The Demon Monarch System

----

"W-what the hell?!" One of the individuals exclaimed. They couldn't believe how reckless Apollo was. Since they didn't know who he was, they weren't aware of the deeds he had committed. However, if they were privy to it, I'm sure their first reaction wouldn't be to entertain his whims.

Unfortunately, such credit couldn't be aware to them. The burly leader felt indignation towards Apollo's attitude, "Oi, just where do you get out causing such trouble. It's the truth, we were here first!"

"That's very nice and all, but I don't care whether you were here since time immemorable. If I want to train as well, then I'll do so without sparing any thought for the consequences," Apollo responded, opening a single eye towards him.

Apollo's calm response left them unsettled for a moment. Either he was a madman, or something was wrong with him and he couldn't comprehend danger when he saw it. Regardless of what it may be, the 10 individuals already felt offended.

"Tch, are you blaspheming the reputation of our Mystic Earth Academy? That's no good, I, Stark will have to deal with you," the burly figure said, a mixture of silver and yellowish aura billowed from his body. Afterward, he withdrew a pair of chained short swords, as his followers retrieved a collection of weapons.

Without another thought, Stark rushed forward, brandishing his short swords by swing the chain. Although the chain was short and the short sword seemed to be a mix of a greatsword's breadth with the sharpness of daggers, Stark manipulated the varying chain lengths with ease.

Furthermore, he used the gathered momentum of his advance and channeled it into his strikes, accentuating them. As the chained short sword sped towards him, Apollo leaned to the side, dodging it at the last moment.

'If I reveal my true power too early one, then they'll scurry away without me having any fun and that isn't the slightest bit acceptable,' Apollo internalized, making it seem as if dodging the strikes were quite difficult.

When Stark witnessed the difficult situation for Apollo, a gleeful grin appeared across his lip and he issued a series of signals to his followers. An instant later, they reacted and dashed forward. 

Each of the surrounding Apollo on every side, something of them even thought to have entered his blind spot. However, what they didn't know was that his perception provided a 360 degrees view within a 10-meter radius.

Within this range, he was akin to a master. His senses were too kin and despite the overwhelming number, Apollo didn't show the slightest ripple in expression. Throughout the change, Apollo remained calmed, a steady stream of hidden energy encasing his hands.

A tingle was felt on his back, alerting him of danger in specific areas. Two sword strikes were fast incoming, but Apollo took a step back, moving towards. To the others, it seemed as if he was moving towards the attacks and sealing his fate. However, that was far from the truth.

A fleeting smirk appeared upon his lips before disappearing as quickly as it came. Two breathes before the strikes land, Apollo turned his body. Somehow, Apollo dodged between the small opening in the strikes.

The result was the clanging of two swords as their blades met each other. When Apollo executed that backstep, he had already calculated the length of the weaponry and the angle of their strike. This reading allowed Apollo to smoothly transition to his current spot.

Softly, Apollo clapped his hands together, a surge of strength flowing through their weapons. All of a sudden, their feet left the ground as they were each heading towards one another. 

But, before they collided with each other, Apollo pressed his palm into the pit of their stomach, blasting them towards Stark.

Upon witnessing this, Stark's eyes narrowed. 'What luck, he took a step back just before those two issue their attacks. However, mere luck won't be enough for your survival. You have already offended us. There are countless zones, yet you bother us.'

As those two flew through the air, Stark and five others dashed towards Apollo's position. Stark swung his chained blades haphazardly, producing a sandstorm with violent winds. The grains of earth inside were a mixture of his internal energy along with some of the ambient earth.

In this particular zone, Stark realized his attacks were empowered, further increasing his confidence in making Apollo pay. There was no way he would endure such blatant disrespect without retaliation.

Meanwhile, every time the blades grazed past Apollo, it seemed as if his reaction was slowing, which led to Stark's excitement. Simply put, Stark felt as it was just a matter of time before his strikes began to lay waste to Apollo. At that time, it would be who triumphed.

