The Demon Monarch System

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"What in the actual fuck is this!?" Stark exclaimed, horror accumulating in his mind. He couldn't believe the sheer number of blades that Apollo just summoned. Although it wasn't the void blades, and merely conjured from Hellfire, it was still able to appall Stark and his followers.

The flames spurred on by Hellfire were simply tyrannic. It presented a certain level of despair that they weren't used to. In fact, in their eyes, there was simply no way to survive against the onslaught of those blades should they be launched towards them.

"Y-you tricked us. You never disclosed that your affinities were this high. T-that fire...it's something mixed with Fire and Darkness. And that uniform...you hail from the Vermillion Night Academy! If you hurt us, our Academies will be at each other's necks," Stark exclaimed, trying to bring logic into the issue.

Unfortunately, the person he was messing with wasn't too logical. Apollo took a step closer with a faint smirk on his face, "What makes you think I care about the well-being of my Academy? Furthermore, what gives you the confidence that you are so important to the Mystic Earth Academy?"

"I-I…" Stark was nonplussed! He couldn't mesh the right words together to refute Apollo. First of all, this was the first time he met an individual who didn't possess their academy in their sights, it was simply unheard of!

Outside of the Supreme Families' land, the 9 Famed Academies' land was akin to a cultivation holy ground! There weren't many areas that surpassed them in essence density and purity. Since they were erected in carefully selected positions, materializing on energy nodes. 

Hence, everyone prayed to receive admission to one of the academies, it was a life-altering experience if properly used. Yet, this individual in front of him sullied that desire everyone held by uttering his astonishing words.

Not to mention, Stark also felt some anger towards Apollo practically calling him worthless once again.

"W-we may no be all that useless or prominent within the Mystic Earth Academy, but they still take care of their own well. If you hurt us, you'll be creating enmity towards it!" Stark's follower screeched as he remained speechless.

"Enmity is only possible when a side is still alive. As for you all, well, let's just say your life has come to an end," Apollo said with a chuckle. Each of their expression grew pale when they heard this.

"No, wait! Spare us, we'll give you all of the spirit items in our possession! It should be a sizable amount and able to buy our safety," Stark suddenly yelled, stumbling to active his spatial ring. However, Apollo's next words caused him to froze.

"Why would I bargain with someone over possession that will ultimately be mine upon your death?" Apollo questioned with an amused expression. His odd look caused the others to finally realize what was happening. 

"D-demon. You're simply a blackhearted demon! Does life have no meaning in your eyes? There can only be one!" Stark shrieked, the effect of apollo's ghastly words finally terrorizing his mind.

"Not yours, at least," Apollo responded before swiping his hand downward, all of the hellfire blade converging on their position. As the flames grew potent in their eyes, everyone resigned themselves to their fates, but also continued to curse Apollo in their mind.

Right before the blades landed, Apollo smiled, "By the way, that's exactly what I am. You hit nail on the head."

After he said that, he turned around, absorbing the earthen essence as he walked towards the other hand. Suddenly, he held his hand over his shoulder, 12 spatial rings appearing in his palm.

'Hoh? It would seem that their leader possessed more than one spatial ring. Meh, more for me I guess,' Apollo internalized, tossing them in his inventory without checking their contents for now. 

Moments later, their incinerated ashes fell upon the ground, blowing into the distance due to the nearby tempest zone. 

On the other hand, Apollo looked beyond the perimeter of this Element Zone he was in. In the distance, there was a towering pagoda that caught his eye. "If I'm not mistaken that must be that core attraction of this place. This zone should just be a means to perform last-minute advancements."

Momentarily, Apollo made stops in the Lightning zone, submerged in thunderclouds. Unlike the rest, absorbing the essence here was quite different. In order to absorb the dormant essence, Apollo was required to be struck by the lightning.

However, Apollo didn't hold any qualms against being struck. In fact, there was a theory he wished to test out. 'Since metal essence is abundant in my body, it should conduct the lightning essence effortlessly. But, why are the zones so empty?'

As he spread his perception, even in the unsealed zones, he didn't sense a single person. This was a questionable situation, leading Apollo to believe that something happened.

'Perhaps I spent too long within that preliminary training space? I mean, it's a plausible reason as to why I'm alone for the most part. But, that does explain why the zones have been emptied,' Apollo thought.

All of the nearby zones seemed practically untouched from what he perceived, making Apollo believe that either no one passed through here, or it simply wasn't useful. But, how could that be true? The younger generation was littered with youths looking to advance their affinities quickly.

Then, another thought crossed Apollo's mind, 'Perhaps this zone is a reward? Only present for those who cleared a certain amount of stages? If so, then it's understandable. Those people back there weren't weak, just weaker than I am.'

But, Apollo also dismissed this idea. The reason being the number of zones. It was too limited to suffice for everyone's use. After all, across the 9 Famed Academies, it went without question that there were strong contenders amongst their selected participants.

Thus, Apollo's attention soon returned to the few zones he had visited. For a while, he inspected them, coming across some shocking changes. Only after the zone was completely depleted did the essence recover from an unknown source.

Furthermore, when it returned, it also returned with a colored barrier around it. The barrier around the Spatial and Metal Zones was bronze, spurring questions in Apollo's mind.

"Perhaps my guess wasn't incorrect, just incomplete," Apollo voiced. As he retrieved the Gold Inscription Key in his presence, there was a faint response, from it and the barriers surrounding those two zones. Like air, the barriers dispersed with no issues.

'So that's it. The Golden Inscription Key allows recurring use. Then, perhaps I should indulge in this area a while longer,' Apollo thought, ultimately deciding to milk his rewards.

First, he began by receiving the alarming lightning strikes. The result was the increase of his affinity after his body contained the energy and a number of impurities being purified from his body. While the results weren't amazing per se, Apollo felt as if his movements grew even more fluid.

One by one, he visited each zone pertaining to each of his affinities and corrected their deficiiesnces. By the time they all reached Level 9, a golden barrier encased each of them. However, Apollo also noticed an apparent change when the barrier appeared.

Perhaps it was the reward for defeating the Juggernaut, but the energy within those zones underwent a change, possessing a mystic air to it. 

'Wait a minute, I recall there being something beyond affinities. I wonder if it's possible for me to tap into it with the use of these zones,' Apollo wondered.

Gazing upon the barrier, Apollo was compelled to test out his theories. Apollo dashed forward without a shred of hesitation, but not into a zone, but the area in the middle. Since he had been here longer enough, he sought to shorten the time need.

All at once, he resolved the golden barrier around the zones. Even a golden Dark Zone opened, surprising Apollo. 'Perhaps this area is already aware of my affinities. It may even possess its own sentience.'

Straightway, Apollo closed his eyes, and sensed the mystic changes in energies. Each of them edxerienced a liberation of their properties, amplifying their worth to a new echelon. Buried benheath the outer shell, Apollo fdound a crtystalline version of their eneries with a potent signature.

'This is it! I need to absorb this,' Apollo determined. Just as he sensed the presence, not just his Infernal Nucleus, even his Tainted Temple and Diabolic Heart of Wrath resonated with the energy.

Extracting the energy was a peculiar process. For some odd reason, the external energy couldn't be absorbed. It was the impurities expelled by the energies of its own accord. If it was absorbed, it would just recreate the recently purified impurities in Apollo.

Intently, Apollo guided the combination of energies into his Infernal Nucleus, an odd sensation accompanying this action. It was hard to describe, it was both painful and pleasurable as the same time.

Absorbing many energies led to a concoction, but a potent one nonetheless. Apollo's body began emitting strange fluctuations!