The Demon Monarch System

----

With the appearance of the wicked voice, both Apollo and Fuhrer were shocked. This was the first time they had witnessed a Spirit who possessed a bearing and energy signature resembling a Demon. Although they were extremely different in characteristics, this Spirit managed to perform a monumental task!

"Do my eyes betray me, or is this Spirit rather bizarre? It neither feels like a Demon nor does it feel like a Spirit," Apollo muttered, looking at the newly possessed Lazaro with interest. 

According to his earlier words, this particular Spirit was named Erebane. While Fuhrer thought it meant nothing; for some reason, this name was rather enticing to Apollo. Due to some innate knowledge, he understood that any being with the prefix "Ere" in their moniker was derived from the primordial darkness.

In other words, Apollo understood why Erebane felt oddly similar to Destrys. What Apollo didn't know was that Destrys was a given name; it wasn't the name he was given. In fact, Destrys' true name was Erebus! The true primordial of Darkness. However, he abandoned that name after millennia. 

Now, he was merely Destrys and anyone who was aware of his real name was either long gone or never announced it in fear of his reprisal. After all, just like the First Monarch, Destrys had acquired a mass of enemies. The mere mention of his name would cause cataclysmic tides to occur.

Meanwhile, Fuhrer shook his head, "Your eyes do not betray you at all. This person is indeed an absurdity; I will deal with them. Something is amiss with them and I don't quite know if you're their enemy."

Apart from Fuhrer and perhaps Azridan, there wasn't anyone else who could tell Apollo he wasn't fit to be someone's opponent. Even if it was the truth, it would awaken an innate defiance within him; the desire to prove everyone wrong.

However, with Fuhrer's vast experience, Apollo wasn't willing to disprove his theories. After all, more often than not, Fuhrer's estimations were accurate, frighteningly so. Plus, there was another issue with this so-called Erebane. 

The aura he awakened with was morphing and strengthening quickly! Simply put, it seemed he was empowering himself by feeding off of Lazaro. Forget using him as a means to further his Demonic Conduct, Lazaro might not even exist after Erebane was finished with him.

Despite his reassurance, Erebane truthfully didn't care for Lazaro's soul. All he needed was the vessel. And, once that was acquired, he knew just how to take care of it to keep it from deteriorating. It was through a special practice known as Absolute Assimilation.

Taking a few steps forward, Fuhrer withdrew Brynhildr with a placid expression. Yet, if one were to look closely, they'd realize the frigid, murderous energy seeping from his eyes. Although it wasn't directed at anyone yet, it symbolized Fuhrer drawing upon some of his source strength.

As Fuhrer drew closer, Erebane exited his reverie, staring towards Fuhrer, "Will you be my opponent? Good, I have a few questions. For one, why do you have such a familiar stench woven into the threads of your mind?"

Whoosh!

Erebane dashed forth at a mind-boggling speed, which shattered the staircase under his feet. The relentless rush caused a small shockwave, but Fuhrer didn't react to that. Instead, he swung his sword upward, forming an arc of strong winds.

Yet, at the height of his slash, a sonorous metallic clash was heard. The sound was so piercing some of the people present had to keep their ear covers to keep their eardrums from rupturing. It was a painful experience, but there was nowhere they could go.

If the people present on this staircase descended, the pressure amplified. Not to mention, if they chose to take another staircase, the pressure felt would multiply once again. The reasoning behind this was simple.

The intent of this small "trial" was to teach its participants how to advance throughout all adversity and refrain from retreating. Hence, why the reversed path would result in a stifling and almost incapacitating force bearing down on them.

Neither Erebane nor Fuhrer stepped back from their collision, but both of them seemed slightly strained as if their strengths were essentially even. Even after increasing the pressure of their strikes, a difference could barely be seen.

The ground surrounding them sunk in and cracked apart while the two remained rooted in place.

