all, darkness was the element most closely related to the mind. It influenced dark thoughts, it produced fear, and overall, it was the most enigmatic of all the elements. 

However, before moving forward, Apollo released his restraint over his demonic form, returning to his prior state. Once in his Iraym Form, the amount of mental damage he could resist skyrocketed. 

In fact, the second circle was barely capable of conjuring discomfort. Be that as it may, he still felt a faint pressure nonetheless. Until he could withstand it completely, it wasn't ideal to move positions. 

On the other hand, Fuhrer opened his eyes completely. In that short period of time, he managed to recover his soul to its former state and beyond. The dissonance between his body and desire was slimmer than before. As long as he held out, it wouldn't be long before he would be able to reclaim his peak.

"Destrys, let's talk. The thinning of the barriers, how bad is it?" Fuhrer probed.

"Well, as you see, there is a foreign race on this planet. I don't know what they call it here, but I'm sure you're aware of their true name; the Absorbeyns, a revolting race," Destrys uttered with a look of disgust.

However, when Fuhrer heard this name, his eyes narrowed, "That abominable race that is slippery as loaches? Sensing their presence is a monumental task since their presence is masked by a disrupting aura."

"Correct," Destrys admitted.

"So that's what the plague of this world is. However, I doubt their strongest beings have been sent here. Also, it appears they are called Terrors here. If their strongest combatants were sent here, then this world would have been no more," Fuhrer surmised, rubbing his chin in thought.

The more he pieced fragments of information together, the more he understood just why Apollo's soul was sent to this place. There was a multitude of reasons and ordeals that could induce an accelerated growth. In comparison to a fostered life in the Nihilistic Rings after coming in contact with the Lost Council, it would be much faster.

'I see. So Absorbeyns are already present here. I just hope they aren't able to contact their homeworld. My liege isn't ready to hide out in the Nihilistic Rings. If he is there too long, that sealed world will call out to him. Once that happens, a clash of the candidates will occur,' Fuhrer inwardly frowned.

Based on Apollo's current strength, a single clash would result in his death. Moreover, as far as Fuhrer's knowledge of Irzanath's strength went, it was nonexistent. The only knowledge he possessed was from what Azridan revealed in the past.

Nevertheless, if it came to be, Fuhrer would just have to act earlier than estimated.

While their conversation took place, Apollo finally rose to his feet and advanced toward the third circle. Once inside, he took his time to acclimate to the more stringent conditions.

Similar to the prior circle, he raised zero defenses. He allowed his mental energy to be compressed continuously. Each of the compressions caused his mind to operate more efficiently, his Tainted Temple trembling in the process.

'Although the discomfort is overbearing, I'll have to deal with this much if I wish to advance further,' Apollo thought to himself, withstanding the torrential pressure. Now that he took the time to feel out everything, he realized the pressure was segmented into different zones.

The outermost area was only twice as great as the preceding second circle. In comparison, the following zones continued to increase by one increment until they ultimately arrived at four times the second circle.

Be that as it may, it only took Apollo a few hours to exhaust the benefits of the first zone, moving to the next without hesitation. This process repeated, but each portion took longer and longer to overcome. 

'I'm not exhausting mental energy, but it's a terrible sensation. I believe this is worse than mental exhaustion,' Apollo determined. Just like with mental exhaustion, he was pale. However, the stark contrast was that this paleness was the result of mental fatigue from repeated impacts and not consumption. 

All of a sudden, Destrys's attention was stimulated, "Young boy, entered the second circles' gate. It should do you well." 

"The second gate?" Apollo muttered. Truth be told, even moving right now was extremely difficult. To summon the strength to enter the gate at this very moment, seemed to be beyond his current capabilities. 

"Yes, enter it now. Don't wait until you recover from it. Learn to operate through the immense fatigue. Only then will your resilience undergo shocking transformations. You do want to become a Monarch, no?" Destrys urged.

As he and Fuhrer conversed, Fuhrer finally revealed the existence of Apollo's Domination Intent. It was this ability alone that allowed the First Monarch to emerge triumphant in their spars.

Hence, once he found out that Apollo possessed it, he was excited to see the summit he could take it to.

"U-urgh," Apollo groaned as he tried to rise to his feet. Despite Destrys urging words, he couldn't neglect the extreme amounts of pain he was feeling. Just the simple act of moving consumed a large portion of his willpower.

'How does he expect me to enter that gate?' Apollo inwardly thought, glancing in the direction of the unique gate amongst the many. 

Even though he complained, he still dragged his powerless body in the direction of the gate. Ultimately, he ended up there.

"I...made it." Even though he felt relieved, he was also thoroughly surprised. This was because, unlike the third gate, the second gate opened without an issue. Moreover, the absorption effect never appeared.

On the contrary, this gate seemed to resonate with his mental energy instead. In light of this finding, Apollo's eyebrows furrowed. 'I've truly been played but that is no one's fault but my own.' 

With a sigh, Apollo entered the gate and found himself surrounded by darkness. However, unlike his first experience, this darkness was fundamentally different. It had a flow and it operated at random.

There were times when the darkness's flow converged toward Apollo and times when it shifted away from him. However, one thing remained constant. There were instances in which the flow was unaccounted for and appeared elsewhere. 

Suddenly, the scenery changed and Apollo found himself in a storm but was mystified by it. This was the first time he witnessed such a massive storm spurred on by dark energies.

"Wait a minute...is the pattern of this flow identical to the circumstances I was just in?" As Apollo realized this, he started to pay attention to different areas of the storm. When he attempted to extend his perception, he realized it was being continuously severed.

"This dark energy is sharp! If I'm not mistaken it should be similar to those slashes Destrys launched at Fuhrer!" Apollo exclaimed. This realization caused Apollo to become intent on learning this particular technique.