The Demon Monarch System

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Apollo's mind was occupied with thoughts of his benefit. While doing so, he also glanced over at the conversation taking place between Lily and Aaron. He studied their expression silently before taking note of something, 'They must have interacted more after I left. It appears there is a slight bond festering between them.'

"You were thinking of staying with Apollo if we can't bring him back, aren't you?" Lily asked with a strange expression. For some reason, she didn't wish for this to be true, but then again she understood Aaron well.

Aaron chuckled sheepishly because her answer was true. If it was truly impossible to have Apollo return, then he would most likely stay. But, he also wasn't sure if this was possible. After all, these three were treated differently from the rest.

Each of them possessed talents that surpassed their elders. Therefore, if anything were to happen to them, then the Elders would be the ones to receive the blame and punishment since they were tasked with monitoring their safety.

As a result, Danyul and Ashur immediately shook their heads, "This is something that can't happen. The Grand Elder would be furious if that were to happen!"

"En!" Both Lily and Aaron nodded. However, they each presented peculiar expressions.

On the other hand, Apollo inspected the others before shaking his head softly, 'I could most likely handle both of them if I advance a bit more. As of right now, I have no use being in the inner ring. I'll have to venture to the central zone for sure.'

Suddenly, Lily turned towards Apollo, who hadn't spoken nor glanced in her direction since he appeared. Although their relationship wasn't amicable, it wasn't on bad terms either.

Therefore, she felt she should at least extend a greeting, "Hi, Apollo."

Apollo blinked uninterestedly before looking towards. The only acknowledgment he gave her was a slight nod before looking elsewhere. Unless it pertained to something beneficial, then Apollo preferred silence.

Thus, he was sparse with words, even now.

Eventually, Danyul nudged Cynthia before using his eyes to convey his intentions, which prompted Cynthia to continue her persuasion.

"We leave for the central area shortly. So if you do decide to come with us, then just follow along."

Apollo pondered the possibility but remained silent as he gazed at Cynthia. Though he decided that it would be worthwhile, he realized that being in their company was quite an annoyance. So, he conversed with Azridan.

'Do you think I should just set aside my annoyance?' Apollo wondered.

[Is gaining strength more important to you? Remember your current situation.]

'Yeah,' Apollo replied.

[Then you have your answer.]

"Fine," Apollo nodded.

"Great! We'll leave once Lily and Axel recover their stamina. In the meantime, why don't we converse?" Cynthia sat next to Apollo with a warm smile, caressing his cheek.

While his expression was cold, he didn't recoil from her touch. Fortunately, unlike the rest, her relationship wasn't beyond rehabilitation. Instead, he spared her a look that held a tinge of curiosity. 'She wants to converse?'

"About?" Apollo inquired.

"How about your talent, and in turn, I tell you what happened to you?" Cynthia replied as her gaze scoured Apollo, landing on particular spots—his scars. 'Those are quite gruesome, and some of them seem to be recently acquired. Even with his vitality, it seems to the healing period will be extensive.'

'What happened to me?' Apollo pondered with a silent yet intrigued glisten in his eyes. After all, one of the mysteries of the body was the cause of its initial ailment. Therefore, Apollo agreed after some time.

"The deal sounds good, but I'm sure," Apollo said. After all, the system only gave him his comparison when it was imperative.

A slight frown crept upon Cynthia's face due to her own blunder. She had overlooked the fact that Apollo's experiences were all limited to the wild. So the information he had access to was essentially nonexistent.

To test for meridian quality required someone experienced or the use of some type of evaluation apparatus like the one used in the talent assessment. "Forgive me. My question was insensitive," Cynthia said with a sorry frown.

"I haven't thought about it, so no worries. In fact, I should thank my current situation. It was a blessing in the disguise of disownment," Apollo said with a light chuckle.

"Are you sure? If you have resentments, you're free to speak about them. I'll gladly listen to them. You don't need to feel alone anymore," Cynthia expressed before placing her hand on Apollo's.

But, Apollo merely shrugged in response, "Don't worry about my resentments. If I feel like it, then I'll gladly address them. In the meantime, I would like to know what happened to me."

"Okay." Cynthia nodded before releasing a deep sigh, "It all remains vivid in my eyes because I was present at the time. This goes back to a time before you were born. At that point, you were nothing but an unborn child in your mother's womb. Truly a horrid set of circumstances.

"There was an invasion on the outskirts of this area. Of course, the culprits were the Terrors. There was an order sent down through the Astarte Family, which is the Great Family that reigns over our Zephus Domain.

"I'm aware of that name," Apollo nodded. He recalled Irauk mumbling about the Zephus Domina. Regardless, Apollo continued to listen to the story.

"All cultivators over the Zul Knight realm were ordered to confront the invading Terrors. However, little did we know that the vague information they received was terribly wrong. There was a Rank 3 Terror amongst the invading forces. One must know that a Rank 3 Terror is equivalent to a Zul General, but that is only the case on the surface! At that time, the two strongest people in the group were only Level 1 and 3 Zul Generals. Which were yours and Lily's father—my older brothers.

"Unfortunately, even when teaming up together, their combined strength paled in comparison to that vile beast. It turned out it was on the cusp of reaching Rank 5. They fought valiantly but time proved to be a cruel existence.

"Reinforcements were sought, however, by the time they came the damage was done. Not only did both my brothers perish..." Cynthia paused for a moment as the sorrow she felt became palpable, "Your mother with you in her womb was mortally wounded. The decrepit energy of the Terrors corrupting your insides before you could be born. As a result, it ran rampant throughout you mutilating your constitution."

As she spoke, Axel who sat not too far wore a complicated expression, 'Apollo's father was the person strongest in talent in the family? All this happened to him? Should I apologize to Apollo? This isn't something the family talked about. I didn't know...'

"Mn, so that's what happened," Apollo muttered. It was unclear from his unperturbed facial expression what was exactly going through his mind, nor would he reveal it. "Thank you for clarifying this and offering me the information I needed to know. I always wondered about the origin of my condition."

"There are no thanks needed; it's your history. However, I do think you will lead a stellar destiny. Although your starting point was far less than others, don't let it discourage you; steel yourself on the path of cultivation," Cynthia reassured with an amiable smile.

"My path has already been determined," Apollo said. Gradually, a menacing smirk appeared on his lips as he clashed sights with Axel and Ashur.

'Mn, my little nephew isn't that small defenseless boy he was before. He's already showing signs of maturity beyond his age. He is able to remain calm after listening to all of this,' Cynthia thought as she ruffled Apollo's hair.

Perhaps her thoughts would change if he understood the impulse that surged within Apollo's mind.

The passage of time was brisk as both Lily and Axel recovered, marking the beginning of their journey into the central area.