"You're not a normal Spirit. Just what has impelled you to come here?" Fuhrer questioned while analyzing Erebane, At the very least, he wished to glean something from Eerabne. For example, if his true purpose for coming here was Apollo!

While the First Monarch possessed an amicable relationship with Destrys, that couldn't be said to be true about the other Primordials of the Spirit Race. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Most of the Primordials motioned for Destrys to distance himself from the Demons yet he blatantly disregarded their demands.

Naturally, this drove a wedge in their relationship, causing the Spirits of the darkness to face unusual levels of discrimination. In the domain of the Spirits, the dark spirits were held to the lowest regards despite having the second most useful abilities.

Nevertheless, Destroys felt it was worth it. The practices and insights he learned through the exchanges with the First Monarch triumphed over any of the losses he suffered. In fact, those same insights were fragmented and left inside the orbs he launched throughout the cosmos!

"I could say the same about you… you Demon! You don't belong here nor do you have any jurisdiction. You're motives for being here intrigue me. Why don't you spill them!?" Erebane said with a laughing roar.

Afterward, he lashed his foot out, intending to obliterate Fuhrer's ribs. However, how could Fuhrer, whom of which was well-versed in extreme hand-to-hand combat, let that happen? 

Fuhrer raised his forearm, blocking the blow with another resounding explosion from their contact. After a short moment, Fuhrer retaliated with his own strike, slashing his arm diagonally.

Without a moment's hesitation, Erebane abandoned their clash, retreating a few steps away. Although they seem equally matched, Fuhrer's lethal strikes were still extremely sharp and dangerous. If he was careless, then Erebane was bound to suffer damage.

"Not very friendly at all, are ya?" Erebane said with a chuckle. Cracking his shoulder, Erebane moved his body around to alleviate some of the load it felt. Since the assimilation was fresh, it would take some time to properly acclimate to this body. 

Suddenly, a few wisps of black energy flickered around Brynhildr. The playful attitude of Erebane meant he was whimsical and probably insane by nature. Such opponents usually revealed horrifying trump cards as the fight went on.

Hence, it was ideal for Fuhrer to finish it as quickly as possible.

"Hoh? That's quite the special energy you have there. Darkness mixed with shadows, ultimately merging to form a unique void source. However, I can see something that doesn't belong to you within there. Give me what is mine!" Erebanew demanded with a light of greed shining in his eyes. 

When Apollo felt this greed, his mind pulsated. It was an abnormal sensation, one he had never felt before. During all his prior run-ins with Sin, it required his touch as a medium.

Yet, as he watched Erebane, he could distinctly feel the greed as if he was touching it! Either his resonance was becoming stronger, his anatomy became strange after Azridan reawakened, or there was a secret hidden within Erebane.

Both the former and latter were extremely plausible, but Apollo was more focused on the second choice. After all, it was Azridan who taught him the practice of Stigmata. With his reawakening, perhaps it marked the long-awaited appearance of his next Stigmata.

Then again, Fuhrer also warned him about his Complete Awakening. If that were to take place, then Apollo would have to withstand the simultaneous pain of multiple Stigmata being engraved at once!

"Unfortunately, I don't understand what you're insinuating," Fuhrer responded. A second later, he slashed his sword, following up with multiple slashes in quick succession.

"Heh, I guess I must just be some incoherent madman then," Erebane quipped. Immediately after, his body flickered before turning into vanished dark embers. Before the strikes could attack him, he vanished!

Furthermore, although fundamentally different, the technique used was oddly reminiscent of the Baleful Steps. The only thing missing was the aura of death masking the user's presence. Instead, it just felt as if Erebane vanished, disappearing with the engulfment of boundless shadows.

'This isn't Void traveling. No, it's more like he created his own dark dimension and stepped inside. Also, it seemed nearly impossible to pinpoint. Could this be why he has targeted us?' Apollo wondered. 

A warped spot in space appeared, but surprisingly Fuhrer didn't react and Apollo couldn't understand why!