Apollo analyzed the Stark's body language, noticing his swelling confidence, but it still wasn't time yet. There were still a few other youths who hadn't attacked him yet. Unless he was attacked, the system wouldn't classify them as malicious persons.

However, there was another situation that didn't require physical actions, it was the leaking of killing intent aimed towards Apollo. At the very least, only the intent was required to do so.

Sadly, it seemed as if, except for Stark, none of the other youths present knew how to channel intent. It appeared as if they were just following along with Stark's desires. 

'Tsk tsk, mindless followers. Someone should have schooled you. Mindless behavior will only lead to both an early and grueling demise,' Apollo inwardly thought, shaking his head.

"Tch, still have the time to shake your head? How about we change that! Terra Practice: Resplendent Earthen Blades!" As Stark bellowed this, chunks of the surface beneath their feet trembled.

Each time his weapon passed above the ground, a sharpened blade of earth was created, launching towards Apollo soon after. Within a few moments, over 10 earthen blades were hurtling towards Apollo.

At the same time, the other two were inactive finally directed an attack towards Apollo. With that, everyone within his vicinity was deemed as malicious beings. Right before the earthen blade crashed into his body, Apollo's body started to dissipate into shadowy embers.

"W-what?!" Stark exclaimed, his eyes widened in shock as the blade passed right through Apollo's body. It wasn't Apollo that he hit, but rather his afterimage. Until now, Stark thought Apollo's lack of techniques had something to do with his affinities.

After all, a Metal Affinity was useless for dodging. It only had two properties that made it a sought-after affinity—offensive and defensive capabilities. Not only was it one of the sharpest elements, but it was also durable. Hence, why most weapons were forged from metal alloys.

In this form, their uses were vast. It was limited to just weapons, even items and armors were forged from metals, taking advantage of its properties.

Unfortunately for Stark, he had made the wrong assumption about Apollo. He wasn't the hunted, he was the hunter! From the beginning, Apollo had marked them as prey, as with their questionable intelligence, they had fallen into the trap.

"F-fuck! He tricked us! He's been concealing his abilities! He's a darkness user, guarded yourself. Those trick bastards love to attack your mind. In fact, everyone retreat to my position. We need to tight-

"Where are you going? Stay right here~ Sin Shroud: Wrath's Blanket!" A crimson barrier erected from the ground traveling upward, the walls of the barrier emitting a sweltering heat, frightening those trapped within.

'Metal, Fire, and Darkness? Is this guy someone with triple Attributes? Fuck…' Stark thought.

With an infuriated expression, he stabbed his swords into the ground, "You may have erected a barrier, but don't forget. Metal Essence has the greatest piercing power!"

Large amounts of Metal Essence gathered in a spiral around Stark. He used his earth essence as the foundation and created two huge earth spears, but he was far from done. The collected Metal Essence crept upon the spear, from an alarming spiral pattern around the spear until it met at the tip.

A sharp point was formed and Stark propelled it forward.

'BOOOM!' 

A thunderous noise sounded as the earthen metallic spears slammed into the barrier, rattling those within. A burst of hearty laughter sounded from the position they were launched from, "Hahaha! Did you really think you can contain us like chained animals? Impossible!"

"If you think that is true, then, by all means, look again!" Apollo's phantom-like voice sounded behind Stark, scaring him for a moment. However, he obliged Apollo's suggestion and examined the barrier as the debris from the strike clear.

"W-what?! How is this possible?" Stark exclaimed with a look of horror. Not a single scratch could be seen upon the interior of the barrier. It was as if a single attack hadn't been launched against it.

"Tsk tsk, that's the issue. Despite your weakness, you people always bear swelled egos. Now, allow me to show you true power," Apollo chuckled. As he lifted his hands, countless spears made from Hellfire materialized around him. Compared to  Stark's actions, Apollo's was much more horrifying.