The Demon Monarch System

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"Okay, Mom. But you can't put yourself in harm's way either," Aaron responded with a firm gaze. Although she was the leader on this assignment, he couldn't accept her endangering herself, even if it was for his own safety.

On the other hand, Apollo's eyebrow rose slightly when he saw her gaze. Although he understood her word, Apollo simply gave her a faint smile.

"I know my limits, but I also feel that it shouldn't be too dangerous for me to just spectate your actions. Plus, it'll allow me to understand the differences in strength. Not like I've had anyone to teach that to me," Apollo said with a chuckle, pulling a rather shameless card.

Although it wasn't the truth, the others had no way of telling that information. Besides, while Apollo wasn't interested in joining the fight, there was something that interested him―the core. And, it wasn't like he could simply ask for the cores.

Therefore, there was only one option left.

"Suit yourself. Just remain mindful of your positioning," Cynthia assented to his proposal while they advanced further.

It wasn't long before they came in contact with a new Spirit Beast. It was a salamander monster, deep red in color. Its eyes were like black gems while its body was the size of a sedan-type car.

「Monster Name: Flame Salamander

Rank: Early Stage Rank 2 Spirit Beast

Health: 4,000 (100%) 」

"Hm, it seems they're serving as the guards for the one near a breakthrough. Let's make quick work of them and enter that cave behind them," Danyul stated as he wielded his staff quickly.

A moment later, his staff was coated in a blue aura as he lashed it out horizontally. An arc of energy hurtled from the tip of his staff towards one of the salamanders who noticed the strike and responded accordingly.

The salamander opened its maw and conjured an orb of fire before launching them towards Danyul's strike. However, a few nearby salamanders reacted as well, firing their own attacks.

"Hmm, a decent amount of teamwork. It appears they possess a semblance of intelligence. They've successfully blocked my Aqua Rend Art. Let's see if they can handle this next move."

Danyul twirled the staff around his body, forming a stream of Natural Essence which condensed into water. An instant later, it gathered together to form an orb of water. Once that happened, he slammed his staff against the ground, causing a large blanket of water to engulf the salamanders and slam against the wall.

"As I thought, they're unable to handle my Surging Waves," Danyul uttered as he soon unleashed another sharp Aqua Rend to bisect the salamanders quickly.

"Oh? It would seem your proficiency with those techniques has increased. This makes me question what other techniques you have been learning these days," Ashur commented with a derisive sneer.

"Perhaps you'll find out later," Danyul briefly responded before proceeding past the bodies of the salamanders. Meanwhile, Apollo approached them, collecting their cores.

It seemed as if they didn't value these things the way they glazed over them.

Nonetheless, this all worked out in Apollo's favor. All they were doing was contributing to his growth. What they saw as trash, he recognized as treasure.

It wasn't long before they came in contact with an increased volume of beasts. It seemed as if the beast in question was meticulous in its planning.

"The temperature is increasing far beyond what I expected? It seems as if the beast in question possesses an extremely high affinity with Fire Essence," Cynthia said as she took note of the increasing heat while advancing further. It was reaching a point that caused even them—Zul Knights—to perspire.

On the other hand, Apollo continued to draw in this essence. It was akin to a blessing for his Juvenile Demon Body, 'If it's like this, the high levels of Fire Essence should accelerate my progress. I guess wrath produces an affinity with anything that is infernal.'

[It is indeed beneficial to you. After all, this flame is unstable and that's what demons thrive in—the fires of instability. However, do take caution. The fluctuations I'm sensing are growing fainter as if they're being concealed. It might be a sign of the evolving beast reaching the later stages.]

'Ah,' Apollo nodded in understanding as he looked at the backs of the others. Soon enough, they came to a halt. The otherwise narrow cave path led into what they were currently confronting—a large clearing, albeit a weird one.

Rather than a clearing, it was safer to call it a room filled with magma.

Furthermore, there were streams of dense lava flowing through the walls and meeting the center of the room, forming a sizable pool. That small pool, however, had a small detachment that led deeper into the cave through an even more slender passageway.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if something had attempted to seal it entirely.

"There's a lot of beasts. It appears the evolving beast has made ample precautions to ensure it isn't interrupted," Danyul voiced as he tightened his grip on the Coldiron Staff. Compared to before, there was a sea of monsters. The type was consistent, but their strengths weren't! These particular ones were all Rank 2 of varying stages!

"What's the plan? Are we to intervene?" Apollo withdrew the Dark Cutter without hesitation. His eyes fell upon the salamanders, viewing them as prey. After all, that's what they were to him—stepping stones in his path to power.

"If we are to clear this alone, it'll take too long. In that scenario, it'll give the beast even more time to complete its evolution. Hence, we'll have to utilize the kids. But... I can't stress this enough; ensure your own safety above all else!" Cynthia's expression became uncharacteristically stern.

Her eyes then shifted to the indifferent Apollo whose mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"Apollo, you'll spearhead the operation," Cynthia commanded, causing shock within Axel. His eyes widened as he felt an irritation welling up inside him. He didn't like this feeling of not being considered when pinned against Apollo. He could understand Lily as she time and time again proved to be stronger than himself. Apollo, on the other hand, was an outcast!

"Hmm? Me? I don't think I want to do that," Apollo shook his head in disapproval, glancing at the expression in Axel's eyes with a small smirk. He truly couldn't care less about leading them or not; he only had one thing in mind—collecting some cores.

"Please, can you do me this favor, hun? You're the one who possesses the strongest sense of survival. If you can ensure their safety, I'll ensure yours later and present you with something," Cynthia pleaded with a desperate expression.

Apollo fell silent for a brief moment while contemplating her words before nodding. "Okay. But every single core is mine. Do you find this acceptable, Aunty?" Apollo stated as he motioned to Aaron.

"That goes without saying. The family doesn't really lack them, nor do we have forgers capable of refining them. But that makes me question, why does my sweet nephew need so many cores?" Cynthia wondered as she waved her malleable sword.

"They're of use to me, and they could be in the future as well," Apollo answered.

"Ah, that's true. Very well, you may claim them," Cynthia turned around not paying this matter any more attention as she felt she left it in capable hands. Reacting quickly, she dashed with Ashur and Danyul into the sea of flaming salamanders.

Meanwhile, Apollo delegated the tasks amongst the present three as he saw fit. It was all based on the information gathered while watching them fight.

"Aaron, you'll take the vanguard. I'll be closely monitoring your movements. However, I won't get involved unless you're in dire danger. You need near-death experiences if you'd like to bring out your peak strength," Apollo said while narrowing his eyes to examine the situation even further.

"Okay, I think that sounds good, but what about them? What will they be doing?" Aaron curiously pointed to Axel and Lily. Unlike Aaron, Apollo truly didn't care about the safety of either of these people.