The Demon Monarch System

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"Holy crap Apollo! That was insane. Where did you learn to fight like that? It was like that beast was a baby in front of you!" Aaron asked as he approached Apollo, who was currently dissecting the corpse of the Spirit Beast.

"Survival brings out your instincts. I had to rely on mine for 4 years," Apollo answered nonchalantly as he retrieved a small Essence Core from the sternum of the Spirit Beast. Needless to say, it didn't amount to much as this was a simple Rank 1 Spirit Beast.

Nevertheless, Apollo stowed the Essence Core in a small pouch before cutting apart the ape's body. Within moments, the flesh was separated from the skin. But, Ashur stopped him when he tried to store the meat.

"Ahem, I hope you aren't thinking of taking this beast's flesh? Since it's your kill you can but keep the core, but the flesh is part of the reason we ventured out here."

At first, Ashur expected this youth to give in, but Apollo merely looked at him with a blank stare, "Are you willing to put yourself in danger for this beast? If so, then you're welcome to try taking this for me."

"Y-you! Disrespectful!" Ashur snarled indignantly and even started to shake in fury. This youth showed his elder not a shred of respect!

"And who are you? I don't recall us having any relations," Apollo responded as he tilted his head. Throughout speaking, his tone remained plain and unmoving.

"Ahem, Apollo, I know he has wronged you and is rough around the edges. But, Ashur is your family and you shouldn't treat him in such a way, no?" Danyul interjected, looking to mediate the tension.

Consequently, Apollo shifted his emotionless gaze towards Danyul, "Family? That word is useless and bears no meaning to me. The person in your memory has already perished, thus I simply want the spoils of my battle and I'll be on my way."

"Hey! That's not the way to talk to your Elder," Axel chimed in as he widened his eyes at Apollo's attitude. Although he was a troublemaker, he never disrespected his Elder. But Apollo here was simply too cold.

"Oh," Apollo said while turning his head toward Axel. His gaze grew frigid the longer he stared at Axel.

Whoosh!

Before anyone could respond, Apollo used the Partial Shade Silhouette to appear right next to Axel in an instant. The cold obsidian blade rested against his neck as Apollo's cold voice was heard, "I suggest you shut up because I've been itching to exact my revenge upon you. I don't want to waste my time. But if you open your mouth, I don't mind killing you."

As he spoke these words, Apollo's fingers made a faint movement, causing the Dark Cutter to dance against Axel's skin. An audible gulp was heard from Axel as a trickle of blood seeped down his throat.

He didn't say another word as he feared this callous youth meant what he said. After all, there wasn't just bad blood between them, it was absolutely terrible!

'Wow… Apollo has really changed. He's no pushover. He doesn't even place the Elders in his eyes anymore. No, that isn't right. He doesn't see them as family,' Aaron thought.

Meanwhile, Apollo finally turned towards Cynthia, "Do you agree with their words?"

Despite his distant attitude, Cynthia responded with a warm smile, 'He's becoming more like him. His father was the same way; he didn't take any nonsense from anyone.'

It wasn't long before she found her answer, "Take what you need sweetheart, you also need to cultivate."

"Y-y...Cynthia! We'll get in trouble. Don't you remember the Grand Elder's words? Not to mention, look at his actions! He's an insufferable beast!" Ashur grumbled.

"While I am aware of my uncle's words… I will have to respectfully disregard them. Not only is my poor nephew in the wild surviving on his own, but I also don't recall anyone once sending someone to check upon him. Hence, I don't care what you have to say...he WILL be taking what he needs," Cynthia replied with a frigid gaze directed at Ashur.

'Whoa... Mom's a badass!' Aaron marveled.

Ashur simply scoffed. Outside of words, he would never confront Cynthia. The reason was simple: compared to him, Cynthia was much further along within the Zul Knight Realm!

After all, 4 years was more than enough for everyone to make strides in their personal strength.

Meanwhile, Apollo prepared a flame before devouring over ⅓ of the Violet Sonic Ape's flesh. Because of his seclusion, and relying on the pellets, he was rather famished.

Aaron, on the other hand, salivated when the smell of the beast meat wafted into his nose, "Smells delicious. I thought the chefs at home made it taste good, but I guess it just inherently tastes like this. But, as I asked earlier, just what have you been through?"

Apollo gave a faint nod before deciding what to say. After a while, he spoke of some of his experiences with the beasts, "Most of my skills were achieved in battle. You'll evolve quickly without a stable environment to rest."

"D-does that mean your body is better?" Aaron blurted with eyes full of curiosity which soon fell upon the scar on his shoulder, "Also, how did you acquire that?"

"Yes. I believe it's getting there. As for this scar, it came from a perilous battle. Don't be like me and attempt to fight Rank 2 Spirit Beast early. How about you, what are your meridians like these days?" Apollo asked as he tore into a piece of Spirit Beast meat.

"It's stronger than before for sure. I think it's possibly at the peak of the Spirit Gra-... Did you just say a Rank 2 Spirit Beast?! Aren't those equal to at least peak Zul Warriors? How did you survive?" Aaron's mouth dropped in shock as everyone's widened. Just what had this child experience?!

"Meh, probably luck. But enough of that, I survived and lived to see another day. By the way, you're welcome to help yourself," Apollo offered while sidestepping Aaron's curiosity.

As those two caught up, Cynthia revealed a gentle smile while leaning against the tree, 'For the first time in 4 years, Aaron seems like himself again.'

She didn't enjoy the change in her son after Apollo's departure, much like the current Apollo; he felt too detached. Although his initial talent was slightly weaker than both Lily and Axel; his dedication to training was many times stronger. As a result, his cultivation was always relatively close to theirs.

Suddenly, Aaron turned towards Cynthia with a pleading expression, "Mom, can we please bring Apollo back? Wouldn't he be accepted with his new strength?"

The question caused Cynthia's silence because while Apollo was strong, she didn't know if it was truly safe for him. However, Apollo's uninterested voice sounded.'

"If anything, I'll have to decline, because I don't intend to join you all. I'm a passing wanderer and nothing more," Apollo said before, releasing a dark aura. It was clear he intended to leave right that moment, but Cynthia held out her hand and held his arm.

"Wait Apollo, you don't have to be in such a rush to leave," Cynthia said, but Apollo simply gave her a silent stare.

"Why?" Apollo asked in return.

Again, Cynthia struggled but then she spoke from the heart, "Because I honestly miss you. Not just Aaron, but I do as well. Although he wore his struggles on his sleeve, I was forced to worry about you, yet feel powerless."

Gradually, the aura around Apollo dissipated, but his expression didn't change at all. Still, a thought surfaced in his mind as he looked at Cynthia, 'Maybe they'll be of some use. It'll make it easier to explore the depths of the central region of this forest.'

Although the words were genuine, the current Apollo truly held no ties to this family. But, if they were of use, he didn't mind bearing with their presence for the time being.